“Big blogger” gets upset that Apple is all talk, and no social interaction.

I think the bigger issue is that quality control is beginning to suffer. I never thought I would have a problem with an Apple laptop, but I’ve had plenty since the last upgrade (including two repair calls and finally a complete replacement). After owning four separate issue-free Dells over as many years (happily upgrading to the latest and greatest each time) prior to making the OS X switch, one finally came that was DOA. Dell began its slide soon thereafter.

Something of a cliché - just don’t hit me if you’re down too.

Eric Savitz of Barron’s Tech Trader follows today’s “downs” and yours truly puts some much needed spin on it:

And while we’re at it…

Last but not least…

UPDATE: STOP THE PRESSES - Some German physicists have broken the speed of light! And as any student of Einstein’s theory of relativity should know, this means we may soon be able to travel back in time. Absolutely nothing to worry about now.

Like my memory of their once superb support.

I am not going to debate Dell’s now inherent negatives - Jeff Matthews has a lock on that - instead, I’ll speak to the experience I last remember, and it was a good one.

The Dell C840 I purchased (and subsequently hacked up) was a refurbished device. When it arrived, the screen had a ding in it, and the LCD was blurred as a result. Bad. I called Dell support, and they immediately scheduled an onsite repair. Two days pass, and no tech arrived. I called Dell again.

I remember not one, but two fine humans taking the case. Once I was transferred from entry level to “priority,” the tech wasted no time telling me they’d help, and help bigtime. Solution - pull a brand new machine off the line and send it my way. No replacement refurb, mind you, a brand new machine. I received it four days later.

That is what I remember about Dell, and the pundits can’t take that away from me. Unfortunately, Apple Computer can make that memory less significant, as my time on the phone with them (due mainly to my early unfamiliarity with the OS), was met with cordiality, patience and rigor as well.

I wish them all luck, as that is where value is headed in the computer age - towards kindness, consideration, and a take-action attitude with the customer.

If only the rest of the world followed that path.

And niether did Jeff Matthews. Matthews is finally tiring of Dell’s plummenting technical support quality. I am wondering why it took a smart guy so long to figure this out.

Poor service at Dell is not necessarily new-news. I’ve been hearing since last summer from various friends and acquaintances that Dell tech support was not all it had been cracked up to be. But since I haven’t called Dell Technical Support in over a year, I didn’t pay much attention to it…

Unfortunately, it has been happening for more than six months. Whether is a result of the changing of the guard over at Dell, market forces and the law of large numbers getting to them, or something else, I don’t really care, nor will I ever. I took the next step already (and for you computer geeks, that pun was not intended).

I perused this whole article (see Is Apple a Rule Breaker?), but when through I knew something was wrong. Right at the front of the article, it said Apple offered premium products at premium prices. Being a recent Mac convert, I remember doing a heck of a lot of comparison shopping before deciding on my new Powerbook, and I couldn’t remember finding a similarly equipped machine at a comparable price. Was or am I missing something?

Well, I did a little more digging, and now I do not think so. While I do agree (after two months with the fine little Apple Powerbook G4 12 incher) that Apple does make premium products, I think the price issue is more one of being highly competitive than otherwise.

Rather than wind up comparing apples and oranges (no pun intended), I did a quick comparison of a couple of desktops, one from Apple and one from Dell. Here were the specs:

- Dual-processor - Apple at 2.7 Ghz with 512mb cache, and Dell at 2.8 Ghz with 1mb cache (the Apple has a bit faster front-side bus, so I call these setups essentially equal)

- 2 Gigabytes of RAM (2 DIMMS)

- 250 Gig hard drives

- Video cards - ATI Radeon 9650 w/ 256mb memory on the Apple; nVidia Quattro 1400 w/ 256mb on the Dell

- Sound cards - Apple standard versus the Dell’s Soundblaster Audigy 2

- Other - both have 16X DVD-RW’s installed, and no monitor

Apple price: $3,449

Dell price: $3,626

Where is the premium pricing here? Even if you add AppleCare to the PowerMac at $249, you are still within a hundred bucks of the Dell, and you don’t have to deal with Windows either.

Note: I did check out some machines similar to my 12 inch 1.5 Ghz, Superdrived Powerbook. With the extra 768mb I have in RAM (versus factory stock), my machine cost me roughly $2,100. A similarly sized Intel machine with Windows usually lacks the DVD-RW in the chassis, and still costs roughly a grand more, although they usually claim speedier processors.

Again, I know by now the Apple is superior hardware - what I am still wondering is where the superior price is.

***UPDATE***

Someone else thinks they are not so expensive either - taking TCO in account…cheaper by half? Hmm.

I’ve heard an awful lot of analyst (and Dell executives) talk about how Apple is a one hit wonder with the iPod. While I have gotten a little more biased after my month on a Powerbook, I still couldn’t take the mindset of the fanatics, and had to continually lean towards the pundits. That notion gained even more strength after I saw the Mac Mini, and thought it overpriced and useless. Now I am beginning to wonder.

