I love everything Apple. The genius bar always has the answer to any question or issue I have. So glad you are reconnected to your music!

Beagles, get out!!!

I used to be an Apple hater. The H word. Insane. I'm not even sure I know who that person was.

So happy for you, Linelle! Losing music can be like losing pictures - so hard.

I'm another happy Apple gal. My DD saved and saved for her first ipod. The very first night she had it, she dropped it on the sidewalk and it shattered. I felt absolutely sick for her. She was only 12 or 13, but she took it in herself while I waited at the door. I don't know if it's their policy or if she just tugged on their heartstrings, but they gave her a new one - no charge.

My 30-something y.o. son dropped his iPhone on the sidewalk cracking the screen. He'd only had it a short time but they replaced it.

Yay for these great Apple stories.

They are smart. They earn it in customer loyalty. I buy a computer every year now and have since 2009. Since the replacement of that old computer in 2007, I've bought six new Macs, 4 of which have been the 15 inch macbook pro. Not to mention multiple iPads/ iPhones / iPods.

I will continue to buy them forever as long as they continue to make good products and provide this kind of service!

I wish every company could be like Apple!

We have had awesome apple customer service too. Dd poured soda on the keyboard of dh's Apple laptop. He took it into the Genius Bar and told them what happened. They said, oh we can probably fix it. When they couldn't, they gave him a new computer.

Very glad to read of a good customer service experience. I think they're getting rarer and rarer, and I agree that it's a good idea to express appreciation as well as criticism.

But...

I have a Mac and an iPhone (which my neighbor gave me - sweet thing that she is), but I'm not a big fan of Apple. I don't despise it with the fire of a thousand suns like I do Comcast, HomeAway, Eversource, and a few others. However, I think Apple has manipulated people, and I'm not a fan of operating businesses that way. Their products are enormously overpriced, simply for status, I think.

I was horrified when I needed a new hard drive last summer after a dog pulled my computer off the table and killed its hard drive, and Apple told me I have to let them keep the old hard drive OR, if I wanted to keep my own hard drive, I had to pay them $50! That really shocked me. Who in their right mind would hand their hard drive over to anyone, let alone a bunch of strangers? Who in their right mind, especially a tech company, would require such a thing? Who would require that a customer pay them to be able to keep their own property, property they bought from the company in the first place?

If Apple had offered to erase the hard drive, in front of me, and show me it was fully erased, I'd have gladly handed it over to them. Instead, I was told that it wasn't a problem because "Apple hires only very trustworthy people"!

Needless to stay, I told them in no uncertain terms that I was not going to hand over a hard drive with all my banking info. on it, etc., nor was I going to pay them to let me keep something I had already bought from them. They "made an exception" for me and let me keep it w/o charge.

All I could think was, are people really just handing over their hard drives to Apple??

They have excellent tech support for issues large and small. I has a hardcore PC person for years but when anything went wrong it was a nightmare. Apple makes it so easy and almost every one of their phone support people have been great. I had to call them the other day when the Apple TV went on the fritz. It was fixed in 2 minutes. They update their software for free and stand behind their stuff. People are loyal to them because their are truly helpful and respect that you do business with them. Increasingly rare these days!

I've also found Miele to be similar for household appliances. Last week DD2's fridge went out. No power. She has 3 under 9 and had to completely empty the fridge and freezer. You can imagine. She scheduled a service call with the dealer but I suggested she first call Miele. She got one of their techs and the issue was fixed in minutes. There's an on/off switch that got turned off my a piece of food.

I'm loyal to very good service. And I'm starting to stop doing business with companies that outsource their phone support. We've got a lot of Apple products and I'll never go back. Ditto Miele.

I don't drink the Apple Koolade! Their "genius" bar once erased 6 months worth of emails on my MacBook. I've had an apple.com email since they first started offering them and the transitions to me.com and now iCloud.com have not been trouble free. I much prefer my Windows PC at home and use an iPad for travel. I also use an Android phone.

No company is perfect but I have an Apple story too. My Magic Mouse was acting up so I went to the Apple store to buy a new one. They asked if I had brought the old mouse. I had - thinking they might know a trick to fix it. Even though it was long out of warranty they just gave me a new mouse.

