What is it that makes people hate Apple so much?

It's not going to happen.

Apple specialise in a complete package with tightly integrated hardware and software. They tried the halfway house of licensing the OS to clone makers in the 90s and it was a disaster for them. It was one of the first things that Steve Jobs scrapped when he returned.

It'a a successful business model for them, so why change it?
 
It did. But the Mac side is sliding (don't flame me, I mean in the grand scheme of things. Macs percentage market share of internet connected devices is sliding, they might have great sales for them, but to put it into perspective Apple sold more iOS devices last year than they have sold Macs period.) and I'm not interested in any iOS devices at all. The only thing that could possibly interest me is an OSX device, but not at Apple's inflated prices. So, in that case no Apple devices for me...
 
3dcandy said:
It did. But the Mac side is sliding (don't flame me, I mean in the grand scheme of things. Macs percentage market share of internet connected devices is sliding, they might have great sales for them, but to put it into perspective Apple sold more iOS devices last year than they have sold Macs period.) and I'm not interested in any iOS devices at all. The only thing that could possibly interest me is an OSX device, but not at Apple's inflated prices. So, in that case no Apple devices for me...
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This is why many analysts predict OSX will eventually become iOS or an iOS clone for the desktop. I think iOS is a decent platform for mobile devices but I switched to OSX as I wanted a nix based OS with a decent GUI. I found I always spent too much time trying to make a Linux GUI perfect whereas OSX is a lot closer to what I want from a GUI. Part of that is because OSX is built for a limited number of hardware so Apple are able to control the look and feel.

Apple is a bit like marmite - you either love it or hate it there is probably very little middle ground.
 
apple phones - great, not a problem with those. feel the same way about tabs. expensive, but they perform well. definitely a viable solution for those wanting the best build quality.

apple music players are overpriced. in terms of actual music playing, they're simultaneously worse quality and more expensive than alternatives.

apple pcs are overpriced. some say it's because they're look good, but art/architecture/design students haven't agreed. some say they have better tech support. by better, if you mean having to pay nearly the same again for "quick" and "perfect" repairs, then ok. some say they're faster. but if you paid the same amount, your other-os-based system would go way ahead in terms of performance.

glossing over other negatives (like program compatibility), one good thing seems to be a lack of viruses (obviously, more effort to program, for a smaller target audience). i've been virus-free and antivirus-free since 2004/5 on windows, but obviously not everyone is so lucky/responsible, so i see how this is a very valid pro of macs.

other pros, i'm not familiar with - maybe it's a generally decent os, maybe it isn't. the few times i used a mac, i was unimpressed, and felt it wasn't worth the premium.

there was another audience for which i used to think macs were a great choice: design students. but i've since learnt from an architecture student at UCL that the whole "design students need macs" thing is a crock of poop. he realised soon after buying that there was only one little video editing program that worked better on mac than windows. i think he said UCL made it mandatory because of some adobe(?) program, but that he later found that it was incompatible with mac oses.

anyway i'm not always anti or pro companies, i just buy the best product that suits my needs at the best price. but with apple it's difficult not to have a polarised opinion. smug apple fans personally annoy me. but objectively, apple seems to release competitive products from time to time, which have appeal to a certain crowd of people (e.g people who want to be trendy, people who want a high-end fuss-free pc, people who want sturdy build quality, etc.). if it weren't for marketing tactics, business model, or rabid fans, i'd have no opinion on apple whatsoever.

btw, very willing to be educated on this matter. these views are just the result of previous encounters, and definitely subject to change if someone has more informed opinions.
 
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Ill chip in too.

PLayed with a ton of Android tablets recently then bought an ipad 3, cheapo 16gb wifi only.

Unbelievable the way it just works, and works fast without crashing!

Im a PC user through and through though but props to Apple for the iPhone 4 and ipad 3
 
PorkPieCat said:
apple pcs are overpriced.
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I don't think MacBooks are overpriced. Yes, they're expensive compared to a lot of Windows laptops, but most cheap Windows machines aren't comparable to the MacBook in terms of design or build quality.

