Somebody's been holding on to this for quite a while now. You'll feel very much at home here in "Apple Complaints Forum" where no one is ever happy with what Apple is doing.
Also, you forgot to sign it "RANT OVER"
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Apple Drops Over Twenty Spots in Latest Company Reputation Survey
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Somebody's been holding on to this for quite a while now. You'll feel very much at home here in "Apple Complaints Forum" where no one is ever happy with what Apple is doing.
Also, you forgot to sign it "RANT OVER"
I agree. I hear a lot of grumbling from longtime customers like myself. People that found Apple in the last 10 years (ie: the iPhone era) seem largely positive, but those of us who have been supporting the company for multiple decades aren’t so thrilled these days.
I was strongly considering an iMac Pro until I read about some of the utterly insane issues people are having with bricked computers. I fear the new Mac Pro will also be a locked down nightmare too.
Quality control at Apple is not what it used to be. Nor is UI design. Each new version of iOS and MacOS brings more interface inconsistency. There is too much change for change sake that belies an underlying lack of direction.
At the same time, Apple is delivering some really awesome products and technologies. I’m in love with the iPad Pro + Pencil. I never really found a use for an iPad, but the Pencil changed everything. I started bringing my iPad Pro to work meetings recently and have been using the sublime GoodNotes app to take notes. My coworkers were so impressed and now the company is getting iPad pros and pencils for all of their project managers.
I still choose Apple because I think they make the best products, but I also feel that cracks are starting to show. Apple needs to be very careful not to alienate longtime customers because we are, and always have been, the company’s evangelists. I informally support at least 20 friends and family members. If I ditch Apple, those people will probably follow my lead, especially considering that many of them are complaining to me already about increased idiosyncrasies and inconsistencies in the user experience.
Ive has no business whatsoever in UI design. Apple needs to make user experience their top priority. Consistency! I also worry that the focus on Services might become problematic. Are they a hardware company or a services company? Where is the focus? Is it hardware first always, or is the HomePod the future, a hardware product designed to sell a service? If that’s the case, we’re in big trouble.
The narrative that Apple (or Google, for that matter) is taking hits to its reputation for not putting out game changers is insanely stupid.
They're taking hits to their reputation because their respective quality control has gone downhill (see macOS High Sierra, iOS 11, Google Pixel 2 XL, iPhone 4, 5, 6, 6 Plus and CDMA non-plus versions of 7). Apple is still giving us new features and things; they're just not things that we need and they come unpolished and riddled with enough bugs that many are content to just not upgrade rather than buy in.
They're taking hits to their reputation because their respective quality control has gone downhill (see macOS High Sierra, iOS 11, Google Pixel 2 XL, iPhone 4, 5, 6, 6 Plus and CDMA non-plus versions of 7). Apple is still giving us new features and things; they're just not things that we need and they come unpolished and riddled with enough bugs that many are content to just not upgrade rather than buy in.
Well the battery scandal and pricing the first new iPhone design in four years at a higher price then anyone else in its market place, by a significant amount whilst halving the storage options doesn’t help... then we have the endless software bugs...
Not surprised by this, wonder how the AAPL holders on here defend this one?
Not surprised by this, wonder how the AAPL holders on here defend this one?
No. It’s weird for me too. It’s all probably done on the east coast because wegmens is rated number 2. Like wtf. I live on the east coast and there’s only like 3 or four near me and they all are overpriced. But anyway that list is probably rigged
Apple's reputation dropped because a lot of people think they implemented planned obsolescence under the guise of power management.
I’ve been an apple user for quite some time as well and I’m still very happy with apples products. You aren’t going to please everyone, but I’m sorry you don’t become the richest company in the world by not doing things the right way.
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Have you ever tried their submarine sandwich oil? It’s life changing and clearly the reason they are ranked #2
My own personal experiences with Apple Mac products over the past 8 years follow a downward reputational trend. All products with AppleCare.
