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people are overly picky with apple products, but when you spend $1000 more on your desktop or laptop than the standard competition then you can have high expectations. If apple wants to make a standard product without the high quality, they should lower their prices.
 
There was a time when Apple held themselves to the same standards we try to hold them to. That is where we get it from.
 
That's where the problem is. It's not about whether you or he has lower standards – you have nothing whatsoever to do with the standards of the machine or its manufacture. The standards you should concern yourself with are the standards of the output you produce with your Mac.
If your work and concentration can be disrupted or hijacked by miniscule cosmetic "problems" like a slightly slanting key that has absolutely no ill-effect on your projects or personal performance, then you in fact display LOW STANDARDS of both tolerance and focus, allied to an inability to discern what is important in your pursuit of results.

That is the most elegantly stated, thoughtful, and asinine thing I have ever read. I work mostly in graphic design and photo editing. I don't use my laptop's screen for this work, so the quality of my screen doesn't affect the quality of my product. If I had received a screen with dead pixels it wouldn't affect my work because all I use my laptop's screen for is checking my email, web surfing, video games, writing, etc. Would you encourage me to keep such a defective machine? I don't use my optical drive very often, if it was defective would you suggest I hold onto that machine? At what point does the defect affect the "standards of the output you produce"? Are you seriously suggesting that If I spend $2600 on a brand new computer I should overlook defects because, "you have nothing whatsoever to do with the standards of the machine or its manufacture"? Yes, that makes a lot of sense. The standards of the product is overseen by Apple Computers, so the fact that this overpriced computer doesn't function, perform, or look, like the product I intended to purchase doesn't really matter, because I had nothing to do with it's manufacturing.

What you are saying is utter nonsense and that isn't just my opinion, it's a fact. Seriously, take those statements and apply them to a truth function and watch them crash and burn, I'll provide you with a link, since you probably don't remember how to use Logic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_tables
 
Notice how he said, minor cosmetic issues.

I did notice that, thanks. "miniscule cosmetic "problems" like a slightly slanting key" The original post also included dead pixels in the category of miniscule cosmetic problems. The mac fanboys out there don't seem to understand how much more they're spending for the apple logo (which in case you haven't been using apples for very long, is supposed to guarantee a high level of quality)

Regardless of what you consider to be a miniscule cosmetic "problem", it doesn't change the fact that the post I was responding to was logically invalid and insane.
 
I did notice that, thanks. "miniscule cosmetic "problems" like a slightly slanting key" The original post also included dead pixels in the category of miniscule cosmetic problems. The mac fanboys out there don't seem to understand how much more they're spending for the apple logo (which in case you haven't been using apples for very long, is supposed to guarantee a high level of quality)

Regardless of what you consider to be a miniscule cosmetic "problem", it doesn't change the fact that the post I was responding to was logically invalid and insane.

I dont know who in their right mind considers dead pixels a "minor" problem. If I had them Id take that thing back so fast they wouldnt know whats what. The screen is your portal to your computer, if thats messed up, no excuses.

Things like a little scratch, or a slightly slanted key, thats miniscule.

as for the underlined, show me proof, and that doesnt mean a higher price tag.
 
I dont know who in their right mind considers dead pixels a "minor" problem. If I had them Id take that thing back so fast they wouldnt know whats what. The screen is your portal to your computer, if thats messed up, no excuses.

Things like a little scratch, or a slightly slanted key, thats miniscule.

as for the underlined, show me proof, and that doesnt mean a higher price tag.

