I'm sorry guys...

[iLao]

and 2GB of RAM...which is plenty you crazy people who complain about the MBA's RAM

We are complaining cuz it isn't upgradable.

Personaly, I am only a Mac OS X fanboy. I really don't like iMacs that much, becouse it isnt very upgradable.(RAM is OK, but YOU CANT BUY BETTER GRAPHICS ), and Macs are just too expensive for me. Even iPods price is 50% bigger in my country than in US. (I hate that very much)

 

[sanford]

... They are monopolizing their products to work with one another. A great example is the MBA. ...for music and movies you are expected to use iTunes... It's business, and they are trying to mak money since they know their fanboys will 'oooh and ahhh' about any product Steve says is cool...

Damn, Anderson, a brain. Where did you come by that? You should share it around, though; that would make life more pleasant around here.

 

[efp722]

sorry you feel that way.


also, airport extreme is not needed for screen sharing.

 

[Raid]

<snip>One thing that I have noticed since becoming an Apple user is that there is an overwhelming amount of fanboy activity which downright makes me feel like a giant vag.</snip>

I concur, there is a certain level of fanboyism here on this otherwise useful forum.

A lot of times when there's a problem or a concern, they write it off to two things: 1) You don't know OS X/Apple 2) Its perfect that way.

To all you fanboys out there: Apple isn't perfect. OS X has it flaws!

Now let me make one thing clear, not ALL Apple users are fanboys.

Anyways, I enjoyed your rant and I share your discord. Now put on your flame suit

I think the problem really isn't fanboys... but being labeled as such if you have a different opinion that defends Apple. I think you would be hard pressed to find a single poster here that has take Apple side 100% or thought Apple could not improve in anyway. Calling somebody a 'fanboy' really tries to invalidate their favorable opinion and reinforce others (or your) opinion on the issue at hand.

The honest truth is that peoples opinions can vary widely and we should accept them or politely and factually state our reasons for our own opinions. Unfortunately some are unwilling to engage in a discussion at a level that you (or they) find rational or well thought out... maybe we ourselves get a little tired or emotional about defending an opinion (it happens), but take it all in stride.

Calling people 'fanboys' really accomplishes nothing but foster ill reactions to what otherwise would be a constructive discussion.

 

[mashoutposse]

Is it supposed to jive??? They are two different statements.

Apple TV is generally considered a failure because of its unremarkable performance at retail. There is no "Take 2" if they're flying off of the shelves. This is contradictory to your suggestion that Apple fans buy anything the company releases regardless of quality.

Sure all those products are great, but my rant is that some of the issues we have to deal with are ridiculous. I find its like take two steps forward and one step back. Apple releases a great product...Then you deal with some silly issues that were once NORMAL issues 10+yrs ago. It just makes me frustrated to try out a great apple product or feature and almost foresee a potential problem and say to myself "nah they probably worked that out if I'm thinking of it". Then to my disappointment, the feature fails.

There are more than a few annoying quirks in Apple hardware/software; however, the fact of the matter is that in many cases the Apple product still remains the best alternative. For example, iPhone -- it is by no means perfect, but it is still arguably the best the cellphone industry has to offer overall (on the consumer side). I'm typing this out on it now, something I never would have done with anything I've owned previously.

 

[Eric Piercey]

OP - hilarious post. While I agree with most things you said (and disagree with others), you won't find a hospitable home to your thoughts here.

The thing about the unboxing pics and vids - so funny and true. I never understood that myself.

I allow license to kids/ young folks. That's a lot of money to them and probably one their first big purchases. They're excited. No big. I used to own an MR-2 Spyder and the boards over there were really nuts! People would post pics.. nay movies of them unboxing their new exhausts and such, and god forbid they put on a body kit. They'd start posting pics of their invoice the second they ordered it, the screwdriver they pried the box open with... the cat bed they made from the box.. Life is hell without a grain of salt and a sense of humor.

 

[madmaxmedia]

The MBA superdrive needs extra juice to be powered over a single USB port, more juice than what regular USB ports provide. That's why it only works with the MBA (which includes the high power USB port specifically for the superdrive.) For other Macs you can buy a regular external drive that either uses 2 USB ports (for the extra juice), or one with an AC adapter.

