Looking back over my posts recently, I might call the theme "Off-topic and Rant-y". This being the case, I'll continue the theme for one more post.
In listening to my friends who have Macs, I was under the impression that they heal the sick, feed the poor, turn water to wine and help you get laid all at once. The truth is I tire so quickly of all the Apple adoration. I love their designs, I want an iPhone, I own a Mac, love Final Cut, I respect Steve Jobs and know that OS X is better than Windows. But c'mon, it's a closed, highly secretive, for-profit company run by a dictator with good taste. It's not a religion.
The reason I'm upset right now is because our two-month old Macbook is broken - and apparently came that way. The superdrive (DVD reader, etc), is sucking right now. Actually, it's the opposite of sucking - it's blowing - as in not accepting blank DVDs. Insert a blank DVD and it blows it right back at you.
We went to the Genius bar at the Apple store and found that it will require a new superdrive (3-5 days for parts) and then repair (1-3 days). We'll only have to give up the machine for installation - which is good. What is bad, is that we were shipped a defective product. If we can't trust a Mac to be a reliable centerpiece of our creative business, then what can we trust?
Apparently we should feel lucky that our battery still works, unlike everyone else filling the queue at the Genius bar.
All the lickable icons, wet floor effects, cute commericals and iPhones in the world aren't gonna make me switch if a plain old Macbook won't accept a blank DVD. I've had 4 previous laptops and have never been shipped a defect - and to have my first be a Mac? Not so good.
Meanwhile, I'll keep typing on a Sony that survived a solid year of international backpack travel without a single stutter.
Thanks Apple!
PS - You want to know what else? I challenge Apple to respond to this post. In my business we talk so much about the power of blogs and the "conversation" - we all see how the business world is changing and how it's all about being honest and working on relationships. Yet, I would never expect Apple to succumb to speaking with a lowly blogger such as myself. Why do I matter anyway? Have you seen the iPhone?
/rant