Apple online store - rant
Apple recently announced their iCloud ( fancy for "i store shit on the internet, but cloud sounds cooler" ). One of the promises of that - that you stuff should be all synced up on apple services and you can operate with your files regardless which device you using. I would totally expect for Apple at least sync up their stuff too, just as user trial if anything else. Basically following has nothing to do with iCloud, but for company that promotes cloud computing it would be nice to be integraded internally on the same level.
How my morning was ruined by apple today.
I have a trial version of Aperture 3, and needed to upload some photos from my camera. Once i connected camera, Aperture started with message "Your trial is expired " and prompt either to buy it or export master files to something else. I've clicked that buy button and completed the purchase via online apple store. As you can see, Aperture developers apparently not aware that now their product is sold via app store. At the time i didn't know that as well. So i've paid the money and upgrade key arrived with description: APERTURE 3 TRIAL UPGRADE ACTIV KEY-INT.
So far - we're good. I've entered the key and product asked to enter original key - and that fail. Tried different combos of copy-paste/typing - nada. Off to google search i go, where i learn that Aperture 3 is available via app store for 20$ LESS then i've paid for that key. Not only i've got they key that doesn't work, but also i've got up-charged 20$ for being a trial user.
Next step - phone support - 10 minutes through voice recondition prompts and got "We're closed, pls called during business hours, goodbye".
Next step - apple store. Dude in blue shirt understood the problem and thought it's fucking ridiculous as well, but, fancy this, he can't do ANYTHING about because order was placed online.
Basically apple online store, app store and just a store are different departments and if you bought something online - you just have to deal with online support. Question is simple - why in the world you can just sync this shit in your new and shiny iCloud/iLoveMyCustomer/or any other iThings and stop behaving bunch of dumbasses where one department has nothing to do with another. Fucking Walmart provides better expererience. I'm not event gonna try to compare to somebody like Zappos.
Bottom line for me : pictures are still in camera. money are gone. and i've spend about hour and a half trying to make it work/going to apple store etc. Plus god knows how much time i'll spend tomorrow on the phone. Based on today's experience i think it gonna cost me another 30 min - hour.
For apple : In app purchasing ( i've clicked buy from the app ) failed. Their developers don't know how they suppose to sell product. Store(s) experience is pathetic.
So dear apple if you're so proud of your user experience and app store - shit like this make you look really bad.