Apple, sleazy web portal peddler?
10.2 was/is great. It finally started approaching the speed of Mac OS 9 (at least on my G4), and the interface was bearable (2 monitors with the dock on the far left seems to do it for me). People complained about having to pay $129, twice, for what amounted to really only one finished OS, but I sympathized with Apple...they had to get OS X out so it wouldn't be another "Copland".
The only thing that bugged me was the unskippable advertising for .Mac in the Setup Assistant-it WOULD NOT let you opt out. You could say "I'll try .Mac later," but that sounds like crap I'd expect from a popup website. I'd like to answer my own questions, Apple...don't make me lie to my computer!
Now we have Panther. I played with the beta briefly at a friends' house, and I thought it looked okay...it had some bugs, but I thought, hey, it's a beta right? My mom asked me to spec out a laptop for my sister's Christmas present, so naturally I picked a brnnd-new iBook G4.
Yesterday it arrived, and I booted it up. I was dumbfounded by what I saw-Panther's Setup Assistant won't let you out without signing up for .Mac! Yes, you can Apple-Q your way out...but what about end-users like my sister? She's never touched a Mac in her life!
Imagine this scenario...you're new to computers, you get your iBook, you turn it on...all of a sudden it starts asking you some very personal questions...not only phone number and address (which is bad enough) but your BIRTHDATE? And you're helpless to figure a way out, without spilling your personal information and/or giving up credit card info.
I can't tell you how disappointed I am in Apple. Don't they make enough money off their
ing computers? If .Mac is worth the money (and it definitely IS NOT for my sister) shouldn't people be able to find it and sign up for themselves? Jeezus, why not push the Music store instead, at least you get something worth a shit for your money there.
On top of this, we have reports of DOA Panther CDs, countless bugs, firewire drives getting hosed, and Safari and Mail forcing themselves on hapless users...tell me again, why aren't I using Windows again? I'm sticking with Jaguar for now. I hope the next revision of Mac OS X will be more worthwhile.
The only thing that bugged me was the unskippable advertising for .Mac in the Setup Assistant-it WOULD NOT let you opt out. You could say "I'll try .Mac later," but that sounds like crap I'd expect from a popup website. I'd like to answer my own questions, Apple...don't make me lie to my computer!
Now we have Panther. I played with the beta briefly at a friends' house, and I thought it looked okay...it had some bugs, but I thought, hey, it's a beta right? My mom asked me to spec out a laptop for my sister's Christmas present, so naturally I picked a brnnd-new iBook G4.
Yesterday it arrived, and I booted it up. I was dumbfounded by what I saw-Panther's Setup Assistant won't let you out without signing up for .Mac! Yes, you can Apple-Q your way out...but what about end-users like my sister? She's never touched a Mac in her life!
Imagine this scenario...you're new to computers, you get your iBook, you turn it on...all of a sudden it starts asking you some very personal questions...not only phone number and address (which is bad enough) but your BIRTHDATE? And you're helpless to figure a way out, without spilling your personal information and/or giving up credit card info.
I can't tell you how disappointed I am in Apple. Don't they make enough money off their
ing computers? If .Mac is worth the money (and it definitely IS NOT for my sister) shouldn't people be able to find it and sign up for themselves? Jeezus, why not push the Music store instead, at least you get something worth a shit for your money there.On top of this, we have reports of DOA Panther CDs, countless bugs, firewire drives getting hosed, and Safari and Mail forcing themselves on hapless users...tell me again, why aren't I using Windows again? I'm sticking with Jaguar for now. I hope the next revision of Mac OS X will be more worthwhile.
Comments
I wonder if the "Crash submission Reports" will make em go nuts more, or less
quit freaking out
birthdate....dear lord
Originally posted by Gizzmonic
Yesterday it arrived, and I booted it up. I was dumbfounded by what I saw-Panther's Setup Assistant won't let you out without signing up for .Mac! Yes, you can Apple-Q your way out...but what about end-users like my sister? She's never touched a Mac in her life!
Um, I think you made a mistake in the setup. I have installed Panther several times and each time chose not to get .Mac. I was never given any hassles and proceeded through each time normally.
if you say yes, it asks for info.
if you say no you move on.
