Tech companies

[Bob Sanders]

I got my battery with swelleritis replaced online without visiting an Apple Store.

Swollen batteries are a serious issue and are usually replaced even OFF warranty by MANY other companies (logitech as an off the top of the head example), so this is not really any great feat offered exclusively by Apple.

LOGITECH:

Again for anyone with a swollen battery call into support and the battery will be replaced even out of warranty. We take swollen batteries very seriously. If it is too swollen to take out please do not force it and just call support. We will take care of you.

http://forums.logitech.com/t5/Harmon.../416425/page/2

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...in all fairness I don't know of ANYBODY who would warranty something like that.

EXACTLY my point!

If you are unlucky and happen to break the screen more times than Apple's NON-REPAIRABLE unit's policy allows; how much do they charge then to REPLACE the i-Thing? hmm????


Like I mentioned earlier, my Chinese Android phone only cost $5 to repair (they changed the screen).
Personally I feel more comfortable with something I know I can have repaired for little money....than have to worry I might OFFEND or violate Apple's return/repair policy sometime in the future!!


I am less interested in someone's Warranty policy than I am in someone's repair policy. It appears Apple really isn't for me...based on that article from before...

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Swollen batteries are a serious issue...

Aye. And let's keep in mind, that some of the battery recalls in the past had probably less to do with the goodwill of the "offending" company,
but were probably urged on by the CPSC, with "threats" of making it a government mandated recall.

[cgbier]

Like I mentioned earlier, my Chinese Android phone only cost $5 to repair (they changed the screen).
Personally I feel more comfortable with something I know I can have repaired for little money....than have to worry I might OFFEND or violate Apple's return/repair policy sometime in the future!!

While I agree with you, to repair these things is pretty rare outside China. I know folks here on the island who'd repair me everything for a low fee, I wouldn't want to know how much a "real" repair would cost with western wages...

[cgbier]

Aye. And let's keep in mind, that some of the battery recalls in the past had probably less to do with the goodwill of the "offending" company,
but were probably urged on by the CPSC, with "threats" of making it a government mandated recall.

It was less of a recall, but rather a "your battery swells up? - We replace it." story. It was worldwide, so I doubt that a US consumer protection agency had much of a say.

The batteries themselves still worked fine, despite the swelleritis. It was only that the MacBooks wobbled a bit on a flat surface.

[Bob Sanders]

While I agree with you, to repair these things is pretty rare outside China. I know folks here on the island who'd repair me everything for a low fee, I wouldn't want to know how much a "real" repair would cost with western wages...

Well that brings a question.... what does apple do with this stuff when they take it back.

We have a store here in Winnipeg called XS CARGO which sells refurbished stuff for cheap. These are things that were returned to various companies due to being defective (telephones... stereo systems... computers.... etc), repaired and then turned over and sold at a cheaper price. So it's clear that other companies anyway are not just throwing this defective stuff into the garbage can. Now I have never seen refurbished Apple stuff being sold, but then on the other hand I seriously doubt Apple is simply tossing this returned stuff either. Why toss an entire ipod into the garbage can if the screen simply needs replacing? My PURE GUESS is that at least SOME of this stuff is eventually repaired/recycled at SOME point.

[Bob Sanders]

Aye. And let's keep in mind, that some of the battery recalls in the past had probably less to do with the goodwill of the "offending" company,
but were probably urged on by the CPSC, with "threats" of making it a government mandated recall.

So to this point anyway... nobody has actually demonstrated anything to show Apple's 'incredible' and 'wonderful' return/warranty policy system. I have seen nothing yet that stands out from other companies. Even the extended warranty systems apple offers (which you must pay for) are offered by other companies. In fact about 6 months ago (on extended warranty) BESTBUY completely replaced my 2 year old ONKYO 705 home theater receiver due to a blown out display back light.

[cgbier]

Now I have never seen refurbished Apple stuff being sold, but then on the other hand I seriously doubt Apple is simply tossing this returned stuff either.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals

[Bob Sanders]

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals

So yeah.... as suspected they are INDEED repaired/resold at some point. They're merely shipped back to places like foxconn (just a hypothetical example) and repaired where the labor costs are cheaper and therefore worth it.... then turned over and sold again.

I would imagine a similar fate awaited my onkyo 705 in the above example.

[HueyNRolf]

Climbing Everest with iPad and iPhone

National Geographic magazine reports that ski-mountaineer Hilaree O’Neill — a member of its 2012 Everest expedition — will follow the same route Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay did in 1953, but with an iPad and iPhone in her backpack. iPad gives O’Neill a journaling device with a solid-state data storage drive usable at altitudes where spinning hard disk drives have been known to fail. And with cell service available even on Everest’s summit, she’ll use an iPhone 4S to stay in touch instead of a cumbersome walkie-talkie.

http://adventure.nationalgeographic....ilaree-oneill/

2012 Everest expedition which will be covered live in the National Geographic iPad app

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Climbing Everest with iPad and iPhone

Oh, friggin' PLUUEEZZZE!!!


Everest needs another expedition!!

everest_clean_up_expeditions.jpg

[Bob Sanders]

she’ll use an iPhone 4S to stay in touch instead of a cumbersome walkie-talkie.

