What's so fantastic about Apple?

[Stray Cat]

Well, it seems pickpockets have discovered what's so fantastic about apple!

iPhone thieves find Apple support helpful to them, too

Apparently, the thief can just take your iPhone and get a new one from Apple to sell. So even if you write down the serial number, you would be out of luck.

Sounds like a non story to me.
So you find that your iPhone has been taken to the Apple Store by the thief. You contact the police and explain the situation to them (it's their job after all, not yours). They go round there and make the Apple Store give it you back. And they should easily be able to catch the thieving **** too.

 

[TheL8Elvis]

I think that for a textbook that does all of that (as you described above) $14.99 will not draw in people who actually make textbooks.

No, probably not.

As far as what amount of profit one can expect in a business where you actually do work

Unlike pretend businesses like Apple where no one works

and maintain a brisk and mortar store (as in most of them) a net profit of 10% is considered to be successful (as low as 5% in the restaurant business). In this case the work and capitol investment being done by Apple is minimal (as I described above) and there are minimal costs at their end so unless there are more costs that they take on (editing, fact checking, accreditation and so on) that I haven't seen mentioned here then 30% is an outrageous profit margin and I don't see them getting a lot of business from this model.

But of course Apple likes it because they assume very little risk in the hopes of making enormous profits so why wouldn't they take a shot at it?

I see a lot of assumptions up there that amount to you think 30% is outrageous. Since they only have to invest minimal effort, why do you think they didn't pick a lower number and have a better chance at success ? Why aren't we flooded with competition for ebook textbooks since it requires almost no effort ? Why would major publishers get on-board with apple at all ?

 

[iknownothing]

This is why we just got an iphone:

Well, I don't have one. I have a non-smart Samsung that I got last summer when my old phone broke, so I'll probably have it a year or 2. But, I'm not real married to the phone anyway. I tend to lose it for days at a time, or forget that it's on vibrate in my purse so I miss calls, or forget to check for voicemails. So a smartphone would be a total waste of money for me.

My husband's contract at Verizon came up, and he wanted to get a smartphone. He's sticking with Verizon because we've had no problems with it, and we have a family plan. I took a look at what Verizon offered by way of smartphones. Not happy that there are over 60 for me to sort out, some of which probably are junk, some not. I started reading reviews on different sites, but started drowning in information overload, and couldn't even always tell if the review I was reading applied to the model Verizon offered or not.

I talked to a few people we know. No one seems to have any complaints with the iphones. I heard different complaints with other phones. I talked to a guy I worked with, who has owned several smartphones and also handled our (small) company's phones & general computer & networking problems. He said he was happy with a couple of the other smartphones, but he liked the iphone too. And for someone who is not computer savvy, he thought the iphone would be easier to deal with, that there's more of a risk of viruses or faulty apps with android apps. That android phones are fine for someone who's comfortable messing around with the phone's settings and such, but if that sounds like a headache then go with the iphone instead.

My husband is not computer savvy. He also has zero interest in becoming computer savvy. I count as the computer person in our house, not because I have any particular knowledge or skill or desire to be such, but because I know a little more than he does. Which means my evening is ruined if he clicks on an email he shouldn't, or the latest Windows update screws things up, or the computer starts making a weird sound when you turn it on or starts hanging up when you turn it off or whatever. But I am NOT a computer person. I like using them, but hate hate hate watching my limited time get sucked away with problems. I do not enjoy customizing, upgrading, or playing with computers in any way.

My husband just wants to be able to pull up weather radar and occasionally other websites, and to be able to take pictures & video. And he uses a banking app to keep track of his checkbook. A few fun games for our young children is a bonus. I do not care if there are tons of amazing features on other phones, because he would never use those anyway. That is an absolutely zero gain for him, and a negative for me since I would no doubt be roped into figuring out how to fix those features if there are problems. He and I want his phone to be simple and reliable.

Is there a better phone out there for him than the iphone? Probably. But is it enough better that it's worth the amount of time it would take to discover which one it is? Worth me wading through endless excruciatingly boring reviews of different phones? Very doubtful.

Easy decision -- buy the iphone 4 (not 4S) for $100. He's had it a month or so, and has been able to do everything he wanted to do without any complication. I have not had to solve any problems for him.