I know, it sounds weird, but geeks like things others don't. For instance, my gf wasn't at all interested in seeing how RAM upgrades were installed into her laptop.
silly non-geeks.
At my lab the PowerMacs are registered to Stevie Wonder, 231 Superstition Avenue or Frank Black, 1717 X-Files Way. If it demands e-mail I put [email protected].
Just lie to the stupid computer, people.
Originally posted by groverat
A lot of people I have talked to are perplexed by Apple's "give me your info!" in the setup. I don't get it. Just lie.
At my lab the PowerMacs are registered to Stevie Wonder, 231 Superstition Avenue or Frank Black, 1717 X-Files Way. If it demands e-mail I put [email protected].
Just lie to the stupid computer, people.
Do you really have to register them? I installed panther on two PowerMacs at work, just command-Q the registration part and you'll skip it.
Early last year when I bought a new Mac (I think it was a PowerMac, but who the hell can remember) I received 12 free issues of MacWorld magazine. In fact, I had registered a couple in that same month, so I got 2 subscriptions. In the email from Apple, I got a link to a MacWorld signup page, and signed up for one with my wife's name and our home address, and the other with my name and my work address. I have a recent switcher friend, and I dropped one of the issues into the mail every month for him.
I registered my new G5 on Monday, and today just got an email from Apple again, telling me I am getting another free one year subscription. I think that's a decent tradeoff for giving them my name and address.
Cool thing is, I get to choose between the regular print version or their new digital version. If you haven't seen the digital, it's pretty cool. My G5 came installed with an app called Zinio Reader, with one issue of MacWorld in there to check out. Now, do I want to be able to read it on the throne, or sitting at my computer...
Originally posted by murbot
You guys act like registering your computers with your proper contact information is some kind of evil. I'm glad I do it.
I think most people are complaining about what they perceive as bait-and-switch tactics employed by Apple here. And I did not like it much, either. It's a cheesy way to gain customers and make some aftermarket money, like MS popping up a box with something like "before you can use .NET internet services, you need to register at MS passport" which is technically correct but tries to lure people to sign up for passport because they believe else they can't use the internet.
Personally, I think .Mac is a shame. It is so inferior to any hosting plan and at the same time more expensive. Of course YMMV, but based on this, I'd prefer them to not try to prod me into signing up for a trial account.
It shouldn't be there. You should boot up your computer the first time and not have to enter your personal information. You can lie, but you still have to enter it. CMD-Q isn't an excuse, it's a half-assed recognition that their process is crap.
"Would you like to register with Apple?
Yes (box)
No (box)"
Not too goddam difficult. That's even how it works with Windows.
*smirks* No.... you do not have to enter ANYTHING at all to get Windows to boot right up, install and work for you perfectly well on the 1st boot of a new install....
Originally posted by groverat
"Would you like to register with Apple?
Add another nuisance for international users: they (as do many websites) ask for a state. I live in a country without states, or without states that matter. (If you care, the hierarchy round here is: country>region>province>city>etc.) So I always have to fill in some lie, even if I don't want to, because it just won't let me be.
And I won't even begin to complain about the problems with my 4 digit zip code.
No.... you do not have to enter ANYTHING at all to get Windows to boot right up, install and work for you perfectly well on the 1st boot of a new install....
Sarcasm is often used as a cover for ignorance.
You have to enter some things to install Windows, but no requirement for name/address/phone#.
Open Setup Assistant on a brand-new computer. Enter in your information, and opt to create an Apple ID the first time it asks. Continue onto the process and you will get to the "I'd like to sign up for an Apple ID, I'd like to sign up for .Mac" page...there are no other options on that page.
What if you just signed up for an Apple ID a few screens earlier? If you're like me, you'll get frustrated at Apple's heavy handed and confusing software...the triumph of marketing over functionality.
Just to qualify this, I don't suddenly hate Apple, and I do think Panther holds some promise, but the combination of sleazy marketing, bugs, and goofy new interface (are we Mac people gonna have to deal with a new Finder UI every year from now on? Yeesh!) add up to a major slap in the face to Mac users. I hope we see some positive changes soon.
This kind of stuff would top the list, guys.
"Hey, that's helpful!"
MS does it:
"