A Big Warning Sign for Apple

When I wrote last November about my experience with my cracked MacBook, I already knew I wasn't alone. A simple web search found dozens of defective MacBooks with the identical defect to mine, and the photos to prove it. It was clear, MacBooks were cracking like crazy.

After my blog post, I had the shell of my MacBook replaced at the Apple Store in London, only to see it crack again, in exactly the same places, less than a month later. So back again I went to the Apple Store, to have all the parts replaced a second time.

What a disappointment. The MacBook I had dreamed for so long about getting turned out to be a rotten Apple. It works fine (and always has) as long as I don't mind the chassis peeling away like bark from a tree. I now have the thing armor-plated, with a hard plastic shell snapped onto it, a keyboard cover, and padding over the wrist rests. When I close the lid I first lay down a delicate little chamois cloth to cushion it. I do all but give my MacBook a kiss as I open and close it, in hopes it will not fall apart.

My plaintive cry of grief in my November blog post attracted some serious traffic, especially for my modest blog. But I was wondering when an uber-blogger might take up the cry. And now someone has. Michael Arrington, of TechCrunch, asks the same question -- why are so many Apple products falling to pieces?

Judging from the more than 200 responses to Mike's post, a lot of people are wondering the same thing. Apple, are you listening? Your stellar reputation for making wonderful things is at risk. A groundswell is building.

This reminds me of the Dell episode several years ago, in which influential blogger Jeff Jarvis rounded on the hapless company, and the floodgates opened. The vitriol unleashed against Dell was hugely damaging. They eventually recovered, by listening better.

Is Apple the next Dell? Apple has so much goodwill amongst its supporters (myself included, in spite of my experience), that I think they can recover. But their reputation is so good, they have much further to fall.

The first step in curing a problem is admitting you have one. So, Apple, own up to the quality issues. Admit it, apologize for it, and fix it. We'll all be on your side if you do. If not, what a momentum-killer.