Mac Man

Mac Man

My home is over flowing with Apple products. I have an I pad, I pod, two Smart phones, a lap top, an I Mac and two Apple TV units.  I think that’s it.  I love Apple and even read the Steve Jobs biography and I don’t usually read biographies. But Apple is also irritating on many levels.

Beside the fact that Apple doesn’t support charity work, certainly Steve Jobs didn’t seem too and the corporation doesn’t pay much in the way of income tax, yet they are the world’s largest corporation and have billions in off shore revenue...I can over look their lack or community commitment and corporate greed for the most part because after all they are an American corporation.

My petty little beef has to do with my seven year old I mac that died on me last month.  It wouldn’t light up, couldn’t talk, play music, process files, nothing, the passion was gone.  I carried it into the Apple store and that model does weigh a lot.  The guy at the Genius Bar ran his little diagnostic magic and informed me that the hard drive was toast.  He spoke in more technical terms.  

Unfortunate, a set back but like any part it can be replaced.  Right?!

“Unfortunately, I was told by the guy in the blue T-shirt from the Genius Bar, we no longer service these old models and don’t have the parts.”

“Seriously!”

I had paid in the realm of $2600 for that computer and now that a part was faulty I would what have to pay the equivalent or more for another machine!!!  It’s like buying a Honda Civic and coming back after seven years for a part and being told that they don’t service that model any more.  You should buy a new car. 

Planned obsolescence in action.  I know seven years in a dog’s life is a long time and maybe 7 years in the life of a computer, in terms of changes, is even longer, but it’s only a mechanical part from the world's biggest company.  Certainly they could handle this little issue.  No, is the answer.

As another young man with a blue T-shirt carried my heavy I Mac to my car he mentioned, “You know you could take this to Mac Man on King Street.  Not much of a store front but he could fix this and he really knows his stuff.”

Mac Man is from Lebanon and has a degree displayed on his wall from the University of Waterloo.  Blue T-shirt guy was right the store was not a pretty sight, but he could fix my Mac and have it ready for the next day.

As I was talking to Mac Man about my computer he dashed away, grabbed a bottle of water from a shelf and rushed out the door. He gave the water to a passing street person. I thought I could trust this man.  He gave more to the community in one minute than Apple has in its corporate life time.

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I just read that Apple has given %0 million to charity this year which amounts to .1 percent of profits.  There is no record of Steve Jobs giving to charity