gregorsamsa
Aug 26, 07:17 AM
in my experience, their support has always sucked..even from day 1 with my first PowerMac G5 back in 2004.
Let's see...
PowerMac G5 arrived with a defective superdrive, miscalibrated fans. The genius 'couldn't hear the fans', and accidentally put the repair in someone else's name, so when I tried to pick it up, I had to haggle to get it. Oh, and when I did finally get it, the superdrive was still broken. Super...
Cinema Display arrived with 7 dead pixels...I know this is a touchy issue, but the problem with their support regarding it was that none of them knew the actual number to replace it at. The phone people told me 5, the store (after the 45 minute drive there) told me 15, and another rep (who finally replaced it) told me 3.
iMac G5 had a defective power supply on arrival--would shut off randomly, some times not turning on. They refused to acknowledge this the first time we were there...the second time we were there...third time...fourth time they gave in--by saying "we'll keep it overnight." They still.."couldn't find a problem." When they gave it back, it worked for..two weeks, then the fans started being wonky. They couldn't hear that the first or second visit, on the third visit they took it overnight, "couldn't hear any audible issue", but it shutdown on them. I guess taking our word for it, they replaced the fan assembly, logic board, and power supply. Worked for a month, now it still shuts down.
MacBook Pro had the defective battery (random shutdowns), now fixed. Also, I had the screen buzz (now fixed), CPU A Whine (now fixed). They basically fixed all the issues in this machine, but were four days over their expected return time.
I'm not saying their support is totally crap, but they're certainly not consistent in performance, technical knowledge, friendliness, or even coverage. I was talking to a friend about "what I'd do if I were Steve Jobs," and the first thing we agreed on was to fire the entire AppleCare department, and all the genius', because they all seem to suck.
But hey, my iBook G4 and MacBook are fine...
You, & some others here, have obviously had more than your fair share of bad luck with Apple. Customers paying good money rightly expect to receive faultless products every time. When they don't, it's understandable they're peeved off. In this respect, Apple must do better.
Many others, however, swear by Apple's general reliability & quality of products. (My iBook, bought only last October, is used at least a few hours almost daily. So far, no problems whatsoever!). Fact is, statistics consistently prove Apple still to be one of the best computer manufacturers when it comes to longevity of their products.
PS. I'm not an Apple fanboy. My next computer (a 15.4" laptop) may not even be another Apple. But I'm 100% sure I will buy another Apple computer in future, not least because of the general high quality I know I can expect from Apple compared to many PC manufacturers, & a wonderful OS to boot! - But, then again, if Apple's QC was to deteriorate significantly, & get a consistently growing number of customer complaints...
Let's see...
PowerMac G5 arrived with a defective superdrive, miscalibrated fans. The genius 'couldn't hear the fans', and accidentally put the repair in someone else's name, so when I tried to pick it up, I had to haggle to get it. Oh, and when I did finally get it, the superdrive was still broken. Super...
Cinema Display arrived with 7 dead pixels...I know this is a touchy issue, but the problem with their support regarding it was that none of them knew the actual number to replace it at. The phone people told me 5, the store (after the 45 minute drive there) told me 15, and another rep (who finally replaced it) told me 3.
iMac G5 had a defective power supply on arrival--would shut off randomly, some times not turning on. They refused to acknowledge this the first time we were there...the second time we were there...third time...fourth time they gave in--by saying "we'll keep it overnight." They still.."couldn't find a problem." When they gave it back, it worked for..two weeks, then the fans started being wonky. They couldn't hear that the first or second visit, on the third visit they took it overnight, "couldn't hear any audible issue", but it shutdown on them. I guess taking our word for it, they replaced the fan assembly, logic board, and power supply. Worked for a month, now it still shuts down.
MacBook Pro had the defective battery (random shutdowns), now fixed. Also, I had the screen buzz (now fixed), CPU A Whine (now fixed). They basically fixed all the issues in this machine, but were four days over their expected return time.