As far as music and movie playback, I'm not sure what you mean. You don't have to use iTunes on any Mac computer. And you can use any number of music players with a Mac. They bundle iTunes with Mac OS X because almost everyone listens to music on their computer, so it makes sense to provide an app in the OS. Just like Windows comes with WMP, but you can use other software as well.

Apple does some things that seem unnecessarily restrictive and at times even user-hostile, just not sure your examples really illustrate that.

Trust us, we understand. They are monopolizing their products to work with one another. A great example is the MBA. The superdrive strictly works with the MBA, for music and movies you are expected to use iTunes. And once again with their iPods and iPhones. It's business, and they are trying to mak money since they know their fanboys will "oooh and ahhh" about any product Steve says is cool.

Don't get me wrong, I love Apple's products, but it is kind of rediculous.

 

[digitalnicotine]

This was hilarious to read, OP. I'm not laughing at your struggles, just in how you express them with so much passion. I have to agree about the fanboy issue. The arrogance alone is just...stunning. But fortunately, most (I hope!) Mac users are not members of the fanboy religion, and don't worship at the Apple alter. Most of us get excited for new product releases, and purchase a few here and there, budget and need permitting. No Steve Jobs worship required. LOL

I'm sorry you've run into so many issues, and hope you are able to get them resolved to your satisfaction. I haven't upgraded to Leopard yet, and likely won't for several months. I'm sure the new bells and whistles are fab, but I'll wait until they are working properly and support multiple options before taking the leap myself. My switch experience was rather smooth, but we all have different computing needs, and I can see where things can go wrong for others. It's rarely a fun experience with new OS's that are only a few months old/released. You have a lot more patience than me!

I'm still giggling about your rant, though. Honestly, there's no mystery as to why so much of Apple products are proprietary at this point. It's the same as any other business. What methods net the most profit? Microsoft's 'monopoly' has allowed them to make a lot of partnerships with 3rd party companies, and therefore has a lot fewer compatibility issues and a lot more options/choices. Hopefully, in time, Apple will be able to do this more and more, and many of these issues will disappear, and we'll all be better off. But until then, we just have to shop wisely for our specific needs. In my case, I use both platforms for different things, and am relieved to realize now just how lucky I've been to have so few issues pop up along the way. Good luck to you, sir.

 

[meagain]

I could've sworn I've read an almost identical post to the OP's just a week ago. Hmmm......

I've not spent the time to read it fully, but does the OP have a MacBook Air?

 

[phoxrenvatio]

I could've sworn I've read an almost identical post to the OP's just a week ago. Hmmm......

I've not spent the time to read it fully, but does the OP have a MacBook Air?

he said sumthin bout a mac pro, then bashed airbook, so i doubt it

 

[stevegut78]

he said sumthin bout a mac pro, then bashed airbook, so i doubt it

hahaha conspiracy theory... Another issue i forgot to mention which somewhat relates to the fanboyism is the conspiracy theories Does looking at source html and domain registrations ring a bell???

 

[jeroensikma]

The thing I like about Apple and Steve Jobs is the simple thing is that they
THINK about things that, like Microsoft, isn't thinking about.

First: Things like design and letterspacing wich make it look good. Leave everything that you DON'T need and you good a great looking product.

Second: They don't throw just a product in the market. They try to make something better. That's why I love the Iphone.

That's why I buy Apple products.
And looking forward to 10.5.2 because leopard has some serious issues...

 

[stevegut78]

To everyone who says BTMM has worked without a hitch... I salute you and you have been very fortunate. I have countless articles addressing the issue at hand. I have port forwarded the proper ports to bypass UPnP but something just doesnt play right with BTMM and some routers... See these great articles...

http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=6308638
http://forums.linksys.com/linksys/b...thread.id=15705&view=by_date_ascending&page=1


Why does Apple's own site only list 34 routers that are compatible with BTMM?
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306803
If simple port forwarding would work, then wouldn't just about every router work?

 

[pianoman]

i don't understand why people get a kick out of the unboxing pictures and videos.

but they do. so what can you do?

 

[aristobrat]

To everyone who says BTMM has worked without a hitch... I salute you and you have been very fortunate.

