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What the hell is happening to Apple?

R

R6Seven

macrumors member
Original poster
May 25, 2008
33
0
I've been an Apple customer since 2002. It might be a relatively short track record compared to some of you, but I have never had so many problems with an Apple product in the past.

I just replaced my iPhone 3G at a local Apple store today. It had a defective plastic shell (a dent of some sort on the bottom in one of the screw holes). The one I brought back, while I didn't notice it earlier, has scratches here and there on the metal bezel and has the screenlight leak. I took it back about two hours later, and now they want me to schedule another appointment with the Genius Bar.

The plan should be to make BETTER QUALITY products. I know it's a mass-produced market and they want to produce things in China to save costs, but a customer who spent 6 hours in line and $300 should not be forced to waste more time just to get a quality product, especially from a company like Apple. Either send a quality assurance representative to these factories or bring the production HERE to the U.S.! I'm sure people will be willing to pay a little bit more for products that meet their money.

##*#&)(*@#&!@(&!*^)$(!@*&$)@(*&#)(*)(%#&^!!!!!!:mad:
 
R6Seven said:
I've been an Apple customer since 2002. It might be a relatively short track record compared to some of you, but I have never had so many problems with an Apple product in the past.

I just replaced my iPhone 3G at a local Apple store today. It had a defective plastic shell (a dent of some sort on the bottom in one of the screw holes). The one I brought back, while I didn't notice it earlier, has scratches here and there on the metal bezel and has the screenlight leak. I took it back about two hours later, and now they want me to schedule another appointment with the Genius Bar.

The plan should be to make BETTER QUALITY products. I know it's a mass-produced market and they want to produce things in China to save costs, but a customer who spent 6 hours in line and $300 should not be forced to waste more time just to get a quality product, especially from a company like Apple. Either send a quality assurance representative to these factories or bring the production HERE to the U.S.! I'm sure people will be willing to pay a little bit more for products that meet their money.

##*#&)(*@#&!@(&!*^)$(!@*&$)@(*&#)(*)(%#&^!!!!!!:mad:
Click to expand...

What do you expect with the iPhone 3G?
It just came out, there are going to be defects.
There are always hardware defects and software bugs when new products come out, no matter what company it is.
 
I agree, man.

I understand Apple loves it's secrecy... but really -- why should the customer be the beta tester?

I want to know HOW app installing/updating and all of these other inexcusable messes got past apple QC.
 
I am on both sides of this argument. I enjoy Apple products and I understand this is a new product and whatever, but they already made the iphone one other time so things should be getting better. Apple has definitely been slacking lately with "impressive". I believe they were really just looking to make things affordable and sound "amazing" when the 3g came out, but they are just in for the money. The price is lower cause they know now they can get twice as many people to buy from them.
 
Really? C'mon.

You bought a brand new product the day it came out... literally.

Do honestly think that 100% of their brand new phones are going to be perfect?

They will replace... you just have to schedule an appointment.
 
I am on my third iPhone 3G. The first one I screwed up, my fault. But otherwise the build quality is PERFECT. The second one somehow AT&T couldn't turn on data service for. But otherwise the build quality is PERFECT. The third one I have now which I am keeping, build quality is again PERFECT.

No light leak, no cracked case, no strange color, no uneven bezel, no dusts under the screen, no anything. If I have to be super-duper anal as if I have absolutely no life besides trying to get a perfect iPhone, is that the back of the case has a couple of extraordinary tiny tranparent "moles" on the finish, which you can only detect when you hold the iPhone up and examine it at an extremely angle.

Maybe I am lucky. Or maybe I live in San Fran and we get the best iPhones. But, like, really..
 
iParis said:
What do you expect with the iPhone 3G?
It just came out, there are going to be defects.
There are always hardware defects and software bugs when new products come out, no matter what company it is.
Click to expand...

I understand there will be software bugs, but hardware defects definitely shouldn't be so common. Obvious, deep scratches on the metal edge is not something to be overlooked. I'm not looking to be the beta-tester, as the other poster said.

So,,, all you people who are saying "we should all **** and accept what the Apple overlords feed us" go right ahead but I value my time and money.
 
R6Seven said:
I understand there will be software bugs, but hardware defects definitely shouldn't be so common. Obvious, deep scratches on the metal edge is not something to be overlooked. I'm not looking to be the beta-tester, as the other poster said.

So,,, all you people who are saying "we should all **** and accept what the Apple overlords feed us" go right ahead but I value my time and money.
Click to expand...

It's not like they are just telling you to deal with it. They already replaced it once and they will replace the replacement too! This happens with every single new (highly hyped) product! You can't possibly ask for everything to be perfect because they HAVE to make hundreds of millions of these things to keep up with demand. All they ask is for you to make an appointment so they can replace it for you and you are pissed off.
 