I'm not saying their support is totally crap, but they're certainly not consistent in performance, technical knowledge, friendliness, or even coverage. I was talking to a friend about "what I'd do if I were Steve Jobs," and the first thing we agreed on was to fire the entire AppleCare department, and all the genius', because they all seem to suck.
But hey, my iBook G4 and MacBook are fine...
You, & some others here, have obviously had more than your fair share of bad luck with Apple. Customers paying good money rightly expect to receive faultless products every time. When they don't, it's understandable they're peeved off. In this respect, Apple must do better.
Many others, however, swear by Apple's general reliability & quality of products. (My iBook, bought only last October, is used at least a few hours almost daily. So far, no problems whatsoever!). Fact is, statistics consistently prove Apple still to be one of the best computer manufacturers when it comes to longevity of their products.
PS. I'm not an Apple fanboy. My next computer (a 15.4" laptop) may not even be another Apple. But I'm 100% sure I will buy another Apple computer in future, not least because of the general high quality I know I can expect from Apple compared to many PC manufacturers, & a wonderful OS to boot! - But, then again, if Apple's QC was to deteriorate significantly, & get a consistently growing number of customer complaints...
findpankaj
Aug 25, 04:11 PM
Dotmac has been a HEADACHE this last year...they have lost my e-mail and webpages, and now somehow seem to be prying into my personal life!
I was planning to buy a .mac account for e-mail , blogs through iWeb, web pages etc. I am more aware now about it.
I was planning to buy a .mac account for e-mail , blogs through iWeb, web pages etc. I am more aware now about it.
ergle2
Sep 15, 01:08 PM
On an unrelated note, wouldnt it been cool to effectivly install a whole OS on RAM. That would be noticably quicker....
The OS would be faster but unless you had tons of RAM, the Apps ... :)
Modern OSes use RAM not used by apps to cache recently used files/data, since it makes more sense to keep around stuff the system mind need again. Most OS files aren't needed (just look at the size of the OS itself on any system!).
Of course, back in my Amiga days, pretty much all the OS was running from ROM/RAM, and it had pre-emptive multitasking but no VM system. As a result, it was incredibly snappy to use, despite being a 7.14MHz 68K. I've occasionally seen real Amigas since then and I'm always impressed by how "fast" it feels, even if the system itself seems rather primative by modern standards.
I imagine the early Macs were somewhat similar in this regard, but I didn't use one properly til the early 90's, by which time I was more interested in Unix, VMS, etc.
The OS would be faster but unless you had tons of RAM, the Apps ... :)
Modern OSes use RAM not used by apps to cache recently used files/data, since it makes more sense to keep around stuff the system mind need again. Most OS files aren't needed (just look at the size of the OS itself on any system!).
Of course, back in my Amiga days, pretty much all the OS was running from ROM/RAM, and it had pre-emptive multitasking but no VM system. As a result, it was incredibly snappy to use, despite being a 7.14MHz 68K. I've occasionally seen real Amigas since then and I'm always impressed by how "fast" it feels, even if the system itself seems rather primative by modern standards.
I imagine the early Macs were somewhat similar in this regard, but I didn't use one properly til the early 90's, by which time I was more interested in Unix, VMS, etc.
Multimedia
Aug 17, 01:59 PM
The interesting thing to note from the Anandtech review is that to saturate a 2 core setup, all you need is one program. To saturate a quad, you need to be doing a bit more at the same time. To saturate an octo, you need to be doing a hell of a lot of things at the same time.Not so. I can only run one compression process at a time on the Quad G5 unless I want the speed of that process and others I want to run at the same time to be compromized. Both Toast and Handbrake can use 4 cores EACH.Now I don't know bout you lot, but there's only so much I can do at the same time.This is the place where you are misunderstanding how LITTLE one can do with only 4 cores. Sure it helps to be able to run anything I like and still use FCP with no performance hit. So I think a quad is perfect for that. But when it comes to 8+ cores, your actual workflow won't improve in the slightest unless it doesn't involve you having to do anything (eg run 4 instances of handbrake). I'm sure everyone once in a while has some work that can just be delegated to the CPU and it does its thing, but for the most part, where your attention and brain is needed, an 8 core will sit at least 50% idle.Not from where I'm sitting. The opposite is true for me.Considering Clovertowns will have a slower, twice saturated FSB and lower clock speeds, most people will be better off (financially and productively) with Woodcrests. I'm just hoping that when octos are announced, the quads will drop in price.But speed is not our problem. Apps already capable of saturating 4 cores need more cores to run simultaneously without compromising speed.Now if they start to optimise apps to take full advantage of more than 2 cores, that's a whole different ballgame ;)That is what has already happened. You were unaware of that fact. So yes, it is a whole different ballgame already. :eek:
AppleKrate
Sep 19, 07:53 AM
... and actually getting any work done.