1. iMac11,1 (27-inch Late 2009) purchased new February 2010. Radeon HD4850 512MB literally BURNT out in August 2014 - despite NO intensive graphics use over its lifetime, and use only on a stable desktop in an air-conditioned room. It took out a 310W E/Star power supply with it and at the same time the V-Sync LCD cable was replaced. Hefty repair bill of ~USD242 - that supposedly a discount since I had taken out AppleCare (which had expired, of course). In September 2016, when I opened this up to replace the 1TB WD Black drive with a 1TB Samsung 850 EVO, I found the "replacement" graphics card had burn marks on various components and the "replacement" V-Sync cable was missing a lock on one of its connectors, which was disintegrating. So much for the pricey 2014 repair!
2. MacBook Air3,2 (13-inch, Late 2010) purchased second hand April 2011. Rock solid, using to post this. No hardware problems except dings to corners and screen damage due to avoidable accidents, neither claimed on AppleCare.
3. MacBook Air7,2 (13-inch, Early 2015) purchased new July 2015. January 2018 battery packed up without warning. Usable for a few hours with power cord, during which I double backed it up using TimeMachine (not something one can rely on unfortunately), then completely died.
Had to wait a couple of days for Genius Bar appointment (as everyone bringing in iPhone 6 and later for battery replacement). Then five days for repair, originally listed as battery and logic board, but only the battery was replaced.
A month later February 2018 audio crackled on headphones then disappeared. Speaker icon on toolbar and in audio settings greyed out. Had to wait three days for GB appointment for same reason as above. Repair took a couple of days. Originally listed as speakers and logic board (get the common thread yet?), but only speakers replaced. The very next day, same problem manifest and I booked another GB appointment, but the problem disappeared after reboot, SMC reset.
Two weeks later March 2018, same audio problem again. Booked GB appointment four days later (earliest to avoid disruption as this is a school kid's machine). After booking GB appointment spent twenty minutes complaining to Apple in Australia and trying to get this marked as priority to repair logic board. Audio problem disappeared the evening before the appointment, but I took it in anyway as very obviously from second GB appointment onwards an intermittent hardware fault. MBA returned the day after taking it in. This time the parts were all ready and waiting (first time not so) and logic board, speakers and I/O board replaced for good measure. Finally I have a working machine again - cross fingers.
In the process of dealing with 3., I lost use of the MBA for about 14 days in total, with degraded use (no or glitching audio) for a further 8.
Dealing with Apple Support online, I found that some of the above GB bookings are on my support & service record, some not. I also found clunkiness having to re-enter much information when the website had defaulted to US support (I am in Hong Kong) and only when I got to the entry point for a phone number did I realise that I could not proceed. Lost all the typed in information and had to start again. There is also no way I could find for me to retrieve my own fault reports, which would have saved a lot of time since, as you can see from the above, the same problems were recurring.
Visiting the Apple Shop, the queues for elevators were so long that I took the stairs. Apple Shop stairs are designed to discourage you walking up more than one floor, as arriving on the first floor having walked from ground, you have to walk to the far end of the first floor to get to the stairs to the second. And so on. Once cool looking glass staircase had no fewer than 20 significant chips and gouges on the steps - mostly on the leading edges and several about 1 inch diameter - the image below is one of many.
My overall impression of after sales service at Apple is that it is a complete shambles.
1. iMac11,1 (27-inch Late 2009) purchased new February 2010. Radeon HD4850 512MB literally BURNT out in August 2014 - despite NO intensive graphics use over its lifetime, and use only on a stable desktop in an air-conditioned room. It took out a 310W E/Star power supply with it and at the same time the V-Sync LCD cable was replaced. Hefty repair bill of ~USD242 - that supposedly a discount since I had taken out AppleCare (which had expired, of course). In September 2016, when I opened this up to replace the 1TB WD Black drive with a 1TB Samsung 850 EVO, I found the "replacement" graphics card had burn marks on various components and the "replacement" V-Sync cable was missing a lock on one of its connectors, which was disintegrating. So much for the pricey 2014 repair!