You know how people actually get less satisfied with their choices when they have more to choose from? Like, if you have people choose from 50 different types of jam they're not sure they got the right one? Most of the time I'd rather just pick a raspberry jam and move on with life, than agonize over a ton of different choices. Possibly by doing so, I'm missing out on some superior jam. But I don't care. I would rather pick a nice, reliable choice that I know I'll enjoy, and save all the time I would have to spend finding the superior jam.

 

[bit_pattern]

Apples are for people who don't want to know how their device works and just want it to look pretty and be simple.

I grew up on Apples, from the iie to the fist Mac. The OS GUI was truly revolutionary but after iMac came out I'd discovered PC's and gaming and never looked back. Hate Windoze but its the best for games. For work give me Ubuntu any day of the week

 

[bit_pattern]

Oh, and Android takes a massive dump on iPhones. I like being in total control of my phone and my nexus s can do anything the iPhone can plus ten times more. Try running a terminal command on SN iPhone!

 

[Stray Cat]

Apples are for people who don't want to know how their device works and just want it to look pretty and be simple.

Generalise much?

I know how my device works (not that I need to, because it never breaks), It's not simple. I use it because it earns me big bucks.

 

[Darat]

...snip...

My husband just wants to be able to pull up weather radar and occasionally other websites, and to be able to take pictures & video. And he uses a banking app to keep track of his checkbook. A few fun games for our young children is a bonus. I do not care if there are tons of amazing features on other phones, because he would never use those anyway. That is an absolutely zero gain for him, and a negative for me since I would no doubt be roped into figuring out how to fix those features if there are problems. He and I want his phone to be simple and reliable.


...snip...

I can't understand if the above was your requirements why you will have over-spent so much to get an iPhone, he is paying for a ton of stuff he doesn't want/need?

 

[TheL8Elvis]

I can't understand if the above was your requirements why you will have over-spent so much to get an iPhone, he is paying for a ton of stuff he doesn't want/need?

$100 is over-spent so much ?

 

[TheL8Elvis]

Apples are for people who don't want to know how their device works and just want it to look pretty and be simple.

Is this perception supposed to be a bad thing ??

Do you really think:
a) most people care how thier phone works ?
b) most people prefer ugly things ?
c) most people enjoy complicated electronics ?

Oh, and Android takes a massive dump on iPhones.

That's clever

I like being in total control of my phone and my nexus s can do anything the iPhone can plus ten times more. Try running a terminal command on SN iPhone!

Great, the iphone isn't for you or the other .001% (my best guess) who need CL access to their phone.

Another one for the 'it-has-more-features-almost-no-one-actually-uses -so-its-better' box. I'm glad there is a choice, and you found a phone that works better for you.

 

[Darat]

$100 is over-spent so much ?

Perhaps mobile phone packages work differently in the USA than the UK? But in the UK the "upfront" cost of a phone is just one part of the cost of a contract. Over here it is generally that the less you pay upfront for the phone the more you'll pay in your monthly contract payment and vice-a-versa. For example my package was either free phone and a 24 month contract at £25 to £35 a month or £50-£150 for the phone and £10-£25 per month.

 

[John Albert]

Days later she received an automated email that her damaged phone was repaired at an Apple Store. She went to the store to try to get back her phone, but they wouldn't hand it over to her, and she was told there was nothing they could do. "Because I don't have possession of the phone, they won't help me at all," she says.

Menard says she was astonished to find out that Apple wouldn't help, even though they had her phone. Because someone else had brought in the phone, she was told, the store could not return it to her.

Apparently, the thief can just take your iPhone and get a new one from Apple to sell. So even if you write down the serial number, you would be out of luck.

In that case, I'd just do the same thing I did when I managed to track down some stolen items of mine in a pawn shop, a few years back. Stray Cat already hit on it.

 

[John Albert]

Generalise much?

I know how my device works (not that I need to, because it never breaks), It's not simple. I use it because it earns me big bucks.

Come on, man, it's your talent and skills that earn you the "big bucks," not Apple. You could earn just as much working in Windows, or even Linux for that matter, depending on your skill set.

 

[Stray Cat]

Come on, man, it's your talent and skills that earn you the "big bucks," not Apple. You could earn just as much working in Windows, or even Linux for that matter, depending on your skill set.

