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Capitalism. The competition-driven economy. In human nature, only the strongest will survive. Apple is currently one of the strong ones. Being a very successful company, they have to let certain "things" slide if they want to remain that way.
Yesterday, my itouch finally broke. It had worked fine the night before. In the morning, w hen I attempted to plug it into my car to play music, the touch screen didn't work. I took it to the apple store and scheduled an "appointment" because the store was overcrowded due to holiday shopping. I was late by 10 minutes because I didn't realize how crowded malls were during christmas shopping. It usually takes 3-5 minutes to get there because its so close to my house, but it took nearly 10 minutes to find a parking space. I ended up parking at the opposite end of the mall and as a result, I missed the appointment.
But it was early in the day and I was determined to get my touch fixed. I returned, promptly on time, but this time they were the ones who were late and kept me waiting 15 minutes. While I was waiting, something struck me, but more on that later.
When i was finally able to talk to someone, it took 2 minutes for him to tell me 3 things.
1) my touch is broken beyond repair
2) I can get a new one of the identical model for 200$ (it is a Itouch 3G 64GB)
3) I can recycle my touch and get 10% off on a newer different model.
When he was done, I was sort of pissed. There was nothing wrong with my touch. I could turn on the lock screen and change the volume. Hell, even music plays on it. All i have to do is use the remote control on the ipod earbuds to press play and the playlist that I was listening to plays. I just hope it's on repeat so I can listen to it haha
Anyways, it still works, no one can do anything about it. Life goes on. I wish companies like Apple wouldn't have to just have a 1 year warrenty because things tend to break after 1 year as they get older. Also the fact that they make their ipods and other gear impenetrable just bothers me. Although their shit is great, its sort of an all or nothing deal. You have to use itunes, you have to stay in the world of Apple that i don't like, to be chained to just one thing no matter how good it is.
On a side note, I now rock the ![[image loading]](http://blog.definitive.com/wp-content/uploads/BWheadphones_2057.jpg)
C5 Headphones. They are pretty high class and I love them. Range of sound is very diverse, the bass is tight and the treble is crystal clear which helps cheer me up.
  
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I really do feel for your problem, but it doesn't do with capitalism. It has to do with a combination of tons of people going shopping for Christmastime, a defect in an aged electronic device, and slow customer service because they're possibly dealing with 100s of people at the same time. If by capitalism you meant Christmas shopping sucks, yes, it does, especially if you don't like infinitely large crowds.
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On December 19 2011 14:13 JudicatorHammurabi wrote:
I really do feel for your problem, but it doesn't do with capitalism. It has to do with a combination of tons of people going shopping for Christmastime, a defect in an aged electronic device, and slow customer service because they're possibly dealing with 100s of people at the same time. If by capitalism you meant Christmas shopping sucks, yes, it does, especially if you don't like infinitely large crowds.
haha indirectly yes thats what i meant
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Capitalism isn't broken. You decided to buy an Apple product. You are the consumer. A capitalistic economy is driven by consumer choice due to the fact that the economy is based on supply and demand. You no buy product, you no contribute to a terrible company.
You failed yourself for buying a product that you described yourself as a piece of shit that is incompatible with your desires and requires you to use shit that is garbage. Inform yourself before a purchase and this can hopefully be avoided in the future.
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On December 19 2011 14:17 stevarius wrote:
Capitalism isn't broken. You decided to buy an Apple product. You are the consumer. A capitalistic economy is driven by consumer choice due to the fact that the economy is based on supply and demand. You no buy product, you no contribute to a terrible company.
You failed yourself for buying a product that you described yourself as a piece of shit that is incompatible with your desires and requires you to use shit that is garbage. Inform yourself before a purchase and this can hopefully be avoided in the future.
it was a christmas gift. I couldn't avoid recieving it, but now I am going to get a Creative Xen-F Xi model (i think thats what its called).
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Just keep it and in 50 or so years it will be priceless, not to mention all the memories you had with it.
also, yes, capitalism sucks. I hate how these "customer support" are simply there to make you think that they are actually caring for the customers but are actually there to make you buy buy buy spend spend spend! No customer support will ever tell you to tweak something or what. They all tell you to buy a replacement.
