My problem with the cult of Apple - Louis Rossmann

My problem with the cult of Apple.
Louis Rossmann
Published on Jul 18, 2018
The horrible truth about Apple's repeated engineering failures: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUaJ8...

 

I like Apple and for the most part compared to Dell they are way better. That said I did have multiple logic board replacements on my 15" and the full replacement had to have it's logic board replaced as well. This is in addition to 2 keyboard replacements on a 12" so to say they are without flaw is a lie. However I've spent a fraction of the time on the phone and I actually trust they will followup unlike Dell.

 

Man I was gonna post this. You beat me to the punch. lol

When I was watching this I was really like. . .yeah how does Apple get away with this kind of thing year after year? I mean you see people whine about a little bit of light bleed on a windows pc, but everything else about it is perfect. The whole you're holding it wrong or you're using it wrong bit nearly made me spit up my coffee from laughing. The sad part is this won't change. For some reason so many Apple users have excepted that this is how things are.

 

Did people watch this video by Linus about Apple refusing to repair its broken iMac Pro? The cost of repairing is higher than the new machine .

 

Yeah. What got me was how people were defending Apple on not wanting to fix. They clearly didn’t hear Linus say “We want to pay for repairs”. Any computer company would repair a computer if you pay for it. So it made no sense why Apple would be that way.

As far as repairs being insane. . .well he did do a cost break down in the video and Apple is just charging an arm and a leg for repairs. Likely they’re gonna replace parts that don’t need replaced. Watch a few videos by Louis Rossmann and you will see Apple has a habit of replacing a whole motherboards ((ssd and all)) when they could easily just solder a new capacitor or something on the board. And yes it seems Apple is not able to remove a single screw in order to keep a customers data.

 

Apple better than dell? ha ha ha. I have a 500 dollar dell that is way more reliable than my 1500 macbook air. I have had battery issues, 2 logic boards and a keyboard issue with the air. ZERO with my dell 2 in 1. I dunno. Seems like the apple device is hardly worth what I spent on it. Just priced up an XPS 15 and MBP 15 and the MBP is 2000 dollars more for the same basic spec with less since it does not have a touch screen only a chitty, useless touch bar, etc.

 

Many reputable reviewers are also questioning Apple's pricing strategy (see here). At $1800 you get Core i5-8259U CPU, 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD in the 2018 13" MacBook Pro. You'll have to pay $200 more for 16GB RAM. You can get a much more powerful entry-level Razer Blade 15 at that price.

 

This is something that’s been going on for awhile an the consumers of these laptops just accept that Apple products cost more. So if all the people that don’t watch in-depth reviews on YouTube start realizing they’re getting ripped off, then it won’t change.

And to be fair all ultrabooks are expensive. If you spec them out most are in the $1600-$1800 range. And that’s before adding a larger ssd. There are so many good laptops that are thin and light at $1800-$2000 that they don’t make much sense.

And you should consider the gs65 over the Razer 15. I’ve used both recently and the Razer Blade is so much more expensive spec for spec compared to the gs65 that it makes little sense to get it. It does have a more premium feel, but that fancy vapor chamber they advertise only matches the thermals of the gs65.

 

the funny thing is, with most apple lemm….I mean "users"...They don't care if they are getting ripped off. They ONLY care about that little logo on the lid. I do use iPhone and ipad as I feel they are the best devices for MY needs. NOT because of the logo on the back of them. I have used many android based tablets and a couple of surface devices, but the ipad is a better tablet than all of them. The iPhone is a bit "murkier". I can get by just fine with an essential phone but I will miss imessage, facetime etc which my family uses to stay in touch with each other. But NONE of us use macbooks except my son, and that's because it's "cool" to have a macbook. Not because it works better. I have used it a few times and had to just give it back to him it's so bad. My 500 dollar dell 2 in1 is a way better device. Windows 10 is MILES better than that MacOS garbage.

 

That’s sadly very true. Especially with the Iphones it’s a fashion statement. I friend of mine pointed that out to me years ago. I couldn’t believe he told me that. However, I started to see it all over the place. I personally use iPhones also. I’m not a fan of how they make changes and don’t tell anyone. Like the lowering performance on the phone to extend battery life. Wish they were more transparent.

I’ve tried twice to add a Mac to my routine, but I can’t get used to the OS. To me it feels backwards in a lot of ways compared to windows. But, I have been using Windows for two decades so I’m more set in my ways than anything else. I have heard some good reasons why some people have macs. And I can respect that. But, when most just HATE windows I think they’re being dilutional if they don’t think Mac has issues too.

 

Much cheaper solution to wanting that "logo" on the back of a device:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0106QS6N0

I put one on my work laptop (lenovo thinkpad) and get weird looks a lot. Also put on on my 7" laptop GDP pocket and get "thats awesome" all the time until they find out it's not an apple lol.

https://www.amazon.com/LANRUO-Pocket-Aluminum-Windows-x7-Z8750/dp/B0721SKXQJ

 

Nah, I don't even want to look like I am an apple tosser. It's bad enough I am using the iPhone and ipad. ha ha.

