I used to be firmly planted on the Apple train. As a college student majoring in graphic design, it made sense to go with Apple for my first home computer. We used Apple computers in the computer labs at college. It has been a while, and I believe my Apple Macintosh was an "Apple II." I learned Photoshop on my Apple computer that had one (note that: one) undo in Photoshop. The machine was pricey and slower than molasses! The CPU was so stinking slow, I typically folded a laundry basket of clean clothes while my Apple processed an action! Of course, the Apple computers improved over the years, and I stood by and enjoyed the improvements while using Apple computers in subsequent jobs that used Apple computers. I was on the Board of Directors for the Tidewater Area Macintosh User's Group (TARMUG) when I lived in Virginia Beach and enjoyed our monthly meetings, demonstrations, and I did the TARMUG newsletter on an Apple Mac. I freelanced and typeset books on my Apple primarily for the nearby Edgar Casey Association for Research and Enlightenment in Virginia Beach. When I worked at the Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Virginia, it, like most government agencies was IBM-centric. Being an Apple Macintosh person, I got a waiver to use a software "workaround" to make the IBM machine function more like a Macintosh, which worked fairly well. My long time best friend has Apple TV, an Apple computer, and an Apple iPhone. She and her ex husband are firmly planted on the Apple train (or "branch"), which seems to work great for them! The hubs and I have had iPhones in the past and although they functioned fine and as everyone knows, the marketing was always top notch, I could not justify the price tag! After a couple of rounds of iPhones we went with Android and have really enjoyed the phones we've had. Professionally, when segueing into government contracting, I went one hundred percent Dell (because, again, that's the platform in all government agencies of which I am aware), and have been for decades. Also, I now use Dell for my personal laptop. To me, Apple gets five stars for their marketing and popularity; however, it's four stars from me due to the inflated cost, and lack of adequate return on investment. read more

Apple Products are definitely one of my addictions. When personal computers came on the scene my employers used Microsoft Windows. I went to classes, at the expense of my employer, to learn Word, PowerPoint, Basic Computer, Excel, and on and on. Everything else was on the job training. Naturally when I purchased my first personal device I got a Toshiba Laptop and I used it for 15 years. My uncle who is now 97 years old always used Apple and my daughter followed in his footsteps. They converted me and I was shocked at the amount of new operations I had to learn. Over the years I have had many devices. The only one I recycled at the Apple Store was my iPad mini which was 16 Gigs. Definitely useless. I couldn't even trade it in. This year alone I've had to learn Apple TV and how to use my Beats headphones. Then it was time to get a new phone so I am forever learning iPhone 16! The best thing about upgrading is the speed. My old devices take forever to charge and I definitely love facial recognition. It's funny because yesterday I ran into an older man on the elevator who was upset and started complaining to me about his iPad Air. I told him the great experience I had on a Sunday morning calling Apple Customer Service. He said that was good to know. Despite excessive updates I am a fan. As long as the updates keep me secure I'm happy. As far as more bells and whistles, they're wasted on me. I'm always going to recommend Apple. Five Stars! read more

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On October 28, 2024, I purchased an iPhone 14 from the Apple Store in Los Gatos, CA. During the transaction, the Apple sales representative also recommended and sold me a Belkin screen protector, assuring me that it came with a lifetime warranty. He stated, "If your screen protector ever cracks or breaks, just apply for a new one through the Belkin website--they'll send it to you, and we'll install it for you." Seven months later, the screen protector shattered. Following the instructions I was given, I submitted a claim through Belkin's website. However, my request was denied because I had already discarded the broken screen protector. At no point did the Apple representative mention that I would need to save the damaged protector, take a photo of it, and upload that photo as proof to receive a replacement. Unfortunately, without this documentation, Belkin has refused to honor the warranty and will not provide a replacement. I feel misled by the original assurance and am now out $44 for a product that was sold under the promise of a hassle-free lifetime replacement. read more

