Newsgroup: it.comp.macintosh
Titolo: Ad Apple ho scritto questo.

Ciao a tutti,
	seguendo i threads ho visto che non sono il solo a cui le ultime
decisioni di Apple hanno dato tremendo fastidio.
Per cui, spinto dalla lucida rabbia di chi e' stato ancora una volta
preso in giro ho scritto questo. Ho pensato potesse interessarvi.
So che mi capirete :-(
Paolo
P.S. E' in una sorta di Inglese, scusate...
---
Hello there,
	let me start by saying that I'm a Apple user way before the first Mac release,
with experiences starting from Apple II's epoque. I feel to add that this very
mail is sent as CC to some Mac magazines, websites and newsgroups.
From a Mac point of view, I wish to highlight that I owned a LC475, a Powerbook 5300ce,
a couple of iMac (266 Mhz and the new G4 @700Mhz), a Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh and a
"Pismo" G3 firewire 500Mhz. I also bought a 10GB iPod, a ColorOne scanner 1200/30 and a
CDROM 600e. Fair enough, I believe.
Regarding software I wind up to own 6 licenses of Appleworks, as follows:
- Version 4: bought in full and discovered it was included free in the Twentieth
Anniversary Macintosh.
- Bought the upgrade to version 5, included free with the iMac (rev B).
- Bought the upgrade to version 6 which was again included free with the iMac G4.
Last summer I also paid for a now useless key of Quicktime 5 Pro. 
For a incredible series of unfortunate coincidences it happens I always bought either
your hardware and software just out dates of your extremely annoying "clearances sales",
with the single exception of the Twentieth Anniversary which I have to admit was kind
of bargain, considering the initial release price.
I bought the Pismo the DAY BEFORE it was rebated (the 1st rebate) of around 600 US$. It
was rebated again after some time for another 200 US$ or so. Then, I just bought iMac G4 
and a 10GB iPod 5 days before the 120 Euro rebate. As you might guess, I already loss a
huge amount of money thanks to ridicolous garage sales policy irrespective to loyal,
faithful and responsible customers as I am.
Is extremely annoying and frustrating every time discover just FEW DAYS after the
purchase that I could save hundreds of dollars, and there's no way out of this.
The 10th of April I bought (for the Pismo) the MacOS 10.1. I could also find and use
either a copy, or the one included in the iMac, but I am faithful and responsible and i
wanted to pay.
Believe it or not, OS 10.1.5 is not nowhere close, speed-wise, as OS 9 is. Thus i'm 
very disappointed about the performances, which require a faster hardware every release.
Now:
1) Jaguar, being a mere upgrade, costs a fortune, and there's no upgrade policy for
   brand new OSX users yet.
   Furtherly, a 2 year old Powerbook (paid in excess of 3500US$) won't benefit of many
   features such as Quartz Extreme and specific G4 code optimization. Again, this is
   against previous Apple's philosophy. This is against the reasons why this Macintosh
   was chosen, and possibly conceived.
2) iTools account is going to terminate and you're asking 100 USD a year with
   no choice of less-expensive options, such as email account only. This is insane,
   as everybody needs to pay a ISP anyway which has web space and email account already
   set up. As far as I remember, iTools was included free with the purchase of MacOS 9,
   and supposingly was already paid by OS 9. "Email address for life!" Just bullocks.
 
MyN...@mac.com
 should be YOUR form of advertisement, not mine.
3) iPod has just been neatly reduced in price, and now there's a necessary carrying
   case included for free. Great! Thanks!
Don't tell me that is the price for progress: this is a bullshit. Apple always meant
quality, ease of use, comprehension and support for older Mac models and continuous
respect for faithful customers and their money. It's clearly not pursued anymore.
As Mac users, we're always asked to pay some sort of "taxes" in terms of availability and
prices of software and peripherals, and we're used too, but users can't be squeezed like
lemons for NO reasons. Users get annoyed. I am extremely annoyed.
Am I slightly going out of your target? I can't afford to buy every 6 months a brand new
Mac just to use new features that should be there since the beginning thus I paid already.
Apple is NOT definitely going in the right direction. Apple is denying is whole story
with this kind of strategies.
If I choose a Mac is because I can rely that I will use it for many years to come, and my
investment is paid up: I don't want a Personal Computer which is outdated in 6 months and
need to be reinstalled 10 times in a year. Apple Mac's higher prices until now justified
this advantage over PCs. Is this going to end?
You're providing evidences that it will. These are clear signs that the higher price of
the Mac WON'T be enough to differentiate it from PCs, and thus be chosen. This is not a
simple transition phase, is undoubtfully getting worse every month.
I fear that Apple is pushing too far even for loyal Apple users. Apple is rapidly
changing his brand statement. Worser. Your ex-faithful and ex-enthusiasts but now
pissed-off customers may consider to change Apple instead.
Hope you'll consider that your current strategies are actually damaging the brand, the
company style, the respect and the fame earned in hard years.
"Think different" was a well learnt lesson after all. Although what the Mac represents
for most of us is a way of life, the Apple's money-leeching, mob-style, lemon-squeezing
policies are not indeed, and we may be forced to abandon these troubled waters sooner
or later.
Is this the "switch" you're asking for? You're pushing it backward.
Paolo Zanellati
Irritated Apple Customer

 
|'o\| |/o \/o \/o \ | aaria (two and a Mac): 
http://www.mp3.com/aaria
|._/|_|\__/\__/\__/ |*An out of control ego will sometimes get in the
       /_/ /_/      | way of your success.                  (Todd H.)

 So che mi capirete :-(
I totally agree.
-- 
Marco

Zanna rulez! :-)
Thank you, Biggo!
Come va col Surround? Io i dischetti del Dolby ancora non li ho trovati...
Ciao
Paolo
---

Ottima lettera, rende bene l'idea dell'umore attuale degli utenti
Apple!!!
Aaron


Aaron,
	se scrivi ancora su Applicando, falla pubblicare, almeno in parte.
A MacWorld UK e USA l'ho gia' mandata...
Ciao e grazie
Paolo
---

 wrote:

Men che meno :-)
Per ora continuo a manina... Ogni registrazione una sorpresa! :-D


 Is this the "switch" you're asking for? You're pushing it backward.
bravo!
ciao,
isadora

 Is this the "switch" you're asking for? You're pushing it backward.
Ok.
L'unica cosa che non ho capito e' cosa c'entra il limone ?
-- 
Ciao da Francesco B.
Quesito per i piu' esperti:
Da che film e' tratta questa frase ? "Klatu Barada Nitto". 

L'unica cosa che non ho capito e' cosa c'entra il limone ?
"Spremere come un limone". Mi sembra una frase comune, qui a Milano...
Ciao
Paolo
---

 "Spremere come un limone". Mi sembra una frase comune, qui a Milano...
Sorry, mi era sfuggito il senso.