speaking of which...
speaking of which...
raymondso
Sep 19, 09:51 AM
I used to think that until I replaced my 12" Thinkpad with a (budget) 15" Thinkpad. A 15" laptop is obviously a lot bigger, possibly heavier and definetly more difficult to carry around everywhere. I'll never buy a 15" laptop again.
It depends on how you will be using it, but one good option that works for me is to go for a 13" so its more portable then get a cheap 17"/19" TFT monitor for home and use it to extend the desktop. Forget Merom, I don't know how I survived for so long without an extended desktop.
An extra 17"s really does change your life!
totally agree
Currently i'm using a 12.1" notebook(PC) with a 19" desktop LCD for photo editing :p
It depends on how you will be using it, but one good option that works for me is to go for a 13" so its more portable then get a cheap 17"/19" TFT monitor for home and use it to extend the desktop. Forget Merom, I don't know how I survived for so long without an extended desktop.
An extra 17"s really does change your life!
totally agree
Currently i'm using a 12.1" notebook(PC) with a 19" desktop LCD for photo editing :p
blizzardnorth
Jun 15, 04:27 PM
So I called my local radio shack multiple times pertaining the iphone 4 launch and preorder/ customer request and about trading in my iphone.
I stopped in the store today exactly at 12PM and asked if I could sign up for the iphone preorder. The man there corrected me and said it was a "customer request/reservation" that was taking place. He said he was having internet troubles and couldn't access the website right now, but would take down my information and put me into the system once it was up. I gave him my information and then we talked a little bit about trading in my current black 32 gb 3gs.
<- Shoot, OSX10.6.4 wants me to reboot... and I'm itching to see if it's any faster.
Wow, got a whole round of modern warfare 2 hardcore team deathmatch in while 10.6.4 installed.
Ok, then I read online that Radio Shack stopped the program within like 2 hours so that had me wondering if my local store was able to enter my information into the system in time.
I called again and was assured that my information did go in correctly... But he made no mention of a PIN.
I'm thinking about calling back and asking if there will be any confirmation emails/calls.
My local Radio Shack says that they are getting stock on the 24th and that they will call me and arrange a meeting where I will receive my iphone.
I stopped in the store today exactly at 12PM and asked if I could sign up for the iphone preorder. The man there corrected me and said it was a "customer request/reservation" that was taking place. He said he was having internet troubles and couldn't access the website right now, but would take down my information and put me into the system once it was up. I gave him my information and then we talked a little bit about trading in my current black 32 gb 3gs.
<- Shoot, OSX10.6.4 wants me to reboot... and I'm itching to see if it's any faster.
Wow, got a whole round of modern warfare 2 hardcore team deathmatch in while 10.6.4 installed.
Ok, then I read online that Radio Shack stopped the program within like 2 hours so that had me wondering if my local store was able to enter my information into the system in time.
I called again and was assured that my information did go in correctly... But he made no mention of a PIN.
I'm thinking about calling back and asking if there will be any confirmation emails/calls.
My local Radio Shack says that they are getting stock on the 24th and that they will call me and arrange a meeting where I will receive my iphone.
milo
Jul 27, 11:55 AM
so cn you put it in a mb too?
mini and iMac can be upgraded, they have a socket.
MB and MPB can not (at least not do it yourself), they are soldered.
mini and iMac can be upgraded, they have a socket.
MB and MPB can not (at least not do it yourself), they are soldered.
NebulaClash
Apr 27, 10:19 AM
Maybe that's what you heard.
