
Steve Jobs’ Response - mikecane
http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/2010/03/23/steve-jobs-response/
======
blahedo
What a dumb response. The person that wrote in wasn't looking for a free
replacement or a free repair---just an answer to the question of whether the
laptop was fixable. The snark was unnecessary, as was the assumption that the
user was just looking for a free ride. But perhaps Jobs just didn't read the
original request carefully; Bob Lefsetz's ranty response doesn't have that
excuse. He's using the user's question to rant about something _completely
unrelated_. Lame.

~~~
ugh
Full text of the email Jobs was responding to:

“I wanted to write and express my concern about some recent problems that I
have had with Apple Care. This week, my MacBook Pro unfortunately sustained
water damage. I understand this is entirely my fault but it is still something
I would like to get fixed. After three or four calls I was finally able to get
a straight answer. While I was happy to get a straight answer, I was not at
all happy with the answer. It is very worrisome to me that the only way to get
my computer fixed is to pay almost $300.00 up front with no guarantee that
this will fix the problem. I was horrified to learn that their is no system to
assess the problem and bill once all damage is known. I am reluctant to put
money into a problem that could easily grow. I have had three Apple computers
in a row. I love using them but I am not sure if my replacement will be one. I
feel powerless in the situation and the whole experience has turned me off of
the Apple company.”

(That’s not the kind of mail I would write to Jobs address. I would talk it
over with the support hotline. Apple is usually tolerant and there is very
often at least some wiggle room. It’s also not as if you would have to let
Apple do the repairing, right?)

~~~
stcredzero
Disclosure: I own 2 Apple laptops and pre-ordered an iPad.

I spilled a glass of wine on my Dell Inspiron 1705 awhile ago. I called Dell
and told them what happened, and they gave me the same story: $250 to look at
it. The only problem I could detect was with certain keys on the keyboard, so
I googled around a bit and found a replacement keyboard for something like
$25. I also discovered that replacing the keyboard was dead simple, and could
be done in under 10 minutes. I did that, and everything was fine.

Contrast this with disassembly of my 13" Unibody Macbook.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGcVwmUSmak>

Instead of prying out one plastic cover and undoing a couple of screws on the
Dell, I have to do all of that just to _get_ to the keyboard.

If you buy a mac laptop, buy a sleeve, buy a snap on cover, get an AppleCare
warranty, and sell it before that warranty runs out. They are not meant for
you to repair yourself, and much of their value as high-end design products
can vanish in a moment of inattention.

If you want a laptop you can maintain yourself, Dell is a better option. They
are also well designed, but with very different design goals. (Many also make
decent Hackintoshes, I hear.)

~~~
jerf
You don't mention it, but Dell puts the service manuals for their laptops
online, which can really help. For example:
<http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/ins5100/en/sm/>

I had to replace the keyboard on one of my Dell laptops, and while I would
have been able to do it without the manual, it was very nice to be able to
just follow instructions and know I was following the minimal path, rather
than disassembling everything, with the attendant screw-loss risks.

------
chaosmachine
Off topic: It's really distracting when a site overrides the default cursor
for no reason.

    
    
      html, body {
        cursor: crosshair;
      }
    

Don't do that!

~~~
snprbob86
I was confused for a solid 3 seconds wondering how I got my mac into screen
clipping mode.

~~~
stcredzero
_Rock stars are anti-heroes. They don’t do it everybody else’s way, but their
own._

To bring the thread back onto topic, the article needs editing. One example,
substituting "anybody" for "everybody" in the above excerpt would make more
sense.

------
jongraehl
The author complains about a cult of personality around Zappos' CEO in the
middle of his paen to Apple's.

~~~
tylerdmace
Yeah, I quit reading after that. Just lookin' for a cheap troll.

------
asnyder
_Shit, I treat my MacBook Pro like gold, I know how much it costs, I won’t
even put a drink near it._

Interesting, I'm usually of the opposite mind. If I pay $2500 for a ThinkPad I
expect to be able to spill water on it and it continue to run great. Otherwise
what's the price premium for? A shiny case?

In case you're wondering, ThinkPads do in fact have a drainage hole for those
unexpected spills while working away. I wish my current HP ProBook 5310m had
one.

~~~
sliverstorm
Reliability and robustness are features of ThinkPads, not basic laptop
functionality. With the ThinkPad, a good chunk of the 2.5k goes towards making
it a solid product. With the apple, a good chunk goes towards making sure it's
pretty and a trendy product. Simple as that.