Well thanks for the vote of confidence , but really my industry revolves around Macs. I've used Macs for 20 plus years and know them inside out.
My experience with other OS's has been not a particularly good or productive one.

And as a tool for my job, my Macs are tax deductable so how much they cost is kind of irrelevant. What's more important to me is that (without fail) they do exactly what I need them to do, when I need them to do it and that work can be universally accepted by anyone else in my industry.

Yes sure I could get by with cheaper non Apple alternatives... but I got past "getting by" years ago and see no need to return to it now.

(I'm not saying Apple or Macs are perfect, but they completely fill my personal requirements though I completely understand why others would choose differently)

 

[TheL8Elvis]

Perhaps mobile phone packages work differently in the USA than the UK? But in the UK the "upfront" cost of a phone is just one part of the cost of a contract. Over here it is generally that the less you pay upfront for the phone the more you'll pay in your monthly contract payment and vice-a-versa. For example my package was either free phone and a 24 month contract at £25 to £35 a month or £50-£150 for the phone and £10-£25 per month.

Oh yes, you don't want to know how badly we are bent over here in the US for mobile

We even pay for incoming calls

Generally speaking, owning your own phone does not give you a discount on monthly prices - so if you are going to sign a 2 year contract - get the most phone 'subsidy' you can.

 

[iknownothing]

Perhaps mobile phone packages work differently in the USA than the UK? But in the UK the "upfront" cost of a phone is just one part of the cost of a contract. Over here it is generally that the less you pay upfront for the phone the more you'll pay in your monthly contract payment and vice-a-versa. For example my package was either free phone and a 24 month contract at £25 to £35 a month or £50-£150 for the phone and £10-£25 per month.

No, I'm not aware of any opportunity to adjust your monthly rate based on what phone you buy. You can get a break on the cost of the phone depending on how long of a contract you sign to. There were a few smartphones verizon offered that were free or <$100, but I started reading reviews and was apprehensive about those. You can spend $100 on a previous-model iPhone or some of the other smartphones, on up depending on what you want to buy. For $100, i got a middle-of-the pack price, and like I say, peace of mind that I probably won't be confronted with mysterious problems I have no idea how to solve.

(True story: we usually leave our laptop on, but close the case so it sleeps. A week or so ago, I turned it off. Next day when I came home, the husband was griping about how the "piece of ****" computer wasn't working. When I got the chance, I turned it on without a problem. He asked me how I got it running. I pointed to the power button. He said "Oh." He is not now and never will be a computer guy. That's not a slam against him; he has some strengths I don't have. But I want him carrying a phone that limits his ability to screw it up.)

 

[Brian-M]

And as a tool for my job, my Macs are tax deductable so how much they cost is kind of irrelevant.

I don't know how it works over there, but over here "tax deductible" only means that you don't pay tax on the income spent on the purchase. For businesses, that effectively means a 30% discount.

So if a Mac cost twice as much as a PC, then even with tax deduction, it would still cost twice as much as a PC. So the cost does still sound kind of relevant to me.

 

[Stray Cat]

I don't know how it works over there, but over here "tax deductible" only means that you don't pay tax on the income spent on the purchase. For businesses, that effectively means a 30% discount.

So if a Mac cost twice as much as a PC, then even with tax deduction, it would still cost twice as much as a PC. So the cost does still sound kind of relevant to me.

The point is that I end up with something that actually does exactly what I want it to do and it reduces my tax liability. The more I spend purchasing it, the less income tax I have to pay.

Yes I could buy a PC for much less, but then (in theory*) I'd have more income tax to pay and be left with a computer that didn't do exactly what I wanted it to do.

*What would happen in reality would be that I wasn't able to do my work properly and I'd earn less, have to work more hours to make it up, and because I charge an hourly rate, I'd be deemed too expensive for the people I freelance for and I'd end up unemployable with a computer that didn't do what I needed it to do... No, thanks I'm on easy street, even on my busy weeks I only work about 20 hours a week to earn a good living, I'd like the stay here.

 

[bit_pattern]

I hate Apple primarily for their horrible corporate attitude and tendency to try and litigate competitors out of the market vis a vis the Apple v Samsung battle.

