Bad Apple Experiences

So I bought my dad a Mac Mini right after they stopped coming with analog modems standard. In Dubai the local national telco does not offer broadband in his area so he's stuck with dial-up, and the new mac external USB modem was new and not available, so there was no way for my dad to connect to the internet.

It seems that the computer shipped with OS 10.4 and the mac modem needs 10.4.3. Unfortunately, since there was no way to connect to the internet, he could not do the upgrade. The modem ended up being mailed from California, and after a brief stint in Dubai, returned to Boston along with the Mac Mini.

It's now being upgraded slowly and will soon be returned to Dubai. Dropping the built in analog modem was a bad idea -- yes, they got $50 more from me for the external modem, but it's cost me many times that in time and irritation, and them taking that money makes me resent them. Bad revenue.

While I wait in line in the Apple store, a couple is upset because their iPod is dead. They bought an extended warranty, but the guy in the store claims that microscopic dents in the back of the iPod means its been damaged and therefore they are not covered by the warranty. Their option now is to buy a new iPod, or have this iPod shipped to Cupertino where engineers will determine whether the dents in the back are actual damage and whether they should get a new iPod under the warranty or not. This will cost the $50. So again, maybe Apple gets some more $$$ for these folks, but it feels like they're being shaken down. Certainly, they will not recommend the warranty to anyone else. Neither will I.