So…
My iPhone 3G (sans-S) decides to act up a week before my trip to Hanoi. Part of the problem was the glitchy 3.1 update, the other part: a faulty headphone port – damaged by the oversized jack on the V-Moda Vibe Duos.
No service centre in the land would touch my Hong Kong bought 3G. I was told by one mothafraker at the MidValley Machines store to take a flight to Hong Kong and get it fixed. This fool said it without a hint of irony or sarcasm. The A-hole meant it!
So I gave in.
I had originally resisted the ‘S’ when it came out, grumbling about the fact that I’d hafta spend 3k on one damned letter of the alphabet. “It stands for speed.” Frak you Forestall!
With mine broken though, I figured it was as good a time as any to replace and upgrade.
Turns out, stock of the 3GS is not only short, in my neck of the globe, it’s just plain out. So I decided to hit KL’s gadget underworld – the Low Yat mall. It’s half Tech-Wonderland, half you-betta-watchyo-back-’fore-somebody-robs-ya-man.
I was on the hunt for a unit with a Maxis warranty. After hours of sifting through jailbroken US units, Singaporean and Hong Kong imports and knock off iPhone Minis (O, it’s Malaysia baby, we have it all!), I finally found one, in the hands of a guy who wasn’t gonna cut me any breaks.
The Maxis Apple iPhone 3GS 32GB model retails for RM2,990 (that’s about 863 in USD). I ended up paying RM3,580 (that’s about ThisFoolMadeMeHisBitch in USD).
I’m still reeling!
On the way out of Tech Wonderland – watching my back in case somebody tried to rob me, man – I saw bargain laptops, offered at half the price of what I just paid for a phone. A phone!
Apple’s put out a really great gadget, one that had me on the hunt for most of my precious Sunday. From my first 2G iPhone, though – bound with a contract that signed over my first born to O2 – to today’s purchase, I’ve never been able to shake the feeling that I’ve been duped. It’s the one part of the iPhone experience I really wish Apple would change.
I’ve never had a problem with the “Apple Tax”, having been a Mac user for just shy of a decade now. I was always made to feel as though I came out with the bargain – the quality of the products justified it.
With all three iPhones though, I’ve left the store (two of ‘em Apple’s own) with a bad taste in my mouth. Being a company that places so much emphasis on buyer satisfaction and user experience, you’d think Apple would want to change that.
Mobile phone makers, listen up: I’m looking to break free. I want a phone with a great web browser, IMAP and Exchange, a good media player and a decent interface. Feel free to break the bank. Just treat me better than Apple has.
CNET’s Molly Wood once used the “bad boyfriend” analogy to describe Apple. And that works! Here in Malaysia, we have our own expression for that: “Pisau Cukur“. It’s not too different from Kanye’s Gold Digger. You can’t resist her but it just take too much to love her!