Lately, I've also been getting frustrated with Apple:
I was setting up someone's iPad for them last night. Installed a couple of apps, then did a jailbreak. Started testing the apps, and found that there was no sound. Battled for a few minutes and thought it had to do with the jailbreak. After some Googling I realised that the side switch was in mute-mode, rather than rotation lock mode.
Why did I have to set someone elses iPad up in the first place? Because in a bandwidth-constrained country, downloading iTunes is a difficult problem - the stupid iTunes switch-on requirement has sunk many people (I've had to set up 3 iPads for other people because of it).
As a South African, I'm forced to create a Kenya iTunes account to buy games, since Apple hasn't bothered, like most other manufacturers have, to get a simple clearance from our Home Affairs department to self-rate games. At least creating a Kenya account is easier than the other "workaround": creating a US account with a fake address, and then buying iTunes vouchers. Of course, there is the risk that Apple will deactivate my account and screw me out of the apps I paid for.
Talking about having a Kenya account, I made the mistake of creating a South Africa account first - ever tried updating apps when you have multiple iTunes accounts? It's a nightmare.
These mostly sound more like issues with South Africa than Apple.
Not really. People in countries like Australia can buy games, even through they have a similar classifications regime. Based on what I've read, Apple hasn't even bothered to approach the South African Film and Publications Board to apply for self-rating:
I'm still seeing that as an issue with South African regulation. Apple presumably sees Australia as a big enough market to navigate the regulation pitfalls there, but they can't be entirely blamed if they feel that South Africa isn't worth the negotiations.
The main problem with South Africa is the bandwidth issue. The fact that you pay per GB is ridiculous. I'm on "uncapped" ADSL myself, downloading hundreds of gigabytes on a monthly basis, but they have their ways of throttling you to discourage you from doing this.
Ditto. I tried calling Apple to ask them to move my account over to a US account, but they said it can't be done, then proceeded to tell me matter-of-factly that the best solution is to abandon my Canadian account (along with all my purchases), start a new US account, and then re-buy all of my apps again (and all this while implying that it was somehow my fault for moving to a different country).
Apple is like the bitchy beauty queen who gets a pass due to her looks. Everything's peaches-and-cream until you hit a bump. Then the claws come out.
Interesting. It seems like it isn't just a problem with Apple though. I've heard similar stories with Xbox Live accounts, where they won't move accounts between countries. I think there may be some laws/regulations involved which are preventing them from moving accounts. Otherwise, it's just silly to not allow people to move accounts, since it should be a simple change in a database somewhere.
I don't really see how your first issue is a reason to get frustrated with Apple. The first thing novice users do when something core like sound isn't working is to start randomly flipping all available buttons and switches, they would have caught that just fine. You just panicked and assumed it was because of the jailbreak. That's hardly Apple's fault.
Also, I don't buy the iTunes thing. Downloading apps on the iPad, using it on the net, and updating iOS isn't a problem but downloading the 80mb iTunes is a killer? I just don't get it. If downloading iTunes really is that brutal, seems like the experience on an iPad would be very disappointing in general. Either way, no company should be catering their core experience towards a situation where downloading an 80mb file is a big hassle. The problem is infrastructure, not iTunes.
It must be hell to set up a printer in South Africa. I grumble about a 300mb download from HP here but if 80mb is so brutal I'm surprised anyone in South Africa even owns a printer.
Finally in regards to games, IMO this is SA's fault. Plenty of countries have ridiculous gaming laws. It's not Bethesda's fault that there are no nukes in the Japanese Fallout 3, it's not Valve's fault that L4D2 is neutered in Australia, and it's not Apple's fault that they have to go out of their way to get a special exemption to rate games themselves in South Africa. Blame your ridiculous laws, every other country manages it with no problem.
"ever tried updating apps when you have multiple iTunes accounts? It's a nightmare."
I have 2 iTunes accounts, one for free apps and one for paid apps (it seemed like a good idea at the time to not expose credit card info unnecessarily). In iTunes I have to log in separately to update my paid and free apps, it's a nuisance but hardly the stuff of nightmares.
I meant rating for age restrictions by the App Store, not end-user ratings.
This is done on a game-by-game basis by a government agency in South Africa, and requires an additional fee, but, based on what I've read, other manufacturers have gotten their internal rating systems approved, so this fee is not applicable. Apple hasn't bothered. They just don't let South Africans buy games.
Do realize it's not Apple not letting South Africans to buy games. It's South African bureaucracy that's preventing South Africans from buying games. The barrier for entry is too high to justify the ROI for Apple to bother. Otherwise, there's no reason for a company to choose to forego more profit per effort.
I was setting up someone's iPad for them last night. Installed a couple of apps, then did a jailbreak. Started testing the apps, and found that there was no sound. Battled for a few minutes and thought it had to do with the jailbreak. After some Googling I realised that the side switch was in mute-mode, rather than rotation lock mode.
Why did I have to set someone elses iPad up in the first place? Because in a bandwidth-constrained country, downloading iTunes is a difficult problem - the stupid iTunes switch-on requirement has sunk many people (I've had to set up 3 iPads for other people because of it).
As a South African, I'm forced to create a Kenya iTunes account to buy games, since Apple hasn't bothered, like most other manufacturers have, to get a simple clearance from our Home Affairs department to self-rate games. At least creating a Kenya account is easier than the other "workaround": creating a US account with a fake address, and then buying iTunes vouchers. Of course, there is the risk that Apple will deactivate my account and screw me out of the apps I paid for.
Talking about having a Kenya account, I made the mistake of creating a South Africa account first - ever tried updating apps when you have multiple iTunes accounts? It's a nightmare.