Is There No Limit to Apple’s Brand Loyalty?

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Ben Lovejoy is a writer for 9to5Mac. He’s been writing about tech and Apple news for many years now, and I’ve used his articles as sources on more than one occasion. He had some exceptionally bad luck with his MacBook Pro. His keyboard stopped working, as many with the butterfly mechanism have. His battery had what was likely a manufacturing defect, and became swollen despite its young age. Finally, he had a logic board fault, which kept his computer from being able to shut down due to a fault in the integrated GPU. Apple would have to replace the entire logic board.

Nasty stuff.

The MacBook Pro is largely modular. Because Apple just had to solder normally replaceable items like RAM and the SSD to the logic board, they have to swap out the whole thing when something goes wrong. They have to replace the entire top case and assembly when the keyboard breaks, an incredibly expensive and time consuming procedure that is a simple process on other devices. Then there’s the battery, glued into place, and the screen, which, for now, is still easily replaceable. Poor Ben had three of those four components fail.

I had two computers from Dell before I switched to a Mac. The desktop wasn’t too bad, but the laptop was junk. My parents stopped buying computers from Dell after that. They switched to the Mac and an iPad. That’s normal behavior. A company makes a bad product, so you stop buying from them.

But Ben went out and bought the 16-inch MacBook Pro instead. I don’t think he was wrong to. In fact, I’ve been thinking of doing the same.

How far can Apple stretch the limits of brand loyalty?

Going Back to Mac Was the Right Choice

I’m not here to call Ben Lovejoy a fanboy. In fact, Ben made the same decision I would have in his situation. He could have tried to stick with the 15-inch platform, and just replace the keyboard every once in a while. Alternatively, Ben could have bought an even older Mac, that was more reliable, like the 2015 15-inch MacBook Pro. He could have left Apple entirely, going to a janky Windows device that, if it’s as unreliable as his Mac, won’t have the same phenomenal support. Or he could have just gotten the latest MacBook Pro. With its larger case, improved thermal cooling, and blast from the past keyboard with reliable scissor switch mechanisms, would have alleviated his problems. Plus, as a tech writer, he can now review Apple’s latest and greatest as something he uses every day.

Ben didn’t have a 2018 MacBook Pro model like me. His is a 2016, and is now three years old. Mine should be less prone to keyboard issues, but will still have them. That’s why I have a silicone cover for it now, to help it last longer. However, when I saw the new MacBook Pro, I started wondering how long I should wait before trading it in. The fact is, I hate the arrow keys and escape key, which Apple improved. I know of the thermal throttling issues, especially in the 2018 i9 MacBook Pro I have, and monitor my Mac’s temperature and use a cooling stand. Finally, I know I’m going to have to bring it in someday to replace that keyboard. It’s going to happen. Why not replace it while I can still get decent money for it in a buy back program?

Mostly because I don’t have the money to cover the difference. But if I did, I would.

But Why More Apples?

For Ben, and to a lesser extent me, we write about Apple. It makes sense to use Apple hardware. But for me, it’s not my primary job. This is one of my side hustles. I could stop writing about Apple and just keep the focus on tech. This is my site, I can do what I want! I’m the editor in chief and the employees asking for more pay (sorry, not happening). So why don’t I switch? Why do I keep buying a Mac?

Windows is a Mess

Have you used a Windows computer lately? Or an Android device? I installed Windows 10 on my MacBook Pro within the first few weeks of owning it to ensure I had a platform for gaming, if my friends decided to play something that was a Microsoft exclusive. I haven’t used it much, as more games than you’d expect are coming out for the Mac, and I’ve thought about deleting it. But the installation was such a pain. What if I do have to do that all over again? That’s a nightmare! It took forever to get it feeling this smooth, and its terribly janky, from not being able to easily customize keyboard layouts and scroll directions to struggling with multiple monitors.

When you have to fight your operating system to do even simple tasks, it makes doing anything a greater hassle.

Smoother Development

Let’s not even start on the fact that I’m a software developer. I couldn’t imagine doing my work on a non-Unix environment or at least Unix-like platform like Linux. Not to mention that I’d need to do remote builds for all of my iOS work! Mobile development would be a nightmare. It’s so bad, I ask employers what computers they work with before even considering a company. Fortunately, within the last six years or so, none have said Windows. I wonder why.

A Beautiful Walled Garden

Let’s not pretend Apple doesn’t still have a walled garden. Yes, you can still install apps from non-identified developers, but Apple pushes you away from doing so. On iOS, you can’t. But the way my Apple Watch, iPhone, MacBook, iPad, and AirPods communicate together seamlessly is unmatched. macOS never feels like it’s getting in my way. It’s seamless and unobtrusive, while being reliable. It’s simply designed, with each part having a sole purpose. This makes finding anything, from apps and documents to settings easier. AirDrop is so wonderful I hate having to do anything where I have to send something from my Mac to my Android devices. I use email, Google Docs/Drive, or just copy the information down manually. It’s a huge pain. Meanwhile, in Apple’s ecosystem, it’s as simple as drag and drop.

That’s why Apple’s brand loyalty is so high. The alternatives aren’t very good and nothing compares to the seamless nature of Apple’s ecosystem. When it comes to the operating systems and the ecosystem, Apple’s nailing it.

Even Loyal Customers Can Hurt Apple

While Apple’s software has been great, their hardware—for years—languished. I still wouldn’t tell a single person to buy the MacBook Air or 13-inch MacBook Pro. Both are stuck with Apple’s horrendous butterfly keyboards, and not worth the hassle. Do not buy them. Besides, it’s always awkward to say, “If you have a camera, phone, or anything else you want to plug into it, you’ll need a dongle.”

By the way, if you do get a USB-C-only MacBook Pro, I recommend this dongle or, for at home, this dock. I use both extensively.

I kept my old MacBook for eight years because I dreaded upgrading. I’m a techie. If I’m doing that, what are other people doing? I know my parents’ iMac just turned eight too. How many Mac users just started keeping their devices longer because they heard the new ones had problems? Probably quite a lot. It seems Apple is dramatically changing course. Jony Ive is out, the new MacBook Pro is the modular beast people wanted, the new MacBook Pro has an older, better keyboard and is thicker, and the iPhone saw a huge leap in battery life. Once again, in part because it’s thicker. Apple listened to consumers, and the hardware’s changing to match. Apple’s taking a new path, and consumers are going to like it.

I suppose what I’m saying is, Apple’s got us locked in with the ecosystem, but understands that exceptionally bad hardware can drive users away. We reached the limits of Apple brand loyalty with the old MacBook Pro, expensive iPhone X, and trashcan Mac Pro. Now Apple’s steering back. Loyalty was tested, and Apple found the limit. Hopefully they never get this close again.