Vacation is coming at the exact right time

Commentary

I’m hoping that when I return from a week at sea the world (and my Apple devices) will be in a better place.

Thank goodness I’m leaving for a week’s vacation tomorrow. Beyond the unfathomable, multiple geopolitical crises and the country’s seemingly unstoppable drift (rush?) to the uninformed, misguided, ignorant right, the last few days have been especially troubling; I need a break.

So what, you ask, put me over the edge?

Apple!

The other day, in the middle of creating a multi-media presentation for a community theater club I belong to, I discovered that my Apple/iCloud ID had to be changed. Have you, or has anyone you know, had to change their iCloud ID? Hopefully not. But, in the unlucky event you have to, and if you, like I, have multiple Apple devices, be prepared for two days of entering and reentering your new password on every device, sometimes more than once, followed by having to deal with Apple’s unweildy two-step security verification, followed by arcane messages that something you’ve never heard of is disconnected due to an iCloud ID error.

And, if all this is not frustrating enough, Apple has not yet found the wisdom to put this little icon…

next to their password entry space so, in the likely event that you mis-type you password, you could at least see the error. I think not having that icon is why I had to change my password…too many unnoticed wrong entries.

But that’s just the beginning of my Apple saga. In the midst of my multi-media presentation project, I found that a key piece of Apple installed software I required, QuickTime, would not open, crashing within nanoseconds of my pressing open. Ever user friendly, I received the following message from Apple:

Needless to say, that didn’t solve my problem so I trudged down to the Apple store to speak to a “genius.”

The closest store to me is at the chic and very large Boca Raton Town Center. I didn’t remember where the Apple store was so I entered near Bloomingdales and discovered that this very fancy mall had no directory posters or help desks. (I guess the regular Town Center devotees know where every store is by heart). And the ceiling mounted directional “call-out” signs every 10 yards or so called out every store in the mall…except the APPLE STORE! Yes, even something called, “Rex Baron” showed up on at least three signs.

Ever ingenious, I turned to my Apple iPhone and opened the Apple map walking directions to guide me to the store. The first instruction was to head “north west.” I thought, am I the only person, standing in the middle of a gigantic mall, who is not aware of which direction “north west is?” I began walking and immediately discovered, not surprisingly, that I had guessed wrong and was going the opposite way, probably “south east.” But after changing directions, the map’s guidance became more and more difficult to follow. So, in a totally uncharacteristic move, I began asking “do you know where the Apple store is,” to every mall kiosk employee. Not very macho, I know, but sometimes you got to do what you got to do.

I finally arrived at the Apple store, sweating and out of breath. I checked and my Apple Watch indicated that I had achieved 6,676 steps on my Apple journey. I was close to “closing my exercise ring!” But I digress.

My “genius,” even after consulting three of four more senior geniuses, couldn’t figure out the problem. He did suggest a inelegant work-around (what would Steve Jobs think) and I headed home wondering, what didn’t I like about Windows?

Hopefully a week away will salve my Apple wounds. And, more importantly, bring an end to Putin’s madness. But then again, I’m bringing my Mac, my iPad, my iPhone and my Apple Watch. And I don’t think the ship I’m sailing on has an Apple store. But, even if it did, I’d never find it.