My computer came with a a slanted return key and a slight scratch on the black bezel part of the screen and I "accepted" these imperfections but 10 years ago I wouldn't have gotten a computer with any imperfections. (Which, from my own experiences, has always been the case)

As for proving the underlined statement, that's a little difficult. I could say that, for as long as I've been using macs - since 1992 - all of the arguments between mac and IBM-comp users have included the defense, "the extra money is because of the higher quality product". I know that that isn't evidence, but all of my personal experiences - and the experiences of long-time users that I know - indicate that the macs we used to use were of a higher quality than the PC's made during the same time. The second mac I ever got, a Macintosh LC III 25 MHZ 80 MB HDD 4 MB RAM, still works and has never had a failed logic board or anything. I live in PC country - I live down the street from Microsoft headquarters - and almost everyone I know uses windows - and dislikes macs. I have had to defend my apple preference ever since the early nineties and I've paid attention to the apple vs. PC debate and the "apples are higher quality machines" has almost always been part of the argument - at least when PC users charged apple with price gouging. I believe that the quality argument has become more and more absent from the apple vs. pc argument as more defects have come standard with apple products. As for the price difference, take a look here and you can see that apples are at least $500 more expensive than anything comparable.

http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/asus-g50v-a2/4505-3121_7-33233994.html?tag=mncol;lst

Anyway, if all apple can offer than pc's can't is OSX expect to see more hackintoshes.
 
anecdotal evidence as to your claims for quality aren't a statement from the company or its affiliates so it is complete hearsay.

Can we not go into price wars? If its not OSX then its not for me.
 
anecdotal evidence as to your claims for quality aren't a statement from the company or its affiliates so it is complete hearsay.

Can we not go into price wars? If its not OSX then its not for me.

I'm aware that anecdotal evidence is hearsay, but throughout the 90's it was a virtual truism that apple's were higher quality machines than IBM compatibles. I made a statement that mercedes were higher quality cars compared to toyotas, I didn't offer any evidence and if you asked me for any I would be hard-pressed to find it, but I can still make the statement because it's a well known fact. Throughout the eighties and nineties apples were known for their sturdy design and reliability. I don't know if you expect me to find a double blind study to prove this, but I imagine that the statement would be met with some resistance if it didn't have some validity to it. Anyway, anecdotal evidence is accepted in countless situations so it's not as devious as you make it sound, especially since scientific analysis usually can't be offered for comparisons regarding quality.

Also, OSX costs $120 and can be installed on ANY computer, so it couldn't possible be worth the extra thousand
 
I wonder if Mozart was as picky about the keys on his pianos, as some are about the keys on their Macs.
Imagine how many symphonies would never have been composed if Mozart spent each evening with his brain focused on a tiny scratch on the underside of a piano leg.
We would probably have had to do without one or two of his operas if, instead of composing, he spent his time taking six pianos back one after the other – not because they performed badly, but because the sheet music holder was 0.25mm down on the right.
 
I wonder if Mozart was as picky about the keys on his pianos, as some are about the keys on their Macs.
Imagine how many symphonies would never have been composed if Mozart spent each evening with his brain focused on a tiny scratch on the underside of a piano leg.
We would probably have had to do without one or two of his operas if, instead of composing, he spent his time taking six pianos back one after the other – not because they performed badly, but because the sheet music holder was 0.25mm down on the right.

Most personal computer users aren't composing symphonies and the merits of their work shouldn't dictate the level of quality they should expect. The fact is that each person spent the same amount of money on these machines and whether a person is going to be editing films, writing novels, or playing world of warcraft, they should be able to expect that the computers will arrive as they are supposed to - WITHOUT DEFECTS. Many computers have chiclet keys, and most are properly aligned; it isn't too difficult to produce straight and flat keyboards.

Aside from that, I don't think Mozart ever actually bought a piano, I think he was provided with pianos, first from his father, and then by the Austrian royalty etc. and from what I know of his personality he would play on anything. If Da Vinci had accepted poorly produced paints or canvases with fold-lines across them the Mona Lisa might have a big line across her face, or run lines down her lips. In any case, it's not an appropriate analogy; all that I'm saying is that apple should go back to keeping the high standards to which they used to adhere.
 
If Da Vinci had accepted poorly produced paints or canvases with fold-lines across them the Mona Lisa might have a big line across her face, or run lines down her lips.

That true enough. And very different to him having a nervous breakdown because there was a slight scratch on his easel.
 
