Apple unethical...
- Thread starter Colin L
- Start date
Absolutely!
Hook
Blackbeard's former bo'sun.
I've worked for three large corporate IT companies (Sun, HP and IBM). All three repaired, tested and recertified used parts for customer maintenance, and have done so for at least the last 35 years. The goal of recert'ing was an MTBF that easily exceeded the anticipated useful life of the original product.
Given this has worked well for a long time, I can't think of a good reason why Apple and other consumer manufacturers wouldn't do the same.
On right-to-repair, the FTC has voted to ramp up enforcement but it is not clear what that will mean for Apple. Some interesting Apple-related comments follow this article.
https://tidbits.com/2021/07/22/ftc-votes-unanimously-in-favor-of-right-to-repair/
Given this has worked well for a long time, I can't think of a good reason why Apple and other consumer manufacturers wouldn't do the same.
On right-to-repair, the FTC has voted to ramp up enforcement but it is not clear what that will mean for Apple. Some interesting Apple-related comments follow this article.
https://tidbits.com/2021/07/22/ftc-votes-unanimously-in-favor-of-right-to-repair/
Jim Audiomisc
pfm Member
I guess for Apple - and other companies - the question wrt 'repair' is as follows:
When they replace rather than repair what you took back to get 'fixed', do they then recycle what you took back, or throw it on a tip? To what extent does the 'returned' stuff get re-used for a 'refurb'... or landfilled?
This is complex because simply some things have a higher ecological consequence than others.
When they replace rather than repair what you took back to get 'fixed', do they then recycle what you took back, or throw it on a tip? To what extent does the 'returned' stuff get re-used for a 'refurb'... or landfilled?
This is complex because simply some things have a higher ecological consequence than others.
Le Baron
Unbiased advice at reasonable rates
True, though if they are getting parts from recycled computers - for sure for 'free' as part of a new sale replacement to a customer- they shouldn't be treating them as new parts and charging customers full whack for these replacements.
The last Apple I had was an iMac and even that was a gift. I've been happy using Linux since 2002 and only keep MS in a partition for 'just in case'. They're all swindlers.
flutteringwow
She called me baby, like an old romantic
Warranty repairs are generally 'free', but repair costs for out of warranty repairs with Apple are astronomical. I often think they price the parts so it makes the computer uneconomical to repair, convincing the customer that buying new is the better option.
I have no issue with recycled parts, but Apple's customer service has gone down hill massively in the last decade or so.
Le Baron
Unbiased advice at reasonable rates
They're practically all marketing and their substance is largely stolen from the open-source software world. Their central OS line is really just UNIX-clone stuff and you can get that for free. The rest is the 'design' hardware thing, which is nice, but not worth that price tag or the misery it comes with.
For years I had (still have actually) those business laptops produced by HP, which are sleek things, running some version of Linux or BSD-UNIX clone and people always thought it was a Mac. I bought the last one second-hand, since people upgrade very quickly these days, and to think that this is tens of times cheaper than buying into Macintosh's vortex of nonsense, pleases me greatly.
For years I had (still have actually) those business laptops produced by HP, which are sleek things, running some version of Linux or BSD-UNIX clone and people always thought it was a Mac. I bought the last one second-hand, since people upgrade very quickly these days, and to think that this is tens of times cheaper than buying into Macintosh's vortex of nonsense, pleases me greatly.
flutteringwow
She called me baby, like an old romantic
Im not concerned how they develop their OS, as it's brilliant, and nothing 'free' comes close. Their design has and always be far beyond levels of any other company. I'm very happy with Apple products, as products. I just wish their customer service could revert back twenty years.
I would never own a Linux or Windows bases PC machine ever again, I often can't believe I waited it out for as long as I did before converting to Apple. Once I did, computing became essentially stress free. Best decision I ever made.
You mean I (or you) could’ve just copied some free software, added a bit of hype, and we’d have a company with a $1 trillion market cap? Wow, if only I’d known it was so easy!
flutteringwow
She called me baby, like an old romantic
You’re welcome.
..but not always, once I had a PC and RPi streamer. Ive made some bad decisions in my life thats for sure and I freely admit them.
Le Baron
Unbiased advice at reasonable rates
Nothing comes close? It's the same thing! There's nothing in Apple's derivative OS that can't be found in either free or paid Linux (which is also dozens of times cheaper). You can tell Apple 'researchers' go trawling around the open-source systems looking for ideas to steal, which they do, then pass off as their own.
Anyone paying through the nose for a simple UNIX clone in a fancy box is fooling his own pocket. How could it be that such a supposedly high-quality product needs so much customer service and repair? I'm currently typing on a HP 6005 (considered 'old') running Debian which has never faltered. It's a joke.
flutteringwow
She called me baby, like an old romantic
as i said, i couldn't care less where it comes from.
Why not develop some of this free stuff you talk of and create a trillion dollar company instead of being angry at Apple? You might be able to afford a new computer then..
None of my Apple devices have ever needed repair other than a new battery in my Macbook 12” but thats as it hit 1300 cycles. Still got a couple of hours out of it though. My elderly Iphone 5 is still going strong with my dad.
ff1d1l
pfm Member
Scruples?
argustimewas
pfm Member
I have a MacBook Pro which is out of warranty and which developed a known keyboard fault which is acknowledged by Apple. I returned (free of charge via a courier they organised) my device which the courier returned 4 days later. Not only had the keyboard been replaced, but a new battery was also fitted (this was not requested by me and I had no battery problems). The device had received a thorough clean including a spotless screen. All for no cost to me. My next laptop will definitely by Apple.
Le Baron
Unbiased advice at reasonable rates
That doesn't make sense. It's open source because it's not a trillion dollar private monolith. That's the point. The "free stuff" is already there, that's how Apple gets to steal it. I can't see why you're complaining about the service having gone downhill if you've only ever needed one repair. And seeing as Apple is now integrating its batteries you may need to start forking out.
I can afford a new computer, but I like reusing perfectly good computers which are made falsely obsolete by tech giants. I actually have a new laptop, it's running Zorin OS at the moment. Thanks.
flutteringwow
She called me baby, like an old romantic
Yeah they don’t advertise the fact you get a new battery when they do the keyboard replacement on the Pro’s for obvious reasons. its actually a single part, comes complete.
its pretty decent of Apple to admit those keyboards had issues, many companies wouldn't even acknowledge it publicly and many would never honour replacements for free.
flutteringwow
She called me baby, like an old romantic
Again, if its Open Source then why not do something like Apple and make a neat OS and provide on hand immediate technical support and employ lots of people to do it? Rather than moaning about it.
A decade ago you coukd walk into an Apple
Shop and they would swap the devices immediately, now its a long winded process often, hence my opinion on CS, however sure beats any PC manufacturers I jad the displeasure of dealing with prior.
Warranty Repairs are somewhat different from standard Customer Service.
So if you’re say a 70 year old with no technical knowledge in these matters, who do you call when your ageing Pc and Zoran go wrong? Just out of curiosity? Are there some helpers on Planet Zoran contactable by phone?
Darth Vader
From the Dark Side
This is the sort of support that I provide to my local community. I had a visit just over an hour ago and it took 5mins to fix so panic over. Unfortunately some old computers won't be fixable if the mobo goes unless we can find another old machine that I can cannibalise. Oh I'll be 77 this year! I have several pensioners happily using Linux!
All the Apple repairs I have had over the years have been a swap out for new device from backup stock out of plain cardboard cartons.
Must be the force,
DV