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Oh dear, this blog is going to invite very amusing replies with the title it has.
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Yeah I can sympathize. My 3gs died today. It refuses to recognize the sim card anymore. It's out of warranty so they can't really do anything about it (I went to ask when it first started to happen.), and I'm kinda ticked since even though it's an "aged electronic device," I'd expect it to work for longer than 2 years.
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On December 19 2011 14:17 stevarius wrote:
Capitalism isn't broken. You decided to buy an Apple product. You are the consumer. A capitalistic economy is driven by consumer choice due to the fact that the economy is based on supply and demand. You no buy product, you no contribute to a terrible company.
You failed yourself for buying a product that you described yourself as a piece of shit that is incompatible with your desires and requires you to use shit that is garbage. Inform yourself before a purchase and this can hopefully be avoided in the future.
that's the reason capitalism sucks, people fail themselves all the time.
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Planned obsolescence does suck, it is wasteful of resources and screws consumers. However, it is a stretch to say capitalism sucks. Without capitalism, there (most likely) wouldn't even be Apple in the first place. Incentives propel our world into better (materialistically speaking) tomorrows, and while sometimes actions can be distorted by the profit incentive, the system is one of the better answers to the impossible problem of distribution scarce resources for unlimited wants.
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On December 19 2011 15:01 Mobius_1 wrote:
Without capitalism, there (most likely) wouldn't even be Apple in the first place.
If you never had any other reason to dislike capitalism, here's one. 
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My amazon conversation earlier today:
- I'm sorry to inform you but the item has already shipped and cannot be cancelled.
- You better be joking because I ordered that 5 minutes ago.
- I'm sorry but the item...
- Give me your full name and rep #
- Hold on one second please, I am trying to resolve this.
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Apple produces overpriced, outdated technology for people that enjoy style over substance. There's a reason mechanics don't drive Chryslers and IT people don't own Apple products.
With Capitalism, you have the choice to either give your business to them because you like their products and policies or you have the choice to patronize another business because you do not like their products or policies. If we didn't have capitalism, you would HAVE to purchase products from crapple because there wouldn't be any other choice.
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There are third party companies that allow you to insure/warranty Apple items against stuff like this, including theft which is great if you have an iPhone because Apple doesn't cover that in their current package T_T Anyway, that's a lame situation, but those are some pretty awesome looking earphones :D
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"The warranty system for Apple products sucks"
Your title is a bit dumb, also I'm sure you could have insured your ipod (Apple Care).
Even if this was serious and had a genuine argument against capitalism, it would still be anecdotal anyway.
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Because you had problems with your iTouch capitalism sucks? You wouldn't have it without capitalism.
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On December 19 2011 14:29 Talin wrote:
Oh dear, this blog is going to invite very amusing replies with the title it has.
Yeah first I saw the title and was like 'CHAARRRRGE' then I was like 'wait a minute...' then I read some of the replies and I was like 'RAWWWWRGH people are so dumb!' then I was like 'wait another minute...' and then finally I was like 'meh, I'll just quote Talin, he's a good level-headed chap that the usual suspects in the usual threads will recognize'
but yes, capitalism is broken, but I won't be elaborating past that.
and imo, if you're sold on earbuds get some low end sony IEMs (MDR-EX500 or 510 are good, and will be under 100$) for a good blend of sound quality, cost and the like.
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If companies had to extend there warranties then they would charge a higher price for the IPODS. This artificial increase in price would either result in a smaller quantity of IPODS sold or a price that is proportionally higher per day the IPOD lives and therefore would harm consumers. The only exception to this case would be if the firm was colluding with another firm, such as Microsoft. But due to free entry and exit into the IPOD and technology industries, this collusion (Which is already illegal by the way) is only short term since when the firms collude to earn extra profit, there is incentive for new firms to enter the industry. As the number of firms in the industry increases the quantity of IPODS supplied increases and Price falls. The only exception would be if the new firms also colluded, however collusion is easily detected and due to the prisoner's dilemma this colluding doesn't last very long. Therefore, the free market economy gets you your IPOD for the lowest possible price per day you own it (On average) and over time will take care of all the exceptions to this truth.
Thank god for capitalism.
