MovieChat Forums > Steve Jobs (2015) Discussion > This movie confirms why I will never own...

This movie confirms why I will never own an Apple product...

posted 8 years ago by WujekSpenser
67 replies | jump to latest

Well, this film is very well made, let's be honest. I'm very anti-Apple because of reasons anyone else is anti-Apple. And it shows in the film just within the first 10 minutes, that even Steve Jobs is struggling with his own decicions.
"Don't you have a screwdriver?"
"It can't be open with a screwdriver, it needs special tools to be opened and I don't have them with me".
(Not an actual dialogue from the movie, just a short version)

I had a friend who was good with technology and could fix *beep* for himself. He had an iPhone and a single water droplet got into jack socket of it and ruined it. He wrote to Apple to fix it on warranty, but they declined as they said he damaged the thing himself and they only could offer to fix it for half the value of the phone. He decided to fix it himself, because he knew he could, but couldnt get inside the *beep* thing without damaging it, because he didn't have the "Special tools".

I have a friend living in London, being die-hard user of iPhone and iPad. He has the cheapest TV in his room (like 20 inches or so) and is going through life as cheap as he can, but he owns those two *beep* things. And once he asked me to borrow my laptop, because he needed to do some online tests and *beep* to get a promotion in his job. I borrowed him my laptop, and when he was done, he asked if he could keep it a bit longer, because he got into some online game that wasn't avaliable for Apple users. I left him my laptop. He gave it back to me couple months ago with some *beep* installed on it, so he can access some Apple media or something, that I can't uninstall (seriously).

I'm anti-apple because I think Apple products are highly overpriced and inaccessible. I dress myself in shops with casual clothing and the way I look at iStore is the same as I look at United Colors of Benetton store - rich hipster's stores. And both are always almost empty when I pass them by in the shopping center.

And the movie proves that behind all what I hated about Apple products stands one guy, that is kinda self-centered dickhead, thinking of himself as artist of computing. I liked the movie, as the movie as it is great job of Danny Boyle and Aaron Sorkin (mostly Sorkin) with actors giving great performances, but it let me understand why I'm so anti-apple. I wonder if when Bill Gates will die, some skilled screenwriter-director team will be able to make movie about him so soon after his death and Apple fans will feel the same.

[EDIT]
Oh, and to be honest I didn't read much about the movie before I've seen it, so I was patiently waiting for it to show Jobs going full douche before iPhone and iPad launch. Luckily it was spared.

[–] PopperTheKungFu-Dragon 8 years ago

I've never owned an apple product in my life, I still loved the movie.

Poorly Lived and Poorly Died, Poorly Buried and No One Cried

[–] Acid_Reflex 8 years ago

Me either (except one of them very early shuffles which I rarely used), but always hated proprietary equipment

Never owned a Mac or Apple (though I was forced to work on them in Animation and Prepress) and I won't even consider an iPhone (mostly cause they try to block the torrents though)

--Truth is like poetry. And most people hate poetry.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Acid_Reflex 8 years ago

Yeah! Wow! I can't wait to give out my credit card number. I'm going there right now, right after I get done asking the group of kids playing outside to beat me senseless with baseball bats

*All they make are unwatchable movies from unreadable books.

--Clarence Worley

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Ithilfaen 8 years ago

The only Apple product I ever owned was a laptop in the 90ies because my school bought them in bulk and made us pay for them. Talk about getting screwed lol.

Anyone who actually uses computers instead of just browsing the web on them, anyone who knows computers even a tiny bit, wouldn't get near those things with a ten foot pole.

Not only do they perform solely what Apple wants them to do, but they are ridiculously priced for crappy hardware that can't be updated. Give me a break.

I liked that Sorkin tried to link all that to Jobs being a control freak due to his being an orphan but *beep* Apple and good luck to them with the hipsters.

For every lie I unlearn I learn something new - Ani Difranco

[–] ohmypotter 8 years ago

i've owned Apple products and Microsoft/android/"other" products and I will never waste my money on anything non-Apple ever again. Not because I'm a hipster or because I think I'm cool for owning Apple stuff, but because I wasted so much time and money on products that crapped out on me after two years. If I decide to update or buy a new computer, phone or tablet, it's because I want to and not because I have to. I make the initial investment and keep my products for many years.

[–] Sidewindr 8 years ago

What a load of crap, my last desktop PC was still going strong after 7 years before I upgraded it and then I only needed to upgrade the Motherboard, CPU and RAM. With ALL apple products you cannot upgrade components, you need to purchase an entirely new device.