Also, I am safe in the knowledge that my Samsung phone wasn't made by suicidal Foxxcon workers

Then there is the way that Apple products are so horribly integrated, you can't even replace the freaking battery! What sort of a numbskull came up with that idea -nice one Jobs, doing your bit for promoting throw away consumerism of the worst kind

Other than that, I'm not really interested in arguing with the Apple fanbois who defend their crap to death.If they want ot use overpriced, underperforming crap because it's just sooo trendy then all power to them. The thread topic IS after all what is WRONG with Apple, not what is right.

I will just choose to continue pointing and laughing every now and again

And that's coming from someone who can remember when Apple was a great company with the best, most innovative home computers on the market. I hate Steve Jobs but in his original incarnation he was a true innovator.

Later Steve Jobs could be summed up by the words "you're holding it wrong"

 

[Sam.I.Am]

No, probably not.

And from what I can tell from the sample given none of them are using the features that you say make them better than a non-Apple format. In fact they appear to be ports from the written textbooks already printed.

Unlike pretend businesses like Apple where no one works

I was just pointing out that 10% is closer to the norm than 30% is.

I see a lot of assumptions up there that amount to you think 30% is outrageous. Since they only have to invest minimal effort, why do you think they didn't pick a lower number and have a better chance at success ? Why aren't we flooded with competition for ebook textbooks since it requires almost no effort ? Why would major publishers get on-board with apple at all ?

And this all comes back to why Apple can get away with charging 30% of sales. It's because people are enamored with Apple even when it is overpriced and overly restrictive in how it does business.

I was only pointing out why I wouldn't want to use them. For other people? Well P.T. Barnum put it better than I. There is a sucker born every minute.

 

[John Albert]

The point is that I end up with something that actually does exactly what I want it to do and it reduces my tax liability. The more I spend purchasing it, the less income tax I have to pay.

Yes I could buy a PC for much less, but then (in theory*) I'd have more income tax to pay and be left with a computer that didn't do exactly what I wanted it to do.

*What would happen in reality would be that I wasn't able to do my work properly and I'd earn less, have to work more hours to make it up, and because I charge an hourly rate, I'd be deemed too expensive for the people I freelance for and I'd end up unemployable with a computer that didn't do what I needed it to do... No, thanks I'm on easy street, even on my busy weeks I only work about 20 hours a week to earn a good living, I'd like the stay here.

I think you're wrong about non-Macs being incapable of performing the same tasks your Macs can do. I use Mac OSX, Windows and Linux at home on a regular basis (and even OpenBSD on occasion, in the role of file servers). The differences between Mac OS and Windows are not so great as you might think. I've run many of the same apps that you appear to use (Photoshop, Illustrator, Poser, Maya 3D, etc.) and they really do run exactly the same under Windows as they do under MacOS.

That used to not be the case. There was a time, 10-15 years ago, when rendering a complex, print-ready graphic in Illustrator was next to impossible in Windows, and opening a true-color 12 X 18" 300 dpi file with more than a few layers in Photoshop would crash Windows before the image even displayed onscreen. Of course Macs used to crash too back then, but Windows machines were far worse with most graphics apps.

When I first went back to college to learn computer graphics, I was using Photoshop on the Macs at school, then coming home and completing my homework in Paint Shop Pro because I couldn't get P-shop to run well on my crappy little Pentium computer. Adobe simply hadn't yet worked out how to best implement the proper functionality using the Intel instruction set, and my home computer was so slow that running those programs was just hopeless.

But today's Intel-based Macs are essentially no different, hardware-wise, from any other PC. They use the same kinds of processors, the same RAM, the same motherboard chipsets, the same I/O controllers and data buses, the same kinds of sound and video hardware that any other PC does. You could install Windows onto a Mac right out of the box, if you so desired. Just the same, you can install Mac OSX on any PC, provided your hardware has compatible drivers.

The only difference is the OS software, and the PC versions of graphics programs work exactly the same as the Mac versions, and are every bit as fast and reliable. I've even played around with Maya under Linux, and it works great! Hell, I've even turned out some fine, professional quality work using The GIMP and Inkscape (in the place of P-shop and Illustrator) when working for an employer who was in litigation with Adobe over a licensing dispute.

At this stage of the game, it's all a matter of preference. I'm familiar with graphics work, and I've seen the magic you're capable of, in just a few minutes with the right graphics apps. Rest assured, you could be just as profitable on a Windows box as you are on a Mac. (Not that I'm trying to get you to switch, mind you!)