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On December 19 2011 14:19 Br3ezy wrote:Show nested quote +On December 19 2011 14:17 stevarius wrote:
Capitalism isn't broken. You decided to buy an Apple product. You are the consumer. A capitalistic economy is driven by consumer choice due to the fact that the economy is based on supply and demand. You no buy product, you no contribute to a terrible company.
You failed yourself for buying a product that you described yourself as a piece of shit that is incompatible with your desires and requires you to use shit that is garbage. Inform yourself before a purchase and this can hopefully be avoided in the future. it was a christmas gift. I couldn't avoid recieving it, but now I am going to get a Creative Xen-F Xi model (i think thats what its called).
I wasn't going to post at all, but after reading this I feel obligated to tell you to stick with apple products. My first MP3 was a creative Zen Micro, and it was ok at best. What I remember most is that the sound quality is very good, but the actual hardware is shit and their warranties are shit. I also bought the Microsoft MP3 (Zune?) and I loved the device, but the software is terrible beyond belief. I remember having to install updates, but the software wouldn't actually allow me to do so. When I tried to uninstall the software, I discovered that it is actually impossible, without manually deleting all associated files from your registry, and there are literally hundreds.
There is a reason why Apple products are industry leaders, and it is not just because of fancy logos, exceptional branding, and unbelievably good advertising. It's also because they are, quite simply, the best products on the market (although I will never buy a computer from Apple, but that is a debate not meant for this thread ^^).
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Your blog entry was a nice read, but it fails to explain why Capitalism sucks which was what you entitled your post so you have a serious contradiction on your hands.
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On December 19 2011 14:35 mavsfan0041 wrote:
Yeah I can sympathize. My 3gs died today. It refuses to recognize the sim card anymore. It's out of warranty so they can't really do anything about it (I went to ask when it first started to happen.), and I'm kinda ticked since even though it's an "aged electronic device," I'd expect it to work for longer than 2 years.
After 2 years you should have an upgrade with most carriers right? And I'm pretty sure the 3gs is free w/ a contract or upgrade at this point.
With the way the current system is set up, a 2 year life expectancy isn't bad at all.
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On December 19 2011 17:17 Sokalo wrote:Show nested quote +On December 19 2011 14:35 mavsfan0041 wrote:
Yeah I can sympathize. My 3gs died today. It refuses to recognize the sim card anymore. It's out of warranty so they can't really do anything about it (I went to ask when it first started to happen.), and I'm kinda ticked since even though it's an "aged electronic device," I'd expect it to work for longer than 2 years. After 2 years you should have an upgrade with most carriers right? And I'm pretty sure the 3gs is free w/ a contract or upgrade at this point. With the way the current system is set up, a 2 year life expectancy isn't bad at all.
First of all, sc2 hasn't been out for two years yet. But you make a good point, that if you're getting carriers, you basically NEED air weapons upgrade. I'm not sure what you mean 3gs-- guardian shield doesnt stack, but yes, it really helps your existing armor or shield upgrades to improve survivability.
Sadly, a 2year life expectancy is about all there was for carriers in sc2. I wish they could've kept them-- the tempest seems so unexciting.
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BTW capitalism means "private ownership over the means of production". All the people who complain about it, like the occupy some shit movement probably have no idea. And OP has no idea either. What can be so bad about being allowed as a random guy on the street to produce and sell goods?
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Foolishness
United States3044 Posts
Part of Apple's market strategy is to do exactly what happened to you. Think about the rate at which Apple releases a new version of something specific (whether it be iPhone, mac, iPad, whatever) and compare that to the rate their competitors release new versions of the same product. It should be extremely obvious that Apple releases new versions of things very very quickly compared to everyone else. This can be easily verified by observing TV commercials. Apple is constantly releasing new commercials with the latest version of their product.
The testing departments for Apple products are incredibly small. I was able to get inside information a while back and although I'm not at liberty to be giving out numbers the testing departments are smaller than you would ever imagine. After thinking about it for a while it made perfect sense though. Apple doesn't need to hire testers; it's users are the testers. Hence so many versions and updates of all its products.
