Apple, the Great Rip-Off


Moderators: Freakzilla, ᴶᵛᵀᴬ, Omphalos

User avatar
lotek
Posts: 5784
Joined: 28 Jul 2009 08:33

Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by lotek »

Part one :

Image
http://business.time.com/2012/04/12/how ... -millions/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Threatened by an upstart, potentially existential digital rival, five major publishing houses joined with Apple in a conspiracy to raise e-book prices, costing consumers millions of dollars, the complaint charges.
Part two :

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/08/ ... tatements/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Apple’s Closing Statements: Samsung Products ‘Substantially the Same’ as Ours
Apple said it spent four years, from 2003 to 2007, developing and honing the iPhone’s design. The design period for the Galaxy S was three months.
Spice is the worm's gonads.
User avatar
Naïve mind
Posts: 388
Joined: 26 Aug 2012 05:58

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by Naïve mind »

I understand that publishing in the US is increasingly dominated by the power of Amazon, and that these publishers joined Apple mostly because it seemed to be the lesser evil. It is hard for me to imagine; things are not so bad yet in Europe.

To be honest, it frightens me that more and more of our popular culture is now distributed and monopolized by big, publicly-owned IT companies; Apple, Google, Amazon, all of them soulless bit merchants without one iota of taste or creativity in their makeup.
User avatar
lotek
Posts: 5784
Joined: 28 Jul 2009 08:33

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by lotek »

I'm also in Europe but I'm not sure we'll so well shielded from the global corporate business model.

But my main point was to mock the apple dIe hards.

Packaging...
Meh.
Spice is the worm's gonads.
User avatar
Apjak
Posts: 519
Joined: 30 Jun 2008 12:06
Location: Kansas City

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by Apjak »

Image

Apple is a notorious patent troll, but intellectual property law in general needs to be much, much less profitable.
I don't think the author should make the reader do that much work - Kevin J. Anderson
We think we've updated 'Dune' for a modern readership without dumbing it down.- Brian Herbert
There’s an unwritten compact between you and the reader. If someone enters a bookstore and sets down hard earned money(energy) for your book, you owe that person some entertainment and as much more as you can give. - Frank Herbert
User avatar
lotek
Posts: 5784
Joined: 28 Jul 2009 08:33

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by lotek »

Apple was a great concept and I still remember the Apple II C fondly
Image

but that's because it was my rich mate's dad who bought it at the time. I still have no idea how much he paid for it :)

It was more of a old school beige though, or it could have been the smoke from the cigar smoke.
Spice is the worm's gonads.
User avatar
Freakzilla
Lead Singer and Driver of the Winnebego
Posts: 18449
Joined: 05 Feb 2008 01:27
Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Contact:

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by Freakzilla »

Everything Apple makes is too expensive and I'm not paying extra to be in their cult. If Samsung can make the same thing that works as well for less, that's who I'm buying from.
Image
Paul of Dune was so bad it gave me a seizure that dislocated both of my shoulders and prolapsed my anus.
~Pink Snowman
User avatar
Nekhrun
Icelandic Wiener
Posts: 3298
Joined: 10 Feb 2008 16:27

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by Nekhrun »

I don't think I'm in a cult or anything but I own and work with a number of Apple products pretty much all day long and can get probably twice as much work accomplished in a day as my co-workers with PC's. It's not about a cultish following, just superior productivity and functionality. Having this trackpad alone is worth switching. I'm two years into my switch and would never go back. I installed Ubuntu on all my other devices and an old Mac so that would probably be my 2nd choice.
"If he was here to discuss Dune, he sure as hell picked a dumb way to do it." -Omphalos :character-cookiemonster:

Happy Memorial Day everyone! -James C. Harwood

"Three of my videos have over 100 views."
"Over 500 views for my 'Open Question' video." -Nebiros
User avatar
DuneFishUK
Posts: 1991
Joined: 25 May 2008 14:14
Location: Cool Britannia
Contact:

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by DuneFishUK »

I've given up hating companies that are only slightly evil - but anything less than a Bhopal is the mark of an amateur and just ain't worth it. Judge them on their goods and services.

Facebook is sells advertising based on the data I give them, Google/Android services is tracking me 24/7, EA will ban you from all games (which you won't be able to sell) for something that someone else said and Amazon is one of the UK's biggest companies and yet pays virtually no UK tax.... but I post on Facebook, using my phone, and I've pre-ordered the new Medal of Honour on Amazon.

I got my Mac for home and a new bells-and-whistles design workstation at work, within a week of each other. One is perpetually fucked and one works effortlessly. Yes, there are a legion of posing cultists with the same laptop as me, but who gives a shit - it's made of metal and it works. That's like saying that tossers drive German cars - entirely true, but I wouldn't say no to an Audi.