I heard that the database couldn't be user purged (easily)
The the database kept data from Day one
and that Location services being turned off didn't change the recording of the data.
Apple fans were "more correct". Wow. Ok - if you say so.... and if it helps you sleep at night
I'm talking about the hyperbole, not the sensible discussion that was going on too. You are capable of such discussions, and so am I. We do not represent the majority of the comments in these threads which contained lots of hair-on-fire paranoia. The Apple fans trying to talk such folks down off the roof were right.
I heard that the database couldn't be user purged (easily)
The the database kept data from Day one
and that Location services being turned off didn't change the recording of the data.
Apple fans were "more correct". Wow. Ok - if you say so.... and if it helps you sleep at night
I'm talking about the hyperbole, not the sensible discussion that was going on too. You are capable of such discussions, and so am I. We do not represent the majority of the comments in these threads which contained lots of hair-on-fire paranoia. The Apple fans trying to talk such folks down off the roof were right.
KnightWRX
Apr 20, 01:39 PM
The trade dress claims do not list specific models.
Which tells me somebody botched it. Does it impact damage claims if Samsung decides to present one model that doesn't bear any ressemblance to the iPhone like the ones depicted above ?
Or can Apple amend to add specifity to the claim ?
Or is it moot in the eyes of the court and would only apply when calculating damages if a decision is done in favor of Apple ?
Which tells me somebody botched it. Does it impact damage claims if Samsung decides to present one model that doesn't bear any ressemblance to the iPhone like the ones depicted above ?
Or can Apple amend to add specifity to the claim ?
Or is it moot in the eyes of the court and would only apply when calculating damages if a decision is done in favor of Apple ?
Prom1
Aug 6, 03:28 AM
My Predictions:
Mac Pro:
-Fastest pro Mac ever shipped
-Hard drives, BTO 750gb, perpendicular recording
-New displays with HDMI, iSight & IR, even brighter
-Wireless-WiMax or 802.11n-whatever's ready first, otherwise BT 2.0+EDR, AE
-Multiple graphics card in a SLI/Crossfire like mode for extremely powerful graphics and stereo 3D, Quadro FX5500 and maybe also first Mac to be supported by the new Quadro Plex. 256MB std, 512MB BTO
-HD Audio
Isight on displays built-in but I only want that with higher resolution with Auto Focus ability.
> New displays with a thinner bezel around the LCD; higher contrast ratio 1200:1 minimum; denser pixel count, DLP technology with LEDs or with Zenon technology for the DLP; but more richer BLACK!
> BTO Bluetooth 2.0+EDR has been on the PowerBooks for at least 2 generations & on the MB+MBP!
> WiMax although sweet its long away; HUGE battery gobbler. 2 years minimum.
> I'd love for the MacBookPRO lineup to be more PRO with DUAL HDD configuration but without creating more heat.
> THe MBP should be equal in computing & graphical performance as the cheapest MacPro!
Mac Pro:
-Fastest pro Mac ever shipped
-Hard drives, BTO 750gb, perpendicular recording
-New displays with HDMI, iSight & IR, even brighter
-Wireless-WiMax or 802.11n-whatever's ready first, otherwise BT 2.0+EDR, AE
-Multiple graphics card in a SLI/Crossfire like mode for extremely powerful graphics and stereo 3D, Quadro FX5500 and maybe also first Mac to be supported by the new Quadro Plex. 256MB std, 512MB BTO
-HD Audio
Isight on displays built-in but I only want that with higher resolution with Auto Focus ability.
> New displays with a thinner bezel around the LCD; higher contrast ratio 1200:1 minimum; denser pixel count, DLP technology with LEDs or with Zenon technology for the DLP; but more richer BLACK!
> BTO Bluetooth 2.0+EDR has been on the PowerBooks for at least 2 generations & on the MB+MBP!
> WiMax although sweet its long away; HUGE battery gobbler. 2 years minimum.
> I'd love for the MacBookPRO lineup to be more PRO with DUAL HDD configuration but without creating more heat.