My current android phone is still going great after 2 years and is still competitive performance wise. My android tablet is also still going strong after 4 years with no issues.

I have owned hundreds of devices and computers over the years both apple and non-apple and the only times I have had apple devices is when I was forced to have them for reasons of compatibility with other people's apple devices.

[–] standrkm 8 years ago

If you're not good with computers and you have the money to spend then I say go with the apple products.

Apple is a bit like a Bentley sedan and the others are like a Ford truck. You're not upgrading a Bentley to go faster or sound better or race through the desert. It looks great and does what it's meant to do well and when it breaks down you pay Bentley to fix even the slightest problem. The Ford truck however isn't as sleek, but it can be fixed with your own two hands and parts are easy to find. Plus you can customize it into whatever fits your needs.

Of course I think Windows 7 rocks and my Ipod 8gb is awesome, but they both have their faults. You can make a Corvette faster than a Ferrari and save a ton of money, but it will never handle like a Ferrari or sound like a Ferrari, and it'll still take time and money. If you have ample money though then buy the Ferrari, but prepare for the expensive upkeep and lack of cupholders. If you have the Corvette then prepare for a garage full of parts and tools.

You can upgrade a PC but not an Apple, although after 7 or 8 years it's time for a new faster and more energy efficient machine regardless. That's just the way I see it, not that I disagree with you on anything. I can get by with a PC because I build them all the time. My brother is an idiot and his Macbook Air is a godsend. There's Vista and there's Itunes, and luckily there's more options.

"how's a fella go about gettin' a holt of the police?" -Karl

[–] JackBluegrass 8 years ago

...or sound like a Ferrari...

...and that's important and wanted because.............

E pluribus unum

[–] standrkm 8 years ago

because it's a good sound

"how's a fella go about gettin' a holt of the police?" -Karl

[–] cremuslohe 8 years ago

Apple is a bit like a Bentley sedan and the others are like a Ford truck. You're not upgrading a Bentley to go faster or sound better or race through the desert. It looks great and does what it's meant to do well and when it breaks down you pay Bentley to fix even the slightest problem. The Ford truck however isn't as sleek, but it can be fixed with your own two hands and parts are easy to find. Plus you can customize it into whatever fits your needs.

THIS. Whether you agree or not, this was clearly Jobs's vision - the Bentley of computers, end-to-end control, totally incompatible with other car parts available off the shelf at any auto parts store.

[–] eoval 8 years ago

Just watched it (and really enjoyed,) and I completely agree. I just upgraded the GPU in my PC. Installed it in minutes, not counting the driver installation. When I first bought this particular case et. al., I doubled my RAM. Took longer to take the case apart than install it. With a PC there are numerous OS available, and hardware combinations are only limited to the size of your case and your budget (and replacing the case is cheap and easy.)

When I was watching Jobs and Wozniac debate on number of slots available I felt a rush of validation in my inherent dislike of IOS products.

Great movie regardless, to repeat myself.

"I do not like mixing up moralities and mathematics."
Churchill

[–] johnvukovich 7 years ago

EXCELLENT analogy comparing cars and computers! Since I'm a "car guy" I also agreed with everything that you said re: Corvette vs. Ferrari and Bentley vs. Ford truck.
Good show old chap!

[–] standrkm 7 years ago

thanks, yeah I was also on the Walking Dead forum once complaining about the lack of Ford F-150's, I mean the world end you're gonna want to drive a truck, the most common truck on the road for when you need a spare part, plus those things last quite a while haha, they seem to almost always drive old clunkers on there, bugs the heck out of me

"how's a fella go about gettin' a holt of the police?" -Karl

[–] sbowesuk 8 years ago

If your non-Apple products have continually crapped out on you, then you're doing something wrong. Either you've made bad choices during purchasing, or not looked after your products after purchase.

Granted, Apple products are generally idiot-proof, but for those who aren't idiots, other options become far more appealing. That's the simple truth of the matter.

[–] brianfanning00 8 years ago

In college I had a laptop that had the vents on the bottom of the device. It literally melted once when I had the laptop resting on my bed. I had to sue Circuit City to get them to honor the warranty.

I had another laptop where the paint around the touchpad began to wear away within a year of buying it, exposing the plastic underneath. Before long, the laptop looked like a dilapidated mess.

My next laptop did one better, with the paint around the touchpad oxidizing from the oils in my skin within 2 weeks of buying it. After a year, that laptop looked like a dilapidated mess, too.

