So what’s the deal with Apple lately? This is a question that has haunted me for the last few weeks.

Make no mistake the company is a public one. What does that mean? It means that they are constantly searching for the highest profit margins, and their stockholders are constantly looking for growth. It doesn’t matter what kind of growth, as long as the company is growing they will be happy and no one will ask any questions. Capitalism 101.

The thing that bothers me however is Apple’s treatment towards its customers. Apple has hovered around the 3-5% market share for years now. They have prided themselves on having a strong cult following for their products, and their motto seems to be quality over quantity. However these same 3-5% have been getting the shaft lately.

It started with the iPhone. Two months after its release Apple dropped the price by a whopping $200. Leaving a very bad taste in peoples mouths. Now there is always a risk being an early adopter; but a $200 price drop in two months is almost unheard of. Apple did try to remedy this by offering a credit to its customers to be used in the Apple store. Fine, great, grand.

After that was another iPhone debacle; the bricking of iPhone’s. To date there are an estimated 250, 000 hacked iPhones. Apple’s response to this? They bricked any hacked iPhone which installed the latest software update. Why would Apple want to brick people’s $599 phone? I realize they need to protect their own interests as well as AT&T’s; however I don’t think this is a good business practice. Hopefully Apple will learn from this and offer an unlocked version of the iPhone in the future.

While most of my issues are with the iPhone; Apple has also pissed off many iPod Touch users. For those who are not aware; the iPod Touch originally did not ship with some apps which were found on the iPhone. This include Stocks, Weather, Google Maps, and E-mail. Many argued that this was to differentiate the two products. Well Apple offered these apps for us iTouch users, whose only option until recently was to hack the device in order to use them. The cost? $20. Really Apple? You are going to charge me on something which I should have had from day one? My touch costs just as much as an iPhone, so why should I shell out an additional $20. Apple’s reason? “Accounting purposes”.

Fast forward to the last few weeks. The iPhone SDK was recently launched. That is awesome right? Well, besides the fact that we will not see any apps until June, it is pretty great. My issue is with their strategy. Apps will have to be downloaded via iTunes. Not a big deal; their music store is currently the second largest music retailer in the U.S., So why mess with a good thing right? Well, the bad thing here is that they are charging developers 30% of their sales for each app. 30%!? I find that unreal. Generally developers like these are by a small team, or single person. 30% can be a lot, perhaps too much to be sustainable. There is one loop hole to avoid this; the developer can simply not charge for their app, offer it for free and skip any levy handed down by Apple; but where is the money in that? My second issue with the SDK is that any App will have to go through Apple quality control and be approved. Sure this may be in place to prevent malicious code and viruses, however what else will they block? What apps that we have grown to love on our hacked iPhones will they not allow in iTunes? I think they will need to offer more in order to persuade people to no longer hack their iPhones.

I also have an issue with the recent update to the MacBook (Pro) line. Now this may seem small, but it still bothers me. The remote will no longer be offered with Apple’s laptops. For those who do not know, Apple in the past has offered a small remote that lets you control your media on your Mac without moving a muscle. Listen to your music, or jump into Front Row (an interface that lets you enjoy your media like movies, music and photos). Well they no longer offer this; instead you will have to shell out $19 for one at the apple store. It’s not the $19 which bothers me, it’s Apple’s current attitude towards it’s loyal customers. Why get rid of this great feature? There was no price drop to include the removal of this remote; so Apple is pocketing the extra cash obviously. The reason why I am so worried is because the iPod went through something very similar. When I got my first iPod in 2001; the box was larger and came with things like a wall adapter and firewire cable which since has been removed. I am worried that Apple will begin to nickel and dime us on items that used to come standard with our products.

The reason why I decided to write this article is to allow me to vent. I like Apple a lot. I write about them on this web site. I buy their products. I even defend them on an internet message board; which deep down inside me I know is absurd. I just want Apple to cut the sketchy shit out. Remember that while you are growing; this small 3-5% has kept you afloat in the rough times; so perhaps you can throw us a bone once and a while?

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Paul is Altgn's token Canadian. When he's not oogling over electronics and Apple he's probably out drinking beer, eating beaver tails, riding moose, watching the leaf game or all the above.
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