Interesting... The free software update sounds like a great idea and will keep customers very happy. It would be nice to see Apple do that too... (Mind you, I wouldn't be too bothered about watching videos on a first or second generation iPod nano, though!) Is there any hardware-related reason why Apple could not do this (i.e. a good reason, other than forcing people to upgrade)?
What sort of issues have been annoying you, nixgeek? The recent iPhone and iPod Touch problems? Or is there a long list?
Not just the iPod touch and iPhone issues. Not just the QA issues that they've had with their Intel Macs and even before then with the G5 Macs (and I'm referring to genuine, well-known issues that have been in the press lately). It's just the way that they treat their customers. This is not the same Apple that I've known for years....it was made evident when they decided to change their name and cross into other areas, leaving the "computer" IMO as an afterthought.
Maybe it's just my perception of the grand scheme of things with Apple lately, but here you have Apple cutting off a LOT of Mac users with Leopard for a measly 67 Mhz. I understand that Apple has brought a lot of stuff to the table, but so did Tiger and even G3 users were still supported (albeit slowly). It seems that we're going down a Vista-like path with more focus on the eye candy than actual functionality. Heck, even Vista can perform decently on my Athlon XP 2400+ from 3 years ago (and that was with the RC), and here I find myself with a two year old iMac G5 (that cost me SIGNIFICANTLY more than a PC would have, despite all the crap that it comes with) coming close to the edge when it comes to processor support.
It was always the understanding that when you bought an Apple, it was a computer that was more of an investment and that would last a good while longer than a PC. That's one of the testaments to owning an Apple-branded computer that separated it from the rest of the PC world. However, it seems that Jobs would have us replacing our Macs (and iPods since that's the topic of discussion) at a shorter rate but at the same premium cost while we end up with mediocre quality. I consider myself lucky that I ended up with the May 2005 model iMac G5 and not the one before it (and this was before I knew about the hardware issues with the first revision). Of course, I can't say the same for my father who just purchased one of the new iMacs for his work, only for me to find out that even THESE models are having hardware issues.
The last thing I would want to do is recommend a PC to anyone that would be willing to use a Mac, but if the long-term benefits aren't there anymore to put the Mac ahead of the pack, I might as well point them to the dark side of the moon.
It took Apple a LONG time to get build up the reputation that it has now, and I'm glad that Apple is now the darling of the tech industry. However, it's making some big mistakes, and the iPhone/iPod touch issues are the ones that stand out the most right now. It's much easier to lose that reputation if you're going to focus more on your revenue than on your customers that provide you that revenue in such brash ways.