If you want a Windows lappy with the same battery life, build quality and level of design as the MacBook then you have to pay just as much as Apple charge!
 
Mattus said:
I don't think MacBooks are overpriced. Yes, they're expensive compared to a lot of Windows laptops, but most cheap Windows machines aren't comparable to the MacBook in terms of design or build quality.

If you want a Windows lappy with the same battery life, build quality and level of design as the MacBook then you have to pay just as much as Apple charge!
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I disagree. Up to a point last year then yes...but now it's different, you can get plenty of laptops with good battery life, good design and build quality (perhaps not the same as Apple but good enough) and now they're cheaper. Problem is, you don't tend to see them on the shelves in local places. They do also have the problem though that the battery is now sealed inside meaning if the battery goes, the laptop has to go off to be repaired...a pet hate of mine with Apple
 
3dcandy said:
I disagree. Up to a point last year then yes...but now it's different, you can get plenty of laptops with good battery life, good design and build quality (perhaps not the same as Apple but good enough) and now they're cheaper. Problem is, you don't tend to see them on the shelves in local places. They do also have the problem though that the battery is now sealed inside meaning if the battery goes, the laptop has to go off to be repaired...a pet hate of mine with Apple
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Any recommendations?

While my experience isn't exactly the same as everyone else's (about 25% off my laptop) the reason I bought an Air is that is was the best value/performance of those out there...

The new series 9 is very sexy however, but just as expensive. The Sony Z is more powerful, sexier as well but significantly more expensive.

EDIT: And don't suggest the Acer, it's a pile of **** in comparison to the above :p
 
OK - why do people hate Apple?

Well, for me Apple make computers. They are not some sort of life changing entity. They just make PCs, tablets, phones, MP3 players etc.

I have owned Apple stuff over the years and some of it has been excellent - some has not.

I hate the attitude of Apple fanboys - and unfortunately when you go into an Apple shop it seems to be staffed by these muppets.

I am thinking about buying an iMac at the moment - but it is just a computer. It won't make me cooler. I won't suddenly have more friends. I won't be more attractive to the opposite sex.

I don't hate Apple - I hate the "cult of Apple" and the sheep who follow it.

Are Apple computers overpriced?

Well some of them are and some are not.

If you look at the basic spec iMacs - they are actually priced pretty well. If you spec up a similar machine from a competitior you will pay a similar price. The same goes for Macbooks.

Where it starts getting silly (and to be honest, offensive) is when you look at upgrade prices or the Mac Pro range.

To add 4GB of RAM to an iMac - £160 - price for 4GB of RAM on OcUK = £16.99 ( http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-153-CR&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1264 )

Upgrading from a 1TB HDD to a 2TB = £120
Adding a 256GB SSD = £480

Those prices are just abhorrent.

Mac Pro prices then are just in fantasy land.
 
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You can't really compare OcUK who custom build most orders to Apple who are manufacturing tens of thousands of set configuration (standard, better, best) machines.

To a certain extent the upgrade prices are uncompetitive as a function of the machine being built to order. They've got to specially make a one-off model for you with the upgrades. Economies of scale dictate that it's going to bump up the costs of manufacture.

But yeah, Apple's RAM prices are a laugh. Most clued up owners just stash the factory RAM in a drawer somewhere and buy a certified kit from an online seller.
 
Amp - series 9 is pretty good tbh, I didn't like the Acer but the Asus models seem pretty good too. Problem is that there are too many very similar specs available and you have to be careful to get the right one. I quite liked the Samsung series 6 or 7, bit thicker as it includes a slot loading optical drive, which also killed battery life aswell a bit (quoted 7 hours, I reckon more like 5) but also had backlit keyboard etc. You have to goto a really huge high street store with a good range to see what's good...and just try them out...
Another problem is that quite often they are not set up well....
 
3dcandy said:
It did. But the Mac side is sliding (don't flame me, I mean in the grand scheme of things. Macs percentage market share of internet connected devices is sliding, they might have great sales for them, but to put it into perspective Apple sold more iOS devices last year than they have sold Macs period.) ...
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Mac sales are still up. Have been year on year for ages now. OK so last quarters was down a little on the last but still positive and much better than the PC industry as a whole. That has been in decline for years now.

