Apple Computers, Inc. is a company that is growing rapidly. Its products, like MacBooks, iPods, iPhones, and Apple TVs, are becoming more and more common. Apple’s marketing is phenomenal, making everything they have look modern and cool. But what strings are associated with an Apple Computer product? Everyone seems to be familiar with some parts of Windows XP that annoy people, but are people familiar with the drawbacks of Apple products? I’ll try to help you Apple fanatics see why the anti-Apple crowd is so strong.
Apple products are based on a key idea. User experience is the key design focus. This means that if something compromises the user experience, it has to go away. This may sound good at first glance, but if you’re the kind of person who wants the computer to be and do the things you want to do, not exactly what Steve Jobs had in mind, then you’re going to have a hard time with a Mac or iPhone.
The most basic limitation that Apple places on people is the hardware they can choose from. Manufacturers make thousands of different pieces of hardware, running the gamut of speeds and sizes for each. But if you’re looking at an Apple product you have 2 or 3 settings and you’re good to go. You will also find it extremely difficult to change that hardware after you have purchased the laptop or desktop. This means that if you want a really good graphics card, but can’t afford the i7 processor, then you’re out of luck. On a Windows machine, you can buy the graphics card and then get a cheaper processor until you can afford to upgrade, which you can do at any time.
The second main area where users lack freedom is software. On iPhones and in your Safari browser, only Apple-approved apps and widgets can be added. Apple lovers will claim that Apple does not allow porn as a justification for such limitations. But Apple doesn’t block porn websites, so what’s the point, you or your kids can still stumble upon things you don’t want to see. A couple of examples of other apps that have been denied by Apple, for no reason, are the Google Voice and Google Places apps. When you get right down to it, Apple didn’t want to compete with its own devices, so it said no.
The third reason, and less about the company itself and more about people like me. It’s just because Apple computers are so “cool” it clashes supremely with my sense of cool. I’d rather be caught naked in a snowstorm in a glass case for all to see than get caught buying a MacBook Pro. I don’t like the hipster image they have and the “Windows is so hard to use” bologna that say the foolish Mac lovers.
What started with facts and freedom of choice has degenerated into an emotional “I can’t stand Apple” fight. And in the interest of full disclosure, I have an iPhone 3G and have had it for 3 years. The only reason I still have it is because I’m in school and too poor to afford a new Google Nexus S. So to cope with my limited freedom on the iPhone, mine is of course jailbroken and is unlocked in order to use T-Mobile. no data plan.