Apple users (for the most part) are incredibly devoted to Apple and it's products. This phenomenon has become very interesting to researchers as of late, and there are fields out there which concern how to put emotion and feeling into your product, as using emotions is a very strong way to get people on your side. See Kansei Engineering for more on that.
Seeing what happened to you does not come to any surprise to me. This is the way Apple makes money. They use the fact that they have a devoted fanbase to their advantage, and they take advantage of the emotions that people have towards their products. They want you to have to keep buying all the updated versions of their products; they're not building their products for longevity.
As a disclaimer I'm not trying to downgrade Apple or any of it's fine products, I'm just pointing out how the system works and shedding light on what people have failed to notice. What Apple does works, and it works damn well, even if I do make it sound a bit deceiving and unethical.
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On December 19 2011 16:41 KiLL_ORdeR wrote:Show nested quote +On December 19 2011 14:19 Br3ezy wrote:On December 19 2011 14:17 stevarius wrote:
Capitalism isn't broken. You decided to buy an Apple product. You are the consumer. A capitalistic economy is driven by consumer choice due to the fact that the economy is based on supply and demand. You no buy product, you no contribute to a terrible company.
You failed yourself for buying a product that you described yourself as a piece of shit that is incompatible with your desires and requires you to use shit that is garbage. Inform yourself before a purchase and this can hopefully be avoided in the future. it was a christmas gift. I couldn't avoid recieving it, but now I am going to get a Creative Xen-F Xi model (i think thats what its called). I wasn't going to post at all, but after reading this I feel obligated to tell you to stick with apple products. My first MP3 was a creative Zen Micro, and it was ok at best. What I remember most is that the sound quality is very good, but the actual hardware is shit and their warranties are shit. I also bought the Microsoft MP3 (Zune?) and I loved the device, but the software is terrible beyond belief. I remember having to install updates, but the software wouldn't actually allow me to do so. When I tried to uninstall the software, I discovered that it is actually impossible, without manually deleting all associated files from your registry, and there are literally hundreds. There is a reason why Apple products are industry leaders, and it is not just because of fancy logos, exceptional branding, and unbelievably good advertising. It's also because they are, quite simply, the best products on the market (although I will never buy a computer from Apple, but that is a debate not meant for this thread ^^).
I couldn't disagree more. I have a Creative Zen X-Fi 2, and it is superior to any model of iPod in almost every way. (Perhaps storage capacity notwithstanding.) I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's a flawless MP3 player, but it's definitely what I would recommend. The simple capability to copy/paste files directly to the device instead of having to install iTunes is a pretty strong selling point, imho.
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I don't understand how the (legitimate) problem the OP is having equates to capitalism? Bad customer service is a wholly separate thing from capitalism.
Also, your problem seems to stem from the fact that your item is out of warranty? I don't see how you can be raging, everyone knows about 1 year warranties and how faults after that time aren't covered.
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LOLOL, you obviously know nothing about capitalism.
Your blog's title should read: being spoiled sucks
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On December 19 2011 18:54 Charlatan wrote:Show nested quote +On December 19 2011 16:41 KiLL_ORdeR wrote:On December 19 2011 14:19 Br3ezy wrote:On December 19 2011 14:17 stevarius wrote:
Capitalism isn't broken. You decided to buy an Apple product. You are the consumer. A capitalistic economy is driven by consumer choice due to the fact that the economy is based on supply and demand. You no buy product, you no contribute to a terrible company.
You failed yourself for buying a product that you described yourself as a piece of shit that is incompatible with your desires and requires you to use shit that is garbage. Inform yourself before a purchase and this can hopefully be avoided in the future. it was a christmas gift. I couldn't avoid recieving it, but now I am going to get a Creative Xen-F Xi model (i think thats what its called). I wasn't going to post at all, but after reading this I feel obligated to tell you to stick with apple products. My first MP3 was a creative Zen Micro, and it was ok at best. What I remember most is that the sound quality is very good, but the actual hardware is shit and their warranties are shit. I also bought the Microsoft MP3 (Zune?) and I loved the device, but the software is terrible beyond belief. I remember having to install updates, but the software wouldn't actually allow me to do so. When I tried to uninstall the software, I discovered that it is actually impossible, without manually deleting all associated files from your registry, and there are literally hundreds. There is a reason why Apple products are industry leaders, and it is not just because of fancy logos, exceptional branding, and unbelievably good advertising. It's also because they are, quite simply, the best products on the market (although I will never buy a computer from Apple, but that is a debate not meant for this thread ^^). I couldn't disagree more. I have a Creative Zen X-Fi 2, and it is superior to any model of iPod in almost every way. (Perhaps storage capacity notwithstanding.) I wouldn't go so far as to say that it's a flawless MP3 player, but it's definitely what I would recommend. The simple capability to copy/paste files directly to the device instead of having to install iTunes is a pretty strong selling point, imho.
