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How Apple has won (and kept) my business


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 6 years ago '06        #1
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Honolulu Blue 
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How Apple has won (and kept) my business
 

 
Let me preface this post by saying before I bought my first iPhone, I was a huge Apple hater. I thought the iPhone was overrated, cliche, and I promised I would never, ever jump ship. But I knew there was something about the iPhone that people went nuts for. Seriously, every September when Apple released the new iOS and new model the internet was buzzing for a few weeks.

It all changed when my Samsung Galaxy S4, that I bought in June of 2013, decided to take a crap on me by the end of August. Yes, you read that correctly: under two months. The cause of death? The screen died out completely and was unresponsive. I had never seen this type of failure in any type of electronic device I have owned, mobile or otherwise. 2 months? I take great care of my devices. That's why the phone dying out on me bothered me beyond belief.

Was it the custom firmware that I loaded? Possibly, but Android's biggest selling point is the ability to customize as desired. If I wasn't going to be able to load different ROMs, then the Apple vs Android war just became more of a fair fight.

To set the record straight, I have an old school iPod that I got back in 2006, so I knew how sleek Apple products are. I have also owned a few iPod shuffles and even bought an iPod touch during my Apple spending spree. I just never considered myself an Apple fan for buying their MP3 players. It was a market that they cornered long ago. Now that I think about it, that was even more of the reason why I originally disliked the company. But even so, I never thought twice about buying an iPhone. I didn't want to be just another sheep. But sh*t happens. The GS4 let me down and I knew I wasn't going to give them another chance with any other device down the road.

It was the beginning of 2014, and I was officially on the market and looking for a change. The screen dying out and poor customer service (I had to go without a phone for like 3 weeks while they fixed it) left a bad taste in my mouth. I will admit that out of all things, it ended up being the camera that made the biggest difference for me. I don't know how to explain it, because Android supporters tout that the specs behind their phones are superior, but there's something about iPhone photos that just looks better.

T-Mobile was running a promotion to switch from Sprint. I had to track down an eligible phone to trade in towards the deal, but all in all it was a pretty sweet offer. I ended up selling the GS4 on my own (which is another story in itself; almost got scammed on eBay and robbed on Craigslist). And just like that, the iPhone 5S was mine.

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I loved the build. It felt great in my hand. iOS is easy to navigate. iMessage is one of the best things going for Apple.

All in all, I was happy with my decision.

Not even a few months later and I came across an awesome deal on a used 128 GB Cellular iPad 3. Just like the 5S promo, it was too good to pa$s up. It is the first iPad built with Retina Display. I got in on the HP TouchPad firesale back in the summer of 2011, and my work was giving us iPads to use on the job. I loved that thing; I used it off work all the time and knew I would eventually want one of my own.

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This is really where it hit me WHY Apple is renowned for its simplicity. You can use iMessage on the iPad the same way you do on your iPhone. But it's not just iMessage; everything feels like its integrated seamlessly moving from device to device. Apple just does a good job making you feel like you need to buy their version of products, because why would you buy something that isn't compatible with everything else? I mean sure these may be small things, but it's things that went a long way for me. The way Apple devices integrate the experience from one device to another seamlessly is unparalleled.

If you're keeping track at home, I'm up to a iPhone 5S and iPad 3 by now. It was in the fall of 2014 that I decided to take the plunge: a MacBook Pro. Specs include a 2.8 GHz Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM and a 500GB SSD.

I had been able to skirt around paying the normal premium for Apple products by selling my old phone combined with the T-Mobile promo for the iPhone, and getting a slightly used iPad 3. But the MBP set me back $1700. It was a pretty big commitment, to say the least.

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I can honestly say, this thing is the nicest piece of hardware I have ever bought. I shouldn't say that too loud, cause I got a beautiful 60" Samsung hanging on the living room wall that may get a little jelly.

The solid state drive loads up MacOS in seconds. All of the known aches and pains you've come to hate with PC's are mostly avoided by using a Mac. Not to mention, all of the integration with my iPhone and iPad was now supported by this thing. This mothership. This thing whips through anything I have put it through. The Adobe CS Suite, editing movies, you name it. I'm 3 years removed from buying it and it still works just as good as it did, if not better (with OS improvements) as it did the day I bought it.

I have a close friend who works at an Apple Store at the mall and offered me his discount on the Apple Watch. For the sake of keeping track of time, this was back in the summer of 2015. He said he wasn't gonna buy one and had no interest in buying one in the future. I waited a few weeks to take him up on the offer, just to make sure he wasn't bluffing. But getting an Apple Watch for half off? It was worth it. I wouldn't feel right paying $400 for one, but to own one of, if not, the best smart watches on the market for $200 is a good deal in my book.

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Fast forward to the fall of 2015 and I got sucked into the iPhone 6+ hype. By trading in the 5S towards the 6+, I didn't have to invest that much upfront for the new phone. The initial adjustment from the 5S to the 6+ was kinda tough but it didn't take long. I look back now and wonder how I even used a phone with anything smaller than a Plus. I'm not sure why everyone doesn't have one.

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In less than 2 years, I went from iPods only to 2 iPhones, a MBP, an iPad and Apple Watch.

In November of 2016, I ended up trading in the 6+ towards a Jet Black 128GB 7+. I realized I needed more storage space than what I got with the base model 6+ and the dual-lens camera was enough to push me over. I am not usually the type of guy to update my phone every year. But hey, I guess I'm an Apple sheep now, and that's what sheep do, am I right?

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I had some reward points through a thing at work and decided to spend them on an Apple TV last month (November '17). Is this the coolest thing I've ever bought? Not even close, but it's nice to have, if only for the fact I can screen share wirelessly to my TV now. I don't use Netflix or many TV apps but I wasn't going to spend those reward points on anything else that could be considered better than the Apple TV. They are really trying to make some strides with this thing, and I expect development for the Apple TV to be a huge focal point for Apple moving forward in the future. After all, the trend right now is moving more and more towards cutting the cord.

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To anyone who thinks Apple purposely slows their older phones down, I'm fairly certain this is due to the fact that once Apple releases a new iOS (usually with the release of a new phone) that the new iOS has been designed to draw resources and power from a newer phone with better components such as a faster processor or more virtual memory. I'm not saying this is a good excuse, but it beats the conspiracy that Apple is purposely sabotaging their own products.

One thing I will say is that although I love Apple products, I hate their price gouging on accessories and because of this, I almost never buy Apple accessories.

Another thing that is a drawback is the fact Apple has somehow gotten itself back into the adapter phase. Nobody wants to use a dongle or adapter in 2017. But these are small growing pains for a promising company.

So, what's next? Well, since they are discontinuing support for the iPad 3, I can see myself buying a new iPad in the not-so-distant future. I'm just having a hard time internalizing that price tag. But I've heard the iPad Pro is worth it. Can I see myself buying an Apple desktop computer? Perhaps, but I'm still of the belief that their laptops and desktops are a tad bit overpriced. No doubt my MBP was worth it, but combine that with a new Mac and I think that may be too much money invested in computers. I'm not even sure I need a desktop anyways, but the tablet would be used a pretty good amount.

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Last edited by Honolulu Blue; 12-09-2017 at 08:22 PM..



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