Apple screws customers badly

07/11/08 06:25 PM

Apple’s meltdown is a classic example of problems that can result from complex systems that have single points of failure. In today’s case, the company appeared to invite disaster by not separating its existing customers from new ones. On Friday morning, Apple executives acknowledged the problem and said the combination of original iPhone users upgrading and new iPhone 3G users trying to complete their activation swamped the company’s servers. Does Apple care? Why should they? After all they are Apple !

“There are certainly lessons in preparedness,” said Richard Doherty, a consumer electronics industry consultant who is president of Envisioneering Group in Seaford, N.Y. “The acid test for many years has been Christmas morning where customers contact companies in droves after opening presents,” Mr. Doherty said, adding that he had still not been successful in activating his own phone after upgrading.

In addition to long waiting times for iPhone 3G purchasers at Apple and AT&T stores, current iPhone users found that their phones were made inoperable when they tried to upgrade their phones to the latest iPhone software. The iPhone now requires an authentication step in which the phone must connect to Apple servers through its iTunes software application before it will function again after a software upgrade.

Anyone and I mean ANYONE who could not see this train wreck coming is either naive or stupid. There has to be accountability here for current and new customers but one has to wonder if Apple really cares? I mean after all people are stupid enough to waste time and wait in line for a cell phone and Apple knows this. When I went to my local outdoor mall for some lunch I was astounded at the line in front of the Apple store which was at a 3-4 hour wait. This on a beautiful Friday afternoon !

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Now every major media website has the headline about the activation problems and I get a sense that a lot of people are glad that Apple has finally made a mistake. I personally love Apple products but I have to say that I can call a spade a spade when I see mistakes like the one that happened today, the Apple Hi-Fi and Mac Book Air. Apple had more than enough time to prepare for this launch and to have activation problems is inexcusable plain and simple.