But Macs just work, right?

During the past 6+ years of continuing consumer un-friendly actions by Apple Corporation, I have found it increasingly difficult to provide friends and clients with affordable (and respectful) Mac solutions.  Also, I’ve witnessed countless clients getting softly (or majorly) screwed by Apple’s intentional hardware crippling and mystical policies, and yes, that’s why I’ve always recommended Applecare as a 100% necessity for these newer models.  

And 2 years ago, things got personal: 

One day my MacBook wouldn’t wake up, and it took Apple 28 days to repair this MacBook “Pro” under Applecare. Yes, 4 weeks without my main editing computer, with a fried SSD drive that renders the entire computer unusable, since it is soldered to the logic board. (On older MacBooks, you (or the Apple Store) could just swap another drive and you could continue working). 

The story continued 6 months later with need for a secondary repair, and this time I bought a newer MacBook  so i could keep working while the other was getting repaired. When the repair completed 11 days later (with yet another brand new logic board), I needed to sell the computer (to pay for the newer one), however, the warranty was expiring within a few days; and if i renewed the warranty, then it would not be transferable to the new owner!  Despite the circumstances of months of downtime during repeated repairs, Apple refused to make any concessions, period.  

Remember, Apple used to be well-known for their stellar technical support, and for “doing the right thing” when their systems faltered.  But the strangest thing throughout this debacle was that it felt like I was dealing with an entirely new monster.  There seemed to be intentional stop-gaps or excuses at every turn of the plot. How else could a repair take 28 days (when it used to take 3 to 7?) So i started digging deeper, investigating, experimenting, and researching.  

2 years later, the list of dirty topics and cautionary tales with Apple is so extensive, it requires its own website, podcast, online forum, YouTube channel, Patreon archives with “How-to” videos, and a live streaming Q and A show. And over the coming months, I will be releasing new material as fast as I can!

For those of us stuck on the Mac format, I hope Free Your Mac will help you save money, time.. and your self-respect!  Your personal stories and feedback are integral to helping this movement grow, so please don’t hesitate to reach out, and please stay tuned!