The Fundamental problem with independent computer shops and repairmen

I've spoken to quite a few independent computer shops and found that the owners are extremely bitter and have the propensity to complain a lot about one company: Apple. They criticize Apple with the same old dumb ass arguments that other critics use to discredit or find reasons to use against the company.

I found this to be extremely hypocritical because the accusations made against Apple under the false pretense of "Free speech" and "constructive criticism" is not unique to Apple. Their arguments fall flat because the majority of these accusations should be directed at any company that is guilty of what Apple is being accused of doing: i.e. price gouging, less hardware features, monopoly over its customers, calling Apple's customers "Fanboys", Apple copying another company, or being late to the game, etc, etc. 

When I assess these arguments for merit, I find that they fall flat for a variety of different reasons. A few of which are listed below:

Calling them "Fanboys" or Apple Sheep:

Seriously? I could easily walk up to an avid user of any brand and call them exactly that: Fanboys. This is primarily true of Samsung. if you love Samsung and if you love everything Samsung does, then that is your prerogative.  How are people who use Apple any different? Each tech company is doing this to its customers. They have something that their customers need or want. That is why their customers go to them or are loyal to them. The only difference here is Apple is offering something that the majority of the customers need: It simply works out of the darn box and is truly seamless and user friendly.

For critics of Apple to use this is an excuse to find something wrong with the company. What is stopping an Apple customer from saying the same thing?

Also, it is as simple as replacing the word Apple and inserting the name of any company that goes with the word "Sheep".

Apple copied <insert company name here>:

There is an old saying: 

Good Artists copy. Great Artists steal.

And that is exactly what Apple's competitors are: "Good Artists", and that is key. 

This argument falls flat because it is the exact reverse of what Apple is being accused of doing: Other companies copy Apple to compete with Apple - plain and simple.

Apple puts in the leg work when it comes to R&D and its competitors conveniently take the easy way out to save costs and turn around and encourage their fanbase to complain that Apple copied them.

Critics conveniently ignore this and continue to use this argument every time Apple releases a new product.

Apple is being Greedy:

If that is the best argument you're going with, then you fail again. This is not unique to Apple. There are other companies in the tech and other industries that are also this way. 

Again, why are critics singling out Apple? I know why: Those who complain are ignorant to the bigger picture and refuse to believe that the companies they support are also doing what Apple is being accused of.

The whole Throttle gate fiasco:

If you aren't aware, Throttle gate was when Apple was caught out throttling down its processors in an effort to prolong the longevity of the batteries in its iPhones and iPads. Critics accused Apple of "Planned Obsolescence", while other companies are doing the exact same thing. Apple explained that because of a risk of the devices shutting down when the battery itself has significantly worn out, Apple made the (controversial) decision to throttle down performance so that users can still keep using their device. If this was one of Apple's biggest competitors like Samsung or Microsoft, then they would have looked the other way. It forced Apple to release a software update to allow people to choose whether their devices will be throttled to conserve battery or turn the throttling off and continue to experience shut downs of their device until the customer gets annoyed and upgrades eventually.

Personally, I would rather have a working device that has a slight drop in performance than a device that shuts down unexpectedly while I am doing something midway.

Right to Repair Controversy:

Enter Louis Rossmann. One of the many complainants who conveniently makes money from YouTube videos complaining about Apple - while repairing Apple MacBooks. Seriously Louis? You're going to complain about a company while trying to repair their products for customers? You expect me to believe that you are fighting for the small independent repairman while making allegations of proprietorship and a company requiring consumers to go with genuine parts?

Hmmm. Let's list some examples of companies that are also doing this:

• HP,
• Epson,
• Canon,
• Brother,
• Samsung.

I could go on and on.

Here's the scoop: Some of these companies will tell you that the use of non-genuine parts will void your warranty and damage your whatever equipment you are trying to install the non-genuine part in. And yet, Apple some how is the big evil Goliath of a werewolf.

However, proponents of right to repair really need to step back and ask themselves an important question: Is it acceptable to blame the manufacturer if the consumer has deliberately destroyed their gadget and expects said manufacturer to fix it at their cost?

Also, 

• Will standards be set for repairmen to protect the consumer if any qualified or certified repairman does a botched job of fixing something? 
• Who is responsible when things go wrong with the repairman? 
• Is there a governing body the consumer can approach to refer their complaint to should the repairman refuse to make amends?
• Will there be penalties for wrongdoers?
• Will there be processes set in place to prevent unscrupulous repairmen from running wild and engaging in unconscionable business practices?

Nobody seems to be asking the hard questions when it comes to right to repair. It is simply: every repairman should be afforded the right to repair a gadget and have schematics available to them to do the job or every consumer should have the right to repair their own gadget since they bought it.

I can confidently tell you that this right to repair saga will yield a 10 headed, super thirsty Hydra.

Less Hardware features:

This is what's wrong with the tech community these days. They always seem to judge an electronic item or a piece of equipment by what it has on the outside. As the saying goes: "Don't judge a book by its cover." Unfortunately, a lot of them in the tech community do judge a book by its cover.

Sure, Apple may not have the bells and whistles that the tech community wants or wishes for, but where they shine is on the inside: the software side of things. The real power lies in the internals of all Apple products - more so than what is designed on the outside.

And yet, you find people who still end up complaining about Apple while using their products. I would call this hypocrisy at its finest.

You can have the most spec'd out PC or gadget that money can buy, but remember, it is all irrelevant if the hardware cannot keep up with all the software upgrades and the software changes that software developers introduce to the apps that you use on them.

A bad handyman will always blame his tools.

It costs too much (it's too expensive)

I can understand that this type of argument is made by those who are either price conscious or bargain hunting consumers. These individuals believe they are smart by paying less, but what they do not understand is the fact that this price reduction comes at the expense of product quality, durability and reliability.

Price is only one factor of the equation and definitely not necessarily a deal breaker when you weigh in the benefits alongside the short comings of the product that Apple has to offer.

Plus, the price conscious individual is not the type of consumer base Apple is interested in. They are more for people who value durability, reliability and simplicity.

I cannot begin to list the number of times I have been asked this question on Quora and in variations when it comes to the high price of an Apple product.

If the high price of a product is a deal breaker for you and you complain about it, then you also fail big time.

Everything listed here should never be controversial to begin with!

I don't know what it is, but critics go into automatic complain mode every time the subject of Apple comes up. It's like some of them are even paid to do it.

I now what you're thinking: that I am paid to write this article. Well, newsflash! I am not.

I'll tell you who is trying to get paid to bash Apple: the ones who go all out and sue Apple for the simplest of things and end up embarrassing themselves after the verdict is handed down in Apple's favor. I've seen people sue Apple for things like how the display didn't measure up correctly, or the frame of an iPhone didn't line up properly, or because someone typed the address of an inappropriate website by mistake and were 'traumatised' by it. So, they ended up suing Apple. 

Oh the insane humanity.

If you were to ask me why, I will simply say that their ulterior motive is to make a quick buck, and have this quick buck coming from Apple - now that they are valued at $3 Trillion (at the time of writing this article).

So in conclusion, if you are a computer store owner, your job is to give advise and sell what you have to offer to your customers in your store. Keep your super biased opinions about any tech company to yourself. You can easily turn off customers that way. Stop with the cliché arguments that can easily be refuted.