> THe MBP should be equal in computing & graphical performance as the cheapest MacPro!
NJRonbo
Jun 14, 06:27 PM
I hate Radio Shack.
Salesman have their heads up their butts
or corporate does not know what to tell them.
The 4th store I called said if you have a PIN
you are guaranteed a phone.
Salesman have their heads up their butts
or corporate does not know what to tell them.
The 4th store I called said if you have a PIN
you are guaranteed a phone.
vincenz
Apr 27, 07:58 AM
A "bug" right? ;)
Onimusha370
Mar 22, 01:04 PM
I agree.
But who in their right minds would want to own something called a Playbook? :o
+1
'lets make a tablet for our business users, to get serious workloads done. we can call it the playbook'.
i didn't know charlie sheen was in charge of their team?
But who in their right minds would want to own something called a Playbook? :o
+1
'lets make a tablet for our business users, to get serious workloads done. we can call it the playbook'.
i didn't know charlie sheen was in charge of their team?
neko girl
Mar 3, 10:48 PM
That's strange. I've never seen my ignorance stagger. I've always thought it couldn't walk. ;)
Seriously, please educate me, neko girl.
Surely. Why do you believe you have any right or authority to dictate what two consulting adults should do or not?
And, if you do believe you (or a religious book) have that authority, then may I make the following statement to be equally as valid as yours:
Bill McEnaney should only engage in homosexual, sexually active relationships, and should never be engaged in heterosexual relationships, much less any that are anything but platonic.
Do you believe in the validity of my statement. Why or why not?
I look forward to your response.
Seriously, please educate me, neko girl.
Surely. Why do you believe you have any right or authority to dictate what two consulting adults should do or not?
And, if you do believe you (or a religious book) have that authority, then may I make the following statement to be equally as valid as yours:
Bill McEnaney should only engage in homosexual, sexually active relationships, and should never be engaged in heterosexual relationships, much less any that are anything but platonic.
Do you believe in the validity of my statement. Why or why not?
I look forward to your response.
Ktulu
Aug 25, 07:40 PM
My only dealings with Apple Support was a few years ago. On Christmas day the modem on my Pismo went out. I just for a lark called to see if anyone was in and not only was someone there I was taken care of quite nicely. The next day I had a box to send it off and three days later I had it back. Not bad for a notebook that was about two weeks short of the warranty expiring.
I'm not trying to be a wise a@@, but when did Apple make a Pismo. I do remember them, but not being made by Apple. I am sorry, I don't recall the manufactuer for them at this time.:confused:
I'm not trying to be a wise a@@, but when did Apple make a Pismo. I do remember them, but not being made by Apple. I am sorry, I don't recall the manufactuer for them at this time.:confused:
swingerofbirch
Nov 28, 07:22 PM
This would be like Ford paying Exxon a fee because some car drivers syphon gas....pretty weird!
GuitarDTO
Mar 31, 07:47 PM
Polished like the pure Google, "optimized from the ground up for tablets" Honeycomb running on the XOOM right now?
Yikes.
No...polished like Android 2.2 vs. 1.0. I think my Droid had 2.0 when I got it, and just going from 2.0 to 2.1 to 2.2 they made huge strides. Google will get it right, and this is just another step towards that. Has iOS always had the polish that it has currently? (Asking honestly, I'm new to iPhone).
Yikes.
No...polished like Android 2.2 vs. 1.0. I think my Droid had 2.0 when I got it, and just going from 2.0 to 2.1 to 2.2 they made huge strides. Google will get it right, and this is just another step towards that. Has iOS always had the polish that it has currently? (Asking honestly, I'm new to iPhone).
Nuck81
Nov 25, 10:44 PM
I hated Shift, it seemed to me to pretend to be a sim, at the same time acknowledging it was an arcade game. I can't stand AI that will try to get revenge anyway, as that should be black flagged. Race clean or gtfo IMO.
To each his own, I find it takes a little out of the race to drive against an AI programmed to blindly follow the predetermined race line.
But the driving itself feels magnificent on GT5. I'll spend most of my hours in Time Trial!!