I grew tired of this routine...

I knew people who had Macbook's and they always looked good. They never seemed to wear. That's why I switched to Apple. You pay more*, but their products are durable. They don't fall apart from regular use.

*(The increased cost is also offset by the fact Apple products retain their resale value better than any other brand. You get more for them used than you do for other electronics.)

EDIT: I have had Apple products that needed repair. But here again there is an advantage over their competitors. You can't go to Best Buy 10 months after you buy a PC from them and have it repaired for no charge. They'd tell you to contact the manufacturer. Apple Stores make it really easy to return products that need repair. If something goes wrong, you know where to take it that's nearby. That makes life easier.

[–] charles-pockert 8 years ago

Ahhh, so you are one of those people - you want your device to look shiny and nice instead of actually being functional.

Your "wear and tear" is actually an aesthetic issue since the removal of paint doesn't functionally cripple the device.

As far as the "melting" is concerned, a lot of laptops actually come with warnings that say "must be on a level flat surface" since not all designs are equal (if you are buying a CPU with a high TDP or a laptop with a poor cooling solution you might suffer here). That's probably why you had to argue with the store you bought it from.

I'd also argue that you probably paid at least 30% more for your Apple products than the equivalent Samsung/Google/Dell/etc device..

This reminds me of the time I was having a conversation with someone at work just after the iPhone 6 was released (I work in the IT industry with IT devs/consultants). They wanted to upgrade to the new phone but they couldn't tell me why...

"I don't know... it's new?", was the best answer.

They didn't have a clue why they wanted to upgrade, they just wanted a shiny phone. This sounds like you.

Great - enjoy having to buy a new set of charging cables every time you upgrade (or it breaks) because Apple won't embrace standards. They do this so that they can make a lot more money and lock you in with their products.

It's a very underhanded strategy in my opinion.

[–] YuunofYork 7 years ago

Spot on. As were Sidewindr's comments elsewhere. What's the point of a device where you can't (a) upgrade components as needed and (b) upgrade it yourself. It takes no time at all to learn what the parts of your machine do, what they're worth, and how to test if they are the problem. If you have two hours to watch this movie, you have the time to research and build a computer. As for phones, who cares what they look like? They're identical, they're way too large, and the nature of battery capacity decay necessitates replacing components instead of the entire device.

To be fair, there are people who compulsively buy the newest components as they come out, which is just as stupid. Some things get superceded so quickly, it isn't cost effective to get every upgrade in a row, while other things require time and testing before it becomes smart to buy. A good example is simple HDDs. Perhaps for some architectural reason I don't understand, when higher capacity HDDs were getting cheaper, everyone's 3TB drives had a 20% increased incidence of failing after a year compared to the 2TBs and 4TBs in the same exact lines. Moral there is wait one year and read a damn review first. Same as Apple people paying $200 for a mail-order repair and $2000 for a device. Fools and money, soon parted.

The kind of person who doesn't care to learn how their device works shouldn't own one. These guys are why there's Minecraft for the PS4. I feel so sorry for those people. Did you know there are microtransactions to change texture packs there? It takes 5 seconds to do it yourself - no PC user would ever pay for that service, but I've only used apples, so...here's my money!

Et ses mains ourdiraient les entrailles du prêtre
Au défaut d'un cordon pour étrangler les rois

[–] slash83_mus 8 years ago

Somehow, only the most loyal Apple fanboys have experienced device after device after device failing on them - before they 'discovered' Apple. All other consumers have no problems beyond what you can expect from any electronic device, save for those who continually buy low-end, low quality products. Somehow these people think that the performance and stability increase they get from upgrading their 250$ crapbook to a 1500$ Mac(Book) is a result of superior engineering by Apple, instead of realising that just about any 1250$ upgrade is going to show huge improvements, no matter the brand.

That misplaced loyalty and the continuously branding everything non-Apple as inferior is what keeps people like the TS and myself from ever owning an Apple device, no matter how good it is. It's not the product, it's everything that surrounds it that makes people hate it. Hate, for the lack of a better word, because it's a phony emotional rollercoaster, a farce. Keep telling yourself how superior your devices are, just shut up about it to the rest of the world. We already have enough zombies to deal with.

“I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here.”

[–] vicky_lc2001-1 8 years ago

I only owned one Apple product in my life, a 120gb iPod that required me to either rename my music files into unrecognizable jibberish names or make a duplicate of my 100gb music library. So my music with the ipod needed 200gb space on my computer. In the end, the iPod zonked out within 9 months. I didn't drop it, it just went dead for no reason.

