The sad thing is, Apple is one of the companies who has contributed the most as far as innovation and technology development.
As far back as the 70's and 80's, inventing the personal computer concept and the UI and UX behind it, to the computer mouse. Even as recent as the 2000's inventing the portable disk-less MP3 player creating an entire market on its own, to the much more recent and much more important smartphone with the iPhone and iPad, both of which were not necessarily "invented by Apple", but were most definitely redesigned and made much better by Apple, which spawned an entire industry worth billions.
All of these are facts, (even if sometimes discussions do surface, regarding who invented what first), we cannot deny and we have to appreciate what this company has created on its own, and how it pushed technology forward when nobody else had the guts to do.
But all of that being said and recognized....this is not the Apple of today. And it is here, at this very specific but crucial point, that so many people have a problem with this company. Myself included. It is not the same company it once was.
The Apple of today, has long given up innovation, and staying ahead of the competition. The apple of today lags in comparison to its competitors, relying instead, on a Fashion Statement business model, where it does not matter whether their products are better or not, what matters is that it is cool to have one. It became the CHANEL of the technology industry. And this, has proven to be a very, very profitable way to market your technological goods.
This model however has 3 problems:
The first problem: While Apple is today one of the most powerful and rich companies in the world, it has done so at the cost of it's most loyal and hardcore costumers/consumers, who purchased their products because they were BETTER. Not prettier or thinner.
The second problem: As we all know, fashion comes and goes. It is not something that lasts for long. Despite Apple's profits being enormous, they have already shown heavy signs of declining. Their market share of the smartphone industry is a spec of what it once was. This, to my belief, is a clear sign of the Fashion Statement business model....well....falling out of fashion. While a lot of it still remains, it is no longer as cool to have an iPhone or an iMac as it once was.
The third problem: Lastly, the quality of their products. As we have all seen, especially recently, the quality of Apple's products has declined. Severely. From the world famous bend-gate of the infamous iPhone 6 Plus, to the much more recent CPU thermal throttling on their new 2018 Macbook Pro, and everything in between. I can barely imagine paying $5000 for a computer that is slower than a $2000 one from a "crappy" competitor.
Not to mention, the fear based policy they enforce on their workers, subsidiaries and third parties who depend on them. Starving the market of solutions that do not require going through Apple. Going out of their way, to sue small businesses. Not refunding people who purchased defective products. The list goes on...
Love it or hate it, as the OP said himself, Apple has made a clear difference in the world. Personally, while I recognize all of it's achievements, I cannot let go of turning your back on your own costumers, and employing the policies that they do. As such, I do not purchase Apple products anymore.
I would love to love Apple. However I cannot support what they do anymore.
Thank you for reading and I would love to hear your opinions.
