Not enamored with Apple

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Bedlam

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Okay...Rant on. I'm sorry, but I just need to vent.

I got some money for technology use for my job and I decided to go with an Apple Macbook pro. It made sense at the time. I love my iPhone and liked my Ipod okay when I had it. Apple is "known" for being the leader in things that I like to do with a computer: presentations for work, video and photo manipulation for fun. Plus music, which I've used Itunes forever with no real issue. I hadn't done much with video and wanted to get into it. Everything else I need is regulated to basic word processing and web browsing. That's it. I'm not a heavy tech user. I would have never dreamed that making a change over to Apple would have been as awful as this.

Everything is hard.

The one presentation I've had to do since I bought the damn thing was, despite all promises, impossible to embed videos into. When I worked long enough and thought I had it figured out, there was no way to plug my presentation into the system to give when I got there. (That last bit I can blame on the tech folks at the site, I think.)

I shouldn't even go into the HOURS it took to recover my Itunes library.

Using Iphoto is an effing nightmare. I've been desperate to post a thread on a new project, with photos, but Iphoto won't let me resize. A web search reveals that I have to pretend to send the photo to email in order to get that done. Guess who's email won't set up properly in order to let that happen? You got it.

Everything is hard.

I expected a learning curve. I'm not a tech moron. I'm usually pretty good at trial and error learning, but this is just ridiculous. I can't believe I spent more on this damn thing than my first car (yeah, I popped for the retina display, which is the ONLY thing that lives up to expectations.) with such little usability.

Argh. :mad::mad::mad:

Okay. Thanks for listening.

--EDIT-- All righty. I just figured out how to do the resize on photos. It is stupid and takes far too many steps. I hate Apple. I wish I could get 75% of my money back on this piece of crap. I'd take it and run.
 
OOOH...your gonna get blasted by the Apple fanboys now.:D

I'm not an Apple fan either, but if you gave an Apple guy a Win 7 PC, he'd probably put up the same post complaining about Microsoft. It's what you're comfortable with I guess.

My complaints are the cost of the equipment and compatibility issues. I work with Apple users and there's always an issue swapping data with them. I definiitely don't care for iTunes.

It's the same across the board, but honestly working with disparate OSs is a lot easier than it used to be. I just don't want to have to re-educate myself every time I pick up a new device. I use a little Unix, a little Linux, and a little Wintel and a little Apple. Whatever it takes.

It'll get better the more you use it.
 
I was an apple fanboy from about 1988 to around 2007 (maybe 2008) when I finally had enough of their practices. I used to really like/love the ipods, now it's just a necessary evil (until I figure out a better way to steam Pandora to my Clarrion head unit, hopefully via my Droid Razr).

IMO, apple sells systems at jacked up prices due to the OS. You can get a same spec (or better) hardware from one of the larger computer makers out there for the same money or less. Plus you'll have MORE customization options with most other manufacturers. With an apple system, the OS it ships with is the oldest one you'll ever be able to install on it. I'm talking about down to the dot release level. Like 10.4.3. Say you need to install a previous version for a business critical application to run. Sorry, no can do. With a pc, chances are you can install an older version onto it (get a new system with Windows 8 on it, chances are really good you can install Windows 7 on it). You can even find new systems being sold (mostly from the manufacturers themselves) where you can get Windows 7 on them, with the ability to upgrade to the next release if you want to.

I've also had to try and support the apple ilife apps... IMO, consumer grade crap at best.

I've been using the same Dell workstation class tower for about 5 years now. I've upgraded hardware and the OS on it. Came with a pair of dual core Xeon's, which I changed over to a pair of quad core Xeon's later. Changed out the video card for one I liked better too. I replaced the original hard drive right away, and recently replaced the drives that I had installed with a new SSD. IME, you have MORE hardware flexibility with non-apple systems. Plus, I can run virtual systems (easily) to use other operating systems. You have more options there than with the apple platform. I've standardized on VMware Workstation for that, on my desktop (running vSphere/ESXi on another for my servers). Sure, you have Fusion from VMware and one or two others you can try to use. But the interface isn't even close to the same, and it's not as easy to do the same things I can do (last time I had the opportunity to use them at least).

