so this is something that I find interesting.

every tech company was plagued with issues at one point or another, apple had their fair share and so did any other company. the thing is - when a flaw is found on apple products people blow it to huge dimensions. apple customers (me included) expect perfection, we expect a flawless product right out of the box, but when we don’t get it we judge apple quite harshly.this is some thing iv’e never noticed with any other tech company. why?

I think this comes down to marketing and reputation.

as an example, let’s compare Apples reputation with Google and Samsung - the companies making the leading android flagships in the iPhone pro line price range:

Google is known as software company, people see their pixel line as the only way to get the vanilla android experience without bloatware - as such, they don’t expect the pixel line to be in the forefront of hardware innovation - and indeed their tensor chips are extremely underwhelming. people buy pixel phones for vanilla android and have no other expectations.

Samsung always had a reputation for half-assing new technologies and rushing them in order to be the first with a product utilizing the new technologies in the market. this is evident back in the days of the galaxy s4 which had face unlock years before apple launched Face ID, and in some parts of the world used their own exynos chip which was the first octa core chip utilizing ARM’s big.little in a smartphone - problem was that the face unlock didn’t work more than 50% of the time, and the exynos chip had a design issue that allowed either the 4 performance cores to be active or the 4 efficiency cores, which resulted in the galaxy s4 running slower and hotter than the iPhone 4 with a dual core chip. this tradition continues over the years with the galaxy watch, curved displays, and foldable phones. as a result, while on paper the galaxy phones are technological marvels, this doesn’t translate well to real world use as they are full of gimmicks and bloatware and become sluggish after very little time.

now we get to Apple. apple always had the reputation of a high quality brand. they would be behind the competition in terms of features, then roll out a feature that would not work seamlessly and perfectly for the end user.

but not only that - unlike other tech bands, Apple also brands their products as a fashion statement and a status symbol. comparing an iPhone to to any other flagship phone is like comparing a Swatch to a Rolex, sure, both are watches and both tell the time, but a Rolex is made from premium materials, with utmost precision and regard to little details.

the way Apple markets their own brand causes their customer base to expect perfection from them.

obviously this affects how mistakes made by apple are blown out of proportion and remembered for years at a time while Samsung’s exploding battery fiasco has fizzled out and is largely forgotten by now.

but this also comes into play in what we expect when we buy an apple product:

- when people complain about cosmetic imperfections in their apple products the comments are encouraging them to replace it. since this is unacceptable for an expensive apple device to be imperfect, while for other manufacturers, the comments ae mostly “it’s a tool, use it and stop worrying”

- people are willing ro engage in endless replacement loops hoping to find their perfect unicorn device that has not even the smallest scratch, nick, dent, scuff, display unevenness or any other imperfection.

- even I, when I buy an apple product I inspect it the same way I would an expensive watch or piece of jewelry, and I always find some kind of blemish. I only recently learned to lower my standards as I come to realize that the perfect unicorn device does not exist and trying to endlessly replace devices will only waste my time and not bring me closer to getting said perfect unicorn device.

I think this could be solved in 2 ways:

  1. lowering expectations - change the marketing strategy so that the brand is no longer synonymous with premium quality, and lower prices. but this would of course hurt Apple’s brand image which differentiate them from other tech companies
  2. raise standards - implement stricter QC protocols, send Apple’s own QC engineers to oversee the process in factories, make warranty more flexible, maybe release devices that allow for certain cosmetic issues to be fixed on the spot, similar to how a watchmaker can polish watches. this would obviously cost a lot of money, and i’m not sure it is even possible at the large rates most apple products are manufactured at.

what do you think? is that even a problem? if so, how should it be addressed?

  • Lancaster61@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    Apple isn’t the only one. People is like this with Tesla too. As a Tesla owner of 2 of their vehicles, it’s not any worse than any other cars I’ve owned before.

    However Apple and Tesla news generate clicks, so anything outside of absolute perfection generates clicks.

  • macbrett@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    Apple has always been subject to great scrutiny and criticism since before the iPhone even was released. Some of the hate is a reaction to Apple’s inflated marketing “It just works”, “It’s magical.” and touting “new” features that others had already done earlier (at least in some form). Some is backlash to how loyal and effusive its customer base is, and their ability to overlook what are perceived as shortcomings by certain market segments whose desires are not being addressed.

