Michael Arrington gets it right. He has an office and (a family) he is tech support for. He uses Macs buys and supports them for other People and when they do not work it reflects poorly on him (read me) wastes his time, and makes him consider market alternatives (currently no good ones but nature abhors a vacuum).
I don’t think this is going to get better. Apple is focused on Mobile Me (can I call it something else? I really hate the name.) and will solve those problems since it needs to work but I think the hardware problem is here to stay.
Apple successfully differentiates its products with design (e.g. you want to use the product, find it useful and attractive, all the things that make it NOT a Dell) and software. Build quality is an aspect of design but often times not the one that gets us to a purchase decision. That said, Apple Desktops (according to a popular consumer magazine…) are better than the industry average for repair rate. Apple Laptops however are behind other laptop brands in quality although given the purchasing profile of Apple laptop purchasers (eg younger, less business use, more educational use) I wonder if it is because the Apple laptops are beaten more…
The “Apple at the crossroads” article is popular right now but it is accurate. Growth may have outstripped their model/resources, how will they respond?
The thing is that despite our kvetching neither Arrington nor I are really considering PC alternatives.
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