Sep 24, 2009

I'm a PC

So the other morning, Gia goes to check her email and get some work done on her iMac. A machine that she purchased around 3.5 years ago and one that she absolutely adores. She even recently upgraded it with more memory and a newer operating system. It's her baby.

And it stopped working.

No warning. No nothing. It just stopped doing the Mac-ish stuff that it was born to do. So we did what everyone does. We brought it to the geniuses at the Apple Store.  But we also spent some time doing our own investigation.

What we came up with on our own and what the "geniuses" confirmed is that it needed a new logic board.  Something that is a common problem with this particular model.  So much so that Apple extended a free warranty on it until 3 years after date of purchase.  A little too late for us.  But she purchased the extended warranty from Apple.  Also 3 years.  Too bad, so sad.

So the "geniuses" informed us that it will cost around $1,000 - $1,200 to replace this logic board.  I'm afraid I don't see the logic in that.  Not when you can buy a new iMac for just a few hundred dollars more.

And that, my friends, is my beef.

For virtually the same amount of money it will cost to buy a new computer, Apple will fix her old computer.  It's like they aren't even trying to hide what they are really doing.  They don't want her to fix her old computer.  The want her to buy a new one.  It's a fucking scam.

I'm been a PC guy every since PCs have been around.  And there is no one I know who has had a problem with their PC that requires an investment at the same price as a brand new one.  It just doesn't happen.  I know that people out there love their Macs, but everyone I know who has them is constantly having to get them fixed.  Gia's mother has a Mac notebook and that thing has seen as much time at the Apple Store as it has her home.  And she has only had it one year.  That thing sucks!

And I'm not talking about heavy-use owners.  Most of them use their Macs for email, web-browsing and the odd work document.  None of them use them primarily for work.

Listen, I know that computers are almost disposable use items.  They last for a few years and then you get a new one.  But usually because you want to do more, or you want to do it faster.  Not because the thing just stops working because of a defect that they knew about but won't cover because it lasted "long enough".

None of that matters.  Because Gia loves Apple and she is gonna buy a new iMac.  This one with more memory and a bigger monitor.  Yay!

The Cult of Apple wins again.

Now, I don't have a lot of experience on Macs to know if what the guy in this video is saying is true.  I mostly fumble around on one for a little while wondering why I can't do something as simple as right-click my mouse and I get annoyed and go back to my PC.  But this is how I feel today.



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Note: Remember to play the Bug-Eyed Trivia Challenge every day. I hate those stupid commercials.

27 comments:

Dave2 said...

And yet in 22 years of owning Apple products, I've only had problems twice... both times they were covered by AppleCare and fixed perfectly. Meanwhile, the pile of shit PCs I am forced to use are ALWAYS breaking down. And I don't buy the cheap crap either... I buy the more expensive serious "quality" (if you can truly call it that) gear from companies like HP and Dell. It doesn't matter... they're all garbage, and the support is heinous.

But the worst part... even worse than using PC garbage... is having to suffer with Windows. Compared to Mac OS X, the MS OS is a total mess, and I would happily buy a new Mac every 3 months if it meant not having to put up with the massive pile of Redmond FAIL! known as "Windows."

I guess it just depends on how lucky you are with computers... no matter which brand you buy.

Faiqa said...

I'm a Mac user, they're great machines... I haven't had any problems in the past two and a half years that I switched. And I was very reluctant to switch.

And, whatever, we're not a cult... they're a great product. We recognize excellence.

But, I do have to say that I watched 30s of that video... and that guy's a douche. He better hope that me or someone else in the Mac Mafia doesn't kick his PC ass if we ever see him on the street.

So we're more of a mafia than a cult, really. Much edgier.

badgerdaddy said...

I know why the guy in the video's having a problem with Macs. He's a fucking idiot.

I worked every day on a Mac laptop, a mid-lower range computer, for four years. Took it around the world. Used memory-intensive programs on it. It didn't crash once, not ever. It is by far the most stable OS I've ever used, and I've never had to have it repaired.

But I guess we all have different experiences. If we didn't, all books and movies would be identical, and that would be very dull indeed.

sybil law said...

I am a pretty strict PC user, so I can't say much for or against Macs, but I did enjoy that video. :)

Kevin McKeever said...

For once, I feel superior owning a PC.

Candy's daily Dandy said...

Earlsie, you are WAYYYYY sexier than the PC dude on the commercials.

Avitable said...

I've had the same essential PC for the last eight years and have just slowly switched out new components until it's just as fast and good as anything on the market today, but it's cost me a fraction of what it would cost to buy it brand new. That's why I prefer PCs.

Verdant Earl said...

Dave2 - I knew the first comment on this post would come from you. :) And I pretty much knew what you were going to say. And I, in turn, have never had a PC break down on me ever. I've never had a virus. I've never had a problem with the operating system (even Vista). I've never wanted to throw one out the window. But like you said, maybe luck has a big part in that. Good luck for me, bad luck for Gia and her Mac.

Faiqa - so more like a society of ninjas. Got it.

badger - to each his own. And yeah, the guy in the video is kind of an idiot.

Sybil - same here. I just watch the Macs around me break down all the time and I wonder what the draw is.

Uncool - There is an air of smugness around certain Apple products, isn't there?

Candy - Aww...and this coming from someone who has never even seen me. ;)

Avitable - same here. I used the same PC for 8 years as well until recently moving to a Toshiba laptop last year. BOTH work wonderfully and do exactly what I need them to do.

Anonymous said...

Earl, this is one of the posts where you just know everyone is pretty much gonna go against you somehow and come up with all these stories about how great their Macs are and how it saved their little girls life and shit. God I hate when that happens, LOL.