Analysts put this slowing of Mac sales down to the lack of recent hardware refreshes. Now with supposedly MacBook Air like MacBook Pros (Ivybridge) and new iMacs I should imagine we will see positive Mac sales for this year and next.

Between OS X and iOS Apple have nothing to worry about and licensing OS X will be suicide. Tim Cook isn't going to do that.
 
Like I said Mac sales are up...percentage wise though they are losing on internet connected machines which also mean that overall the number in use is declining compared to other machines. That has been put down to older Macs being retired and replaced by other devices, quite possibly iPads etc. You can manipulate the figures whichever way you wish, but the Mac is not a super great selling machine and is probably not Apples main focus any more. I totally agree that OSX won't get licensed, that's not my point. My point is that a licensed OSX is the ONLY Apple product I can see myself ever buying unless things change dramatically. I seriously doubt I will ever buy an iOS device, they just aren't for me...I will always lean to a more open product, currently Android. Cost is my main concern at this stage, I can do anything cheaper with non Apple products. I just don't have the cash to purchase anything. End of.
Yup, the PC industry is in decline in many ways, Apple achieved much of that with the iPad which has killed netbooks and lower end laptops for many people...
 
Also people now use smartphones a lot more..again the iPhone was probably the product that started off that revolution...so Apple has a lot to answer for. Good or bad, well that's up to the individual...
 
spudbynight said:
OK - why do people hate Apple?

Well, for me Apple make computers. They are not some sort of life changing entity. They just make PCs, tablets, phones, MP3 players etc.

I have owned Apple stuff over the years and some of it has been excellent - some has not.

I hate the attitude of Apple fanboys - and unfortunately when you go into an Apple shop it seems to be staffed by these muppets.

I am thinking about buying an iMac at the moment - but it is just a computer. It won't make me cooler. I won't suddenly have more friends. I won't be more attractive to the opposite sex.

I don't hate Apple - I hate the "cult of Apple" and the sheep who follow it.

Are Apple computers overpriced?

Well some of them are and some are not.

If you look at the basic spec iMacs - they are actually priced pretty well. If you spec up a similar machine from a competitior you will pay a similar price. The same goes for Macbooks.

Where it starts getting silly (and to be honest, offensive) is when you look at upgrade prices or the Mac Pro range.

To add 4GB of RAM to an iMac - £160 - price for 4GB of RAM on OcUK = £16.99 ( http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-153-CR&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1264 )

Upgrading from a 1TB HDD to a 2TB = £120
Adding a 256GB SSD = £480

Those prices are just abhorrent.

Mac Pro prices then are just in fantasy land.
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100% with the first few paragraphs, however your pricing is wrong in a few senses. The Mac Pros are not particularly expensive when you compare them to other workstations. The extras are more expensive yes but the base stations are comparable to HP and Dell machines.

3dcandy said:
Amp - series 9 is pretty good tbh, I didn't like the Acer but the Asus models seem pretty good too. Problem is that there are too many very similar specs available and you have to be careful to get the right one. I quite liked the Samsung series 6 or 7, bit thicker as it includes a slot loading optical drive, which also killed battery life aswell a bit (quoted 7 hours, I reckon more like 5) but also had backlit keyboard etc. You have to goto a really huge high street store with a good range to see what's good...and just try them out...
Another problem is that quite often they are not set up well....
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The Asus models are ok, but not much different in price to the Air. The series 6-7 you are talking about isn't really comparable, it may be called an ultrabook but it's not really in the same category as the UX31, Series 9 or Air. :p

The Air doesn't stand out as some people suggest (either in terms of expense or in terms of being better) by any stretch.

I spent ages looking around for the 13" machines a few months ago and while the selection has recently got better there wasn't much choice, with all the decent stuff being similarly priced, which is pretty much the same now. Alternatives to the Macbook Pro 13" would include the HP Envy Spectre and the Dell 14z and the Sony S series, all of which are similarly priced.
 
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