I once delighted in an image of Apple as counter-corporate culture. But Apple is now officially living in my “just as bad as Microsoft ever has been” category—maybe even worse.
Now that Apple Inc. is the most valuable company on planet earth, they have become even more greedy.
The new head of Apple Retail recently laid off a significant percentage of employees from their Apple Stores—you know, the quirky people that make you delight in the Apple purchase, support, and ownership experience. Apple Inc. could make even more profit if they had fewer sales people. Really? Just how greedy are they as a corporation? The idiot’s decision blew up in Apple’s face, and they hired some of them back.
But now, it’s even worse. They try to trick their loyal customer base.
Everyone who had the 20GB iCloud storage plan just received an email saying that at the end of this month we would be downgraded to the free 5GB storage plan. Since almost everyone has more than 5GB worth of backups for their iOS device(s), they will lose data. Not to worry, you can upgrade.
The company even cleverly and manipulatively deceives their loyal customers.
On the screen warning you that your data will be lost on 9-30-2012 unless you upgrade, they provide you with two very convenient buttons: Upgrade to 50GB for just $100 per year or explore your downgrade options.
Keep in mind, everyone [that had the MobileMe account upgrade] has the 20GB plan that is ending on 9-30-2012. So, most people would mindlessly bite the bullet and upgrade to the 50GB plan for $100.00 per year.
Assholes!
If you touch the Downgrade Options, you can choose to keep your 20GB plan for $40.00 per year.
Keeping your 20GB plan for $40 per years is a “downgrade” option.
Liars!
Manipulators!
Jerks!
Apple Inc. isn’t stupid. They’re brilliant. Their marketing department is super brilliant. They don’t do anything “by accident.” They know very well the difference between upgrade, downgrade, and keep the same! They are deliberately deceiving and manipulating loyal customers.
This is the evil that is Microsoft. This is the evil that is corporate corruption. This is the greed of capitalism.
Apple, you’re now on my shit list.
Steve Jobs boasted of the beauty of the inside of the computer, of the circuit board design. Even though it didn’t need to be beautiful, they paid attention to every detail. So, if Apple will blatantly mislead loyal customers to get them to spend more money, what are they doing behind the scenes that we can not see?
Watch your step, Apple Inc., or you will lose the tremendous corporate success you have recently enjoyed from loyal customers who will flee. And you will deserve it!
Apple no longer gets the benefit of the doubt from me.
Interesting. I didn’t get that email.
It probably depends on when the clock started ticking on the iCloud storage agreement (which was tied to when you upgraded the Mac desktop OS to … Was it 10.7 when they rolled iCloud into it????) Everyone I know jumped at the same time and maybe that’s why we all got the email at the same time.
In all of the confusion, I finally figured it out: This only happened to those customers who had a MobileMe account upgrade. We were all given the 20GB iCloud storage for free when Apple decided to get rid of MobileMe. Now, after another uproar, Apple has decided to give all of their former MobileMe customers who had the account upgrade, another free year of 20GB of iCloud storage. (They did not bill me for the upgrade at the end of September.) I was so frustrated with Apple’s MobileMe and iCloud, I had already given up on them and switched to a 100GB DropBox account that provides more longterm management stability and functionality/options in the ways it can be used.
I’m tired of Apple “upgrading” new products in ways that are not at all initially upgrades. iCloud is yet another example in Apple’s unacceptable history of deficient upgrades. The new iCloud, “built new from the ground up,” does not yet have all of the features that the old MobileMe had. The controversial iMovie upgrade a few years ago was initially an appallingly horrendous step backward in features. It took Apple about 3 years before the new iMovie software product was worth releasing. More recently, Final Cut Pro X is another example that literally cost Apple the entire professional movie and TV editing market. The company can be so arrogant. Once upon a time digital customers may not have known what they wanted (as Steve Jobs so brashly bragged), but in the 21st century most customers do know what they want from their digital tools.
This is not a new problem for Apple that in any way reflects on the new CEO, Tim Cook. This is a long standing problem. I hope Mr. Cook addresses it successfully as the problem damages customer relations and ultimately market share. I still very much want Apple to continue to be successful.