Do I have iWork?<\/p>\n
I’m the type of guy who needs everything to run right.\u00c2\u00a0 Yup, I go to the dealer and carefully delineate every flaw in my automobile.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s one reason I’m never going to buy another German car, not unless I get really rich, I took my machine to the Subaru dealer for routine service and they asked me what was wrong with it and I said NOTHING!<\/p>\n
But my MacBook Pro had a flaw after installing the 10.6.5 update.<\/p>\n
I’m no amateur.\u00c2\u00a0 I repair permissions before and after installing new software.\u00c2\u00a0 I used the combo update instead of the delta.\u00c2\u00a0 But subsequent to upgrading, my mouse froze after awakening my computer from sleep.<\/p>\n
What did I do?<\/p>\n
Repaired the permissions.\u00c2\u00a0 Reinstalled the update.\u00c2\u00a0 Reset the PRAM.\u00c2\u00a0 Trashed a few plist files.<\/p>\n
No luck.<\/p>\n
So I went to the Communities.<\/p>\n
This is where you go if you have a Mac problem.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s under Support on the Apple page.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s peopled both by newbies and the experienced, like me, who need answers, who need perfection.<\/p>\n
But alas, I found no solution.<\/p>\n
So I called Apple.<\/p>\n
I’ve got an extended warranty.\u00c2\u00a0 You’ve got to on a laptop.\u00c2\u00a0 You’d be amazed what happens.\u00c2\u00a0 And with AppleCare, they replace parts no questions asked, it’s expensive, but it’s great.<\/p>\n
And AppleCare also comes with telephone support.\u00c2\u00a0 For three years.\u00c2\u00a0 I thought there’d be a long wait on Black Friday, but I got a live person almost instantly.\u00c2\u00a0 Who told me to reset the SMC and see.<\/p>\n
Didn’t work.<\/p>\n
But I got a case number and called back this morning.<\/p>\n
And this tech was worse than the first.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s why I don’t call Apple.\u00c2\u00a0 I know more than they do.\u00c2\u00a0 Phone help is really for the uninitiated, those who don’t know how to check their own oil.<\/p>\n
And this guy was telling me to reinstall the operating system, which is overkill, but finally, I got him to kick me upstairs.\u00c2\u00a0 Where the tech gave me an answer.\u00c2\u00a0 That there was no answer.\u00c2\u00a0 Others were calling in with the same problem.<\/p>\n
Voila!<\/p>\n
That’s exactly what I wanted to know.\u00c2\u00a0 Shy of a solution, I wanted to find out that it wasn’t me, that nothing could be done.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s my personality, one flaw and I’ll hunt it down forever.\u00c2\u00a0 But in this case that endless search would be fruitless.\u00c2\u00a0 Because the problem was on Apple’s end.<\/p>\n
Not the biggest drawback.\u00c2\u00a0 If I unplug and plug the mouse back in, it works.<\/p>\n
And while I was running a diagnostic program on my computer, that the high level tech had e-mailed me, he proffered the above question.\u00c2\u00a0 I thought it was a trick.\u00c2\u00a0 You know how warranty work goes.\u00c2\u00a0 IT’S THE CUSTOMER’S FAULT!\u00c2\u00a0 You added an aftermarket item, you screwed it up. Ain’t that America.\u00c2\u00a0 Supposedly reputable companies constantly wiggling their way out of liability.<\/p>\n
But just before we got off the phone, five minutes later, the tech brought up iWork again.\u00c2\u00a0 Since I didn’t have it, since I wasn’t running it, could he send me a free copy for my troubles?<\/p>\n
HUH?\u00c2\u00a0 You’re accepting responsibility and giving me a reward for reporting a problem?<\/p>\n
What kind of crazy fucked up world does this happen in?<\/p>\n
The Mac world.<\/p>\n
Which is why if you’re not a member, you hate us.\u00c2\u00a0 Because we keep telling you stories like this.\u00c2\u00a0 How the Genius Bar fixed our problem for free. How our computers run so well that a minor flaw is noticeable and intolerable.<\/p>\n
It’s like we’re fans of a band.\u00c2\u00a0 All moon-eyed, testifying.<\/p>\n
And you’re either part of the club or you’re not.\u00c2\u00a0 That’s what bands and labels don’t realize.\u00c2\u00a0 That it’s hard to convince non-members of the tribe. We’re turned off by the constant hype, by the constant dunning.\u00c2\u00a0 But we are open to peer pressure.\u00c2\u00a0 When our friends love an act, we give it a chance.<\/p>\n
That’s what’s selling Apple.\u00c2\u00a0 Friends.\u00c2\u00a0 People hear these amazing stories and take a chance.\u00c2\u00a0 And they become members of the cult and have insanely great experiences and drag their friends in too.\u00c2\u00a0 To the point where anything Apple sells, people will buy.\u00c2\u00a0 Just like you’ve got to have the latest work of your favorite act.<\/p>\n
And those acts that triumph in the future will give great customer service.\u00c2\u00a0 The labels are lacking here, and the old school acts too.\u00c2\u00a0 It’s not about having a street team hailing those who don’t care, it’s about having problem-solvers, who can make sure fans get tickets, have a good experience and get their questions answered.<\/p>\n
You see it worked.\u00c2\u00a0 On paper, it looks like Apple’s losing money.\u00c2\u00a0 Having its tech support in America, spending all this time on the phone, sending me free software.\u00c2\u00a0 But now I’m evangelizing.\u00c2\u00a0 I’m just telling you, you want to be a member of the cult.\u00c2\u00a0 You want people to take care of you, you want them to care about you.\u00c2\u00a0 Owning a Mac is like following the Grateful Dead.\u00c2\u00a0 Jerry took care of you.\u00c2\u00a0 Steve might not be as benevolent a character, but deep inside we believe he’s taking care of us too.<\/p>\n
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