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Apple, Letting Thing Slip?

mantan said:
I haven't owned Apple products as long as you have, but I found the whole quality thing to be a myth. Yes they make every cool products out of quality materials. But in the 5 years I've owned Apple products

The proximity sensor never worked on my iPhone 4
My wife had a faulty battery (replaced under warrant) in her 4S
I had a faulty battery (replaced under warranty) in my iPhone 5
My daughters iPod touch bricked (paid discounted rate to replace)
My wife's ipad 2's battery failed 14 months in. Paid to replace.

The laughable part is how they promote AppleCare as some luxury add on- rather than what it is. An overpriced extended warranty that covers a term a high priced luxury item should already have.

An Acura or Lexus has a longer standard warranty than a Nissan or Chevy. Part of the benefit of paying a higher price, should be an expectation of higher quality and an extended base warranty.
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I not going to try and claim that Apple products and flawless and don't occasionally have problems. But I certainly don't agree that Apple Quality is a myth.

Now, this is just my experience of course, but I have owned or currently own the following:

iPhone 3GS
iPhone 4
iPhone 5
iPhone 5S
iPad 1
iPad 2
iPad 3
iPad Air
17" MacBook Pro
15" MacBook Pro
2008 Mac Pro (My current computer and still rock solid)
27" Cinema Display
Apple TV
Various iMacs
A few different iPods

Here are the problems I've had:
Failed logic board on the 17" MacBook (replaced under AppleCare)
Screen bleed issues on the iPad 3 (got it replaced)

That's it. Of course I've had a few software related issues I had to call Apple about over the years that have been resolved.

I was for many years a PC guy, and I would always buy the fastest Dell or boutique computer and it would invariably be a smoldering pile of crap after a couple of years. The Mac Pro was the first Mac I ever owned and it still my daily computer at home and it still running great. It's the finest computer I have ever owned and the Macbook Pros have been great as well. The resale value has been great on the things that I have sold.

I'm certainly not trying to discount any problem that some have had, but my experience had been that Apple products are high quality inside and out and I wouldn't even think about going back to PCs.
 
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Applejuiced said:
That's a weird law.
So if a certain item fails then they want the person who sold it to fix or replace it but not the company that made the product?
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Yep. That's how it works over here.

I think it's in part because, especially with some of these generic manufacturers, it can be quite difficult to get hold of a manufacturer.

Most retails try to avoid their obligations (i.e. they'll just say "contact the manufacturer"). But with enough pushing they eventually realise what they have to do.
 
I owned about 20 apple products already and rarely had any issues. I found that apple warranty service is fantastic when problems occur and still second to none in this industry. I see that your experience was similar and too bad that tmobile was not up to par.
 
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My gripe is that their displays are getting more and more inconsistent. I never had a 'yellowy' screen ever upto the iphone 4. From iphone 4s, something went wrong in their quality standards because my iphone 5 and ipad air both has the yellow screen. Worst part is Apple will not exchange which is understandable but still sucks.

Not to mention the factory 'damages' that had scuffs and dings on the chamfered edges right out of the box. Never really liked the lightness of it all...it just feels fragile and somehow cheap at times. Absolute great build quality but the finishes are far from great. The yellow displays are getting more and more common as the phone comes with new models.

My phone popped out of my casing once. What? People don't seem to have problems with this. Maybe its not but quality finishes aren't what they used to be pre and upto iphone 4 era.
 
I wouldn't necessarily say they're slipping, as much as they are not as generous on their return/replacement policies as they used to be.

And talking with the store staff is always hut it miss, as some Apple employees are quite simply jerks.

To me Apple Care on the iPhone is mandatory, there other products, not so much.
 
Wide opeN said:
I wouldn't necessarily say they're slipping, as much as they are not as generous on their return/replacement policies as they used to be.



And talking with the store staff is always hut it miss, as some Apple employees are quite simply jerks.



To me Apple Care on the iPhone is mandatory, there other products, not so much.
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AppleCare on their Mac's isn't a bad idea either anymore. :) There QC is a bit questionable with their screens, HD's and fans (becoming noisy).
 
:apple:Ok, first things first, the longer warranty for "quality" goods argument (especially the car analogy) is complete and utter BS. When KIA (Killed In Action) advertises the best warranty in the business, do you really believe it's because of a far-reaching belief in their quality? Or because NO ONE would buy one if they didn't??? Conversely, a Bentley has a 3 year, extremely limited (yet still unlimited mile if I recall, whoopiee!!) warranty. So do most major "luxury" manufacturers.

Acura, Toyota, Honda, etc... all offer a decent warranty, but it's simply to maintain competitive advantage. For a LONG time, Honda (routinely rated the "most reliable") had a 3 year warranty too. The changes that they made weren't because quality improved, but because their competition was using the shortness as a selling point for their vehicle.

Point is, warranty and quality are almost completely irrelevant to one another, and often time boil down to laws and competitive advantage.