Personally, if apple went belly-up I wouldn't cry a lick. If anything, I'd celebrate. :eek: :D

BTW, apple's track record for supporting enterprise customers (or even businesses) is less than good. It's not even in the same category as the other big players in the market. IBM/Lenovoe, HP, and Dell all support the enterprise far better. If you need to test a system before it's available, your Lenovo/HP/Dell rep will get you one as soon as they are available. If you need to get them imaged before arriving, no minimum order count per year is needed. With apple, they have a minimum before they'll even consider it. Need to get the product lifecycle information from apple? Good luck there. Want it from the other guys? No problem at all. I used to get it routinely at least once a quarter so that I could plan accordingly.

Something else people seem to have forgotten. Adobe has said before, that they're software runs better on the Windows OS. :eek: I know a bunch of apple biotches will scream at me for that, but I don't care. The fact that i can run PhotoShop CS6 on my 4-5+ year old system (granted, it's been upgraded a bit over the years) and PhotoShop screams on it.

Another item apple fanboys avoid... Application and OS level crashes DO happen on apple systems. In fact, there's really not much of a difference between the apple OS and Windows 7 or 8 in that regard. If anything, you have more options to tweak/optimize a Windows system/OS than with the apple OS.

I've been in the IT field since 2000. I started out supporting apple users at my first IT position. I became a senior level support specialist before becoming a mac systems business analyst (and liaison between the apple users at another company and the rest of IT) before also taking over other duties including purchasing technology items (interfaced directly with the vendor reps). This is where apple fell flat time and again. They also caused us serious grief due to lack of information (when's a new system coming out? we found out at the same time everyone else did). Since then I've moved further and further away from dealing with apple users. Gladly. I'm now a virtualization administrator/engineer working at the server level (VMware products). If I never have another apple computer (for work since I have zero intentions of spending MY money on one), I'll be a very happy man. :D
 
Thanks for the validation, GoldD. Every time I hit a brick wall with this, I wonder if I've just become one of those doddering old farts they used to market the Jitterbug cell phone to. Geez. I just know so many shiny, happy Apple people and I. Can't. Be. One.
 
Thanks for the validation, GoldD. Every time I hit a brick wall with this, I wonder if I've just become one of those doddering old farts they used to market the Jitterbug cell phone to. Geez. I just know so many shiny, happy Apple people and I. Can't. Be. One.

You took the right pill (the blue one)... :D The apple cultists would have you keep taking the red pill... :rolleyes:

Of course, if you wanted to go through the hassle, you could give apple the bird, and install Windows 7 onto that laptop. :rockin::D
 
Or give them both the bird and install a linux distro. :) Here are some pieces of software you might want to look at, if you haven't already.

http://www.libreoffice.org/
http://www.gimp.org/
http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

IMO/IME, most end users are not ready for Linux. You can easily be battling missing drivers for key hardware items with Linux that you won't have to go through with Windows. Things like wireless cards to name just one. I actually tried to go with Linux as the main OS on a laptop not that long ago. The missing drivers pretty much killed it for me. I'm NOT looking to try and recompile drivers to work on a system. Especially when the Windows drivers are so readily available (installed with the OS)...
 
IMO/IME, most end users are not ready for Linux. You can easily be battling missing drivers for key hardware items with Linux that you won't have to go through with Windows. Things like wireless cards to name just one. I actually tried to go with Linux as the main OS on a laptop not that long ago. The missing drivers pretty much killed it for me. I'm NOT looking to try and recompile drivers to work on a system. Especially when the Windows drivers are so readily available (installed with the OS)...
OS selection is an individual choice. I have not had any driver issues like you are describing. In terms of system setup from a vanilla install disk, I've found most of the bigger distro's to be easier and faster then a windows install.

Enjoy your setup, whatever it is, and as always;
Have nice day.
 
Mac isn't horrible but it's just not for me at all. I'm a PC guy. My girlfriend is a film editor so she has to use her Mac. I've used it before it's pretty cool for somethings but it doesn't do what I want my computer to do. I hate the launcher bar.
 
Mac isn't horrible but it's just not for me at all. I'm a PC guy. My girlfriend is a film editor so she has to use her Mac. I've used it before it's pretty cool for somethings but it doesn't do what I want my computer to do. I hate the launcher bar.

