apple Louis Rossmann just had 20 Apple batteries seized by US Customs

[mr moose]

2 minutes ago, PineyCreek said:

The reason he makes a big deal about it in the video is they're OEM Apple batteries, not counterfeit, at least that's what he paid for.

Yep, and if customs are going to confiscate those batteries then they should be inspected by an independent 3rd party.  Not held as a ransom against the buyer who not only has the right to innocence until proven guilty but, (for very rational reasons assuming they paid for genuine refurbished batteries), has likely only committed the crime of being a victim of a dodgy seller. 

[PineyCreek]

5 minutes ago, Blademaster91 said:

Theres a difference between refurbished and a counterfeit, the batteries are apparently OEM from parts laptops which IMO anyway should be considered refurbished. Even if they did have visible branding, Apple has had hardware seized before such as screens with replaced glass.

Apple considers all hardware refurbished by anyone other than them to be counterfeit it seems.  I take everything I hear regarding Apple with a full container of salt because they have proven time and again to be extremely averse to allow anyone else to play in their pool. Very anti-consumer IMO.

[pas008]

38 minutes ago, Blademaster91 said:

Theres a difference between refurbished and a counterfeit, the batteries are apparently OEM from parts laptops which IMO anyway should be considered refurbished. Even if they did have visible branding, Apple has had hardware seized before such as screens with replaced glass.

also heard they came from a manufacturer that doesnt have the license to make things for apple anymore

which is it? I am actually curious on what the real story is here

there is too much variables to get actual truth now

why would customs stop just a random electronic parts from a random company to some random guy in the us?

or was it labeled apple products? from an old apple licensee/old manufacturer? labeled refurbished which could also trigger a look considering place its coming from?

 

I am not a fan of apples way of things but bleaching a 5 dollar bill to print 20 dollars on it is still counterfeiting

 

 

[Master Delta Chief]

1 hour ago, mr moose said:

Yep, and if customs are going to confiscate those batteries then they should be inspected by an independent 3rd party.

This is a great idea to minimize or make mistakes almost 'non-existent' when they are being controlled at the Customs. I am not sure whether this is already applied in some other countries. The only 'problem' you will have is that it will be a bit more time-consuming (and perhaps a bit more costly?), but I'd rather make sure nothing goes wrong. 

[Tenelia]

Lol guys, I work around Asia, so can someone tell me what the heck is happening to USA's consumer safeguards? I used to believe in US products, but now Apple, Intel, Microsoft, DuPont/Tefal, etc makes me REALLY worried.

[Commodus]

5 hours ago, hobobobo said:

Production workflow would be something id agree with as being a rational reason to get a mac a couple of years ago. The rest are not about logic or rationality. Design is pure vanity, performance is a ethereal whistle, most flagships perform the same. Is there anything unique about apple ecosystem? Its sure used to be alot better then google play or other android ones. As i can tell from my parents iphones ipads its not that different today. And i cant say a thing about apple watch being the best of the bunch since i never used a smartwatch and i doubt i ever will, perhaps there is some good reason to wear one, i just cant think of one. You are confusing no reason with no rational reason. Ive written a couple of perfectly fine reasons in the previous post, but none of them are rational.

 

Im not really tryin to persuade any1, its a fools errand. Im just expressing my opinion. I honestly feel that reading comprehension is amiss. I repeat, allegations are not mine, i dont "feel", i think they are close to truth. Honestly, the condecension in your post is so high im very tempted to just ask you to go fuck yourself.

No, there are valid workflow reasons to get a Mac right now.  And they don't always revolve around Apple or Adobe apps.  I use a Mac for work, for example, and I know the Windows alternatives to some of the tools I use would either be clunkier or non-existent.  That and some of the interface elements just help me work faster in my particular circumstances.  This is not a matter of opinion, or spin, or your other excuses: you are objectively wrong.

 

To shoot down your other claims... design isn't just about aesthetics.  It also means functional things like speakers, display area, build quality, even simple things like buttons.  Performance isn't just about frame rates, it also affects load times and overall responsiveness (such as the iPhone XS' 120Hz touch response).  And yes, Apple's ecosystem is unique.  There's the tight integration (albeit at the expense of absolute flexibility), the raft of accessories that you don't often see elsewhere, and of course, the apps... I don't think you realize how many apps and app features tend to come out for iOS first.

 

Oh, and on the Apple Watch?  How about you let those of us who've actually used smartwatches speak on the subject rather than dismissing them?  I think Apple's lead in the category stems partly from the apathy of its competition (even Samsung got lazy with the Galaxy Watch), but it does have good design, performance and a rich ecosystem of accessories and apps.

 

You may be expressing your opinion, but you're expressing it on a public forum.  If you don't want to have to defend your ideas with radical concepts like "evidence," then don't post.

[Amazonsucks]

52 minutes ago, Tenelia said:

Lol guys, I work around Asia, so can someone tell me what the heck is happening to USA's consumer safeguards? I used to believe in US products, but now Apple, Intel, Microsoft, DuPont/Tefal, etc makes me REALLY worried.

Those companies make most of tgeir stuff in Asia. You should be able to find out since youre on the ground where its made.

 

@Commodus

 

Are you actually praising Apple's build quality? Its a joke. Smartwatches are also a joke. I havent seen a single one made in Switzerland or Japan.