    I think that some criticism still comes from longtime Apple haters who resent the fact that the company didn’t just die in its beleaguered days before Steve Jobs returned to the company.

    As an Apple customer since 1984, I feel that Apple deserves to be criticized for some things like not having user upgradable RAM and mass storage, not supporting third party repair shops with OEM parts to make affordable component level repairs instead of expensive entire subassembly swaps. Overcharging for memory upgrades at time of sale. Trying to milk additional income by providing only minimal default cloud storage. Why is there no option for a cellular modem in the Macbooks? (iPads have it.). I’m sure there is more.

  • iCruiser7@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    Not sure what problem you are trying to solve. Apple knows it is impossible to 100% eliminate products with manufacturing defects, so they sell their products at a high enough margin to compensate for the cost of any replacement/refund request from dissatisfied customers. As a customer who understands this, I naturally keep my expectations high, and demand Apple ship me flawless products. What’s the issue here?

    If what you are actually trying to ask is how to stop being OCD about Apple products, that’s an entirely different topic.

  • AraAraGyaru@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    It’s because they are more expensive. But people now a days are willing to spend more on something that is reliable, integrates easily with their current devices, and will have a long life span.

    Windows computer manufacturers did it themselves when they tried to maximize profits by pushing fastest performance cpu into shitty plastic bodies with little regard for thermal regulation, longevity of device, or ecosystem structuring.

      • 0gopog0@alien.topB
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        1 year ago

        Intel just shamelessly pushing desktop CPUs into laptops with 200 watt power consumption nowadays lol

        Being really blunt here, Intel is not the one putting 200 watt power CPU’s inside of laptops. There’s lot to criticism Intel for, but OEM design choices are not one of them.

          • 0gopog0@alien.topB
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            1 year ago

            And?

            Is someone holding a gun to an OEM’s head forcing them to integrate it? Are there truly no products for which their highest TDP processors are not feasible or the correct choice to use? Are OEM’s clueless for recognizing the portion of the market who are willing to purchase machines with those chips?

            The answer to all those questions is no, and I would really rather the market offer options if someone has use for them than discard them because most don’t. Heck, there’s a non-zero portion of the market that would love it if Apple had a M2 Ultra Macbook as an optiopn

  • leaflock7@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    I don’t think that at his era we live there is a product without a defect either hardware, software or cosmetic
    Apple just get shit because they are marketing them selves as premium and you pay more.

  • Highlander198116@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    Because if I want to repair my 2-4k laptop the Genius bar is just gonna tell me I’m better off buying a new one, when the reality is it could be fixed for far cheaper, but Apple does everything in it’s power to prevent end users from being able to get their apple products repaired at reasonable prices when they are out of warranty.

  • k-u-sh@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    Adding to other comments, even though flagship Android phones and Windows laptops are sold for the same price as Apple today, historically that was not the case. Apple was always selling premium devices at a price much higher, and that premium persona of the brand sticks even today.

    Apple also strives to make “devices that just work”. So when it doesn’t, people point it out. Other companies don’t advertise their devices that way…people know that the Galaxy Fold is an experimental device, and treat it that way.

  • Likely_Rose@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    The reason I love Apple, since giving up on my Windows XP box, and switching to Mac Mini way back when- 1- no crapware, like “try AOL for free” plugging up my system 2-it just worked out of the box, no difficult settings to install games that usually didn’t work anyway. Re:DOS 3-I trust Apple to battle the government on keeping my system private. Fuck back doors. 4-elegant. Simple. No learning curve from my iMac to iPhone, iPad.

    • smarthome_fan@alien.topB
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      1 year ago

      Plus Apple has the wealth and resources of entire countries.

      Yes, if I get an Apple product that has a minor blemish, or when Apple screws up, I expect better from them. Because they are the most powerful tech company on Earth.

      • Hopeful_Cold3769@alien.topOPB
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        1 year ago

        this is a huge part of it. I allow myself to be more critical of apple, and to expect products to not have even the smallest of blemishes because I know they have the means to do better even at their current manufacturing rate and still make a hefty profit

        happy cake day!

    • proton_badger@alien.topB
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      1 year ago

      I think people under estimate how big an influence the media have one our lives and opinions. If they can beat up more controversy about particular entities they can keep milking views.