Tuesday, February 10, 2004

The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease

Those of you close to me know that I recently got a new 15" PowerBook. I had been planning on getting one since last December, but had decided to wait until early January when Steve Jobs would give his keynote speech at MacWorld. (I couldn't bear the risk of buying a computer right before it was potentially updated.) At any rate, no updates were made to the PowerBook line at MacWorld; however, an updated version of Apple's iLife '04 was released. Notable to this release is GarageBand: Apple's answer to beginner musical enthusiasts. iLife '04 would ship January 16th, and would be included with all new Macs, or so Steve Jobs would state.

I phoned Apple the day of the keynote to see if I would have to wait until the 16th if I wanted the new iLife '04 suite. I was told, yes, this was the case. So I waited. I placed my order a day before the 16th, as I was told that the computer would still ship with iLife since it would take more than a day to produce the "built-to-order" PowerBook I ordered.

During the lengthy course in which my computer was being built, it was revealed that Apple had not actually specified a date on which iLife '04 would be included with new Macs. In fact, it was apparently stated that iLife would be available for purchase on the 16th -- which it was. Apple offers an "up-to-date" program for people who recently purchased a Mac whereby they could get iLife '04 for CDN $29.95. I reluctantly placed an order for this reduced-price package, as I did not want to be left without it. I was still very dissatisfied that I had to pay for this when I was convinced that Steve Jobs had said otherwise during his keynote speech. Luckily for me, Apple allows people to watch the keynote after it has taken place, so I reviewed what he said. My findings sparked a letter to Apple:

I'd like to enquire about iLife '04. In Steve Jobs's keynote speech, he said that iLife '04 would ship on January 16th, and would be included on all new Macs. (If you'd like to see where he says this, it is located at 01:34:45 on the video at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/mwsf04/). I phoned the Apple Store that day and was told that if I waited until the 15th or 16th, my computer would ship with iLife '04. I waited until the 15th, and phoned back. I was told that my computer would indeed ship with iLife '04. To be sure, I phoned a second time to speak with a different person. This person also agreed that the computer would ship with iLife '04. My business partner ordered a computer the same day as me, and he was told the same thing. His computer already shipped, and arrived without iLife '04. When he enquired, he was told that Apple had not released a date on which computers would ship with iLife. But, if you watch the keynote speech, Steve Jobs says -- and I quote -- "... it [iLife '04] is free with every new Mac." Emphasis on "is" -- a present tense form of the verb, "to be".

I've since placed an order for the up-to-date version of iLife '04 because I do not want to be stuck without it, should my computer ever ship. But, I would like you to know how deceitful I have found what your representatives told myself and my business partners. If I had been informed the day of Steve Jobs's keynote speech that Steve Jobs was misleading in what he said, and that Apple didn't actually know when iLife '04 would come bundled with "all new Macs", I would have ordered my computer that day. Perhaps I would even have it today. Instead, I was told to wait, and I did. As a result, I still do not have my computer, and I have found out that it will *not* ship with iLife.

Sincerely,

Patrick Gibson

(This is actually not the entire letter I wrote. The original letter's main focus was about the delays that caused my computer to ship over a week after it was originally scheduled.)

Today, I received a call from Apple. They apologized for what I had to go through, and told me that they would be issuing a credit for the purchase of iLife '04. The anger which once boiled in my blood had long passed, so this was quite a nice surprise. It inspires confidence in me that some companies actually do listen to what I have to say, to the point that they are even willing to admit they were wrong. Thanks, Apple! You have restored my faith in you.

Posted at 11:09

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