I'm aware that anecdotal evidence is hearsay, but throughout the 90's it was a virtual truism that apple's were higher quality machines than IBM compatibles. I made a statement that mercedes were higher quality cars compared to toyotas, I didn't offer any evidence and if you asked me for any I would be hard-pressed to find it, but I can still make the statement because it's a well known fact. Throughout the eighties and nineties apples were known for their sturdy design and reliability. I don't know if you expect me to find a double blind study to prove this, but I imagine that the statement would be met with some resistance if it didn't have some validity to it. Anyway, anecdotal evidence is accepted in countless situations so it's not as devious as you make it sound, especially since scientific analysis usually can't be offered for comparisons regarding quality.

Also, OSX costs $120 and can be installed on ANY computer, so it couldn't possible be worth the extra thousand


Just a comment on Apple laptops during the 90s:

1996: 190/5300, massive build problems, logicboard defects and instability, Apple extended warranty coverage to 7 years because of it !

1998: 1st generation powerbook G3 wallstreet: overheating, graphics glitches, thin rubber layer ridiculously easy to scratch, 13" model faulty screen wiring causing LCD to fail, hinge failure on many units because of crappy quality of hinge

1999/2000: the best powerbooks every: lombard and pismo. Great design, stable, powerful, expandable and almost no systemic problems. Nostalgia!

2001: Titanium: inverter problems, paint problems, hinge breakage etc etc


Apple's laptops have ALWAYS had problems. Period.
 
I wonder if Mozart was as picky about the keys on his pianos, as some are about the keys on their Macs.
Imagine how many symphonies would never have been composed if Mozart spent each evening with his brain focused on a tiny scratch on the underside of a piano leg.
We would probably have had to do without one or two of his operas if, instead of composing, he spent his time taking six pianos back one after the other – not because they performed badly, but because the sheet music holder was 0.25mm down on the right.

Exactly, he was too busy doing WORK....work which actually got him laid too I might add.
 
When you position as a premium brand/product, people expect more for the premium they pay. If a $400 PC lasts 2.5 years, you shrug your shoulders, if a $2,000 Mac does not compute after the same period, you might be a bit miffed. It was Apple who chose the market position and the task of getting both OS and hardware right.
 
When you buy a product, any product, do you have the right to expect perfection? I believe the answer is yes. There will be defects in any manufacturing process. I do not think anyone would expect any production line to be error free. I do not think it is out of line to expect a company to stand behind their product though and replace any merchandise that is not 100% perfect, unless it is being sold "as is" as many companies do. It is up to the individual consumer to decide what defects they will live with and what defects they will not live with. This will be different for each person. Some people could not care about a dead pixel while others would consider that a fatal flaw. It does not make one person right and the other wrong. It will be different for each person. However, the fact remains that the unit is flawed (no matter how insignificant or small it may be in your opinion). A consumer should always have the option of returning a flawed machine or having the flaw fixed.
 
I can't wait until I'm C.E.O. of Apple so that I can tell stores to stop accepting returns/exchanges for cosmetic flaws.

Dead pixels and functionality flaws I'll take, of course, but none of this slanted keyboard nonsense.

Wait not, you shall never be with that flawed perception. :D
 
Just got my 4th MacBook and now it's perfect... No slanted keys, scratch or loose battery cover... not a refurbished MacBook :D
I'm so proud to be picky!
Whining makes your MacBook perfect, keep that in mind.
 
Just got my 4th MacBook and now it's perfect... No slanted keys, scratch or loose battery cover... not a refurbished MacBook :D
I'm so proud to be picky!
Whining makes your MacBook perfect, keep that in mind.

What if you dont care about slanted keys etc. coz you know it doesn't actually matter?
 
What if you dont care about slanted keys etc. coz you know it doesn't actually matter?
It obviously did matter or he would not have returned it. What matters to one does not matter to another. That does not make one person right and the other wrong. If it matters to someone then it DOES matter.
 
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