They are trying to cash in on public ignorance and the hype surrounding the Hobby Lobby ruling, for their own purposes (fund raising and PR). There is no legal precedent established by Hobby Lobby that they can use to make their case, but there are people who will swallow their story They won't get anywhere with this.

So this is WAY off topic.... So I'm done on this sub-thread...

So, HR isn't looking out for my best interest? Shocker! (not!)

Just in case you don't already know, HR is NOT there to protect you, they are there to protect the company. So be VERY careful when you take a "problem" to them to solve, because you can bet they won't be looking out for your interests.

Yea, but if you READ the article, it's pretty clear what the summary means..

Lesson learned? Yep, READ the article before posting comments.....

It is really hard to imagine how that is related to the Hobby Lobby case which was about GOVERNMENT requirements being levied on a company and not drug tests as a condition of employment. I think the law is pretty clear, companies can do drug testing and refuse to employ those who fail said tests.

Excellent advice. I would only add one thing. PRINT said E-mail and any replies you receive from it and put them in a safe place where you can find them when the lawsuit comes up. You might actually get your customer to sign and date your hard copy if you wanted to really make the point.

I haven't a clue what Apple actually stocks in the store, but I'll bet they keep the maxed out version of just about everything for the rare "I don't care what it costs the company is paying for it and we need it NOW!" crowd. A company the size of Apple can afford the inventory, especially given that their "top of the line" system doesn't change on a regular basis, and there are not that many versions of anything out there to sell. Apart from the consumer devices which they sell like hot cakes (iPod, iPhone, iPad etc) they have what, Two other product lines, a laptop and a desktop? That's two big boxes, maybe three with a monitor, so they got space.

Personally, I'd be surprised if they hadn't carried what you where looking for in stock. I'd be willing to bet that if you walked in asking for less than the top of the line configuration, you'd be sent to the website to order it. But when you have to have it *now* you can bet they are going to take advantage of that and be ready to sell you the highest priced system they can, which means the store only carries the top end configurations for buyers like you, plus a pile of consumer products to service the iPod/iPad crowd.

I will point out that Apple's quality has not been as stellar of late, they ARE slipping somewhat, but they are still better than your average company. So, I suppose there are SOME folks who complain about Apple's quality so I must revise my statement.

Most knowledgeable people do not question Apple's hardware quality.

Seriously? So I'm to assume you didn't speak English because every time I've been in an Apple store I've been approached multiple times with "How can I help you?" questions from the staff. I'm sure if I said "I'd like to buy an iPad" they'd know what to do with my credit card..

Surely they don't have all those in the store? Remember this guy had to walk out with hardware in hand because by COB they would figure out they'd been had, so making any special orders would be a no-go option. No, I'm sure he had to buy "in stock" stuff from the store.

Nobody questions their quality, just their price for performance. Apple has always sold lower performance hardware at a premium over other kinds of systems. But they have a totally different business model and they sell the Apple branded way of doing things to users who don't mind paying for it.

And it was the receiver that he hammered out of an old shovel. I got to admit, that was impressive work, but I don't think the builder is extremely skilled or well equipped. A bit above average I suppose. He purchased the rest of the components off the shelf.

That was STUPID!

Conduct your little experiment if you have to, just keep your mouth shut about it.... At least until you have notified ALL your users that such experiments *might* be taking place (Or if you intend to issue refunds from the resulting class action suit.)

Yea? So which is this huh? (sticks tongue out)

Sometimes I wonder if they are generally the same..

You are going to put your eye out with that kid.. It's an assault weapon!

Next, they will put limits on the number of rubber bands you can conceal in your pockets without an office supply distribution permit, and federal background checks when you buy more than 7 bands in a box. Remember that selling office supplies in Chicago, Washington DC and most of the north west is illegal now...

Office supply closet raids begin... Better tell the admin to order more rubber bands...