2. MacBook Air3,2 (13-inch, Late 2010) purchased second hand April 2011. Rock solid, using to post this. No hardware problems except dings to corners and screen damage due to avoidable accidents, neither claimed on AppleCare.
3. MacBook Air7,2 (13-inch, Early 2015) purchased new July 2015. January 2018 battery packed up without warning. Usable for a few hours with power cord, during which I double backed it up using TimeMachine (not something one can rely on unfortunately), then completely died.
Had to wait a couple of days for Genius Bar appointment (as everyone bringing in iPhone 6 and later for battery replacement). Then five days for repair, originally listed as battery and logic board, but only the battery was replaced.
A month later February 2018 audio crackled on headphones then disappeared. Speaker icon on toolbar and in audio settings greyed out. Had to wait three days for GB appointment for same reason as above. Repair took a couple of days. Originally listed as speakers and logic board (get the common thread yet?), but only speakers replaced. The very next day, same problem manifest and I booked another GB appointment, but the problem disappeared after reboot, SMC reset.
Two weeks later March 2018, same audio problem again. Booked GB appointment four days later (earliest to avoid disruption as this is a school kid's machine). After booking GB appointment spent twenty minutes complaining to Apple in Australia and trying to get this marked as priority to repair logic board. Audio problem disappeared the evening before the appointment, but I took it in anyway as very obviously from second GB appointment onwards an intermittent hardware fault. MBA returned the day after taking it in. This time the parts were all ready and waiting (first time not so) and logic board, speakers and I/O board replaced for good measure. Finally I have a working machine again - cross fingers.
In the process of dealing with 3., I lost use of the MBA for about 14 days in total, with degraded use (no or glitching audio) for a further 8.
Dealing with Apple Support online, I found that some of the above GB bookings are on my support & service record, some not. I also found clunkiness having to re-enter much information when the website had defaulted to US support (I am in Hong Kong) and only when I got to the entry point for a phone number did I realise that I could not proceed. Lost all the typed in information and had to start again. There is also no way I could find for me to retrieve my own fault reports, which would have saved a lot of time since, as you can see from the above, the same problems were recurring.
Visiting the Apple Shop, the queues for elevators were so long that I took the stairs. Apple Shop stairs are designed to discourage you walking up more than one floor, as arriving on the first floor having walked from ground, you have to walk to the far end of the first floor to get to the stairs to the second. And so on. Once cool looking glass staircase had no fewer than 20 significant chips and gouges on the steps - mostly on the leading edges and several about 1 inch diameter - the image below is one of many.
My overall impression of after sales service at Apple is that it is a complete shambles.
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Please post this as an open letter that everyone who wants to can sign. I have never seen a more comprehensive list of definitive improvements apple can strive for. I also worry that 98% of their paying customers (the iPhone and iPad consumers) dont give a rats arse about most of the items on this list. And therefor either does the brass at apple.
g\
Don’t expect Apple to change how they do things (stagnant product lines, high profit margins etc) until people stop buying their products and they lose money. From a business point of view they are doing great. They are making money hand over fist and outperforming the sector. A handful of folks whining and thinking they could do better whilst gazing into their navel isn’t going to change anything.
When they allow **** tier apps like Amazon and YouTube on the ATV4 you know ***** been watered down to a point of no return. Why own an AppleTV when major apps are shoveled onto it with no regard for the user experience? And don’t get me started on the bugs in Apples iOS apps that for some reason never get fixed. There is no love and care any longer, and that is that.
Huge profit margins like high taxes are a matter of perspective. This is what Apple charges and people pay it because they appreciate the value and utility their products provide. It does not follow that they have record income simply because they have, in your opinion, high profit margins.
Also, outdated, is another matter of perspective. Apple eschews tech spec comparison lists and most of the products can't even be directly compared to other companies since their iOS devices use custom silicon. So about the only thing in the product line that can be considered outdated is the Mac mini which does desperately need a refresh. The iMac Pro is cutting edge stuff, Mac Pro is still a performer in specialised situations. However, adding up the total sales of Mac Mini and the Pro devices even at their peak would still account for a tiny slice of their revenue and units shipped. So outside of that small slice Apple's products are overwhelmingly cutting edge.
