As I wait on hold to talk to someone at Apple support, I suffer through the worst sounding hold music in the world.
Here in the UK, you do get the option, when you first call, to listen in silence. But when a support person then puts you on hold to check something out, you get the music.
Apple, the company who has “music in their DNA,” has the crappiest hold music available. It’s over compressed (audio compression; to make it uniformly loud), and terribly distorted. It sounds like it’s broadcast over a short wave radio.
This is simply embarrassing.
I suspect part of the problem is that it might be just barely at the threshold for either Apple’s telephone noise cancellation, or the caller’s (i)phone’s noise reduction, so there’s always some amount of noise reduction being applied giving it that warble poor quality mp3 sound.
Regardless, it is dreadful to listen to.
I suspect part of the problem is that it might be just barely at the threshold for either Apple’s telephone noise cancellation, or the caller’s (i)phone’s noise reduction, so there’s always some amount of noise reduction being applied giving it that warble poor quality mp3 sound.
Regardless, it is dreadful to listen to.
Somewhat related. This reminds me of the opening music of the MacWorld podcast. It’s coded at 160-bit rate, but its sound quality is among the poorest.
I used to listen to BBC World Service on the shortwave radio in the 80s and early 90s. The English language broadcast wasn’t jammed by the Chinese government, and the sound quality was quite good, a whole lot better than the sound from any telephone.
Somewhat related. This reminds me of the opening music of the MacWorld podcast. It’s coded at 160-bit rate, but its sound quality is among the poorest.
I used to listen to BBC World Service on the shortwave radio in the 80s and early 90s. The English language broadcast wasn’t jammed by the Chinese government, and the sound quality was quite good, a whole lot better than the sound from any telephone.
It is a terrible pick of music by a dept that really does not care about the customer except the ones on a continual drug binge. Take all the damn music off of hold and your customer base will be happier!
It is a terrible pick of music by a dept that really does not care about the customer except the ones on a continual drug binge. Take all the damn music off of hold and your customer base will be happier!
I could not agree more. It’s all the wrong kind of music. Frankly, the hold music jingle you get on Verizon tech help is much better, boring but not annoying. There are companies that specialize in this subject and sell tracks that always sound decent. The idea that somebodies favorite pop song or jazz piece will be pleasant to hear on a phone is wrong. In fact it starts to piss me off so by the time I get a tech, I’m in an even worse mood. The techs should beg apple for better music. Really. I have complained many times but no one at Apple seems to care. I wish Steve was still around. He would care.
I could not agree more. It’s all the wrong kind of music. Frankly, the hold music jingle you get on Verizon tech help is much better, boring but not annoying. There are companies that specialize in this subject and sell tracks that always sound decent. The idea that somebodies favorite pop song or jazz piece will be pleasant to hear on a phone is wrong. In fact it starts to piss me off so by the time I get a tech, I’m in an even worse mood. The techs should beg apple for better music. Really. I have complained many times but no one at Apple seems to care. I wish Steve was still around. He would care.
I almost don’t care what music they’re playing as long as it isn’t distorted and all around crappy. I wonder why, in this day and age, and with one of the biggest technology companies in the world, they can’t figure out how to deliver clear undistorted music when they put you on hold.
I almost don’t care what music they’re playing as long as it isn’t distorted and all around crappy. I wonder why, in this day and age, and with one of the biggest technology companies in the world, they can’t figure out how to deliver clear undistorted music when they put you on hold.
I’d kill for a MUTE option … omg about to blow my brains out w/this hip hop IQ-destroying noise.
I’d kill for a MUTE option … omg about to blow my brains out w/this hip hop IQ-destroying noise.
Worst shit ever. They are obviously trying to irritate the hell out of their customers