Apple keeps taking steps backward

Let me start off by saying that I’m a big fan of Apple.  Was a big fan of Apple.  But they’re quickly losing my business, and I’m wondering if I’m alone in thinking that they’re a bit out of touch with what’s going on in the world.

I bought a PowerBook 5 years ago, and loved it.  Used it for everything.   It was expensive, but I saw it as a tool I could use for a lot of tasks.  I stored and fixed all of my photos in iPhoto, did all of my video editing in iMovie (which almost every other video editing system tries to copy), and loved the fact that I was virutally immune from viruses.  I had a 10 gig iPod that held all of my music, and was ultra cool.  I was a complete Mac guy.

And then my iPod took a dump.  Actually, a lot of dumps.  Several times this past summer, it froze up while connected to my car interface and it would take hours, sometimes days, to get it back.  I chalked it up to the fact that it was 5 years old and I had just worn it out.

It finally started working again, but the buttons didn’t work anymore.  Any time I would press the select button, I’d get a high pitched squeak, and maybe I’d get music.  But it wasn’t the music I was asking for.  It still worked with my car interface, however, which is where I used it the most, so it was a flaw I could live with.

Recently, though, I started to think it would be nice if I could use my iPod outside of my car.  And put videos on it.  And pictures.  My little 10 gig was made before any of those features were available on iPods.  So I started researching the new iPods, and I found something very interesting.

The new iPods require iTunes 8.  iTunes 8 doesn’t run on OS 10.3, which I had on my PowerBook, hence the whole previous rant.

And while I was debating the whole should-I-get-a-mac-or-pc thing, I was waiting to see what Apple would do at MacWorld.

All they did was prove that they’re completely out of touch.

The economy is in the tank, and every computer manufacturer is scrambling to come out with affordable laptops, or netbooks.  And what was Apple’s big announcement?  A $2800, 17″ MacBook Pro.  Out.  Of.  Touch.

On top of all that, I was playing with the iMac we have in our office and trying to figure out the new version of iMovie.  What a huge disappointment.  It took me 30 minutes just to figure out how to drop audio out of a clip.  And I’m not the only one who thinks the new version of iMovie is a travesty.  Makes me glad I didn’t buy a new mac.

The final thing that I can’t understand is why in the world they wouldn’t offer the iPhone on more wireless carriers.  Pairing with the evil empire of AT & T will not make me buy an iPhone no matter how cool it is.  Let it work on any network, then maybe I’ll consider buying it.

Sorry, Apple, except for an iPod, you certainly are not making products that I want to spend my hard earned money on.  For the time being, you’ve lost my business.