Saturday, July 09, 2011

iHate Apple

I just spent the better part of my morning fighting with the iTunes store to get a simple gift card credit applied so my Bride could download some music. 

Lest you think I am an old fart who knows nothing of the ways of digital music downloading, I’ve been doing it for years. Apple, however, has managed to make doing business with them more difficult than necessary, and I general eschew any dealings with them if possible.

First there’s the issue of all the interruptions while getting to the iTunes store. Do I have the most up-to-date version of iTunes? (yes) Is iTunes my default music media player? (no—and never will be) Is my password up-to-date? (yes) 
Just get me to the freaking place I want to go on your site, iMorons!

Finding the iTunes Gift Card Redemption site is not as easy as apple pie. 
It’s not “intuitive,” as a broadcast engineer with whom I once worked was fond of saying. 
No, you have to hunt, search, click, re-search, hunt some more. 
Ah—there it is...”below the fold” on my browser. 
Hey, Apple, why don’t you apply some of that vast brain power at your disposal and SIMPLIFY your website? Put that stuff at the top of the page…

Then there’s the issue of which string of numbers to enter into the iTunes store to redeem the card. There are four on the back of the card. Which to use? Lucky for me, the instructions are printed right there on the back of the card for all to see. With an electron microscope.

During this colossal waste of my time, a friend called and asked what I was doing. We commiserated about the digital music landscape, and I shared my own simple, elegant solution that I’ve used for years.

CD’s. 
You put one in the car player, and it instantly plays. 
No time wasted downloading something that will eat up more of your day in the process than in the actual entertainment value received.

CD’s. 
They might catch on, again. 
In the mean time, iHate Apple.

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