Just try to do something apple doesn't want you to do. Or doesn't think you should be able to do. :eek: I used to install an application/utility that would correct a lot of the issues the OS would have. Then apple did a bigger change in the OS code, rendering the software ineffective. They wouldn't give the coder the information he needed to update the utility. So, where we could previously fix systems that were buggered, we now had to either do a wipe and reimage (losing all user data on the system) or remove the drive, try to recover files from another system, and pray they were not corrupted.

I did enjoy popping people's bubbles when they made comments about apple computers not crashing and such. It was also pretty fun binding the OS to the AD domain (a Windows AD DC ran it) so that they had to log in with their domain credentials. We removed their local account and made damned sure that virtually all of them were NOT admin's of the system anymore. A rare few were allowed to be (those we knew we could trust to not F things up).

IF I was given an apple system, the first thing I would do is create the driver disc so that I could install Windows 7 (or 8) onto it. I'd wipe the drive (or install one of my own) and not use the apple OS at all. That is, IF I kept it at all.

One of the places I worked for (briefly mind you, but that's another story) wanted to give me a new apple laptop. Since I wouldn't be able to run my administration utilities directly on that OS (I'd have to either use a virtual system on it, or install Windows on it anyway) I got them to get me a souped-up Dell Precision Mobile Workstation instead. Cost less, had a faster/newer processor and dual SSD drives (one for the OS and apps, the other for storage).
 
Oh for my personal use I won't use it. But you can't get Final Cut Pro on a PC so she has to. I used it when both of my computers spontaneously combusted and I was waiting on parts for my laptop (don't get me started on Dell laptops) and a new cheap desktop(my MB went on my 5 yar old PC it almost made no sense replacing the MB when for maybe 100 bucks more I could get a much better computer.) thankfully they both were resolved quickly. The laptop I fixed and then my girlfriend's job was giving away desktops that were around the same age as my old one, and you can't beat free and since it was the same basic computer my Dell was (except the business model) I could transfer my RAM and when I stop being lazy my media reader, which makes me a happy panda.

Also annoying thing with my girlfriend's computer, there's a known issue with the Wifi and they haven't fixed it yet. How long should that really take?
 
Well, the Adobe software works on both platforms. :D So, you don't HAVE to use the [cr]apple software. :D

IMO/IME, apple is always acting like their sheet doesn't stink. :rolleyes: I tried to get them to repair a server we had at one company (back when they still had/supported them). They refused to believe it was a hardware issue. Even though the OS had been installed fresh and the issue continued. It got to the point where I would just call up the guys they would dispatch, told them the issue, and they would open the support case with apple. At least then things got repaired. When a tech, with 8+ years of supporting their systems tells you what's wrong you should listen. NOT make them go through all the scripted steps they have. Never mind the fact that I had either already done them, or more advanced ones. :rolleyes:

Yeah, I've more than had my fill of apple in general. When my one ipod touch finally stops working I won't shed a single tear. Hopefully my next truck's stereo won't be tilted toward apple for things like Pandora streaming and such. I'd rather have it go directly through my smart phone. Oh, and there's no way in hell I'll buy an iphoner. If they're the last one that's available on the market (as in all the rest have closed up shop) I'll keep the one I've got as long as possible.
 
Don't tell her and the rest of the Film community that haha. I swear I never saw such a whiny bunch as Apple fanboys who're in film. At least I convinced my girlfriend to stick with Android rather than piss money away on an iPhone 5.

My biggest gripe with Apple is cost.

An entry level iMac costs 1300 bucks. And it's got some pretty awesome stuff inside of it, i5 processor, 8 gigs of ram, 1 TB hard drive and a solid graphics card. But for 400 bucks less I can get an HP ENVY all in one, that's 400 bucks, I could buy an iMac, or that HP, plus a Nexus 10 and have 2 products that kick Apple's rear.

I give Apple credit where it's due, they made 3 viable markets that didn't exist before. Before the iPod, iPhone, and iPad the MP3 player, Smartphone, and tablet were all niche markets. I know I worked in the Cell industry before the iPhone, those smart phones stank with a capital S. It wasn't until years later than anyone not on AT&T could get a decent smartphone. when Android 2.0 came out. Remember the Blackberry Storm? What a clunker that was, I had to hack that phone to oblivion to get it to work properly.
 
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