~~~
somebear
Must have been before they were bought by Lenovo. Seems like the T61's we have
at work are nothing but trouble.

Regarding the new Macbooks, the casing machined from a solid block of aluminum
is very robust. Quite a bit more robust than any Thinkpad I've ever had by
hands on.

------
houseabsolute
When you are super rich and super cool, you can be an asshole and nobody will
stop you. At least that's the message I got from this.

------
pinstriped_dude
This is reference to an article, which is a refernce to an article. Here's the
original article - [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/7503635/The-
top-...](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/7503635/The-top-five-
terse-Steve-Jobs-email-replies.html)

~~~
mikecane
You are missing the point of his post. It's not just picking up on a news
story.

~~~
pyre
No, it's ranting about something completely unrelated to the original
reference that he gave. The email to Steve Jobs is from a person that is
frustrated with something that a lot of people have been frustrated with at
one point or another: "Why should I have to shell out $X (where X is a non-
trivial amount) just for you to give me an estimate of how much _more_ money
it will take to fix the issue, or even to just tell me whether the problem is
fixable or not?" The idea that someone like this is looking for a 'free ride'
or to get 'something for nothing' is disingenuous. The people are just looking
for "it will cost $X to fix" or "it's not fixable, you're screwed", not,
"Well.... I _could_ look at it and tell you what I think... But it's gonna
cost ya."

~~~
sstrudeau
Diagnosis is work. It costs something. Some businesses roll the cost of
diagnosis into marketing expenses ("Free evaluation!"); others won't (e.g., my
auto mechanic or my doctor). This guy was asking for a "free" diagnosis. That
said, if he had AppleCare, even if the damage was his fault, my internal
"fairness" compass says providing the diagnosis for free seems fair even if
the repair isn't (what if the water isn't the problem and it's just a loose
connection or a known bad part?).

~~~
awa
Interesting to note is that the guy did have Applecare too.

------
hernan7
Note to bloggers: Can we stop living Steve Jobs' life vicariously?

------
jsz0
Obviously the customer is complaining about a convoluted, possibly unfair,
repair process more than trying to evade responsibility. I believe Apple has
since changed their practices. The last incident I had with Apple included a
free evaluation (they paid postage too) and a flat repair cost that was pretty
hefty. About $200 less than a brand new computer. My guess is the estimate
included the possibility of replacing the entire machine since we never
discussed the possibility the machine couldn't be repaired. (but I didn't
bother since it was just a banged up Ethernet port)

Anyway my personal feeling is I give a company as much respect as they give
me. I admit I've tried to screw companies on warranty repair if I was either
unhappy with the product or didn't like how their technical support people
treated me. If a company plays it straight and fair I'll show them respect.
Over a period of probably 3 years I had some awful experiences with Toshiba
and I certainly will try to screw them again in the future if possible. Treat
your customers with respect.

------
rsheridan6
Does anybody know how hard it would be to design a notebook that doesn't die
if you spill a few drops of water on the keyboard?

~~~
jerf
A Google term you could use is "ruggedized laptops", that will lead you to
some other terms. Prepare to pay. But if you need it, it's worth it. (In
general, you don't need it.)

~~~
rsheridan6
That looks like total overkill. I'm talking about protection from spilling an
ounce of water, not using it as a weapon to bash grizzly bears to death with
or whatever these people are doing with their computers.

------
dnsworks
Another "Let's all bow down and worship at the cult of Apple" post.

Apple's return policies are somewhat abysmal, but that's OK, because in the
eyes of many, Apple can do no wrong because "At least they're not Microsoft".

The iPhone is the only phone I've ever used that is so poorly designed that it
gets destroyed if you sweat a little bit. (Hint .. Heat makes people sweat.
The iPhone gets very hot when used.) It's a design flaw that Apple refuses to
acknowledge.

~~~
dhimes
We've had good luck with the iphones in our family. Two teenage boys and wife
have them with no problems. I don't have it yet because my mobile is my
business line and their ability to get a signal, until the newest model, has
been crap. The latest version seems almost (but not quite) as good as my old
Razr. When we're all somewhere with poor signal, everybody borrows my Razr.