Apple makes the BEST products in the business (for a mass market manufacturer). Their quality is unmatched, and you pay for it. Sometimes stuff breaks, and sometimes stuff breaks beyond their 1 year warranty...

I can take the "most reliable" ANYTHING, and abuse it, break it, and then cry about it... it doesn't mean it's not the most reliable. Sometimes it even happens when we DON'T abuse things, at which point you have to look at the big picture. It's NOT happening for MOST people. Maybe it was an abberation. Crap happens.

And life is full of crappy things. If you blame everything on Apple it might make you feel better (or make you fit in on an internet forum), but it doesn't make it true.

Buy AC+, Buy something else, Never buy Apple again, or just don't buy anything ever... It's 1000% your choice. Apple didn't put a gun to your head.

If you need to move on, move on. Apple isn't slipping. Certain people's expectations are growing unrealistic based on the legend, but Apple isn't slipping.
 
itjw said:
:apple:Ok, first things first, the longer warranty for "quality" goods argument (especially the car analogy) is complete and utter BS. When KIA (Killed In Action) advertises the best warranty in the business, do you really believe it's because of a far-reaching belief in their quality? Or because NO ONE would buy one if they didn't??? Conversely, a Bentley has a 3 year, extremely limited (yet still unlimited mile if I recall, whoopiee!!) warranty. So do most major "luxury" manufacturers.

Acura, Toyota, Honda, etc... all offer a decent warranty, but it's simply to maintain competitive advantage. For a LONG time, Honda (routinely rated the "most reliable") had a 3 year warranty too. The changes that they made weren't because quality improved, but because their competition was using the shortness as a selling point for their vehicle.

Point is, warranty and quality are almost completely irrelevant to one another, and often time boil down to laws and competitive advantage.

Apple makes the BEST products in the business (for a mass market manufacturer). Their quality is unmatched, and you pay for it. Sometimes stuff breaks, and sometimes stuff breaks beyond their 1 year warranty...

I can take the "most reliable" ANYTHING, and abuse it, break it, and then cry about it... it doesn't mean it's not the most reliable. Sometimes it even happens when we DON'T abuse things, at which point you have to look at the big picture. It's NOT happening for MOST people. Maybe it was an abberation. Crap happens.

And life is full of crappy things. If you blame everything on Apple it might make you feel better (or make you fit in on an internet forum), but it doesn't make it true.

Buy AC+, Buy something else, Never buy Apple again, or just don't buy anything ever... It's 1000% your choice. Apple didn't put a gun to your head.

If you need to move on, move on. Apple isn't slipping. Certain people's expectations are growing unrealistic based on the legend, but Apple isn't slipping.
Click to expand...

Beautiful comment. Absolutely beautiful. I wish your post could be an automatically reply to those that bitch about Apple quality "slipping".
 
itjw said:
:apple:Ok, first things first, the longer warranty for "quality" goods argument (especially the car analogy) is complete and utter BS. When KIA (Killed In Action) advertises the best warranty in the business, do you really believe it's because of a far-reaching belief in their quality? Or because NO ONE would buy one if they didn't??? Conversely, a Bentley has a 3 year, extremely limited (yet still unlimited mile if I recall, whoopiee!!) warranty. So do most major "luxury" manufacturers.



Acura, Toyota, Honda, etc... all offer a decent warranty, but it's simply to maintain competitive advantage. For a LONG time, Honda (routinely rated the "most reliable") had a 3 year warranty too. The changes that they made weren't because quality improved, but because their competition was using the shortness as a selling point for their vehicle.



Point is, warranty and quality are almost completely irrelevant to one another, and often time boil down to laws and competitive advantage.



Apple makes the BEST products in the business (for a mass market manufacturer). Their quality is unmatched, and you pay for it. Sometimes stuff breaks, and sometimes stuff breaks beyond their 1 year warranty...



I can take the "most reliable" ANYTHING, and abuse it, break it, and then cry about it... it doesn't mean it's not the most reliable. Sometimes it even happens when we DON'T abuse things, at which point you have to look at the big picture. It's NOT happening for MOST people. Maybe it was an abberation. Crap happens.



And life is full of crappy things. If you blame everything on Apple it might make you feel better (or make you fit in on an internet forum), but it doesn't make it true.



Buy AC+, Buy something else, Never buy Apple again, or just don't buy anything ever... It's 1000% your choice. Apple didn't put a gun to your head.



If you need to move on, move on. Apple isn't slipping. Certain people's expectations are growing unrealistic based on the legend, but Apple isn't slipping.
Click to expand...


I see where you are coming from on the car thing, but your comment about Apple making the best products in the business is kind of bs. Sure an iPhone is built out of some of the best materials, but a lot will argue the HTC One was a better built phone. Also the phones made out of plastic are built very well too. The Moto X is a solidly built phone. Aluminum and glass do not make the iPhone the best built phone in the mass market. Saying you are paying for the build is crap too. You are paying for the Apple on the back.

I will say Apple has unbeatable customer service, but their products have a few rivals.
 
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