I don’t want to bother anyone in my personal life with this any further than I already have, and I’m pissed off about this and want to vent a little, so let me discuss a current problem I’m having with Apple.
I purchased an iMac M1 computer in the fall of 2021. Yesterday, while I was using it to work on my new novel, listen to music, check e-mails, etc……a GREY BAR abruptly appeared in the middle of the screen. I tried restarting it, updating the software, etc. Nothing worked to fix it. When I did some research online I learned that this is an issue that is common for computers of this particular year and model: apparently it’s some kind of hardware issue due to Apple using a crappy cable or something. In fact, this issue is so common that I even found a petition online that has over 100 signatures. It’s not just me and a handful of other people: it’s a lot of people with the same problem and I’m not crazy. Apple has not publicly acknowledged this in any way and they are doing nothing to help users of this widespread issue.
When I reached out to Apple via their support chat thing, I was told a technician at their store can do diagnostics and check out the computer. But whatever the problem is, I would still have to pay out of pocket for it. From digging online, other people have been quoted as high as $700 USD for this issue. That would be investing about 50% of the original price on a computer I basically just bought the other day; I might as well just get something else and stop shitting money out for this one. All for an issue that, let me remind you, is Apple’s fault. This is not the result of someone dropping their computer or water or the dog chewing on it or whatever. This is just an issue that stems from Apple’s design, and they refuse to take accountability for their negligence. If this was a problem that happened due to my own retardation I would be less upset (and only disappointed in myself), but the fact that I purchased a product and it just spontaneously combusted like this is what pisses me off.
Prior to this, I owned an iMac from about 2006-2011. And then another one from 2012-2021. That is 5 years and then 9 years respectively. This 2021 iMac is the shortest period of time I’ve ever owned an iMac that has had a major malfunction like this: just under 4 years. It didn’t even make it to 4 years exactly, because today’s July and I got the computer in October of 2021. Furthermore, I read that other people encountered this same problem even earlier than I did — in some cases 2 years into ownership.
Now, you would think with the passage of time and modernity and progress and so on a company such as Apple would only continue to excel in the area they’ve been working on for the past 9 million years. However, the complete opposite is true: their products and customer service are getting worse. I am writing this right now with a screen that has a grey bar in the middle of it and a faint sort of rainbow at the bottom of it. It’s awful.
Anyway, if anyone at Apple happens to stumble across this, I would like you to deal with this problem in the following manner:
1. Replace the computer for me and everyone else experiencing this issue free of charge.
2. Give me a new Apple Watch to be nice.
3. Give me a new iPhone to be my friend.
4. AirPods if you’re feeling generous.
Numbers 2-4 are not fair, but neither is this entire situation. At the very least, Apple: you should honour Number 1 and replace your crappy product. I know you won’t do it, but I’m just putting this out there anyway. I am never buying another Apple computer ever again due to this issue unless this is rectified. I’m pretty good at holding a grudge, so I feel confident in standing behind that statement. I know you’re making a lot of money and one guy doesn’t matter, but I’m doing it anyway.
For those of you that support my work, have no fear: I won’t let Apple’s negligence set me back too much. I am hard at work on my writing projects still, and I have even brought out my 2010 Macbook Pro I have to write with (which hilariously still works). I dropped that 2010 laptop multiple times, I’ve used it HARD for 15 years now, and it’s still going strong. But an iMac from 2021 shit the bed after just under 4 years. Incredible stuff. Thanks a lot Apple.