She just has to make sure she doesn't touch the metal edges while making a phone call

[Bob Sanders]

Oh, friggin' PLUUEEZZZE!!!


Everest needs another expedition!!


everest_clean_up_expeditions.jpg

They're going to have to include roads sooner or later to accommodate the garbage trucks aren't they... I mean why the heck not.... they've already got cell phone service up there. LOL

[HueyNRolf]

Interesting... just remembering a camping trip we went on last year with some friends. He had an iphone (I have a samsung and an extra battery). His iphone quit pretty early and I just assumed he didn't have an extra battery. Of course I recognize NOW that I was wrong because the iphone has the same problem. The battery is built in and you can't change it out. If you're not near a power source for a recharge then you are dead in the water.

That's just sad.

An everest expedition is a bit more challenging than "a camping trip we went on last year with some friends."

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An everest expedition is a bit more challenging...

I don't know, seems like everyone and their dog is doing it these days...meh...

[cgbier]

I'd like to, but our dog is even too lazy to follow me around the block.

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...but our dog is even too lazy

Excuses, excuses!!!

dog_perch_backpack.jpg

[cgbier]

Ever tried to lift up a sleeping cat? Our dog is about the same...

[Bob Sanders]

An everest expedition is a bit more challenging than "a camping trip we went on last year with some friends."

Well, in all seriousness Hue (and forget my distaste for Apple), the 4s is a really bad choice in comm devices for something like this. Battery life is short (my son says standby time is about 3 days but with average [teenager] use it dies in about 7 hours)... and you can't change the battery out. One of those external battery packs you talk about takes time to recharge the cell and while it's plugged into the cell it's even MORE cumbersome than a walkie-talkie. (In fact the 4s has a battery life compared to that of a satellite phone... only difference... you can chnge the battery out on those)

Since the ipad (other people's opinions) is a large iphone, then most if not everything needed to log the trip is on the ipad then a data phone isn't really needed in the first place.... a bit redundant. In other words it would be a HELL of a lot smarter to use a simple non data cell phone where talk time is measured in DAYS and standby time is more like a week..... and you can change out the batteries.

[HueyNRolf]

Well, in all seriousness Hue (and forget my distaste for Apple)

It's obvious that your caterwauling is 100% motivated by your disdain for Apple, an electronics manufacturer, isn't that weird enough? Your attempts to deny this are even more bizarre. Do you seriously think you're fooling anyone but yourself? In all seriousness, get a grip, man.

[Bob Sanders]

It's obvious that your caterwauling is 100% motivated by your disdain for Apple, an electronics manufacturer,

Hue, my words in post 644 are PURELY objective and if Apple made a non data cell phone (maybe they do?) then that would even be a better choice than the 4s. The 4s (as most other data phones) just plain sucks for battery life and that's a simple fact. But the real Achilles heal for the 4s (as opposed to other data phones) is that you can't change out the battery. I mean that's just bad and thoughtless design work for a cell phone.

[Bob Sanders]

The ipad operating temperatures:

Operating temperature: 0° to 35° C (32° to 95° F)
Nonoperating temperature: -20° to 45° C (-4° to 113° F)

Unless they figure out how to keep that thing warm it will spend more time OFF than on

ipad maximum altitude:

Maximum operating altitude: 3000 m (10,000 feet)

ADDED:
Apparently the iphone also has a max altitude of 10,000 feet.

[cgbier]

Bob, then they wouldn't be able to take any electronic gadget with them. The iPad specs don't look any different than any other electronics.

Why should Apple build dumb phones? That's neither their market, nor is this a growing one.

[HueyNRolf]

Bob, then they wouldn't be able to take any electronic gadget with them. The iPad specs don't look any different than any other electronics.

But you can change the batteries on the Samsung phone.

"These go to eleven"

[Bob Sanders]

Bob, then they wouldn't be able to take any electronic gadget with them. The iPad specs don't look any different than any other electronics.

You're asking me?? I have no idea why they're taking CONSUMER electronics gear which isn't built for the climate/atmosphere in question. Pretty dumb if you ask me but the only thing I can think of is that this expedition isn't nearly as life threatening or difficult as it once was and they therefore aren't taking it as seriously as once needed. As 1 said above, all we need today is yet ANOTHER expedition into Everest. It happens so often these days I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn they have numbers painted on the rocks so the whole family can join in and "climb by numbers".

As for ipad specs being no different.... You're quite correct... they're not much different than any other CONSUMER electronic device. But then why should a CONSUMER electronic device have any kind of COMMERCIAL specs or rating to them?? None the less.... the maximum specs are there and Apple doesn't state them just for the heck of it..... nor is it Apple's fault if these idiots can't read and take these devices past their working limits. They WILL fail too. They're mostly LCD driven and the LCD screens are not rated for high altitude. LCD screens do lot of weird things in the cold and beyond about 10,000 feet. The damage mostly isn't permanent and USUALLY corrects itself when you bring it back down to pressure. It's a lot like placing pressure on an lcd screen with your finger and seeing spots and colors on the screen when the finger is removed (only opposite because of LACK of pressure).... but with no lcd screen these apple devices are pretty much useless. Of course I didn't read the entire expedition.... maybe they're not going above 10,000 feet?