FaustArp said:
I am on both sides of this argument. I enjoy Apple products and I understand this is a new product and whatever, but they already made the iphone one other time so things should be getting better. Apple has definitely been slacking lately with "impressive". I believe they were really just looking to make things affordable and sound "amazing" when the 3g came out, but they are just in for the money. The price is lower cause they know now they can get twice as many people to buy from them.
Click to expand...

I agree with you.
(Meaning that I'm on both sides of the argument.)
It's always been hard to find negative things to say about Apple, but they really have been slacking lately... and I don't think that they realize it.
 
oclor said:
It's not like they are just telling you to deal with it. They already replaced it once and they will replace the replacement too! This happens with every single new (highly hyped) product! You can't possibly ask for everything to be perfect because they HAVE to make hundreds of millions of these things to keep up with demand. All they ask is for you to make an appointment so they can replace it for you and you are pissed off.
Click to expand...

Well, it is annoying really. I don't know if you've used other brands of phones, but how many times did you have problems with those? I used Samsung, LG, Motorola, and there were no problems at all with any of them. I guess Motorola had a battery problem once but that was it.

Look, I'm not trying to start up a argument over personal standards here, but Apple's not the only company that has to produce millions of their products.
 
R6Seven said:
but Apple's not the only company that has to produce millions of their products.
Click to expand...

They have to make a ton of their product over a very short period of time. This is what happens with hyped products. Lets see some examples. The last extremely hyped products, which sold out immediately and were very hard to get for long periods of time (like the iPhone) were the xbox 360 and PS3. Both of those had MAJOR problems. I bought an xbox 360 on launch day. Microsoft had to extend the warranty for 3 years because so many people were having problems.

I totally understand that it is annoying. But you have to cut them some slack. Like I said, they are replacing it for you. Had they just said "sorry, tough luck" then I would be by your side dissing apple. But if you wanted a perfect product right off the bat, you should have known that this would happen and maybe waited a couple of months before buying it.

EDIT: Also, while you see a ton of people complaining on these boards about defective iPhone, I bet you that this is a very small percentage. A person who's iPhone is perfect isn't going to come on here and start a thread about how great his iPhone is.
 
My experience with my 3G iPhone has been excellent, no issues at all. That luckily includes the purchase and activation, applications, and hardware quality. *Knock on wood*
 
i think the hardware issues are few and far between. There's no need for a recall or anything of that sort. I'm upset with Apple's horrible tendancy to value secrecy over thorough beta testing. There is NO reason that the 2.0 software shouldn't work and have these many bugs from the gate. Unacceptable, ESPECIALLY with apps and upgrading/installing/backing up. Completely awful.
 
Judging by the amount of complaints on this forum, I must own the only flawless iPhone on the planet.

But seriously...I can understand your frustration. However, you must realize that the ratio of defective iPhones to "perfect" iPhones is staggering. Let's assume that one percent of iPhones are prone to problems (a scratch, misaligned glass, dust, etc...). What you're hearing on forums is the majority of that one percent. Not many people are going to search the internet for a website such as MacRumors to praise Apple about their flawless product. They're coming here for help about an issue that they're having.

That said, I don't think anything is "happening to Apple." As the amount of people who own Apple products grows, that one percent of defective products gets larger. I think we're witnessing that now...
 
Spongey817 said:
Judging by the amount of complaints on this forum, I must own the only flawless iPhone on the planet.

But seriously...I can understand your frustration. However, you must realize that the ratio of defective iPhones to "perfect" iPhones is staggering. Let's assume that one percent of iPhones are prone to problems (a scratch, misaligned glass, dust, etc...). What you're hearing on forums is the majority of that one percent. Not many people are going to search the internet for a website such as MacRumors to praise Apple about there flawless product. They're coming here for help about an issue that they're having.

That said, I don't think anything is "happening to Apple." As the amount of people who own Apple products grows, that one percent of defective products gets larger. I think we're witnessing that now...
Click to expand...

Spongey, you may be right. Sigh.
 
R6Seven said:
Well, it is annoying really. I don't know if you've used other brands of phones, but how many times did you have problems with those? I used Samsung, LG, Motorola, and there were no problems at all with any of them. I guess Motorola had a battery problem once but that was it.

Look, I'm not trying to start up a argument over personal standards here, but Apple's not the only company that has to produce millions of their products.
Click to expand...

I know anecdotal evidence is pretty much meaningless, but I went through three Samsung Blackjacks in a year due to a "manufacturing defect" before AT&T swapped the third one with a Moto Q. My iPhone 3G is my first problem-free phone in some time.