To each his own, I find it takes a little out of the race to drive against an AI programmed to blindly follow the predetermined race line.
But the driving itself feels magnificent on GT5. I'll spend most of my hours in Time Trial!!
Trowaman
Aug 7, 01:22 AM
Ok, my predictions:
Leopard (iChat 4.0 ready to go for the iPhone)
Mac Pro
XServe (MacServe?)
new displays (iSights and probably IR. If I get my wish, S-Video and RCA in)
Paris: All about the iTunes and iPod ending with Steve saying available worldwide "except here." Possible iPhone here.
the other 4 Macs will be upgraded at some point going into Q1 with MBP and iMac getting Core 2 and MB and Minis getting the top Core Duos.
Leopard (iChat 4.0 ready to go for the iPhone)
Mac Pro
XServe (MacServe?)
new displays (iSights and probably IR. If I get my wish, S-Video and RCA in)
Paris: All about the iTunes and iPod ending with Steve saying available worldwide "except here." Possible iPhone here.
the other 4 Macs will be upgraded at some point going into Q1 with MBP and iMac getting Core 2 and MB and Minis getting the top Core Duos.
law guy
Aug 5, 10:20 PM
EVERYONE is missing something that MUST be updated A.S.A.P.!
AirPort Base Stations!
Express and especially the Extreme. The Extreme is YEARS old!!
:eek: :eek:
Good point - CNET just did a round up of "pre-n" series routers http://reviews.cnet.com/4321-3319_7-6544166-1.html - the extreme hasn't entered that area yet - although it was ahead of the curve a bit with the "g" standard.
AirPort Base Stations!
Express and especially the Extreme. The Extreme is YEARS old!!
:eek: :eek:
Good point - CNET just did a round up of "pre-n" series routers http://reviews.cnet.com/4321-3319_7-6544166-1.html - the extreme hasn't entered that area yet - although it was ahead of the curve a bit with the "g" standard.
rdowns
Mar 22, 01:50 PM
Where are our strict constitutionalist Tea Party Republicans? They haven't had anything to say about this. ****ing hypocrites.
QuarterSwede
Apr 25, 01:45 PM
Ah, the perfect storm! A (probable) bug that does not clip the data the way Google does it, a story that gets reported months ago and then it forgotten, a new story that appears and blows it way out of proportion, news articles that imply Apple is SPYING ON YOU (even though Apple does not get this information), and lots of ignorance spewed all over the Web.
Natually this leads to stupid lawsuits. This is America, dammit!
*sigh* This is turning into another Antennagate, misinformation and all. Steve is going to have to do more than that email to get people to shut up about what is a very small issue that is being exploded into a very large misinformation campaign.
Pretty well said.
Natually this leads to stupid lawsuits. This is America, dammit!
*sigh* This is turning into another Antennagate, misinformation and all. Steve is going to have to do more than that email to get people to shut up about what is a very small issue that is being exploded into a very large misinformation campaign.
Pretty well said.
nagromme
Jul 14, 03:11 PM
Except Conroes don't support dual processor configuration. Woodcrest does, hence the reason it will be in the Pro line machines while Conroe is put into new iMacs.
Right, but I didn't say dual processors, I said dual cores.
I see no reason why ALL Pro machines need quad cores, when today's dual core G5s are FAR slower than that and still blaze through a lot of useful work! An all-quad pro lineup would be "cool" (and I seek a quad anyway, personally) but would simply add cost without justification, for many people.
In addition, if the new chips are supply-constrained at all having both Conroe and Woodcrest in the pro towers could help. (And the iMac does fine with Yonah for a while if need be--which seems likely to happen to me.)
Right, but I didn't say dual processors, I said dual cores.
I see no reason why ALL Pro machines need quad cores, when today's dual core G5s are FAR slower than that and still blaze through a lot of useful work! An all-quad pro lineup would be "cool" (and I seek a quad anyway, personally) but would simply add cost without justification, for many people.
In addition, if the new chips are supply-constrained at all having both Conroe and Woodcrest in the pro towers could help. (And the iMac does fine with Yonah for a while if need be--which seems likely to happen to me.)