I have never even touched a Mac in my life, never even known anyone that has one so I have nothing to say about it.

Wil Harrison.com

Verdant Earl said...

Wil - there is quite the schism between the two sides.

Heff said...

You need to have a SERIOUS talk with your wife, and turn her on to PC. I've hated Apple since back in the days of monochrome monitors !

My home (Dell) PC just died Monday, God rest it's soul. It was 9 years old, and had downloaded THOUSANDS of hours of porn, posted HUNDREDS of blog posts, etc.

You just can't ask for better service than that.

Slyde said...

i really DO hate apple with a passion.

Its not just their computers, its their whole product line. They will readily admit that they all but force you to just buy a new product rather than upgrade/repair your old one. Money-wise, youd be a fool to not have it replaced.

Verdant Earl said...

Heff - 9 years is a long time for a computer. And what wife? We are living in sin! ;)

Slyde - and the folks who love their Apple products just fall in line like zombies to gobble up those shiny new toys.

Bruce Johnson said...

Well, I am a member of the Mac Cult as well, and while I have to use PCs at work, because Bill (Hitler) Gates locked up the business software market in the 1990s, I still use an iMac at home. The can be quirky in the hardware sense due to their compact design, the operating system is far better han Windows. Unfortunately, you have to understand how it is different and how it works (which most nob computer users never do).

This weekend I will be upgrading my iMac G4 with more memory and a new DVD-ROM. Wish me luck.

i am the diva said...

we have macs at home, but i use PCs at work...

both have their pros and cons.

Verdant Earl said...

Bruce - Luck!

Diva - I know, it's still fun to poke a stick at the other side every now and again. Just for kicks.

LegalMist said...

I've always found the PC more intuitive. But different people's minds work different ways, so maybe the Mac users find that system more intuitive / easier to use.

I agree with you, they seem to me to be more expensive and inferior machines. But obviously there are folks who love them.

I love that people have a choice, and I do root for Apple to stay in business and keep their following, because I think the competition does spur MS to keep improving the PC, which benefits me. :)

justsomethoughts... said...

the post was hilarious
the vid was hilarious
i'm sure it isnt hilarious for you though.
my friend gave me a mac. for free. 1 year old. i turned it on, found it to be a pain in the ass, and promptly deposited it into the recycling bin.

Verdant Earl said...

Mist - A point I didn't make in my post but probably should have is that I think it is important for Apple to be successful. Like them or not, they are doing things on the cutting edge whereas PC technology has slowed to crawl. So whenever Apple does something new and cool it spurs Microsoft to copy/steal/duplicate their work. And competition is healthy.

Verdant Earl said...

Duder - Well, I don't know if I would throw away a free one, but yeah...

Heff said...

You too, huh ? Lol !

The Peach Tart said...

Mr. Peach Tart had the same thing happen on our Mac and once he found out what it needed, he got the board off ebay and installed it himself for about 1/2 the price.

Water Logged Canine said...

Anybody who knows me knows that I drink the Bill Gates Kool-Aid. I DRINK IT UP! A Jesuit priest once ran up to me and asked, "What is the difference between a Mac user and a terrorist?" Since I was not familiar with any Mac users, and knew that Steve Jobs was a sinning, acid dropping hippy, I replied, "I have no idea Father...what is the difference between a Mac user and a terrorist?" With a slight twinkle in his eye, he looked at me and declared, "You can negotiate with a terrorist." And then he ran away to give an altar-boy a dry handjob.

Verdant Earl said...

Peach Tart - too bad we are both lame when it comes to that kind of thing. But, heya!

Doggie - THAT right there...it made me LOL. And I hate typing "lol", but it fucking fit.

savannah said...

i'm a MAC person and have been since the beginning (yes, i am that old), i've also used PCs since the days of pong. bottomline for me, they are machines that allow me to do my work and also, have some fun. each one has a use/application that people find satisfactory. the debate always comes down to a discussion of ballpoint pen versus fountain pen. in the end, personal preference wins out, sugar. xooxxo

~E said...

HUZZAH! I love being a PC. Especially since whenever something goes wrong with mine, I can usually fix it myself.

Those wanktards at the Apple store just get on my nerves sometimes... and excuse me but does anyone else think the stores look really really sterile on the inside?

That said, my brother, and two best friends all have a MAC book and love theirs.

marty mankins said...

Late to the game in posting on this entry, but I'll add my extended 25 cents to this conversation.

I started using PCs and Macs at the same time: 1985. Bought my first Mac 512K 2 months before I bought my first clone PC - an 8086 with a 20mb hard drive.

I used a Windows PC for my personal PC for many years, replacing parts and upgrading until April 2005, when I made the complete switch to a Mac (a Mac mini). Since then, I only use Windows at work and for minimal stuff via a virtual session under VMware Fusion on the Mac.

For years, I had various issues and problems that I worked out because I know Windows and networks and PCs and hardware. I simply got tired of doing it for my own personal stuff.

Since switching to the Mac full time for personal use almost 5 years ago, I've had some issues, most of it inherent to computers and electronic parts in general and how software interacts with peripherals. But I would never consider using Windows in any form for personal stuff ever again.

The Mac and how it works is just so smooth and reduces the amount of viruses and other crap that Windows users deal with on a regular basis.

For work, it's all Windows. For personal, it's all Mac.

The logic board replacement on a iMac is the cost to keep that part around. Sure it's not as easy as going to the computer store and buying a new motherboard for $150 and throwing it into the case, but it's the cost of having something that's configured specifically for that particular machine to operate properly without weird compatibility issues cropping up.