[Update] 7/17/2010

Last night, I watched Apple’s press conference.  Since I never actually had a problem with my iPhone 4, I’m very happy with Apple’s response to “antennagate”.  Even if I did have a problem, I would still appreciate their actions.  I’ve been reading several blogs this afternoon, and my point still stands…  It doesn’t matter what Apple does, or says.  People will still complain.  The bloggers who have jumped all over this non-issue should be ashamed of themselves, especially the Apple related blogs.  Apple is bread and butter for a lot of people such as myself, and for a lot of professional bloggers.  I’ve been an Apple customer for over 20 years, and I know of no other tech company who treats its customers better than Apple.  While Apple does make mistakes, and they sometimes take a long time to admit those mistakes, they always make things right.  I think it’s time for these hack bloggers to shut the hell up, and move on!  Get your advertising revenue by attacking a company that deserves it.

I’ve been using my new iPhone 4 for almost two weeks.  For the first week, I used my iPhone without any kind of case.  It wasn’t until this past Thursday morning that I was able to purchase an iPhone Bumper so that I could use my iPhone without the constant fear of it slipping out of my hand.  I have experienced far less dropped calls than with the previous iPhone.  Unfortunately for AT&T customers in Dallas/Fort Worth, there are several areas of poor coverage all over the city.  I have identified at least three specific locations where I have experienced consistent dropped calls almost on a daily basis.  For almost four years, I have called into AT&T to report these locations in the hope that these issues would someday be fixed.  Since upgrading to iPhone 4, my dropped calls in these problem areas have been reduced.  In one of the locations, the dropped calls have stopped altogether.

Although I believe that Apple should have taken more time to respond, they have responded to reports of poor reception by claiming that this is mainly a software issue with the way that the new iPhone displays signal strength.  They have promised a fix that will be issued soon.  Within hours of Apple’s latest statement, the blogosphere was full of more complaints from users who allege that they have experienced a lot of reception issues with the new iPhone.  After reading some of them, I was forced to conclude that it doesn’t matter what Apple says.  People will still find a way to complain.  After working for Apple for over four and a half years, and using Apple products for over twenty years, I have concluded that Apple will never be able to completely satisfy their critics.  If Apple announced today that they would begin to bundle a bumper with each iPhone, there would still be complaints.  Apple could issue store credits to customers who bought the new iPhone, but the complaints would continue.  It’s a no-win situation.

No Apple product that I have ever owned has been 100% perfect.  My last MacBook Pro was plagued with several hardware issues.  Last year, Apple replaced it.  I didn’t have to complain on my blog.  I didn’t post my complaints on any Apple related websites.  I didn’t try to sue Apple.  I simply called AppleCare, and voiced my dissatisfaction with the quality of my laptop.  When I requested a replacement, my complaint was forwarded to Apple’s customer relations department who agreed to replace my computer.  The whole process took about 3 days.  Apple takes care of its customers when they have problems.  Whining and complaining on every website on the Internet only makes the problem worse.  I know eight people (including myself) who have an iPhone 4.  None of us have had significant reception issues with our new iPhones.  In fact, we’ve all had BETTER reception just as Apple promised.

Cult of Mac reports that several Mac Geniuses have filed suit over the lack of breaks while working their shifts.  I wanted to weigh in on this since I was once a Mac Genius at the Apple Store at Willow Bend.

I worked really hard at the Apple Store, often working through lunch, much to the annoyance of the managers.  I never complained about this since no one made me do it.  As for breaks, I almost never needed them.  I enjoyed working at the Genius Bar when it was busy.  For me, the “chaos” was the most fun part of my job.  I loved standing there fixing problems, and making people happy.  On the days when I worked in the “genius room” doing repairs, I would try to get as much done as possible, which often made me work through my lunch break.  I never minded doing this since it was my choice to do so.  Every once in a while, I would get my hands on a particularly difficult repair case in which the solution was very hard to find.  I’ve always been a bit of an obsessive compulsive, so It’s difficult for me to put something down, and walk away.  I pursue the solution relentlessly until the problem is fixed.  I wasn’t alone in these characteristics.  Other Mac Geniuses that I worked with often worked through lunch, and never took breaks.  Again, no one MADE me do this.  Therefore, I think that the Mac Geniuses who filed this suit need to drop it.  Apple is a great company to work for, and they have taken great care in protecting their people.  Any of these Geniuses could have complained to management.  If they didn’t get satisfaction, they could have talked to their HR rep.  Every region has at least one HR rep serving the stores.

Being a Mac Genius is hard work.  It takes intelligence (a rare trait these days), and dedication.  My only problem with the job was that I don’t believe that Apple pays the Mac Geniuses enough.  These guys (and gals) put up with a lot of crap from customers, and from management.  Although the managers often look like the heroes when something goes wrong, it’s the Mac Genius who made everything right for the customer.  The Mac Genius is the ultimate customer service specialist.  He repairs software, and hardware problems, answers a lot of questions, and goes up to bat for the customer when managers turn a blind eye, and simply worry about the bottom line.

At Willow Bend, the Mac Geniuses looked out for each other, and didn’t need management to “give” us breaks.  If I needed to step away from the Genius Bar for a while, one of the other guys would come out front and fill in.  I did the same on many occasions.  The less we had to deal with the managers, the better.  I think that it’s disgraceful for this group of “geniuses” to sue Apple over something so petty.  To my knowledge, Apple doesn’t force its retail employees to work through lunch, or deprive them of breaks.  This is utter nonsense.  How about these “geniuses” simply grow a pair, or just move on to an easier job where they can have all the breaks that they want?  Why are there so many pansies in the workforce today?  It’s really sad.

Apple Geniuses File Class Action Suit over Breaks | Cult of Mac.

TUAW reports Psystar’s sells numbers from their attempt to sell Mac clones.  Like a lot of Apple fans, I have watched this legal battle with a lot of interest.  What really confuses me is why a lot of people seem to be hell bent on finding ways to get Apple to license their OS to other manufacturers.  They tried this before in the late 90′s, and it was a total failure.  Apple makes the bulk of their profits through the sale of hardware, not software.  Why else is there only one version of Mac OS X for consumers, and one server version?  Every time someone buys a new Mac, or buys a new version of Mac OS X, they’re getting the “ultimate” version.  Apple does not see the need to nickel and dime their customers for features that should be in the OS anyway.

I don’t have a problem with people wanting to hack Mac OS X to run on unapproved, and unsupported computers.  However, those people do not have the right to re-sale their hacked versions of Mac OS X, and they don’t have a right to expect Apple to support their modifications.  Apple is free to kill off compatibility with unapproved hardware any time they see fit to do so.  Those of us who buy Apple computers enjoy having computers that run well, and are free of the annoying bugs associated with driver issues that plague Windows PC users.  For that, I don’t mind paying more for a Mac.

Psystar’s predictions… they’re a bit off.