Taking a bite of the Apple
Since it’s formation on April Fool’s Day 1976, Apple Inc. has been one of the more curious operators out there in computerland. Now back under the guidance of lucky talisman Steve Jobs, they’re back to the top of their game after nearly going bankrupt just a few years ago. You’d think all would be well.
But despite their many victories, this is now, and in an age where he thinks he can sell crap in a box and if there is a problem with it, pretend you’ve opened the packaging wrong, and it’s your own fault for getting brown fingers.
Apple products have always carried a price premium, and generally cost approaching double (or more) for the equivalent PC compatible specification. Comparably priced alternatives were always vastly technologically superior. But Jobs always countered this by saying he had the best stuff. But has he? He certainly doesn’t like it when anyone questions that.
But he is something of a marketing genius. He has so many fanbois (and one presumes, fangirls) that don’t ask questions singing to the Emperor’s New Clothes hymnsheet that somehow it’s generally falling under the mass-media radar. Sure, they’ll show you the all-night queues the night before launch date, when they deliberately limit stock to give the impression it’s a sold out success, which might not had enough stock have been delivered instead of held back.
Not so long ago, they were nailed because of the iPhone 4′s inability to hold a steady telephone conversation, and the shower of excuses about how it’s not their fault. Despite it’s famed reception problems caused by shoddy design flaws, and expert analysis backing up this view, Jobs’ Apple are still not having it. No honourable product recall for Apple, just constant denials whilst they secretly send broken iPhones back to customers housed in a newly designed case. But wait I hear you cry, if nothing was wrong with the old one… Indeed. Jobs went on record to claim that there wasn’t a fault at all and it was fine, then he said that there was a fault but that it wasn’t important as proved by the fact it was a ‘feature’ of the original iPhone, then he blamed a software error by claiming the on-screen status of the signal strength bar was just inaccurate and that in fact… it had a strong signal anyway, issuing software updates to back it up. Then when that didn’t work, he blamed YOU, the users for being too stupid to hold it correctly! Everybody else’s fault except Apple, according to Apple, despite evidence to the contrary. Jobs even denied that repaired iPhones had been returned in new cases, even the photographs and customer testamony are available on the net.
Lesson learned? Guess again.
Currently they are being sued because the iPad shuts down when it gets too hot, and the US courts have been asked to elevate the lawsuit to class action status. User are saying things like:
“the iPad is virtually unusable when sitting in particular environmental conditions (e.g., in direct sunlight with virtually any ambient air temperature) since it turns off, sometimes after just a few minutes of use.”
The suit states that “according to the www.apple.com website, ‘Reading on iPad is just like reading a book.’ However, contrary to this promise, using the iPad is not ‘just like reading a book’ at all since books do not close when the reader is enjoying them in the sunlight or in other normal environmental environments. This promise, like other portions of APPLE’s marketing material for the iPad, is false.”
The complaint asks for no specific damages, but otherwise leaves few legal stones unturned: relief is sought based on ten “Causes of Action”, including fraud, negligent misrepresentation, deceptive advertising practices, unjust enrichment, breach of both express and implied warranties, and violations of California’s Consumer Legal Remedies, Unfair Competition, and Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty acts.
Really? Noooo. Apple wouldn’t treat customers to substandard tat whilst swearing blind it’s top-of-the-range luxury goods would it? LOL!
Perhaps this time Steve Jobs will blame the universe for making the sun too hot, or blame customers for not living in the right part of the world where the temperature allowed the iPad to operate properly.
Either way, the mass consumer should take note, even if Jobs refuses.
If Apple want to be the King of Cool, their stuff needs to work as advertised.
How hard can it be?
Taking a bite of the Apple: Before they take a bit out of you
Since it’s formation on April Fool’s Day 1976, Apple Inc. has been one of the more curious operators out
there in computerland. Now back under the guidance of lucky talisman Steve Jobs, they’re back to the
top of their game after nearly going bankrupt just a few years ago. You’d think all would be well.
But despite their many victories, this is now, and in an age where he thinks he can sell crap in a box and if
there is a problem with it, pretend you’ve opened the packaging wrong, and it’s your own fault for getting
brown fingers.
Apple products have always carried a price premium, and generally cost approaching double (or more) for
the equivalent PC compatible specification. Comparably priced alternatives were always vastly
technologically superior. But Jobs always countered this by saying he had the best stuff. But has he? He
certainly doesn’t like it when anyone questions that.
But he is something of a marketing genius. He has so many fanbois (and one presumes, fangirls) that
don’t ask questions singing to the Emperor’s New Clothes hymnsheet that somehow it’s generally falling
under the mass-media radar. Sure, they’ll show you the all-night queues the night before launch date,
when they deliberately limit stock to give the impression it’s a sold out success, which might not had
enough stock have been delivered instead of held back.
Not so long ago, they were nailed because of the iPhone 4′s inability to hold a steady telephone
conversation, and the shower of excuses about how it’s not their fault. Despite it’s famed reception
problems caused by shoddy design flaws, and expert analysis backing up this view, Jobs’ Apple are still
not having it. No honourable product recall for Apple, just constant denials whilst they secretly send
broken iPhones back to customers housed in a newly designed case. But wait I hear you cry, if nothing
was wrong with the old one… Indeed. Jobs went on record to claim that there wasn’t a fault at all and it
was fine, then he said that there was a fault but that it wasn’t important as proved by the fact it was a
‘feature’ of the original iPhone, then he blamed a software error by claiming the on-screen status of the
signal strength bar was just inaccurate and that in fact… it had a strong signal anyway, issuing software
updates to back it up. Then when that didn’t work, he blamed YOU, the users for being too stupid to hold
it correctly! Everybody else’s fault except Apple, according to Apple, despite evidence to the contrary.
Jobs even denied that repaired iPhones had been returned in new cases, even the photographs and
customer testamony are available on the net.
Lesson learned? Guess again.
Currently they are being sued because the iPad shuts down when it gets too hot, and the US courts have
been asked to elevate the lawsuit to class action status. User are saying things like:
“the iPad is virtually unusable when sitting in particular environmental conditions (e.g., in direct sunlight
with virtually any ambient air temperature) since it turns off, sometimes after just a few minutes of use.”
The suit states that “according to the www.apple.com website, ‘Reading on iPad is just like reading a
book.’ However, contrary to this promise, using the iPad is not ‘just like reading a book’ at all since books
do not close when the reader is enjoying them in the sunlight or in other normal environmental
environments. This promise, like other portions of APPLE’s marketing material for the iPad, is false.”
The complaint asks for no specific damages, but otherwise leaves few legal stones unturned: relief is
sought based on ten “Causes of Action”, including fraud, negligent misrepresentation, deceptive
advertising practices, unjust enrichment, breach of both express and implied warranties, and violations of
California’s Consumer Legal Remedies, Unfair Competition, and Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty acts.
Really? Noooo. Apple wouldn’t treat customers to substandard tat whilst swearing blind it’s
top-of-the-range luxury goods would it? LOL!
Perhaps this time Steve Jobs will blame the universe for making the sun too hot, or blame customers for
not living in the right part of the world where the temperature allowed the iPad to operate properly.
Either way, the mass consumer should take note, even if Jobs refuses.
If Apple want to be the King of Cool, their stuff needs to work as advertised. How hard can it be?
