Apple Inc. is one of the few companies that cannot be treated indifferently; it makes people love or hate it. It’s pretty hard to avoid an Apple product these days. Every other person seems to have an iPhone or an iPad. I will not be one of them.
It’s not that I dislike Apple’s products. The iPod revolutionized listening to music, the MacBook basically changed the way that laptops are constructed, and we can always be grateful that the iPad saved us from the Nook. The late Steve Jobs is an American icon.
So, I get it. Apple stuff is undoubtedly slick and eye catching. But that is where all the good stuff ends. The truth is that Apple is overcharging its customers and making huge profits.
The yearly circus of new products isn’t new. Meanwhile, the gullible masses line up hours before the release of products, ready to spend their money. Compared to brands, Apple products are two-to-three times more expensive. You’ll never see a new MacBook regularly priced under a grand, while you can get a similar Windows product for half the price. This leads to tensions between people who can afford Apple products and those who cannot.
Another problem is the constant recycling of products, like the iPhone and the iPad. Can anyone honestly say there is a huge difference between the old iPhone 4 and the new iPhone 5? I know I certainly can’t. Yet, Apple insists on releasing so-called “new” iPhones to keep up with phones made by rival Samsung.
Apple’s recent legal victory over Samsung resulted in the end of production of Samsung’s popular tablet, which Apple claim mimicked the iPad’s length and likeness. Apple’s actions are prime examples of unfair business practices.
Moreover, the iPhone 4 antenna flaw that resulted in dropped calls demonstrates product deficiencies and poor technical planning. Millions of phones were sold to unknowing customers with this annoying deficiency. Also, earlier this year, the public’s attention was grabbed by worker suicides in China’s Apple plants. Workers were routinely mistreated, underpaid and overworked. In 2011, there were complaints about iPhones and iPads collecting information on users’ locations, violating state and national privacy laws. Apple is also accused of hoarding offshore profits to avoid paying taxes, further damaging the company’s reputation.
Sadly, what was once a wonderful example of the American dream and entrepreneurship has become a nightmare of corporate greed. Don’t let the Apple nightmare get a hold of you.