Another good customer service story: I messed up my Verizon data plan account on my iPad. Took it to the Verizon store and very nice Michelle called the mother ship and figured out how to fix it. She had about as much trouble with their phone support as I did (not good customer service) but kept plugging away until it was resolved. Thank you Michelle!

I am beginning to think strictly Apple is the way to go. I have had some pretty good customer service for a few minor things. We both have iPhones and iPads and I am thinking about getting a MacBook. My big Dell bit the dust recently, I really wasn't using it much and DH had bought me a Surface about a year ago but I really don't use it a lot either. I don't miss all the virus scans and potential viruses with the old Dell.

OutsidePlaying, I'm on my third MacBook Pro. I got a new 13" retina display last September and I just love it. If I could only have one device, this would be it.

I love my MacBook Pro 15". It is late 2011 so there are a few things it doesn't do, that the new ones do.

I was a little worried about El Capitan, but it seems very stable on both my iMac (two weeks old) and MBP which I upgraded from Yosemite.

I love my little Macbook Air SO much! Our kids are responsible for us slowly converting us to Apple. DH still has a desktop PC and I have a Samsung Galaxy phone. I'll be due for an upgrade in Sept. and am really struggling (as I do every two years!) as to whether to switch to an iPhone or stay with android. I love, love, love my phone but maybe I'd love the iPhone just as much or more.

I'd love to hear any recommendations/thoughts from those who have struggled with this first world delima:).

dsg, I was once a Windows fangirl and I can barely remember those days. My husband had a Mac and I had a Dell and we sat side-by-side with our own platforms. I discovered I was bi-platform and could easily go back and forth. The sheer elegance of the Mac interface won me over.

I live alone and have a MacBook, iMac, iPhone and iPad. When I travel, I always take my MacBook. It's my buddy and I'd be lost without it.

Unless you have a lot invested in Android apps, I don't think it would be hard for you to switch to an iPhone, esp. since you know the Apple interface through your MB. Most of the apps I use are free, except MLB-At Bat which is worth the $20/year since I'm a baseball fan.

Linelle, thanks for the recommendation on the 13". I think that size is the one I would get also.

I too can easily go back and forth with Windows platforms and Apple. Our work computers are all Windows (Dell) and I have no problem switching. It's frustrating at work though because so much internet content is blocked, even really commonly used stuff. And with Apple I don't miss going through all those virus updates.

As for apps, I think Apple has everything I need. Most of the ones I use are either device-specific & especially used on my iphone (Garmin for my running watch) or personal preference apps (banking, Sound Hound, weather, ESPN (mostly for scores), a few others. I could probably delete a lot I downloaded to try and really don't use.

Outside, I'm fine with the 13". If you plan to schlep it around, it's a manageable size and weight. There are a few times I like a large screen, so that's when I use my 21" iMac. The force touch pad took a little getting used to...it's VERY sensitive and I routinely click when I don't mean to. Sometimes I swear I didn't touch the thing. But overall, it's very good and I'm finally breaking free from the darn Magic Mouse.

(MLB-At-Bat is much beloved in our house. Ds checks it every morning first thing during the season.)

MLB-At-Bat, can't live without it.

I've been an Apple, Windows, Apple gal. My very first computer was a Mac purchased in 95. It was fairly easy to learn and I liked it. Then I started getting fatal error messages a lot! I think the icon was a little yellow triangle with a bomb in it.

I decided to switch to Windows which was also very easy. Many years later I saw an Ipad2 I had to have it. So now three iPads, two iPhones, and a Mac Air in I'm a solid Apple fan. I also am on iPad no3 for my DGSs. I buy a new computer or iPad each year. I love my Mac Air, I went in to the Apple store convinced that I wanted the Macbook Pro but the salesman was so gaga over the Air that I went with it even though Apple lost money on the deal because the Macbook Pro was quite a bit more expensive.

I easily go back and forth between the two os, but I just have a natural liking for the Apple.

I go to an Apple store whenever I'm at a mall that has one. The other weekend I was at one and it was so jam packed that I left because I can go during the week and avoid the crowd.

I always configure/price Apple products online and then buy directly in my local Apple Store. Online they give you the option to swap the Magic Mouse for Magic Trackpad *and* USB full keyboard for the Bluetooth one. However, on line, they don't reduce the price for the less expensive USB keyboard. In the store, they adjusted the price correctly and it made me happy that my actual cost was less in person than online.