Who in this thread has made that claim?

And if there are 34 routers that work with BTMM, why would you post that you need an Airport that costs twice as much as another router?

Why do BitTorrent programs like Azureus, Transmission, uTorrent, etc only UPnP properly with some routers and not all?

 

[tstarks33]

Apple TV is generally considered a failure because of its unremarkable performance at retail. There is no "Take 2" if they're flying off of the shelves. This is contradictory to your suggestion that Apple fans buy anything the company releases regardless of quality.

Come on, do you think he literally meant every single product apple ever makes is a complete success? You know what he means.

 

[stevegut78]

Who in this thread has made that claim?

And if there are 34 routers that work with BTMM, why would you post that you need an Airport that costs twice as much as another router?

Why do BitTorrent programs like Azureus, Transmission, uTorrent, etc only UPnP properly with some routers and not all?

Well, do you have it working with your router?

 

[aristobrat]

Well, do you have it working with your router?

I only have one Mac, and it's almost always with me, so I've never tried it.

My point was that I've never seen any application that uses UPnP consistently work with every router. Plus, I've had the personal experience of applications (on Windows and OS X) that were handing UPnP fine "breaking" upon a new update, only to be fixed with a subsequent update. My router config remained the same the entire time.

I'm sorry that you're having problems getting BTTM to work for you, but like with other UPnP programs that have had similar UPnP issues, I'd be very surprised if it's not solved by a software update sometime in the future.

 

[reybart]

im only going to chime in on the "why the unboxing videos and pics".

part of it is just sharing man. mac users are happy to see others get new Apple prods. lots view them cuz not everyone can afoord one on release day... but they still want the experience of seeing inside. third, since a great deal of apples base users are in design or creative, the packaging solutions are often amazing.

+ one. I am not a heavy user but I always prioritize the aesthetic value of a product and I found that to apple products. It would complement my condo. I also believe that when you buy pruducts which are "expensive", you will take care of them graciously.

 

[stevegut78]

I also believe that when you buy pruducts which are "expensive", you will take care of them graciously.

I completely agree and believe this is part of the major reason why people act as they do with Apple products. But what's gets me the most is the fact that these people are all under the spell of big Stevie Jobs... I mean sure, it's all expensive...Sure a lot of it is great products. But what are you paying for? The hardware? The software? The name? The closed architecture? The way I look at it is Apple sells software. When you buy a macbook...You're buying Leopard and it just happens to be held inside of a device called a macbook or an imac or a mac pro etc... Sure the device is nice looking...And the relationship apple makes between their chosen hardware and their software is supposed to cut down on wacky issues. But when it all comes down to it, you're buying a computer and the operating system. Apple just inflates the price because of the "value" that is perceived when one buys into this whole way of thinking. In the end, hardware is hardware and if Dell can sell a kick-ass system for half the price of a mac pro of similar specs then that is crap. And that is why people are fooled into feeling like they are to treat their beloved macs like little pet hamsters or poodles... Because they spent too much money over and over on apple products and need to make themselves feel better by putting their products on a pedestal.

FYI - This is not directed at you specifically

 

[aristobrat]

Apple just inflates the price because of the "value" that is perceived when one buys into this whole way of thinking. In the end, hardware is hardware and if Dell can sell a kick-ass system for half the price of a mac pro of similar specs then that is crap.

Meanwhile, Apple continues as a profitable company while Dell tries to reinvent itself as their profit and marketshare continues to fall.

It'll be interesting to see how long Dell continues to deeply discount its hardware prices, as without that discount, their comparable hardware is usually priced closer to Apple's price than most people are aware of.

Have you compared the Dell One to an iMac lately?

 

[diabolic]

In the end, hardware is hardware and if Dell can sell a kick-ass system for half the price of a mac pro of similar specs then that is crap.

That is simply not true. Dell hasn't made a single laptop that aesthetically comes close to any Apple design, and I have owned several Dells. The attention to design is considered a feature. Maybe not by you, but it is one. There is actual added value there.

What you are ranting against is Apple's core business model. If they made OSX available for non-Mac systems, they would lose tons of money.