 

Wow that would be fun to put on my Hp x360. I can imagine the looks from the local starbucks novelists.

 

It's starbucks screenwriters, not novelists. Get your facts straight. ha ha ha.

 

I will disclose that I worked for Apple during the "second coming" era. I left Apple in 2008 after about 10 years. It was an incredible experience. It was the biggest, small-company I ever worked for. I spent my time in IL-6 and IL-5 and worked with some of the finest engineers on the planet.

Honestly I don't know what's going on inside Apple anymore. I'm still using a 2013 MBP 15 retina - with no issues. I've worn the face off a few of the keys and polished the top with my hand marks. It's held up very, very well, despite going around the world a few times with me. Much of the design of the 2013 MBP was already in the works when I left the company, to give an idea of how long the design cycles are.

Rossman is an unusually talented technician. He's entitled to his viewpoint, much of it justified. I spent my early years doing component level repairs of electronic equipment. I've done the same kind of work on the same kind of workbench. And I had the same kind of frustrations when I sat in the same chair.

The thing is, I understand why Apple replaces entire MLB's with memory and storage intact in their stores. Why don't they repair boards? Well, lots and lots of very good reasons.

It starts with not being able to hire enough people who can do that kind of work. Where are they going to hire and train hundreds of people with Rossman's keen ability? They are not out there. Just look at all the work that comes in to Rossman in his own videos, from other shops who've managed to butcher a board.

Apple has to keep a high through-put at the store level and satisfy their customers. It's expensive, but it shortens wait times and it means more successful repairs go out the door faster, especially under warranty or AppleCare. There's also the problem of handling things like soldering residue, hazardous chemicals, calibration of tools, heck just pilfering of tools and parts and on and on. All of which a large company would prefer to do in a controlled location, like a contractor's re-work depot. Swap the board, put the old one in a box and send it back for depot re-work.

The final reason is quality control. The boards that get depot repairs probably don't get much troubleshooting. Most likely, they just get processed with a list of inspections and actions and put on the same test fixture tooling they were manufactured on, burned-in and tested. If they pass, they go in a box, otherwise, scrap. Best way to ensure the entire assembly is working right and leave as little to chance in the field as possible. It is just a process method of handling things in volume.

I won't defend some of Apple's policies towards consumers. Some of them make no sense to me either. On the other hand, some less than honest consumers do crappy things too, like harvesting the good parts out of a product and returning it for refund or repair with things missing, or much cheaper memory, drives, CPU's, than are supposed to be there.

I also understand why Linus had trouble getting his iMac Pro repaired. Not that I agree with it, but I understand why. The store may have also mishandled it as well, and may not have rendered service they should have. I'm not up on the law in Canada, so I don't know.

Truth is, I'd enjoy having an adult beverage with Rossman. He's got chops. I think he would have really enjoyed being at a place like Apple, at least during the time I was there. It was really fascinating. But I think if he could trade places for a few months and see the issues from the other side of the street, it might change his perspective on some things.

I suspect I will get flamed for posting this, but that's the internet.

 

Apple Might Have Finally Given In; Company Reportedly Reaches Deal to Allow 3rd-Party Reseller to Carry out iPhone Repair
By Omar Sohail, 30 mins ago
https://wccftech.com/apple-reported-deal-allow-3rd-party-carry-iphone-repair/

"Authorized iPhone repairs were only allowed to be carried at Apple’s official retail stores, with the company making it increasingly difficult for third-party resellers to carry out the procedure themselves. This would involve a complex repair process, as well as prevent some features of the iPhone from functioning properly. However, sources have claimed that Apple has reached an agreement where it is said to allow a single reseller to carry out authorized iPhone repairs for now.

Authorized iPhone Repairs Will Be Allowed for the Screen – Simply Mac and Apple Said to Have Reached Deal
The latest development reveals that Apple and Simply Mac, a third-party Apple reseller and service provider, have reached a deal. The deal states that the iPhone manufacturer will end up providing the necessary hardware to let Simply Mac conduct authorized screen repairs.
..."
"With the latest partnership, it should become a lot easier for customers that are not in close proximity to an Apple store to get an authorized repair done.

Update : 9to5Mac reports that Simply Mac has been in contact with them and said that there are multiple inaccuracies in the story, but did not divulge in detail."

 

Apple’s major accomplishment - convincing sheeple to continue blindly buying its products.

Apple’s major failure - failing to give customers proper respect to think for themselves and understand that the silver platter being handed them is actually aluminum.

 

You know it pains me to say this but... I'm not like a huge Apple Fan boy but I can use and appreciate their products especially with how well they work with other products like my Iphone for example. Video conferencing with family or imessage from the laptop is pretty cool/nice.

But more importantly then all of that is the resell value on this stuff is high real high, because there are more apple noobies then let's say Razer Noobies. So an easy example I can give you if I own a 2016 Macbook Pro 15 inch touchbar and a 2018 Razer Blade 15. I'm fairly certain that in 2 more years that silly Macbook with the touchbar will still fetch a higher dollar tag then that Razer is going to fetch.. Right now the Razer is higher by about $300 and the Macbook is 2 years old, so that's absurd but true.. .