Global Warming, it's a personal decision innit? - Nigel Tufnel

[–] puirt-a-beul 8 years ago

If I decide to update or buy a new computer, phone or tablet, it's because I want to and not because I have to.

Or, most probably, because Apple built planned obsolescence into the heart of its products and you have to buy a new computer because resource needs have moved on and you can't update the one you've already bought.

You might very well think that. I couldn't possibly comment.

[–] flickfix 8 years ago

Really?

I started with DOS 3.0 in middle school, moved on to Amiga OS, then Mac's System 7 and Sun Solaris in college, then Win95, then WinNT and SGI IRIX at design school, then Win2k, and now, I'm using OS X, and I don't see anything wrong with it.

I actually think people jumping on Apple-hate are trying to be hip. "I'm not like everyone else" high school mentality. It's just tools, and it boils down to preferences.

[–] andrewhollingsworth 8 years ago

The Apple computer vs Windows PC or iPhone vs Android Phone debate

Non Apple products generally give greater flexibility but Apple are more simple to use, have more stable operating systems and the hardware usually lasts longer. Having had many PCs and looked after the operating system, they always start becoming unreliable after about a year and often parts of the hardware fail, especially where PC laptops are concerned. The same with Android phones and non-Apple MP3 players.

Basically Apple products will therefore be more appealing to the masses who don't want the hassle. Most people come into this group so if they can afford the Apple product, that's what they will go with. Windows based computers require more patience and more understanding of computer hardware and software. I used to fall in the latter camp but Apple is now my preferred choice.

As for the film, they certainly didn't sugercoat it. Jobs did come across as a flawed genius and wasn't very likeable but that's not enough to stop me from buying Apple products.

[–] Sidewindr 8 years ago

[–] 8 years ago

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[–] ellen-38627 8 years ago

I use both, and you have just explained why i prefer Apple by far. "I only needed to upgrade the motherboard, CPU and RAM"!!! Just reading this has given me a headache. I have no idea what the hell you are talking about. I don't want to have to upgrade anything, i just want to turn on my machine and it works. That's it. A computer is a tool, just like a car is a tool. I don't want to have to look into the engine and figure out what is wrong. I bring it to a garage, and i pay them and they do whatever maintenance is needed. Same with my computer.
My work PC was automatically "upgraded" to windows 10, which downloaded all kinds of useless games and crap i never ever use. It takes longer to switch on and off, i have to update the antivirus software etc. It crashes regularly. I get crazy error messages. With my Mac, nothing. It goes on instantly, off the same. It doesn't tell me to wait forever while a zillion upgrades are installed. It doesn't lose stuff. It doesn't get viruses.
So yes, if you are some computer geek who loves to tinker around playing God, sure get a PC and install whatever on it, but if you are like me and just see technology as a tool, well Apple is the way to go.
Plus, it looks cool.

[–] slazev 8 years ago

Unreliable after a year?
Sorry to be blunt, but you or they who experience this are either really unlucky or are doing something wrong.

[–] emokillss 8 years ago

"Basically Apple products will therefore be more appealing to the masses who don't want the hassle"

seriuosly masses, with that overpriced product? or to some hipsters who can brag that they own apple products, it's actually a status symbol rather than what the product can do

[–] questforgold 8 years ago

When I bought a MacBook several years ago, the guy recommended that I buy a black model because the Apple logo stood out more.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] lysergic-acid 8 years ago

There are plenty of valid reasons to prefer Apple products to its competitors' and vice-versa. But somehow you managed to write all of that without hitting upon any of them. Good job.

First off, no smartphone is designed to be user serviceable. That's because most users don't want to (and are incapable of) upgrading or replacing the components in their phones. Additionally, to make them user-serviceable would require the same compromises that it takes to make user serviceable laptops: larger chassis containing less tightly packed components and more space to accommodate different models/brands of components. To optimize space, laptop, tablet and phone makers design custom boards, custom chassis and use custom arrangement of interior components, including memory chips, which themselves are soldered on to reduce the vertical clearance needed, thus reducing the thickness of the device.

Secondly, if you look at iPhone and Android repair kits, they're nearly identical. If your friend couldn't figure out how to repair an iPhone, he wouldn't have much more luck with most Android or Windows Phone devices.

