Apple’s Brand Promise

I will start this post by stating I have been an Apple convert for about 5 years now. Not your typical Apple Cult Fanboy, but a fan nonetheless. I started with a 12in Powerbook and have not looked back since. I own everything from an iPhone to a new 20in iMac and everything in between, including an AppleTV. I love all my Apple products.

Is this to say I do not have issues with those products ? Absolutely not. I have a 17in iMac that has been in the Apple shop several times, a couple of those for bad power supplies. Was it a bit frustrating ? Absolutely, but there is one huge difference I have found in owning an Apple, the Genius Bar.

So lets take a step back for a minute. This all came about as I read the Robert Scoble post this morning about Apple’s Brand Promise . Apparently Mr. Scoble has had some recent issues with his and his son’s Macbook Pro’s, and he has become a bit frustrated by it all. Especially as he sees the recent Apple ads taking a pretty big swipe at Vista… I can understand his frustration, but I think his anger has displaced some reason.

Now we all know, computers are prone to failure. All those little electronic parts on non stop is due to fail at some point or another. Evidence my 17in iMac. I went through 3 power supplies. What made a HUGE difference to me was the simple fact that I could pack up my iMac and carry it in to the store and SHOW the genius in the store the issue. Talk to them face to face. No need to spend hours on the phone with Tier 1 support staff that is reading what they are supposed to do off of some script provided to them. I could unpack the iMac, plug it in and show them what the issue was. Since Apple controls the hardware as well as the software, there is no middleman to muddle the waters. I take my issue straight to the horses mouth. If we were speaking of Windows, we need to start by calling the hardware vendor we bought it from, and may get handed off to someone else, and so on right down the line. What a freaking mess !

I would like to ask Robert what he would have done if that was a Dell laptop ? Call tech support and spend how much time on the phone ? Then what ? Pack it up and send it in ? See where I am gong with this. Although his issues have been frustrating, he has an actual PLACE to take it and talk to a Tier 2-3 level support person who knows both the hardware and software and has valuable insight into the product.

Mr. Scoble points to the fact that he believes Apple fans simply accept that the issue is our fault ? I don’t think this is true. Rather we know that we have a viable support outlet to get the product fixed. Now I am not so naive to say that Apple support is not without its faults, there are always the horror stories. No technology company is without their faults. I juts know that I am happy to have a solid support outlet to address my issues.

Now I know that fanboys will always go back and forth about these issues, with no clear victor in such a subjective subject, but I know that in my case Apple products just work. And when they do not, I take them to Apple and have the issue fixed. My occupation revolves around Windows Systems Admin and Engineering as well. Having that as a relation point to this topic, I can honestly say that in the grand scheme of things, Apple Products do JUST WORK.

I am only happy that my job working with Windows based software and hardware pays my mortgage and fills my home with Apple products.