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I have to wonder about the demographics actually polled if chick-fil-a is listed, and a handful of regional grocers.
Same! Also have the note 8 and the airpod and MacBook but slowly easing out of apple ecosystem sadly. I also need to sell the apple pencil.
I mean there are many people who are very happy with their apple devices which is great! I just find the iPhone limiting unless they change that I'll be staying with android.
I actually AM a CEO to 15 different corporations, over a million is valuation.
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I am actually a CEO... of 15 different corporations.. over a million in valuation.. I DO know what I am suggesting from experience. A LOT of experience.
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Actually it's not a rant. It's a list of solutions. I love Apple. Major investor with them since 2004. It's just difficult to watch the decision making (actually the lack of decision making) and not speak up about it. I don't have time to make a board meeting or conference call. I would welcome a sit down face to face if anyone worth whole wants to come to Chicago. I support Apple. I just think I am more passionate for solutions and growth than Tim Cook is, and that's unfortunate. I rarely trust anyone's word on things, I look at results.. and for the past 4-5 years, those results are lacking in many areas.
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NOT a anti-Apple, in fact quite the opposite. I LOVE Apple. Likely more than Tim. Tim is a valuable asset to Apple. He has proven that. I question his leadership skills to lead multiple departments at the same time. I own and run 15 different corporations. I constantly check in with all my staff to make sure our progress and timelines are met. That our batting average is high. Our follow thru is there. The list I complied is just way too high and out of control. I am giving my time to give valuable solutions. Not hate a company or person. Tim should stay with Apple, just not as a CEO.
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There is nothing suspicious about my post. My name is Richard Hofherr. I own companies. You see my face. I stand by what I said and will continue to do so. Look em up, you'll find out a lot about me.. and more than just some guy in a band. I never posted on here because my time is pretty valuable. I have posted this a few times on Mac Daily News threads. This post came across and it reminded me why the problems for Apple exists. Take it for what it worth, but my experience in running multiple successful corporations tells em many of the problems that exist. I made that post of solutions myself from years of loving Apple. In fact, I love Apple just about as much as I love my own corporations. I made attempts to reach Apple with these. I'm not looking for anything with my fair suggestions.
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Actually, you can create that device and apply for the patent. And with legal disclaimers, it can be done. It will be 2-3 years of data where this can be proved and advertised, however, you have to start somewhere, so why wait.
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I personally created that post. Not a copy and paste. I posted that post here, MDN and my personal Facebook page.
So you’re the CEO of 15 different companies and if you have a million dollar valuation being agressive thinking your company has a 3x earnings multiple that would me each of your 15 companies is doing $22k! With all due respect that’s hardly impressive at all. I guess I could give my 5 year old son the title of CEO of his lemonade stand.
All good. Not trying to size myself up to anyone. Just letting it be known my post is legit. Also, just my opinion. Also, not all my companies are daily active. I can tell you this; my companies are all profitable and my workers are effective and my batting average of execution is very good. I bring my companies to a level I am comfortable handling without the need of a board of directors. If I wanted to run a larger company, I could easily do so, as I am more than qualified.
I’m sure you could. I could see why you wouldn’t need a board of directors for $20k companies. I’m sorry buddy, but I just don’t buy your sales pitch. Good luck at least you have high hopes.
Someone gave Tim’s email address in one of these posts, so run with it and email him directly with your thoughts. Probably a ghost writer or reader will take a look, but you never know.
Your suggestions hits some or more of the issues (my opinion really, but it doesn’t matter...this is a rumors forum); possibly a few on this forum would like Tim to hear you regardless, for similar opinions have been discussed many times before.
But...if you want him to read it after the email screening, don’t tell him “He has to go..”. The board of directors at Apple like him, so no chance of him leaving; plus stockholders are making bucks so no chance.