AirPods and the Three Stages of Apple Criticism
by Volker Weber
It’s rare for critics, commentators, and especially commenters to admit that they were wrong. ... That’s why it was so refreshing to find a belated positive review of Apple’s AirPods by Vlad Savov, the self-described “resident headphones obsessive” at the Verge, more than a year after the truly wireless earbuds became available in December 2016.
Comments
I loved Apple in the 80s, latched onto PCs in the 90s, Androids in the 00s, and picked up an iPhone in 2015 after getting tired of dealing with crashes and (surprise) lack of updates/security. Plus Google's track record with respecting privacy sucks. Not that anybody should be surprised - their entire business model is the complete opposite.
Getting to know Apple again in the past few years I've noticed the one thing that always sets them apart is that they think through every part of the customer's experience with their products. UI/UX, OS, documentation, design, hardware, security, support, integration... and that's just the beginning.
Yes, there are other companies that will ship a "10" in a particular category (e.g. a better camera), but Apple is a 9+ in *everything*.
The icing on the cake I experienced just today: I called Apple iPhone support for the first time. As the phone system greets me I think to myself "What would Apple use for hold music? This is the same company who has thought all the way down through minute details like their packaging and is all about the user experience and interface. They would do something unique... but what?"
And then the phone system greets me: "Apple offers you your choice of music while you wait. Press 1 for modern/pop, 2 for classical, 3 for jazz..." and there is even an option for silence.
Of course.
So (not being an Apple hater) this smacks of ... ‘we have so many issues, rather than tell you how long to wait we’ll try to be cool!” Honestly!! All companies have support issues but by offering this option states that Apple have a lot!!
Did you read the article I linked to? Which of the three stages would your comment fit in?