2 Different Apple iPhones Hacked My 1st iPhone was hacked 3 months after my December 2022 purchase of an iPhone 13 from the Woodcliff Lake, NJ Apple Store. My 2nd & most recent iPhone 13 was purchased from a non-Apple store in May 2024, and was hacked 6 months after purchase. My experience is that a hack can be more easily achieved from an Apple Store device purchase vs. a non-Apple store device purchase. During both hacks, I am locked out of my iPhones despite using the last Pin number I set, which results in my logging into my Apple ID account with the credentials I set to regain access to my devices which theoretically should occur, but it does NOT. Although I am able to log into the Apple ID account I set up which is tied to my email account which I also still have access to; the phone number listed in the account is NOT mine. I am only able to view the last 2 digits of the phone number, which is NOW listed as 31, whereas my phone number's last 2 digits are 08. There is a prompt to - "Text code to" or "Get a call at" (...)...-.. 31, which of course is NOT my phone number, so your only recourse is to send your information into Apple, and wait, and who knows what time frame is involved. None of the Apple support people I spoke with can answer that question. After my 1st iPhone hack in 2023, I contacted Apple customer service, and was informed I must send send my purchase receipt and all other identifying phone number and account information to Apple for investigation. I was NOT offered an option to have my iPhone wiped so that I could still use it during this investigation process, so basically after 3 months of use, I owned a $750.00 iPhone 13 paperweight. There is surprisingly very little information online regarding the specific steps to follow in case your Apple ID account is hacked which appears to be a very simple task for a hacker to achieve despite the fact that I make certain to always upload the latest Apple Operating Systems and updates to my devices. Since I have now experienced a 2nd iPhone hack with a different iPhone 13 purchased in May 2024; I again reached out to Apple customer service in December 2024. The Apple customer service rep. directed me to file a police report and have my iPhone wiped at an Apple Store; both of which I did. After my Apple Store iPhone wipe; I was still able to view the last 2 digits of the hackers phone number listed as 31 in my Apple ID account The Apple Store stated there was nothing they were able to do regarding a hacked Apple ID account. It is a glaring shortfall in Apple's provision of customer service that the Apple stores are unaware of the next steps a consumer must take to rectify a hack to their Apple ID account on Apple's own network that requires each user create in order to even allow use of the Apple devices. Perhaps this may be a contributing factor to Apple's recent declining iPhone sales in conjunction with the ease of access hackers have to the Apple network to modify customer's Apple ID accounts. I have utilized Apple products for many years. In May or June of 2024, My MacBook Pro laptop that I use for school was experiencing networking issues and was taken to the Nanuet, NY Apple Store. After laptop analysis, the Apple store rep. stated the laptop was damaged beyond repair and could NOT be fixed. She then brought out their technical expert who confirmed the diagnosis. Imagine my surprise, 1 month later, when I took the same MacBook Pro laptop to a computer store, and they fixed the issue within 5 minutes. I am still using the same MacBook Pro laptop without issue. As a result of the Nanuet, NY Apple Store laptop misdiagnosis; I logged my iPad that I used for 3 years without issue to my iPhone 13 Apple ID account in the interim before my laptop was repaired at the computer store. The iPad is now also hacked, however, there is something unusual about the iPad hack. When I realized my iPhone was hacked; I placed my iPad in Lockdown Mode (which is supposed to prevent any network access at all to the device). I am even unable to utilize my iPad on any network when it is in Lockdown Mode. When the iPad is in this mode, I must disable it in order to access anything online. I did not disable Lockdown Mode, and additionally, I reset the Pin after the iPad was placed in Lockdown Mode as a result of my iPhone hack tied to the same Apple ID account. However, despite these measures, the iPad Pin was still changed and I am unable to access the device. The iPad also had the latest Operating System and updates. I am looking forward to an Apple's explanation regarding the iPad hack. I have sent my hacked Apple ID account and devices information to Apple Headquarters in Cupertino, CA which they received on Friday, January 3, 2025. I will provide updates regarding Apple's response. read more

The Apple TV platform did not work properly causing me to erroneously receive charges from Apple for a movie I did not order. Furthermore, I typically receive a notification that I have ordered a movie. None of that happened. The charge just showed up on my bill. This is not the first time that there is an error and Apple refused to acknowledge it and offer a solution. I should not have to come to a different source to help resolve issues with Apple. Apple should look into all problems when customers reach out. Collecting our money should not be your only concern. You have an obligation to address customer concerns with real solutions-not just throw your paperwork at customers. It is uncaring and rude. I'm not sure why Apple believes errors don't happen in their system, when they obviously do. There have been plenty of successful businesses that end, because they refused to listen to their customers. read more