 

[kuwisdelu]

We've had this discussion before. What I said before was, yes, if you go component-for-component hardware and software-wise, then Apple is charging you more than a comparative discounted PC. But a computer is much more than hardware and software for many people. I find Macs to many times more than simply the sum of their parts; you're paying for an excellent computing experience all around (at least I did...too bad you haven't had as good a time with Macs). Sometimes the whole is more than simply the sum of its parts. And if the added money ensures Apple continues to deliver great, quality products, then for me it was well worth it. If the extra money I paid for the hardware in my MacBook goes into R&D that will deliver me a 2nd generation MacBook Air with 128GB SSD, 4GM RAM, 2+ GHz CPU, and <3 lbs when I go to make my next purchase....well I think that was a good investment. As a consumer of Apple products, I have a vested interest in Apple's continued success as a company, so they will continue to deliver me quality products.

Now this is simply responding to the financial aspects, etc....

As for blindly following Jobs? Really, who does that? The Apple fanboy who always agrees 100% with Jobs and buys every single product is a myth. We've all had our problems with Apple once in a while. We've all seen them go in directions while we wanted to see something in another. But that doesn't mean you have to follow. Don't like the MacBook Air? Don't get it. I'm not getting one until at least gen 2, because they're too pricey for me. Does that mean I think they're bad? Certainly not! I still want one; I'm just not going to get one. I defend their existence because there are people out there who will buy it; the MBA is VERY useful for many, many people. But not everyone. The same is true for every product out there. I see no need for an Apple TV. I don't have one. That's all there is to it.

That is simply not true. Dell hasn't made a single laptop that aesthetically comes close to any Apple design, and I have owned several Dells. The attention to design is considered a feature. Maybe not by you, but it is one. There is actual added value there.

What you are ranting against is Apple's core business model. If they made OSX available for non-Mac systems, they would lose tons of money.

I can attest to that; my last two laptops were Dells and they were ugly beasts of machines. The first was a mid-range, and the second was top-of-the-line when I bought it, with the best specs I could afford. I now have a mid-range MacBook that flies at its current age compared to how my old Dell slugged along when it was this old.

 

[ArcaneDevice]

Apple just inflates the price because of the "value" that is perceived when one buys into this whole way of thinking. In the end, hardware is hardware and if Dell can sell a kick-ass system for half the price of a mac pro of similar specs then that is crap. And that is why people are fooled into feeling like they are to treat their beloved macs like little pet hamsters or poodles... Because they spent too much money over and over on apple products and need to make themselves feel better by putting their products on a pedestal.

and that's precisely the same scenario for those who buy into the $5K+ Voodoo, Falcon Northwest, Hypersonic etc. boutique PC suppliers. What makes those worse is you really are buying off the shelf parts in a case that's been nicely painted.

At least when you overpay for Apple hardware it comes in custom designed hardware. Anyone could build a Falcon PC if they wanted to make the effort.

The best thing that Steve Jobs brought to his Apple return was Jonathan Ive. I've been an Apple user for <cough> 20 years <cough> and the industrial design and aesthetics of the Apple line for the past few years is the best it's ever been. Far better than any other PC manufacturer on the planet. People don't buy Bang and Olufsen for their amazing feature set and the same applies to Macs. The design and L&F is half the attraction.

With the exception of the Mighty Mouse which is just a ridiculous device that was designed by Steve's ego. His eyeballs would explode if he had to put an extra second button on a mouse.

 

[stevegut78]

At least when you overpay for Apple hardware it comes in custom designed hardware. Anyone could build a Falcon PC if they wanted to make the effort.

So what's the difference between a Falcon and a Mac??? Seems like the same off-the-shelf designs to me.

I want to thank you guys for being so well behaved. I must say, I was hesitant to even post my rant but this morning I was immediately pissed off when I walked into work...It was caused by several stupid quirks that I have dealt with in recent days... .mac syncing/duplicating everything, BTMM and my coworker who has been beaten down to a pile of dust with Apple issue after apple issue. He has been left with no choice but to pirate Apple software in order to feel as though he is still getting a good value from Apple products. Thank you all for listening to me with an (mostly) open mind. And even acknowledging the faults that do exist. You've all made my day better. God bless!