The timing of this thread is funny. I have been back and forth to the genius bar 4 times in the last two weeks. And I was finally the "genius" ... not .. that figured it out. I find the service disappointing, even little things like returngin calls when you commit to. They also constantly abandon old products to coerce you into buying new. Their cell phone batteries only last for 800 charges; eg about 2yrs or so. And they always f it up when then replace the battery.

I had a "if you give a mouse a cookie" fiasco where I have been unable to access any of my emails for some time now! I could go on and on. And we own 19 Apple products, I determined as I sat waiting ... mostly because we don't get rid of the obsolete ones .. ipod nanos, shuffles, even ipads, now supplanted by airs and minis. We have pretty old macbooks though... and they dont make 17 inch any more so id rather keep them.

Funny thing is they sent me a survey about my service and I ranted and ranted. Then the q, "How likely are you to buy Apple products" in the future. Uhh, umm. Extremely likely.

They make beautiful products, case closed. But "tech support" is never perfect in any paradigm, and these things can quickly become quite complex.

Mtn, you should see if you can go to a different store the next time. We have 2 w/in an hour of our PA house and one of them is much more helpful than the other (much more!)

I don't get rid of obsolete devices either... in fact, I still have a blueberry clamshell laptop in my basement at home! Which still works- but really really slowly.

I replace my iPhone every two years, so the battery life should work out for me. :) I sold the last two old ones to Gazelle and took payment in the form of an Amazon credit. The last one they actually gave me more money than agreed upon as it arrived in better condition than expected.

I kept my recently replaced MacBook Pro that still works (I just wanted a new one with retina display) because one never knows. It takes up very little space in my closet.

The iMac I just replaced wasn't dead, but wasn't functional either. It went to the electronics recycler.

@dsg2015 -- I had the exact same choice 1-1/2 years ago. I did switch in the end and it has been an excellent decision for me.

Our girls always touted Apple to us. I stubbornly stuck to PC and Android. Then we had to get DH an iMac for the accessible features -- he has low vision and it was recommended by the Lighthouse. So I had to learn to use it in order to adjust it for him. It's been excellent.

So when my last PC started wearing down, I went to Apple. I like a desktop as I do a lot of photo editing. I got an iMac with a fusion drive which means it boots up super quickly and is very fast. It is, hands down, the best desktop ever. I did need to reorganize things and I do have my quibbles. But overall there is no comparison. Plus I don't need to keep spending money updating software and adding internet protection -- those are included!

I did have an iPad in advance of the desktop and loved it. Didn't put much focus on the ability of those to synch up but it's come in very handy.

So when I went to get a new phone at the end of '14 I took a hard look at the Iphone 6+ vs the Samsung. Everyone I spoke to with the 6+ loved it. I went for it.

Like the desktop, it is by far the best phone I've every had. Easiest to use, 0 audio issues, almost no dropped calls. If I take photos with the phone they transfer over to the desktop library.

So now I'm a convert. I still have a PC laptop that's been lightly used. It should have many good years as it's not used all that much. But when it goes, I'll get a Mac. Sure, Apple support varies from store to store. But it's worlds better than the nightmare overseas non-English, nonsense support I experienced in the past.

Thank you, Roco, for sharing your experience. Can I ask whether you've noticed any difference in the camera? (I love the Samsung camera and assume the iPhone would be at least as good.)

Not Rococogurl, but I have the 6s and had the 5s previously. The 5s camera was just so-so for me but Apple really upped the camera quality with the 6-series IMO. I've taken some really great quick photos & videos with my 6s, and you're hearing from a Nikon girl here (DSLR and a point-and-shoot).

@dsg2015 - I haven't used the Samsung camera. But I was using the 6+ camera to take pix of food for my blog. I found it outstanding. The newer 6s phones has a new type of camera that takes photos which are also like videos so it's even more advanced.

Some examples so you can judge.

Thank you OP and RG!! RG, those photos are stunning; I could be very, very happy with the quality of the iPhone camera! This is just what I needed, thank you!

Although it was 2 years old, I had been very happy with my 5s. But when I heard the 6s camera was much superior, I bought a 6s Plus. I have other cameras, but as they say, the best camera is the one you have with you. The 6s Plus is big, but I adjusted and it's much more viable as a browser.