im no fan of apples, but you dont have to use itunes to use the ipod. i have an ipod and i just use it with foobar, there are many other media players that have the same capability
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Capitalism sucks because it's built on the assumption that everyone wants to consume excessively.
No alternatives are offered.
And then they wonder when economic growth wont continue forever.
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On December 19 2011 22:58 HwangjaeTerran wrote:
Capitalism sucks because it's built on the assumption that everyone wants to consume excessively.
No alternatives are offered.
And then they wonder when economic growth wont continue forever.
Is it really built on that assumption? I think its more like they try to get people to consume excessively because it means more profits. Its really all about taking advantage of the weaknesses that people have to overspending through slick TV advertisements and the like. People can still choose what they want to buy, and inform themselves on what products are good for the environment or workers abroad...but its a lot of work. I'm pretty sure its not capitalism that's at fault, its people (in general), although you can lay some blame on companies that muddle the issues. Once people become more concerned with the world around them capitalism will adapt to that kind of market accordingly, as will associated rules for how business is done (ethics).
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United States5162 Posts
On December 19 2011 23:19 radscorpion9 wrote:Show nested quote +On December 19 2011 22:58 HwangjaeTerran wrote:
Capitalism sucks because it's built on the assumption that everyone wants to consume excessively.
No alternatives are offered.
And then they wonder when economic growth wont continue forever. Is it really built on that assumption? I think its more like they try to get people to consume excessively because it means more profits. Its really all about taking advantage of the weaknesses that people have to overspending through slick TV advertisements and the like. People can still choose what they want to buy, and inform themselves on what products are good for the environment or workers abroad...but its a lot of work. I'm pretty sure its not capitalism that's at fault, its people (in general), although you can lay some blame on companies that muddle the issues. Once people become more concerned with the world around them capitalism will adapt to that kind of market accordingly, as will associated rules for how business is done (ethics).
You hit the nail on the head. Capitalism assumes that people make rational decisions that best fulfill their needs. Unfortunately, I think it's been shown too often that people make very stupid decisions and that's where the problems occur no matter what the system is.
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On December 19 2011 23:26 Myles wrote:Show nested quote +On December 19 2011 23:19 radscorpion9 wrote:On December 19 2011 22:58 HwangjaeTerran wrote:
Capitalism sucks because it's built on the assumption that everyone wants to consume excessively.
No alternatives are offered.
And then they wonder when economic growth wont continue forever. Is it really built on that assumption? I think its more like they try to get people to consume excessively because it means more profits. Its really all about taking advantage of the weaknesses that people have to overspending through slick TV advertisements and the like. People can still choose what they want to buy, and inform themselves on what products are good for the environment or workers abroad...but its a lot of work. I'm pretty sure its not capitalism that's at fault, its people (in general), although you can lay some blame on companies that muddle the issues. Once people become more concerned with the world around them capitalism will adapt to that kind of market accordingly, as will associated rules for how business is done (ethics). You hit the nail on the head. Capitalism assumes that people make rational decisions that best fulfill their needs. Unfortunately, I think it's been shown too often that people make very stupid decisions and that's where the problems occur no matter what the system is.
It's not just that, it's also that it's ridiculously easy to convince people to make decisions that go against their interests, even if under normal/fair circumstances they would never have made those decisions.
It's simple psychology, and it's being abused to the max.
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There are people that can fix that for you, or you can do it yourself if you want to learn how.
Apple makes their money by reselling new versions of products year after year, of course they are going to push you towards buying a new one. But you can't really blame capitalism wholesale with you just take their word on it, not that I like capitalism either, but being able to seek out different options is one of the good parts.
