My lovely iPad started to get VERY slow. Which one think was completely normal taking into account only two factors: (1) I had a lot of tabs open and (2) it might be getting in age. My iPad I got it on my defense back in 2012. It is an iPad2 model A1395. No so young, but special for me.
Anyway, I decided to turn it off and on…. but SURPRISE!!!!
It did turn off, but in return it only display a white screen.
PANIC!!!!!
As a good QA person, which at the moment ‘I am, (my laptop named Sr passed away, recently I my last kindle was damaged, so, the idea to lose my iPad too, was not particularly exciting).
Then, searching in the internet hive of information, I found this video:
For over a decade I’ve been using Apple computers blindly. One of the reasons of my loyalty has been: I can focus on what I need to do instead to invest valuable time on fixing the computer in order to do what I want to do. I subscribe myself to the philosophy: plug & run 🙂
When the operating system OS X came out in 2001. It was a time of glory! It was possible to increase the potentiality of the Apple machines making them even more interesting.
Then apple’s “branding” has been growing stronger over the last years. Myself I keep married with the principles that make me adopt apple long before: I want a reliable machine with a plug and run philosophy. I am not patient to solve unexpected problems. However those principles that made me adopt Apple computers are slowly being blurred by an uncritical attitude of the actual brand philosophy.
Let me give vent to my actual frustrations with this brand.
1. What type of globalisation is promoted by Apple?
Perhaps the globalisation is on the hardware, because one can get the same machine in most of the countries that have the buying power. But I have questions about the applications.
My apple account is from my home country, Mexico, and I want to keep it like that. I have my personal reasons to support my decision. Because it is a Mexican account, when I search for software at the Apple Store I only get the offers available for the Mexican market. I have no visibility of what other countries offer unless I get into those markets. So, I created an account for the USA, German and Finnish market, and I can tell you there are differences.
Is Apple building a bubble of information in a market that by nature should be global? at least to my understanding. Additionally, to have access to other markets today implies to put an effort and of course to posses several credit cards!
2. Does Apple Inc. want to bridge the digital divide?
Some publicity might say yes. Apple is interested in education and schools. On practice, I have my doubts. I think the educational market is a very profitable market. But I do not see the intention of bridging the digital divide in practice.
For example: if one wants to update the operating system to Mountain Lion (10.8) it must be done via Apple Store. I really search to avoid this approach, but there was not other option at least here in Joensuu unless I go to an authorize distributor and pay extra money to update my machine. So, let’s assume all apple owners posses a credit card, because you MUST have one to buy on the apple store and you download OS 10.8
Now Apple Inc. might think that all owners of an Apple computers have good Internet connection. Of course we are paying a considerable amount of money for be in the apple world, so it might be natural to assume that all these consumers have all the state-of-the-art infrastructure Well, the assumption is wrong. One could read the thread of discussion in apple, some people needed to spend even days updating the operating system.
If people have to pay per minute the Internet, this is a fortune!
3. Does Apple Inc. keep supporting plug and run applications?
Hmmmm….. for its authorized software yes.
The company wants control, perhaps always wanted that, but now I am able to see it and it is sad for me.
I downloaded software that is not on the apple store. Then, I needed to do different things in order to run it, as the machine directly told me:
no authorised software
Besides that, I need to re-find the library folder, which is a powerful folder and in OS 10.8 is hidden. *** AGHR***
I admit these were not HUGE problems. It took me some time to find out, and now it works. Well, at least most of the things, and I regret that I update my machine. But what bothers me is why these changes? which one is apple’s vision?
Summarizing: the three facts I describe in this post I live them while updating my MacBook Pro and they trigger my frustration and disappointment. The question that I have now is: What is the price I am willing to pay for a computer that offers selective plug & run possibilities? What is the actual value?
Perhaps nowadays for me the cost is not only on money, but it is stepping on my principles. The “value” is getting a bit too high I confess….
Sr is BACK! 🙂 . It arrived via Matkahuolto, complete and sound 🙂 The service of Kampus Data Oy was very good, and I transferred the last backed-up data that I had to Sr from the time machine. Still I have to do some hand work with some of the data we were able to rescue before send Sr to Jyväskylä, but step by step. Here some photos of the story of re-activating Sr.
Arriving to Matkahuolto package in Joensuu to pick up Sr
Here it is, Sr is inside
Sr well packed
The ONLY thing I want to highlight is: Kampus Data installed Finnish OSX on Sr instead of English. Yes, I know how to change the language on my account, BUT I found interesting that apparently Macs have troubles dealing with languages.
Suomi - English
In anycase I am HAPPY that Sr. is back. I want to acknowledge that I have learned a lot of time management with the HP compaq nx 9005 that I had for somedays. Thank you HP! Now it is time to go back to work! 🙂
After working with Sr’s HD the whole Thursday evening and the complete Friday, we declare that Sr’s HD must be changed. For those who use apple computers might be aware that in emergency cases, as this one, one should contact a MacAuthorize Specialist to keep some warranty (yes a “luxury” of an expensive membership to Mac products). I am located in Joensuu, and the closest Mac Service Centre to my location is in Jyväskylä (~246 km away). Oh man! so we drove over six hours on Saturday only to bring Sr to an authorized “Mac Hospital”.
Driving from Joensuu to Jyväskylä @ ~7:30 am (road 23)
Kampus Data Oy - Closest Mac Authorized Centre to Joensuu
Someone could ask me why I did not send Sr via snail-post. I had two reasons to bring it personally: (1) I did not have the proper package to wrap Sr and (2) honestly I wanted to talk face-to-face with whom would be responsible of Sr.
Next Monday I should know what is going on with this story. I hope Sr is back home soon!
By the way, I am writing this post from an almost 10 years old laptop, compaq nx 9005, which is SLOW but working perfectly 🙂 . We looked for a newer laptop at the EdTech lab, but it is nothing available so, learning to work with the resources available. 🙂 Also I want to thank Mikko for all the support in this Mac adventure.
Last year Manzanita, my lovely macbook-pro that has been with me since 2005, in March 2011 its graphic card colapsed. To fixe it I needed a new motherboard (where the graphic card is attached). Other option was to get a new machine. I went for the second option because Manzanita was already 6 years old, deserving a time to be retired.
Then came Sr. (now my second macbook-pro) which has been working ok. I still miss Manzanita somehow, but adapting to Sr. Suddenly, yesterday Sr’s hard-drive collapse! 🙁 After doing all what we could do to make Sr’s HD to react, now I declare that Sr must go to a Mac Service Center *sight*. That is Jyväskylä, the closest Mac Service center from Joensuu (no comments!).
*sight* It feels so strange to lose so soon my working tool. I still miss Manzanita, which was problem free for over 5 years. Now Sr, an intel machine, got its first headache a bit faster.
I am lucky because with Manzanita I learned to backup. I have backup my data up to Dec. 14th. However, the last things I have done, are not properly saved…. we will see what is the result of this adventure.
Lesson learned:
It is good to backup.
It is even better to back-up often!
Photos no available at the moment, in order to respect the machine that is being lend to me for the following hours…. *sight*
