Why I Love Apple, Reason #24789
There’s been a lot of talk about Apple lately, and the iPhone, and how much people love them. And usually when this happens, people throw around words like “cult” and “fanboy”. The implication being that Apple is undeserving of the adulation; that it’s somehow random or inexplicable.
But it is indeed explicable. Here’s just one recent example.
After using my iPhone every day for a year, I started to notice that its touch sensors at the top of the screen were getting a little less, well, touchy. I had to tap a couple times to get it to notice. Everywhere else was fine – it was just at the very top of the screen. Unfortunately, that’s a pretty important spot, as most of the applications have controls there.
Yesterday, when I couldn’t get it to open the search field in the maps application, I decided I had to do something about it. I went to the Apple website and made an appointment for the Genius Bar in the San Francisco Apple Store.
Today I walked in and showed the guy at the bar my problem. He said, “Looks like the sensor’s going out. Let’s get you a new phone.” Just like that.
He transferred my SIM card from one to the other, erased my information from the old phone, and I walked out of the store. When I got home, I docked the iPhone and it restored itself from the previous backup. The whole transaction took about an hour, including subway time. Now I have a perfect iPhone, exactly as I set it up. Every email, MP3, and photo in its place, right down to the order of the icons on the Home screen.
It was a perfect harmony of beautiful hardware (the iPhone), smart software (automatic iTunes backups), a helpful website (appointment-making), and real world service that treats customers like human beings.
Compare this experience to the last time you had to return a product anywhere else, or, heaven forbid, you actually had to interact with your phone company.
This is why Apple has a passionate following. It’s not just one thing – it’s everything.