Apple: Rotten Apple(s)

I'd never thought to see this day, but it has come: I'm having a bad Out-of-box user experience with Macintosh!

Somehow, maybe because I'm an artist and a cat lover, I've switched to Apple after many early years in the Windows PC world. Until today, I've had no regrets.

However, the day has become that I'm willing to become regretful... or at least very angry at Apple. A bit less than three years ago, I was blinded by my Mac Book Pro out-of-box experience: take my laptop out of the stylish cardboard box, plug it in to network and whoosh - I was up and running in the wonderful world of Apple Macintosh. I was in paradise - however, the paradise had its snake called "Promise for good user experience". I became accustomed to ease of use!

Now, having attained a brand new Mac Book Pro, I automatically believed Apple's promises... and the disappointment was inevitable!

Case 1: Out-of-box experience

Promise: "All you need to start working with your brand new Mac"

Reality: I buy expensive (almost three thousand euros!) laptop, and in the package what do I find: laptop plus the AC cable. Nothing else! Halloo Apple? don't you know that people still use non-apple LCD displays or even have to go to customer and connect their laptops to data projectors or external displays? There is no direct DVI-input in the new Mac Book Pro (as in the old one used to have), only this pitiful Apple's own tiny input that accepts only Apple's own display connector. And you'll have to buy the VGA-connector (25 euros) and DVI-connector (around 20 euros) separately!

Case 2: promise of easy change from old to new

Promise: "Easily migrate your software, key chains and other user data from your own computer to new using Migration Assistant"

Reality: I give up after three hours of different combinations with WLAN, Firewire and other setups to connect my old laptop's Migration Assistant with my new laptop's Migration Assistant. (Migration Assistant is a software designed for easy migration for data from old to new computer). I surf various forums for answers, but finding information is really difficult. Finally I bump into one lengthy explanation by a forum user how Mac OS Tiger's Migration Assistant is incompatible with Mac OS Snow Leopard Migration Assistant. A minor detail that Apple's support sites and manuals have "forgotten" to mention. Doh! Of-course: who idiot would have a operating system that is ,hey, like three years old? No-one! (except me, who found it just handy to use all her design software without having to update to Leopard). And hey, if you just happen to find exactly similar looking software for data transport from your old and new laptop (with exactly the same name), how can you come up with an idea to suppose they would work together fluently?

Case 3: promise for compatibility (for Apple devices)

Promise: "You can use all your Apple devices fluently and they are always compatible with each other"

Reality: Buy a new laptop. Every time you'll get different kind of adapters and plugs and every time the connectors are on the different side of the device than last time. In my new Mac Book Pro AC adapter, display adapter and Firewire cable plugs are different than in my almost three-year old Mac Book Pro. Not a chance to be ecological and use those old, still functional adapters and cables from my old computer! See also Case 2 about easy migration.

Case 4: promise to be PC friendly

Promise: "Macintosh will always work with Windows world, although Windows doesn't support Macintosh"

Reality: Nah. You are Apple user, you use Apple devices. For example, I bought this Time Capsule external hard drive. It promises to backup my laptop automatically, and I can even access it via network from another location or laptop if I need to! I can use it with Windows too. Well, Apple support does not mention that you cannot use Time Capsule wirelesly unless you set it as your wireless network base. I tried to use it with my existing (Windows-compatible) wlan modem. No way. A lengthy call to not-so-Finnish-speaking Apple care person revealed, after about hour's work of trying to set up my Time Capsule, that I just cannot use it under another local wireless network modem. Its Apple Time Capsule wlan modem or nothing at all, baby! It doesn't matter that my home admin uses Windows ("You can install Airport Utility for Windows too") or that our existing wlan modem has been setup and paired already successfully with our Wii, PC, my two Macintoshes, Playstation and my mobile phone. What the heck to use some old scrumpy PC modem, when you can change into brand new Time Capsule!

Oh, I start feeling all nostalgic. Have to say, "this taking my new Mac into use" -experience doesn't differ so much from my old Windows set up experiences. It just costs more money...