I can understand you being upset, but I can't think of anything Apple should be doing for you beyond replacing the defective units. Perhaps you can squeeze an iTunes gift card out of them for your trouble.
 
I have to say, I'm also really surprised at the number of QC issues with this product. I know that new software/firmware always has bugs, but the hardware issues on top of that are really unusual for Apple, in my experience.

Personally, I have owned several first-gen or first-ever Apple products, including the first iPod. My parents are also early adopters and have owned first-gen everything from Newtons to Powerbooks to Cubes to iMacs to iPhones. Yes, there were always a few issues here and there, but I have never heard about this many issues with one product, again, especially the hardware issues.

I don't know whether this is just my perception, but it seems that Americans in particular were hit hard by the hardware problems. But maybe it just seems that way because there are more Americans here. But I thought it might have something to do with the production run that went to the US. Maybe they just got the bad batch. I haven't looked into it though. Maybe someone else here has?
 
R6Seven said:
I've been an Apple customer since 2002. It might be a relatively short track record compared to some of you, but I have never had so many problems with an Apple product in the past.

I just replaced my iPhone 3G at a local Apple store today. It had a defective plastic shell (a dent of some sort on the bottom in one of the screw holes). The one I brought back, while I didn't notice it earlier, has scratches here and there on the metal bezel and has the screenlight leak. I took it back about two hours later, and now they want me to schedule another appointment with the Genius Bar.

The plan should be to make BETTER QUALITY products. I know it's a mass-produced market and they want to produce things in China to save costs, but a customer who spent 6 hours in line and $300 should not be forced to waste more time just to get a quality product, especially from a company like Apple. Either send a quality assurance representative to these factories or bring the production HERE to the U.S.! I'm sure people will be willing to pay a little bit more for products that meet their money.

##*#&)(*@#&!@(&!*^)$(!@*&$)@(*&#)(*)(%#&^!!!!!!:mad:
Click to expand...

Protests wit your wallet by not buying it. That is the only way they will listen.
 
oclor said:
They have to make a ton of their product over a very short period of time. This is what happens with hyped products. Lets see some examples. The last extremely hyped products, which sold out immediately and were very hard to get for long periods of time (like the iPhone) were the xbox 360 and PS3. Both of those had MAJOR problems. I bought an xbox 360 on launch day. Microsoft had to extend the warranty for 3 years because so many people were having problems.

I totally understand that it is annoying. But you have to cut them some slack. Like I said, they are replacing it for you. Had they just said "sorry, tough luck" then I would be by your side dissing apple. But if you wanted a perfect product right off the bat, you should have known that this would happen and maybe waited a couple of months before buying it.

EDIT: Also, while you see a ton of people complaining on these boards about defective iPhone, I bet you that this is a very small percentage. A person who's iPhone is perfect isn't going to come on here and start a thread about how great his iPhone is.
Click to expand...

There some serious quality issues with the iPhone 3g. My ringer broke off within 2 hours. How did my unit pass quality control. By the way the Xbox 360 still has those very problems the launch unit had so I don't think it had anything to do with the launch hype. Ps3 hasn't had those problems.
 
tsice19 said:
Really? C'mon.

You bought a brand new product the day it came out... literally.

Do honestly think that 100% of their brand new phones are going to be perfect?
Click to expand...
As a consumer, I expect to see a few with QC issues. Given the large number of complaints here and on many other forums, Apple F'd this one up... again.

This is not their first phone. You would think they would have learned something from the previous one.

And as another poster noted, I am voting with my wallet. I'm sticking with my original iPhone.
 
People seem to think that every single unit produced goes through a manual quality control person who checks every switch, glass leveling, light leak... I hardly think this is the case.

I have spent exactly zero time researching mass electronics production in Chinese factories, but to think that every single unit is checked is just ludicrous. This could simply be that the factory did not produce the item even to Apple's spec. Do you think Steve sits there and opens every one of the millions of phones produced and looks over them?

If Apple approved of the quality, they would not be replacing them for free for something as minor as tiny scratches in the chrome. They would tell you that's just part of the manufacturing process. They ARE taking them back for even the most mundane of "problems". That, to me, shows that they actually do care that you get a good product.

As several others have said, it seems like a massive manufacturing problem because phone geeks who find even the slightest imperfection with their phone will flock to a site like this to complain. To many people, their phone is what defines their existence. People who have good phones, people who simply don't care, and the hundreds of thousands of people who do NOT come to internet forums will never be heard from. You hear lots of noise from the tiny percentage of people who do have problems, so it sounds like a major problem.
 
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