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Apple Makes Excellent Hardware
Apple creates excellent hardware and few dispute this fact. When you go beyond the basic specs, Apple gives the consumer an exceptional value. If you find a Windows PC that measures up to a Mac, it usually costs more. One has to look beyond the basic specs — RAM and processor speed. When you look at aspects like bus and memory speed, which are often ignored, MacBooks are actually reasonably priced.
Beyond the specs, every Apple device I have owned has lasted a long time. I still have my iPod I bought 12 years ago, with the original battery. It still works. I use my old iPhone 4, which is 6 years old, as a coffee table device. It still has the original battery, and I charge it once or twice a month. I’ve never had a problem with any Apple device I have owned. This is why I was so surprised when I found out about the Consumer Reports battery test.
Macs are integrated systems. Each component is manufactured to Apple’s specifications and the entire system is tested thoroughly. While other manufactures do this to some extent, they also create many different models. PC manufacturers are also known to swap out components for cheaper options, within the same model. Apple does some of this too, as they have problems getting enough components from suppliers.
The point is, Apple only makes a few Mac models and they test them thoroughly. PC manufacturers squirt out many different models, and if one of them is a dud, it’s not a critical loss. Virtually anyone can build a PC from off-the-shelf components. It’s not rocket science. It’s not even computer science. It’s a little more complicated than plugging in a Nintendo cartridge. Apple ensures that the components are high quality and work together. They don’t use cheap motherboards, faulty storage devices and slow RAM.
When I upgraded my Mac Pro, I purchased an official Apple hard drive. It was Apple branded, box and all, however it was manufactured by Western Digital. The average PC tinkerer would assume one could just go to Fry’s and get the same drive for half the price. I checked the specs on the model, however, and it was a server grade drive with manufacturing tolerances that far exceed most hard drives. It was manufactured to Apple’s specifications. Indeed, Apple works with suppliers and has stringent standards for most components. This is why none of my Apple devices have failed — ever. I can’t say that for DELL, HP or others. In fact, one of the reasons I started buying Apple products was because I was fed up with laptops that broke after 2 years. Apple makes great hardware. Period.
Apple Needs to Take App Development Seriously or Abandon Efforts
Safari is the culprit and this battery fiasco is partially Apple’s fault. As much as I can blame Consumer Reports for such a simplistic, one-dimensional battery test, Apple obviously introduced a battery draining bug in Safari. This is why Apple’s own tests didn’t find this problem. Unfortunately, it demonstrates that Apple’s horrible first-party apps have compromised the reputation of their excellent hardware. (continue…)