A VC - Latest Comments in Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

fredwilson — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 08:54:02 -0000

Looks like whatever you were struggling with you figured out

Thanks for hanging in there and leaving a comment

I appreciate it

Thanks

Fred

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

fredwilson — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 08:42:01 -0000

I knew I could count on you not to have an opinion on this debate!

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

Walnut Creek Kango — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 03:15:26 -0000

This is my second attempt at leaving a comment, and I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. I went through this with a comment to another post, and thought the issue was resolved. Please let me know what I can do to ensure my posts go 'live.'

All I want to say is that I share the other commenters' general disappointment with Apple, and your sense of frustration. I too have been afraid for months to download the newest versions of iTunes, and I'm STILL stinging over the exclusive contract with AT&T for the iPhone.

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

BigDaddy — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 01:00:20 -0000

I love both AAPL and MSFT. At least they create something.

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

jackson — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 00:44:33 -0000

I just wanted to be the 69th comment. Get it.....69.........he he....

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

fredwilson — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:25:01 -0000

Do you know when? I am dying to get that asap

Fred

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

lauramoncur — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 13:57:26 -0000

These things take time. Steve Jobs didn't "force" the music industry to cooperate with him. He showed them how to profit in the digital world.

The same holds true for the cellphone industry.

I'm sorry it's not happening fast enough for you, but be patient. We'll have an iPhone that we can use on any network soon enough, sans jailbreak.

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

kenberger — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 12:16:40 -0000

@Grammar Guy- "who" was correct in this case. "whom" is frequently misused, like you're trying to do. Look it up. (he didn't say "for whom" or "to whom").

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

fredwilson — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 12:05:02 -0000

Thanks

I could use an editor

Fred

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

Grammar Guy — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 12:00:33 -0000

*Whom* I have hated for years. (ignoring fragment)

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

Caryn — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 08:03:27 -0000

Amen

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

Dave — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:51:36 -0000

This isn't just Apple. This is getting to be the "norm" for a lot of consumer devices and software out there. I wrote a blog about my frustration with it just a few days ago: http://www.steelsphere.com/... (after my wife's iPod battery died, which got me raging)

This isn't Apple's fault entirely, this is the CONSUMERS fault. If people would stop @#$#@ buying expensive pieces of garbage that have DRM and are being bricked, then the companies would stop making them. But everyone goes all weak-in-the-knees for some glossy finish and goes out and WAITS IN @#$#@$ LINE OVERNIGHT for something that they regret later. STOP IT.

Start doing research - start letting reviewers try some things - stop jumping at every little shiny toy that's out there. Reward the little guys who ARE making open devices that might not be as shiny as your iPod, but that do the things you want it to do.

And the whole Apple vs. Microsoft thing is crap. That's successful marketing by Apple, giving legions of geeks a chip to put on their shoulder so they can feel good about themselves and have something to blog and bitch about. Don't be sheep. These companies aren't "evil." They are capitalists. And if you think that capitalism is Evil, then I dare you to quit your job and drop out of society yourself - but I bet you fancy a paycheck and like eating like the rest of us do.

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

fredwilson — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:14:01 -0000

Exactly. I don't trust them.

Fred

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

Woo_Pirate — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 07:11:56 -0000

Up until Apple started bricking iPhones, I was all set to buy a Mac. After spitting on their customers, though, I've put that purchase off.

I don't trust Apple.

I still want a Mac, and I'll probably still get one -- but now, when I do purchase one, I'll do so with the knowledge that I won't be treated with respect by Apple.

I think the company might have jumped the shark with it's bricking policies.

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

Joe Wang — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 02:59:31 -0000

You'll soon. If you want to talk about evil. Go with a company that proclaim itself of not doing evil a few years ago. Now that is funny.

I have a very simple advise for all the haters out there. Life is short, don't use product that makes your life miserable. Even if sometimes you love but if there is a chance that you'll not like it, ditch the product and use something else. Simple.

I'll continue to run my Linux desktop, Mac OS notebook, play music with my iPods and communicate via my Blackberry.

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

fredwilson — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:47:02 -0000

I'll look for it

Thanks ken

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

fredwilson — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:47:02 -0000

They also bought youtube which puts them miles ahead of apple in my book

Fred

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

fredwilson — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:45:01 -0000

I've been very vocal about not liking ip any more than drm

All of this stuff stifles innovation and is bad

Fred

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

MReddy — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 23:47:19 -0000

Actually, Lenovo is the most consumer centric company running, and this is a fact. Sure Apple makes computers that provide aesthetic pleasure. However, when you have to ship the computer away for 3 weeks for hardware failure, do aesthetics still matter? If you do some research, you'll find out apple buys the shoddy hardware. Using Apple for over 15 years, I know from experience.

However, I am done with Apple.

After the Intel transition, the customer service has deteriorated rapidly. Whereas before I could have my computer repaired in a reasonable amount of time while dealing with pleasant representatives, now I have to suffer with incompetent individuals who are on par with Dell. And, Dell is probably better, because regardless of how sloppy their customer service is, they ship you back a computer within 3-5 business days.

Soon I will purchase a Lenovo system with a dual boot OS-X, yes it can be done, and Fedora. Good bye shitty hardware, hello piece of mind.

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

fredwilson — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:39:02 -0000

No. They haven't done anything to me yet that has caused me to spend hours and hours dealing with its repurcussions

Fred

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

yolospat — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 19:36:26 -0000

Do you fear and loath google too?

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

riposter — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 17:44:49 -0000

Living in fear sucks. I'd give something else a try.

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

Ted T. — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:34:42 -0000

Blaming Apple for DRM is just silly -- DRM has been forced on Apple by the record labels from the beginning -- Apple's great achievement has been getting them to moderate their DRM demands (and in the case of EMI, drop DRM altogether).

As several posters have pointed out iPhone 1.1.2 has long been jailbroken and your fears of Leopard are pure nonsense.

Is Apple frequently arrogant? Yes. Do they have a "we know what's best for you" attitude? Yes. Does Jobs have a huge ego? Yes.

But the Apple of today is also fairly quick to acknowledge and correct its inevitable mistakes. They are also the most consumer centric major company out there. They design their products with usability in mind, rather than loading them with money making crapware, like your average Windows PC.

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

vruz — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:19:07 -0000

depends on which definition of capitalism you are basing your comment on.
if you have a look at his writings, Adam Smith had a very high sense of ethical behaviour.

it's not altruism, it's just as easy as respecting consumers rights.

bending the law to advance your power is not capitalism. it's unethical, illegal, or both.

Re: Fear and Loathing Is Not A Great Brand Image

Charlie Crystle — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 14:34:00 -0000

Yeah, me too.