The custom automobile industry is big business, and has huge following which started with some very spendthrift, Honda Civic-owning types. Now there is customization going on all over the place - it has become mainstream. And if you want to sell a product, I mean really SELL a product, you have to hit the mainstream. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Mac Mini does just that.

There was some chatter about how the Mini was interestingly so close in size to standard US car audio dashspace. While the implementation at this link (TunerTricks � Blog Archive � GTi - MacMini) utilizes a lot more than this space, it is a heck of an effort, and I suspect we will soon see more of this.

This is how trends start folks, with one innovator, then two, then a little publicity from someone big (with something to gain). If it is featured even once on MTV’s Pimp My Ride, I say game over.

For more comments on the project, you can check out the sometimes useful and funny commentary at Slashdot here: Slashdot | Mac mini in a Volkswagen.

I am not the only one who likes my Mac. Although I still run a Dell C840 with dual boot WinXP and Fedora Core 3, the Mac has appeal in terms of portability, ease of use, and a comfortability factor I have become acccustomed to in a very short time (like three weeks).

Now Linus Torvalds is using one too.

Slashdot had this piece posted: Slashdot | Torvalds Switches to a Mac.

Interesting read, especially the comments about a “Mac not being a Mac,” without OS X, etc. etc. The jist of the commentary is that the Mac hardware is extremely well built, feature packed, compact (when in laptop form), and dollar for dollar a darn good value compared to similarly configured PCs.

I have to attest, those comments are correct. My 12 inch Powerbook has impressed the heck out of me so far. The aluminum chassis is stiff and light, and the keyboard feels much nicer (comfortable) than my PC (or my full size add-on keyboard). And with just under $2K invested (with the gig memory upgrade I added), it is roughly $500 CHEAPER than the (stripped down) relative-sized portables from Sony, Dell, and others. Yes, cheaper, and with more features than I found in others.

And did I say easy to learn, cool-on-my-lap-for-hours, and that I don’t seem to mind the smaller screen and lower resolution as compared to my suped-up Dell. And it is, well…cheaper (I am a cheapskate, so I always do a lot of price/feature comparison). Well then I just did.

Gizmodo had a review of the Dell 42″ Plasma TV the other day (see Dell W4200HD 42-Inch Plasma Reviewed (Verdict: Wait for Sale) : Gizmodo).

Well the title is pretty self-explanatory.

I personally won’t wait for the sale, as I don’t watch much TV at all. But for those TV junkies out there, a better way exists to get that TV without having to wait, and WITHOUT HAVING TO PAY AT ALL! It’s called Blingo.

A new search engine which popped up on the radar a few months back, Blingo presents an interesting twist on the old search model. They give away prizes just for using them.

Now you may be wondering what the catch is. Well there is none. No signup process is required to win a prize - all you do is search. Now you must have cookies enabled on your browser in order to be tagged for a prize, but that is little sweat. Blingo does not gather extraneous information about you, nor do they harrass you after you win. Your name is not released to anyone outside of the Blingo crew, ever.

Yes, I am plugging another site. Reason being, I know these folks, quite well in fact. They are a standup crew with no intention of screwing anyone (unlike 99% of the sites out there). No, I am not an investor in the business, so I stand no gain on seeing them do well.

I would, however, like to see some intelligent, honest entrepreneurs hit a homer off a unique model, without raking their customers over the coals. I think Blingo can do that.

So go to Blingo, and win that sweet TV, you crazy, game playing, movie watching, Nick and Jessica loving, home theatre junkies, before its GONE!

A week or so back I compared Apple to Toyota, regarding pricing and quality. I left one major issue out which some may say speaks to the difference between good products and truly excellent ones.

I’m talking about warranties.

The warranty a company offers with their products tells me heaps about what I am buying. It speaks to how confident the manufacturer is that their product will work without fail. It says much about how good the service will be when it does fail. And nowadays, it should be as important in a notebook computer as it is in a car, as some people depend on them as much (or more).

I am typing this entry on a Dell C840. It is tricked out (just the way I like it - read more at A Decent Linux Laptop (continued)). Anyway, I have had this machine for almost 18 months, bought it from the Dell Outlet, and it came with a 3 year, next day onsite warranty, parts and labor included. A hard drive failure hit me once - there was a new one at my front door the following morning. It is a desktop replacement that has served, and continues to serve, me well.

But I need something more portable (as the Dell is a boat anchor). I have Windows and Linux tied up, so curiosity takes hold, and I peer at Apple Powerbooks.

Yes, Apple makes nice products; yes, they are easy to use; yes, they are purported to be stable, reliable, and virus free. And yes, I am drooling over a 12 inch Powerbook now. But I have one concern. Everyone I talk to, whether it be existing Mac owners, Apple Store reps, or even hot dog vendors on street corners, say get AppleCare. Get AppleCare. Get AppleCare. Hmm.

