Is Apple truly a trillion-dollar company?

Apple will go down in history as the world’s first trillion-dollar company. With humble beginnings in Steve Job’s parent’s garage in 1976, Apple has proven its tactics of global tech domination have indeed succeeded—but are these ‘tactics’ greedy, misleading… or genius? Is there a consumer protection issue we’re neglecting to see? 

Let’s first consider Apple’s business model. One thing we know for certain is Apple hasn’t followed conventional business and marketing models to create sales conversions. 

1. The target customer is EVERYONE.

Most companies have a target market concerning age, demographics, socioeconomic status, etc. Apple, however, has made a phone that everyone from working class to upper class can use and access. There’s no age, gender, ethnicity or class restriction in this plan… and it’s genius! 

2. Apple makes streamlined products that are user-friendly and extremely intuitive. 

That’s right, senior citizens and 3-year-olds alike can use the iPhone and iPad with ease. 

3. Apple is firm on price. 

Forget the rules of economics or supply and demand. Apple trudged past market competition and NAMED its price. Apple has stood by its higher pricing models, ignored what other tech products were on the market for, and guess what, consumers still purchased Apple’s products without fail (and seem to be left wanting more).

How did Apple get people to make such a steep purchase? Apple offered a unique value proposition, promising consumers great value for their money, which brings me to my big question: Is Apple really doing right by the consumer? 

With old iPhones losing battery life prematurely, fraying charging cables, dongle dilemmas, dust-collecting keyboards and hard-to-cancel iTunes subscriptions, to name just a few, Apple is on the lawsuit radar of both consumers and attorneys. 

Consumers are suing Apple for slowing down their iPhones. 

According to reports, Apple admitted to slowing down the performance of old iPhones to prevent “unexpected shutdowns” that old iPhones with weaker batteries might experience. 

After the news broke and the backlash erupted, Apple offered a discounted replacement battery, still forcing consumers to have to empty their wallets on a problem that shouldn’t have been created by Apple in the first place. 

Insert class action lawsuits across the nation. 

The lawsuits argue that Apple misled and defrauded customers who may have spent money on fixes that didn’t speed up their phone. Some filed lawsuits because customers hurried to buy a new phone and ditch the old one when they could have avoided the software update or replaced the battery. Does Apple have more control over its consumers than we realize? 

Let’s dig into the other issues. 

Apple Charging Cables Don’t Last.

How many Lightning cables and MacBook chargers have you had to replace? 

The design of these chargers tends to split open where the cord meets the iPhone or exits the laptop power supply. If you do the math, $80 for a MacBook charger, plus $30 for an iPhone charger, times “X” number of Apple users could equal $1 trillion right there! 

It would be nice if Apple created chargers that lasted… don’t you agree?

Apple Moves into the Future and Neglects Existing Modern Technology.

Apple has also decided to oust modern day technology and move right into the future without warning. We’re all above innovation, but let’s be conscious about what already exists. 

Apple’s new iPhone X has removed the auxiliary plug. The 2016-on MacBooks are no longer offering USB ports, but instead uses USB-C. Was that necessary? Instead, the USB-C revolution, removal of SD card slots, headphone jacks, and even CD players, has led to the need for dongles to connect all of these to your computer. 

Cords, on cords, on cords. Cost, on cost, on cost.

Apple Makes it Easy to Subscribe, and Nearly Impossible to Cancel Subscriptions.

Apple has also made it extremely easy to make a purchase or encourage us to test out free trials of things like the iTunes Subscription. However, to cancel the subscription once the trial is over, if you even remember to do so in the first place, is very difficult and not user friendly. If you’re able to find the “Manage Subscriptions” section within your iPhone, you should receive a medal! 

Apple’s Keyboard is a Dust-Collecting Costly Machine.

The new Apple-designed butterfly mechanism gets easily jammed with dust requiring a tedious and costly disassembly that can typically only be done by professionals. 

Cha-ching! 

After a lawsuit and offering some free fixes, Apple still hasn’t fixed the issue and will continue to collect money from consumers in desperate need of a solution.

My trick is to purchase a keyboard cover. Although it is not dust-proof, it is helpful!

So what’s the bottom line regarding consumer protection against misleading, faulty or defrauding Apple products? The choice is yours. There are class action lawsuits arising across the country for all sorts of Apple-related consumer protection issues. 

Before making an Apple purchase or upgrading, ask questions. See what Apple can do for you before shelling out what’s left in your savings account.

I don’t believe Apple’s philosophy is to mislead consumers or to create products built to break down (heck, I have multiple iPhones and MacBooks), but I do think you have the ability to do your research and take action if you feel you are a victim. 

*Disclaimer – This is in no way to be considered legal advice. An attorney client relationship does not exist from your reading of this blog or your following any of the courses of action discussed above.