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yo men dont listen to that apple guy, he is just trying to sell u a new shit. my iphone 4 home button didnt work and lo and behold he said the same shit. i took it to a local guy who fixed it for 50 bucks.
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On December 19 2011 15:35 Mr. Nefarious wrote:
Apple produces overpriced, outdated technology for people that enjoy style over substance. There's a reason mechanics don't drive Chryslers and IT people don't own Apple products.
With Capitalism, you have the choice to either give your business to them because you like their products and policies or you have the choice to patronize another business because you do not like their products or policies. If we didn't have capitalism, you would HAVE to purchase products from crapple because there wouldn't be any other choice.
You're bitter against apple products, aren't you?
I can't say that most mechanics don't drive crystlers or do, but I work in IT and every single department of IT I've visited for any occasion runs exclusively on Apple products if they can afford it (Meaning business is good, in their cases).
Apple delivers some of the best high-performance to cost pre-built computers especially for the business world (journalism, marketing, art, business management, etc). As a programmer I also envy the skills the Apple software team has put into their iOS mechanics, essentially making "lesser hardware" faster tools to use compared to other mobile products with better hardware (meaning better performance on paper). If Microsoft could do that kind of work on the desktop platform we may see a reason for apple desktops to get the boot.
Also, those ragging about apple insurance haven't purchased apple-care nor have gotten an updated warranty. I recently purchased an iPhone 4s and the warranty goes something like this. You get 1-year free of free replacement for any reason, lost, stolen, broken, dead battery, whatever. Every month past that is 10$ for the same coverage for an unlimited amount of time and unlimited amount of refurbishing. When you buy an iProduct now, you buy the idea of the product, so your particular hardware may go bad but you still get more of it.
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Buying apple products has nothing to do with capitalism, it's more like some kind of pagan worship.
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Yeah I hate Apple...Their shit is overpriced and breaks all the fucking time. I wish I could get another MP3 player but nothing every comes close to ipods in terms of support & apps. They should make Android MP3s...
There's just no alternative for music =(
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better yet, why can't apple do that for even 20 bucks? Hell I'd even pay up to 30 if it was the only option although I wouldn't be happy about it. Even if I do replace it, I don't think that would sustain for long because my Itouch has gone through a considerable amount of wear and is quite bent in several places in an unhealthy sort of way
also i just needed something to blame, and the first thing that I thought of was Capitalism.
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Umm your Blog should be titled, I don't like the return policy of apple, and perhaps I should enjoy the choices capitalism gives me and purchase a smarphone from a different company.
The capitalism sucks title, makes you look a bit silly as capitalism gave you the Ipod....
You don't see I-pods coming out of North Korea or Cuba now do you?
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On December 20 2011 04:17 Steel wrote:
Yeah I hate Apple...Their shit is overpriced and breaks all the fucking time. I wish I could get another MP3 player but nothing every comes close to ipods in terms of support & apps. They should make Android MP3s...
There's just no alternative for music =(
It's called cowon...
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If I'm not mistaken you can replace just about anything on an iTouch/iPod/iAnything. That's one of the reasons even "for parts" ones you see on eBay sell for a lot of money. I've fixed some iPods before just by buying new screens, batteries, etc.
He probably told you it was beyond repair because they no longer service such an old device internally. Plus he's a salesman. He probably lied. Surprise surprise.
Just because the manufacturer warranty is short doesn't mean you can't add on it by purchasing extended warranties. If you expect to get a 5 year warranty for free, that's just asking too much. I know there are a lot of products with long warranties, but you pay for them in one way, shape, or form. For example, you pay a bit more for EVGA cards because of the great warranty.
Also, it's not uncommon for companies to lowball you on "recycling" old equipment. Take Verizon's phone recycling service or even Newegg's. Newegg wants to offer $35 for a lightly used iPhone 3GS (can get $200 on eBay) and Verizon wants to offer $50.
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Maybe the following quotes will help some of you understand my conservative mindset.
For a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle."
--Winston Churchill
"If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand."
--Milton Friedman
"Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it."
--Ronald Reagan
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EPT