They're all bastards. It's accepted practice. The latest round of patent battles is particularly pointless though. :(

Skip to the 5 minute mark for the Apple stuff. (His other videos are definitely worth a watch, but this one is nicely to-the-point.)

Image
- http://www.kullwahad.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - http://dunefont.kullwahad.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; -
User avatar
Freakzilla
Lead Singer and Driver of the Winnebego
Posts: 18449
Joined: 05 Feb 2008 01:27
Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Contact:

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by Freakzilla »

An analogy I've heard was that it's like patenting the shape of an airplane.
Image
Paul of Dune was so bad it gave me a seizure that dislocated both of my shoulders and prolapsed my anus.
~Pink Snowman
User avatar
Mr. Teg
Moderator
Posts: 708
Joined: 11 Feb 2008 10:14
Location: Chair
Contact:

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by Mr. Teg »

Nekhrun wrote:I don't think I'm in a cult or anything but I own and work with a number of Apple products pretty much all day long and can get probably twice as much work accomplished in a day as my co-workers with PC's. It's not about a cultish following, just superior productivity and functionality. Having this trackpad alone is worth switching. I'm two years into my switch and would never go back. I installed Ubuntu on all my other devices and an old Mac so that would probably be my 2nd choice.

Me, too.
I was in the process of switching to ubuntu when I got my first ipad.
Huge difference at work and never looked back.

Even before Apple was "in" I really loved the old cube.
I am still tinkering with fitting a macmini into the old cube...
CHOAM
Combine Herbert Ober Anderson Mercantile, Narf!
Brian, Kevin & Byron :? :cylon101: :roll: The HLP
User avatar
SandRider
Watermaster
Posts: 6163
Joined: 05 Oct 2008 16:14
Location: In the back of your mind. Always.
Contact:

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by SandRider »

... anything less than a Bhopal is the mark of an amateur...
sig worthy
................ I exist only to amuse myself ................
ImageImage

I personally feel that this message board, Jacurutu, is full of hateful folks who don't know
how to fully interact with people.
~ "Spice Grandson" (Bryon Merrit) 08 June 2008
User avatar
Omphalos
Inglorious Bastard
Posts: 6677
Joined: 05 Feb 2008 11:07
Location: The Mighty Central Valley of California
Contact:

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by Omphalos »

SandRider wrote:
... anything less than a Bhopal is the mark of an amateur...
sig worthy
Ayup.
Image

The New & Improved Book Review Blog

Goodnight Golden Path!
User avatar
Robspierre
Posts: 2162
Joined: 19 Feb 2008 10:49
Location: Cascadia

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by Robspierre »

My work computer is a piece of shit Dell. I do 95% of my work on my ipad or iphone, less frustration, better software/hardware integration, and does not go down five times a day.

Rob
User avatar
Freakzilla
Lead Singer and Driver of the Winnebego
Posts: 18449
Joined: 05 Feb 2008 01:27
Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Contact:

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by Freakzilla »

My Dell at work hasn't crashed since I turned it on three years ago.
Image
Paul of Dune was so bad it gave me a seizure that dislocated both of my shoulders and prolapsed my anus.
~Pink Snowman
User avatar
lotek
Posts: 5784
Joined: 28 Jul 2009 08:33

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by lotek »

just to be sure, my point is not that apple stuff works better or not than any pc, just that it's vastly overpriced for what it is.
Spice is the worm's gonads.
User avatar
Nekhrun
Icelandic Wiener
Posts: 3298
Joined: 10 Feb 2008 16:27

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by Nekhrun »

I'm not so sure, I'd pay more for something that works better, faster and makes me more efficient.

:wink:

I haven't restarted my MacBook Pro at home for over two months and it's working great. I can't say I've ever owned a PC that has gone more than a couple days without needing a restart (usually a forced one).
"If he was here to discuss Dune, he sure as hell picked a dumb way to do it." -Omphalos :character-cookiemonster:

Happy Memorial Day everyone! -James C. Harwood

"Three of my videos have over 100 views."
"Over 500 views for my 'Open Question' video." -Nebiros
User avatar
Robspierre
Posts: 2162
Joined: 19 Feb 2008 10:49
Location: Cascadia

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by Robspierre »

Apple actually isn't overpriced. When those claims are trotted out only a couple of components are compared. They do not compare quality of screen component used for example. You need to compare like for like across the entite machine. When you do that you end up with Apple machines within $50 or cheaper than the real equivalent from a PC manufacturer.

