An Open Letter to Steve Jobs
Mr. Jobs:
I am an aspiring cartoonist and freelance graphic designer of limited means, but I needed a computer capable of doing serious graphics work. I’d heard wonderful things about the stability and performance of Apple computers for this kind of work, so I sought out a used 1.8 Ghz G5 iMac with a 20″ display and 2 GB memory upgrade.
For some time the computer worked wonderfully and I was very happy with my purchase. My art and productivity improved considerably and I started gaining traction in my career.
But shortly thereafter I had a problem with the motherboard and power supply covered under an extended warranty. I took it to the Apple Store in Emeryville, CA for repairs. My computer has never worked properly since.
The service I received at the Apple store was terrible. Another problem apparently “cropped up” during the repair, and large numbers were discussed for repairs. I was told I had a problem either with my software or hard drive.
I know my way around a computer, and when I have questions my brother (an engineer at IBM that worked on the PowerPC processor) helps me, so I tried the repairs myself.
Something is very, very wrong with this computer, and frankly I can’t rule out that the repairs were somehow faulty. At the very least, the techs there completely misdiagnosed my problem as I have mostly ruled out any failure by the hard drive or software.
I am not sure what steps I will take from here, but barring any unforeseen circumstances my business with Apple is finished. I sadly regret ever buying this computer, though very pretty and initially excellent for the kind of work I do, my excitement has turned to enormous disappointment. This product has been chronically unreliable and has cost me weeks of productivity.
I am very sorry that this has been my experience with Apple, as I was extremely excited about switching from Windows. There are more details about my problems and the solutions I have tried thus far at this forum post.
I will be sure to tell my friends and colleagues in the graphics industry my experiences, and urge them to reconsider purchasing an Apple computer. As a conscientious businessman, I thought you should be made aware of these kinds of problems so that you may improve your products in the future. But unfortunately, I won’t be there with you for a very long time. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Scott J. Morris