[Commodus]

7 minutes ago, Amazonsucks said:

 

@Commodus

 

Are you actually praising Apple's build quality? Its a joke. Smartwatches are also a joke. I havent seen a single one made in Switzerland or Japan.

I'm not denying glitches (although people sometimes overstate the scope of those, too).  It's more things like construction and choice of materials.

 

As for smartwatches... don't knock them until you've tried them.  And you're clearly living in a cave if you haven't heard of Swiss or Japanese smartwatches.  TAG Heuer's Connected Modular watches?  Montblanc's Summit line?  Casio's rugged Wear OS devices?  And that's not including 'hybrid' watches like those from Frederique Constant.  Just because you're unaware doesn't mean they don't exist.

[Amazonsucks]

13 minutes ago, Commodus said:

I'm not denying glitches (although people sometimes overstate the scope of those, too).  It's more things like construction and choice of materials.

 

As for smartwatches... don't knock them until you've tried them.  And you're clearly living in a cave if you haven't heard of Swiss or Japanese smartwatches.  TAG Heuer's Connected Modular watches?  Montblanc's Summit line?  Casio's rugged Wear OS devices?  And that's not including 'hybrid' watches like those from Frederique Constant.  Just because you're unaware doesn't mean they don't exist.

I said MADE in Switzerland or Japan. Those smartwatches you mention are made in China fam. 

 

The Frederique Constant "kinda smartwatch" is actually kinda cool though. More of an activity sensor watch than a true smartwatch though. Tissot had something similar without phone syncing in the early 2000s.

[Commodus]

1 hour ago, Amazonsucks said:

I said MADE in Switzerland or Japan. Those smartwatches you mention are made in China fam. 

 

The Frederique Constant "kinda smartwatch" is actually kinda cool though. More of an activity sensor watch than a true smartwatch though. Tissot had something similar without phone syncing in the early 2000s.

What good would it do to manufacture them in Switzerland or Japan?  They'd still be created in highly automated factories.  You aren't going to get hand-crafted processors and circuit boards... and you wouldn't want those even if they were available.

 

Edit: I'm not trying to be mean here, to be clear.  I just want to illustrate that there's not much point to producing smartwatches in the 'heart' of classic watchmaking countries when the quality should be the same regardless.

[Amazonsucks]

24 minutes ago, Commodus said:

What good would it do to manufacture them in Switzerland or Japan?  They'd still be created in highly automated factories.  You aren't going to get hand-crafted processors and circuit boards... and you wouldn't want those even if they were available.

 

Edit: I'm not trying to be mean here, to be clear.  I just want to illustrate that there's not much point to producing smartwatches in the 'heart' of classic watchmaking countries when the quality should be the same regardless.

Japan and the USA still make ultra high end electronics believe it or not. Final assembly could also be done there, like it is with the Frederique Constant as well. $800 is quite cheap for a watch with more features than watches costing 10 to 100 times as much. Even if assembling them in Switzerland or Japan doubled the cost, $1,600 buys a pretty basic Swiss or Japanese timepiece and people would pay for it. The only issue there would be disposability, since smartwatches become e-waste rather quickly compared to a normal watch. Ive had the same Swiss watch for 18 years now and its just as good as new.

[Commodus]

2 hours ago, Amazonsucks said:

Japan and the USA still make ultra high end electronics believe it or not. Final assembly could also be done there, like it is with the Frederique Constant as well. $800 is quite cheap for a watch with more features than watches costing 10 to 100 times as much. Even if assembling them in Switzerland or Japan doubled the cost, $1,600 buys a pretty basic Swiss or Japanese timepiece and people would pay for it. The only issue there would be disposability, since smartwatches become e-waste rather quickly compared to a normal watch. Ive had the same Swiss watch for 18 years now and its just as good as new.

They do, but you wouldn't really get anything out of sourcing electronics manufacturing and final assembly to those countries.  They'd still be using the same parts, and unless the watches need hand-finished white gold or custom-etched bezels, there's no advantage to that versus mass production for a smartwatch.  You'd be hiking the price purely to say the watches were made in a given country without the benefits that typically come from that.

[Hellion]

I can say with 100% certainly from 17 years experience dealing collectibles via online retailer websites that border customs agents have absolutely no clue how to differentiate between legitimate and counterfeit merchandise unless it's painly obvious to even the most uninformed individual. They are far more concerned regarding threats to public safety as enforcing policies to block entry of contraband is essentially black and white.

 

I absolutely believe that Rossmann's business and address has been black listed after complaints from apple because his practices do not align with their agenda to monopolize the repair industry for their garbage products and anti consumer, wasteful fallacy that 5 year old items are "vintage" products that should instead be replaced.

 

I'm not at all surprised though. The US is full of corruption where big business "lobby" (buy out) the government to create legislation in their favor all the time. Just another day in amurica.

[Canada EH]

8 minutes ago, Hellion said:

border customs agents have absolutely no clue

You are correct, their only goal is drugs, cash and illegals, anything beyond reading the law book, they are not interested unless a higher up point for them to do something. Everything else is secondary. Working illegally, banned food, counterfeit is low on the list but its like you said, obvious or someone ratted them out.