Re: Apple cold calling ..

On Fri, 7 Sep 2007 10:43:49 +0100, pd.news@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Pd)
wrote:

T i m <news@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Fri, 7 Sep 2007 10:02:47 +0100, pd.news@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Pd)
wrote:

T i m <news@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

And as you have me thinking I'd better do
the same with the cars, motorbikes, the fridge, freezer, tumble dryer,
dishwasher, TV's, PC's, HiFi etc. Do you think they would take my
money, would I have to bend over, will it hurt?

Depends on the size of the socket. I don't think you'll feel a thing.

You think? Remember *I'm* not used to paying that way.

Doesn't matter. Whoosh.

No, I got it, it missed you though it seems?

If pretty well *anything* stops working 'she' might just mutter the fact
on the way out indicating she would like to see it fully operational when
she gets back? Now I'm pretty sure she knows I've never been on a Hotpoint
or Dyson service engineers course so why does she assume such? Answer,
because often I can.

Cos you're a bloke, mate.

I'm not sure that's relevant any more (in the 'bloke' or male)
meanings of the word.

In years past I've fixed cars, tractors,
motorbikes, washing machines, buggies, vacuums, boilers etc etc.

Ok, so you have at least been there and might just know how it feels
when it al comes together.

Now I
hardly bother, because if the washing machine dies it's always the
circuit board. Always. Well, except once in the last ten years when it
was the motor, and I bought a refurb for £10 and replaced it nae bother.

Not had a board go ever. The last thing on this AEG was the motor
appeared short cct (leaking to earth and tripping the RCD) but luckily
was just a carbon buildup.

I can't adjust the timing on the car because it's sealed electronic
ignition,

Indeed and something I fitted to the kit car (Luminition) when we
built it ~17 years ago because I didn't want to have to adjust it.

same on the bike since 1980, and that was an XL500 bought
mainly because it was a single cylinder, single carb, light enough for
me to drop the engine on my own.

Understood.

I'm sure electronic ignition is more
reliable than the old points, but it takes it out of the diy category
for me. Maybe you're handier than I am with scopes and circuitry.

Well I was an electronics service engineer for 15 years so possibly
but most 'electronic ignition units' are sealed so as long as the
sensors / inputs are doing what they should they are a consumable.
:-(

I've had my own computer(s) since the mid-70s, and in all that time very
very few things have gone wrong with them. Since my first Mac in 1984 I
can only remember five things that have gone wrong in the hardware - the
LCD on my Powerbook - replaced under warranty. Optical drive in my
Powerbook - replaced under warranty. Hard drives - swapped them myself,
HDs are easy. Keyboard - needed one urgently, so bought a £3 one from
local PC shop, until I replaced it with another Apple one.

Ok. Sounds pretty typical so far ...

(Yes, the
Apple one cost ten times as much, but for something I spend a lot of
time on, I'd rather have something that works the way I want.)

Understood.

So for
me, being servicable and fixable with "generic" parts has absolutely no
relevance to my choice of computer, except that perhaps by not using
"cheapest available" parts, my computers have been remarkably reliable.

Understood, but, 1) I'm not suggesting you go to a diy solution and 2)
I *do* like to build (assemble) / modify my own boxes, not *just*
repair them. So I can do both, cheaply and easily, my choice, my
preference.

Perhaps if I had computers made from generic parts, then I'd consider
that an advantage because I'd be constantly replacing the duff ones and
feeling smug that I can buy another generic part to replace it with.

Pass? If that's how it would make you feel then so be it.

I on the other hand do what's right for me and I still certainly can't
suggest someone buys a Mac over a PC in most cases but I will advise
what PC based on my knowledge / history with that make and how easy /
cheap it would be to repair / upgrade should the need arise.

Maybe if people still paid £2000 for a desktop PC they wouldn't mind
paying £80/hour to get it fixed or £100 for a refurbished PSU or WiFi
card? [1]

All the best ..

T i m

[1] That was an honest observation not a dig. My mate in the PC shop
is still as busy as ever fixing PC's / Laptops (even the odd Mac) but
because stuff is so cheap is finding it harder and harder each day to
make a living. When a PC was £2000 you could easily earn a couple of
hundred out of it by doing the setup for the customer and delivering /
installing it in the house or a typical repair. Now with a useable PC
with 19" TFT being £349 or less (Dell etc) it's not so easy to charge
£200 to do the value added things so more often than not they do it
themselves. Given a £200 repair bill (~4 hours work) they would rather
buy a new one.

All that's then left is the std component failure jobs (PSU's optical
drives, fans etc) and the odd upgrade. That and malware removal and
fixing finger trouble of course .. thank goodness for numpties! ;-)



.

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