A valid complaint would be Apple does not build a pure gaming console.


Also, if Apple is so over priced, how come none of the other tablets on the market equal the specs of the iPad for a lower price point?

Freak, I bet your work comp is a higher end model and not one designed for the lowest market denominator.

Rob
User avatar
DuneFishUK
Posts: 1991
Joined: 25 May 2008 14:14
Location: Cool Britannia
Contact:

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by DuneFishUK »

Build quality is a lot of it - I spent ages looking for a laptop, and they are almost all UTTER SHITE.

If you want one that doesn't force itself apart when you open the flimsy flippy flappy plastic lid, your choices become limited - and more expensive. A bit more for a laptop CNC'd out of a solid lump of aluminium, whether it has a specific OS or not, is something you might choose to pay for.

The iPad is overpriced IMHO... but people pay it, so capitalism wins. Look in the societal mirror and blame that person. :P

(The downside to a metal laptop is that I keep putting dents in it... :oops: )
Image
- http://www.kullwahad.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - http://dunefont.kullwahad.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; -
User avatar
Freakzilla
Lead Singer and Driver of the Winnebego
Posts: 18449
Joined: 05 Feb 2008 01:27
Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Contact:

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by Freakzilla »

Robspierre wrote:Freak, I bet your work comp is a higher end model and not one designed for the lowest market denominator.

Rob
Is there a low end Apple?
Image
Paul of Dune was so bad it gave me a seizure that dislocated both of my shoulders and prolapsed my anus.
~Pink Snowman
User avatar
lotek
Posts: 5784
Joined: 28 Jul 2009 08:33

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by lotek »

Nekhrun wrote:I'm not so sure, I'd pay more for something that works better, faster and makes me more efficient.

:wink:

Mmmm I get your point.
I guess it could be compared to buying amps and speakers, some top brands like Function One reach crazy prices but when you look at performances you realize that it's anything below that shouldn't exist.

But it can't be that drastic with computers can it ?

Maybe my title was a bit misleading since Apple does a lot of items, not all of them on the same utility level.

I still have to try using a Mac, is it true you can only use iTunes with iT ? ^^

But iPods ? No external memory now that's a rip-off.
Spice is the worm's gonads.
User avatar
inhuien
Posts: 3638
Joined: 09 Feb 2008 05:03

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by inhuien »

You spends your money you makes yours choices, me I've a mid range PC built to a tight budget and that Samsung phablet note, use what ya use. Would I like a better PC, yes. But these days it's food, mortgage, utils and opium, not always in that order.
User avatar
Mr. Teg
Moderator
Posts: 708
Joined: 11 Feb 2008 10:14
Location: Chair
Contact:

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by Mr. Teg »

inhuien wrote:You spends your money you makes yours choices...

But these days it's food, mortgage, utils and opium, not always in that order.
No "apple of your eye" ?

:character-daphne:
CHOAM
Combine Herbert Ober Anderson Mercantile, Narf!
Brian, Kevin & Byron :? :cylon101: :roll: The HLP
User avatar
Nekhrun
Icelandic Wiener
Posts: 3298
Joined: 10 Feb 2008 16:27

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by Nekhrun »

Freakzilla wrote:
Robspierre wrote:Freak, I bet your work comp is a higher end model and not one designed for the lowest market denominator.

Rob
Is there a low end Apple?
Maybe not in the terms you are thinking of, but you can get a refurbished one on their site here: http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"If he was here to discuss Dune, he sure as hell picked a dumb way to do it." -Omphalos :character-cookiemonster:

Happy Memorial Day everyone! -James C. Harwood

"Three of my videos have over 100 views."
"Over 500 views for my 'Open Question' video." -Nebiros
User avatar
Robspierre
Posts: 2162
Joined: 19 Feb 2008 10:49
Location: Cascadia

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by Robspierre »

The Mac Mini is the low end desktop machine. You provide the monitor, mouse, and keyboard.

The refurb page is a great resource. Any Mac that is returned for ny reason, even if the customer just didn't like the machine, gets a complete tear down and checked for any potential defects before being put up for sale. Some offerings have pretty deep discounts, I've seen 26-33% often. Plus you get the full warranty and can still purchase AppleCare for the machine.

Rob
User avatar
inhuien
Posts: 3638
Joined: 09 Feb 2008 05:03

Re: Apple, the Great Rip-Off

Post by inhuien »

this Apple vs non-Apple bs is unimportant. Moving on, when yer having mince and tatties, do you mash the tatties in the pot or the proper way on the plate with the mince and gravy served. And if some heathen mentions butter or milk there's gonna be a murder
Post Reply