[Macworld]

Post your comments for Don't worry about Apple's business, worry about its products here

[bastion]

Macworld, on 14 February 2013 - 03:00 AM, said:

As much fun as we had taking shots at Michael Dell (especially in light of the recent privatization of his own company) when he famously advised Apple to “give the money back to the shareholders,” it was a reasonable argument at the time.

It really wasn't, and it wasn't actually "advice." It was his response - off the cuff - when asked out of the blue what *he* would do if *he* were to find himself in charge of Apple.

[deemery]

I'm worried a lot about what I see as decreasing quality in Apple's software. It's not just the Maps debacle, but the little things that contribute to daily annoyances. The new iTunes, for example: If you're playing tunes from a playlist, and you enter Command-L to see the current tune, this doesn't work if you're already looking at that playlist. Or the problems I've had with Mail.app picking the wrong account when replying to messages.

I agree with the basic premise of this article, but if I had an elevator ride with Tim Cook, I'd tell him Apple needs to tighten up its testing/QA, which has slacked off significantly the last couple of years. (p.s. I started using Macs in '85.)

[StefN]

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what he would do if he were to find himself in charge of Apple.

Thanks a lot. Now I have that nightmare notion to deal with.

[StefN]

I do appreciate the gist. As a Macaphile going back decades, I have worried about Apple broken or brokered. Once in the dark days before Steve redux, I asked my Silicon Valley living brother if I should switch. His response: Apple's got so much technology up its sleeve, it will be around for a long time. Too true. Thanks, bro.

[clh126]

Excellent article, just excellent!

[patriotusa]

I work at a large corporation. We just had a large group of our sales force from Mexico come for a visit. Talking 100 or so women, mostly. I'd say about 1 in 5 were carrying iPads and taking pics of the HQ with them. I can just about guarantee you that none of them read this web site or keep up with Apple stock news. There were no Android or Kindle Fire tablets. Just iPads. I don't think Apple has anything to worry about.

[leondurupt]

Really getting extremely tired of the anti-Apple bandwagon. It's gotten so bad that even Macbreak weekly hosts and guests are leaning heavily on the side of a ridiculously uneven criticism of Apple and it's concept, design, marketing, you name it!

Guys, last I checked Apple was among the healthiest, most respected and profitable businesses in the world in ANY industry. Bearing in mind that these are not Gods we're dealing with but flesh and blood human beings, and considering where this company has come from, and considering all the simply awesome products that I use on a daily basis that Apple has designed, I think people need to check their expectations.

Before the iPod, before the iPhone, before the iPad, no one could have ever imagined the impact those products would have. They are all now iconic and ubiquitous in our society. Regardless of where Apple goes next, that is a stunning legacy, one that any one of us peons using their equipment would give a lot to put on our own personal resumes.

Bottom line is, Apple is doing just fine. Whatever comes down the pike next, it may not be as ground-breaking as the aforementioned products were, but how many products in HISTORY have been so?

The internet, news, speculators, pundits, mouth-pieces, stop your whining and move on. Apple products have been awesome up to now. There's no tangible evidence that that will change anytime soon.

So, STFU already and if you don't like what they're doing, try doing it yourself and show the success that they have. Then I'll start listening to you. The rest is all blather.

[redwingnut1]

As a fervent Apple product user, I am not worried about their products. However, software is a different matter. I am not that happy with the latest changes to iTunes, but can still "figure it out." I own a few shares of Apple stock and am worried about my investment there. Its fallen too low to sell, so I'll just have to wait and hope it comes back to at least the price I paid.
I'll continue to buy Apple products and am getting a new iPhone 5 for myself, an giving my old iPhone 4S to my wife, who has finally relented to trying it out.

[bradhurley]

"I’d argue that the reason Apple business-related news pushes our buttons is that a significant percentage of the Apple community lives in a culture of fear."

It may also have something to do with the fact that many Apple fans are also AAPL shareholders. ;-)

[bradhurley]

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if I had an elevator ride with Tim Cook, I'd tell him Apple needs to tighten up its testing/QA, which has slacked off significantly the last couple of years. (p.s. I started using Macs in '85.)

Worth noting, however, that Apple's QA of its hardware seems to have improved dramatically in recent years. My 2008 MacBook Pro and my current iMac are the only two of many Macs I've owned since 1987 that didn't either come with or soon develop significant hardware problems.

[Deevo]

FINALLY an article that puts things into PROPER perspective! Thank You!

[Harvey]

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I'm worried a lot about what I see as decreasing quality in Apple's software. It's not just the Maps debacle, but the little things that contribute to daily annoyances. The new iTunes, for example: If you're playing tunes from a playlist, and you enter Command-L to see the current tune, this doesn't work if you're already looking at that playlist. Or the problems I've had with Mail.app picking the wrong account when replying to messages. I agree with the basic premise of this article, but if I had an elevator ride with Tim Cook, I'd tell him Apple needs to tighten up its testing/QA, which has slacked off significantly the last couple of years. (p.s. I started using Macs in '85.)

If you've been using Macs since 1985 then you should know that Apple's hardware and software has never been "perfect"... there has always been room for improvement. But Apple's hardware and software has always been miles ahead of its competitors in how close it gets to perfection.

Are there occasional bugs in Apple's software? Of course!
Are those bugs small in number compared to competitor's software? Yes!
Has Apple been committed to fixing bugs as soon as they are found? Yes!

Although your impression of Apple's software quality may be different than mine, in my own experience Apple's operating systems and software applications have improved over time.

Over all, I'm very happy with the quality of Apple's software and hardware, and I'm rational enough to know that real "perfection" is unattainable... but I recognize that Apple continues to strive for it.

[dougguitar]

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even Macbreak weekly hosts and guests are leaning heavily on the side of a ridiculously uneven criticism of Apple and it's concept, design, marketing, you name it!

And that is the exact reason I quit listening to Macbreak Weekly last year. It was bad enough enduring Picks of the Week such as Windows 7 and the Zune on a show supposedly about Apple. But after weeks and weeks of continuous anti-Apple blather, I finally redirected that listening time to podcasts that at least recognize why their audience came to listen. I understand they want to be seen as unbiased and not be taken as "fanboys", but the show started to seem more focused on trying to convince people they should all buy Androids and on explaining why Apple was "doomed". Blech!