 

The apple die hards are mentally, handicapped plain and simple (NOT every apple user, just the ultra gung-ho ones). I have an iphone, I've had iphones for years. I had a MBP 2011. I know somebody that paid 700$ for a 15" MBP 2011 LAST YEAR, which is beyond insane given how old, weak, and failure prone they are. Their own weird fanbase keeps prices artificially high, not because they are stellar machines or anything like that.

 

This guy was very lucky he was able to return his crapbook amateur. This new Apple is all about making money off the little guy who has unrealistic expectations for what he is spending his hard earned money on.

 

For:

• Apple Macbook Pro 15 and 17s (2006, 2007) with NVIDA GPUs that would fail, multiple times (CAD work or engineering simulations, so they were run HARD).
  
• Apple Macbook Pro 17 (2010) failures.
• Apple MacBook Pro 15 (2011+) failures.

Rossmann is absolutely right that the fanboys or forum posters will tell you that you're using a laptop wrong and you can't run them hard like that, despite that's Apple advertised you could use them for that purpose.

 

The problems with the NVIDIA GPU were not unique to Apple. Pretty much any brand of notebook that used the 8600GT were subject to high rates of failure.

 

Can confirm, it was not only the 8600M GT, but also the quadro equivalents such as FX 570M in the T61 series thinkpads that were very susceptible to dying. It's not fair to hit Apple over an nVidia manufacturing problem.

 

True. I had (or still have) a Thinkpad T61p with the NVIDIA Quadro version of this card and this GPU+mobo combo and its know failure rate. It's what drove me to consider a dGPU that isn't soldered trash that can be repaired (e.g., MXM) or just stick with iGPU.

 

No, it isn't. And to be fair, AppleCare and the genius bar were pretty good at replacing them, multiple times, if needed.

 

My quadro equipped T61p is still kicking

I did undervolt the vBIOS though, it was set by nvidia WAY too high, convinced that's what ended up contributing significantly to destroying many of these chips. Stock vBIOS voltage was an obscene 1.15V, I pulled it down to 0.90V without modifying any of the clock speeds. Huge reduction in power consumption and heat production.

 

@Raidriar ,
My T61p is still kicking too. No failures yet. I'll have to look into that undervolt vBIOS trick. Do you do that with Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (Intel XTU) or some corresponding NVIDIA tool?

 

No, there is a special BIOS to flash, made by chinese enthusiast Highsun. Check here (use google translate)
https://thinkpad-forum.de/threads/1...Quad-in-Thinkpad-T61-benutzen-GPU-undervolten

I would start with 专门网论坛_T61-BIOS(0.95)_ASPM.rar,and if your chip can tolerate that, you can try 专门网论坛_T61-BIOS(0.9)_ASPM.rar

I have the 0.9 ASPM version with an intel X9000 extreme chip + throttlestop to undervolt the CPU. It is still a good setup, my bedside computer for web browsing

 

Having been an engineer in the industry (not just at Apple) I can tell you, this was an engineering *success*. It is a marketing and product design failure.

Why is it engineering success? Because it works at all, given the constraints the engineering team was given. Having been there, I can tell you that Ives and the Industrial Design crew rule the roost. Extremely difficult tasks are handed to the engineering teams by industrial design, which means products have to be thinner, lighter, curvier, with different materials than everyone else uses.

I can tell you from experience how things like i9 MBP come about.

People want these things and are willing to pay for them. Marketing demands an i9 level MBP to satisfy those customers and why the heck not when they're willing to pony up several kilobucks for them?

Engineering gets stuck in the middle. I guarantee you, every engineer in the EE team knew exactly how it would work out. I guarantee you that the engineering and PD team came back to ID and Marketing and said, "if we stuff this CPU into the existing product platform, it is not going to perform the way people want it to." Then they got told, "go make it work and you cannot change the ID of the product, period." So they made it work, stably, and reliably, because that's what engineers do. And it does. They aren't failing to do that, are they? So Apple gets a firmware update out, which who knows what it does, but they'll warranty the machine in any case. They probably got a concession of +2c less thermal headroom and a slight under-voltage change from some unnamed silicon vendor.

Honestly, why the hell Intel is producing this CPU sku is also pretty questionable. It basically will not work in any modern era business-sized (ie, thinnish <0.6" and lightish < 5-lbs) laptop. Heck, the Alienware 15 R4 (at 7.7lbs) and the Eurocom Q8 don't have any bragging rights either, falling well behind many i7-8750h cpu's multi-threaded performance. With a rated 45W TDP, it's gonna throttle unless it has a fat and heavy cooler sitting on top of it blowing lots of air.

The only thing this CPU works well in is a 10lb, 2-inch thick desktop replacement, and even some of those don't cut the mustard either, being equalled or bested by lower spec versions with lower price tags.

But can you imagine the hue and cry over Apple being behind everyone else if they had not made this i9 model?

It's not an engineering failure in this case. They made it work and not burn up, given the specs they had to work in.