So I check out AppleCare, and what do I find? It is a $350 add on to the price of the slab! A $1,700 sub-notebook is now a $2,050 sub-notebook, and that is without the tax. Wow! And the rep in the Apple Store doesn’t budge when I ask to have it thrown in. Huh? It’s a dang service contract - if your product is so great, what harm is there in just giving it to me? I’ll buy the cute little aluminum gizmo right now, and even a few software titles, just throw in the service contract. “Sorry, we can’t do that.”

Why not stand behind the product with aplomb? Tell me the product is the finest around, that nothing will ever go wrong with it. Tell me you know this to be true. Don’t say “the parts in this little bugger are darn expensive.” Ouch. $350, extra, is the cost of that assurance, eh?

My Dell is 18 months old, and under warranty for another 18, no extra charge (failed me once - repaired next day); my Toyota is four years old, has another year left under warranty (at least for the stuff that counts), no extra charge (never failed me). Excellent products.

I think I will wait a little longer on the Powerbook, based in part on the recommendation of my neighborhood hotdog vendor.

Ok. Yesterday a client of mine calls and says she wants to send a fax. A what? I did not know fax machines even worked on our souped up digital phone networks. I haven’t sent a fax in years (a quick scan to PDF attachment is my process of choice). Off to the races.

Let me begin by saying that I am as mobile as they come. I swear by my latest porto-box, even if it is a ten pound Dell C840. It has a mini-PCI b/g card, which is as close as I get to the network. I have a broadband connection in the house, that ends in two places - a wireless router for one, and another to a box that supposedly controls a machine called a television. Second device besides fax machines that I need to research someday. My cell is my only phone.

I started checking all the providers out there, and narrowing it down to two that seem to actually provide a service. (I don’t mention names when I have something negative to say - you can figure it out - I will call them ABC and XYZ). Both leave some things to be desired, and I am sure there are a few more that just didn’t make the cut (please let me know, too) but here is my take:

I first signed up for an ABC test account (free inbound, no outbound - just what I needed at the moment). I dialed the ABC number, and hear a fax on the other side. Good. Then I call the client, and give them the number. Five attempts by her later, no fax has gone through. Maybe it was the “handshake” or some other tech glitch, but nonetheless, it didn’t work. I log into my account, looking for some help. I find a lot of links to upgrade my account, but none that actually show any activity. The support section of the site turns up nothing either (except a lot more links to upgrade).

Now, a couple of thoughts. Why would I want to upgrade to a paid account when I cannot even get the free account to do what I need it to? I am certainly not against paying, but for what? The only thing the upgrade offered was outbound faxing I don’t need, and a local number which I also don’t need (all my clients are far and away anyhow). A quick shot at the ABC pricing schedule, and I see no inbound-only plan.

Ok, no worky, no planny, no customer…….goodbye.

Next stop, XYZ. Now XYZ asks you to pay for some service upfront, but they offer the first thirty days for free (yea, whatever…they just bill in advance for service). But, again, as I am not opposed to paying, I sign up. Next thing I know, I have a confirm message on my screen, with a number. Bang…a confirmation email hits my box. Quick dial of the number, and I find a fax alive on the other side. Call the client, and give her the number. Five minutes later, an email arrives in my box with a nice clear PDF attached…..just how I like it.

Now some caveats on XYZ:

1) Their “activation” Outlook COM plug-in file (downloaded from their site) did not work. No care here, as a quick email to tech support (very responsive, by the way) confirms that file only enables outbound faxing from Outlook 2003. Don’t need it, and two, inbound has already proven to work fine without.

2) XYZ offers no inbound-only pricing plan (what I really need).

Questions and conclusions:

Why do these fax services think outbound faxing from email is so important? They force its “need” in their pricing structures, as though it is a world beater. If I have to send a document, why not just email it, instead of using email to fax it?

And why not offer an inbound-only plan? It should actually be cheaper for them to receive faxes, than to send them. Senders bear the cost of the call from the fax machine to the server on the inbound, while the fax service provider bears the cost of the call from the server to the fax machine on the outbound. And even if a service has a POP in every area code in the world, they still have to pay for the last mile, which makes the whole thing a wash.

As far as usefullness, well I am part of a small band, so I favor the inbound. But in a large organization (which I have been a part of in the past) the following dynamic occurs:

People are happy to see their faxes show up at their desk, as they are always wary of who might be reading the fax over at the machine across the hall (or worse yet, scooping up their two page doc along with another twenty page one, and walking off with it). Inbound service certainly solves that problem. Now on the outbound side, if someone needs to send a doc, they would rather save the trip, but if the document is readily faxable from the desktop, then why not just email it? And if the doc required a signature, etc., the person has to make a trip to the fax machine anyway, unless of course, multinational corporations are now providing sheetfeed scanners to every employee…not!

Someone please let me know if a better service exists, or if the “premier” providers get a little farther along.

Originally posted to the thoughtmarket predecessor site by mg on March 26, 2004 06:05 AM