Thirdly, if you actually priced out the parts from a top-of-the-line Mac Pro, it would actually cost you more to build a comparable machine yourself. For other product segments, it's easier to argue that there is an "Apple tax," but generally people who claim that they're "highly overpriced" don't know anything about hardware and think a TN display is equivalent to an S-IPS or think that most people want to carry around a bulky Clevo laptop chassis and use their computers only for gaming.

Additionally, Apple may be very controlling of their ecosystem in so far as the App Store, but OS X being a nix OS is actually more interoperable than Windows. Most Linux or BSD apps are easily ported to OS X, which offers a standard bash shell familiar to longtime nix users. Speaking of which, Apple has also embraced, leveraged and contributed to open source software much more so than Microsoft. And, in a similar vein, they've also pushed for open standards while MS has done the exact opposite. Likewise, Apple fought against DRM (finally making it a moot point in the music industry) while MS has long pandered to pro-DRM publishers, building DRM "features" into their OS as well as the Zune.

Lastly, it seems that those who are rabidly anti-Apple that tend to be the most obsessed with how one's choice in computers or phones affects one's image or identity. They also seem to be the most judgmental about someone else's preferred phone or OS.

[–] WujekSpenser 8 years ago

Well, first off, not all damages require new parts, did you know that? Some people are really good at DIY, believe it or not, but I have a lot of stuff in my house that was fixed without any professional servicing. My Logitech speakers broke, they where buzzing loudly and my father-in-law fixed it by himself. I broke the cord of my Panasonic headphones and he replaced it by himself pretty much dismantling the whole thing and they work perfect right now. I know people that are like wizards to me with such things. They can open up any device and even if they can't fix because of *beep* servicing protections, they can at least tell "Oh, that's the problem. But I cannot fix it, cause it needs replacing this part and it's pretty much unavailable in the electronic store".

Secondly, my friend COULD figure out how to fix that iPhone, but he couldn't open it without damaging it, and therefore the whole fix would be useless.

Thirdly, it's like saying that if you buy private jet you would save money on flight tickets. Don't you see it doesn't make sense if no Mac is upgradable? If somebody can afford top-of-the line Mac Pro he probably doesn't even care what's better. Also, I have a fast laptop as a mobile device and a PC as a gaming and home entertainment device. I don't understand the idea of "gaming laptops" at all.

Additionaly, you started to write in some technical language, that could proof that you really know what you're talking about but...

Lastly, you seem to be really protective about Apple products. But, although my post may sounded very anti-apple I'm not the guy shouting out loud how I hate those products. I was using some of them, they're okay, but because of price range and incompatibilty I will never buy one. Because with *beep* Apple, you can't just have an iPad and be cool with it, you pretty much have to go Apple all the way and buy this *beep* Mac Pro and iPad and iTunes and whatever to be comfy with it. I don't have that kind of trouble with my PC running on Windows and phone running on Android.

[–] vicky_lc2001-1 8 years ago

The time of Apple tabs has ended anyway, it's the age of dual tablets like the Surface Pro. Ipads are nothing more than big iPhones.

Global Warming, it's a personal decision innit? - Nigel Tufnel

[–] wercide 8 years ago

Why can't people separate personal from business?

I hate Steve Jobs's attitude, but i'm writing from a Macbook Pro.
I hate Kanye West's arrogance, but i still like his music.
I hate that Roman Polanski is a confessed pedophile, but i still like his movies.

Why does the fact that he was a douche keeps you from using Apple products?
You don't have to like or agree with a person to like what they produce, that's how i see it.

Also, this movie isn't really about Apple and Steve Jobs, this movie is about a troubled relationship between a father and a daughter, and it's really good at doing that.
__________________________________________
English is not my first language, forgive my mistakes.

[–] ebertebert-83-711045 8 years ago

Me too. Jobs was a sociopath. Become a myth only because people dont know about his private and real life.

[–] C-Younkin 8 years ago

There's a dickhead behind every company. Heck I worked at a Non-profit and many of the people in charge of it were self-centered dick heads. No reason to hate the entire company for that.

And if anyone is interested in a review of the film- https://youtu.be/B1wdJpXJjY4

Trying to go for an informative, and hopefully something people think is funny, youtube channel so hope you guys like. Thanks.

[–] Bozohead 8 years ago

There's a dickhead behind every company. Heck I worked at a Non-profit and many of the people in charge of it were self-centered dick heads. No reason to hate the entire company for that.

Bill Gates was a dishonest and unscrupulous businessman but once he retired he has been a philanthropist and has done a lot of good things around the world. Jobs was just a plain disgusting sociopath who never did anything good for anyone but himself.