That awkward moment when Apple mocked good hardware and poor people • Hacker News Board

Re: That awkward moment when Apple mocked good hardware and poor people

#541

Post by cableshaft » Wed, Mar 23, 2016, 9:31 PM UTC

Retric wrote: post #373

cableshaft wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got the Lumia 635 for $30 last year as a temporary replacement for my Nexus 5 that I walked into a lake on accident, and it's worked out so well I still have it with no plans to upgrade. I've gotten cheap Android phones that have felt sluggish and super buggy after a mere 6 months (not the Nexus 5, though, that just had a crap battery life, but I also spent ~$450 on it, so it wasn't cheap), but this one still opera…

It's a good deal, but I think it's subsided. http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/mobile/phone/lumia635/offers?... Amazon lists: $131.11 and Cricket has it for 20$. Still, as long as your not locked into a contract and can buy replacements at that cost it's not a problem. PS: Windows does seem to beat Android on low end phones.

You're right, I did catch it on sale at Best Buy, marked down from $100 the week I just happened to be looking for the phone, but it seems like the Lumias often get marked down, and regardless I paid $140 for a HTC One V as my 'cheap phone' that turned awful after only six months.

Re: That awkward moment when Apple mocked good hardware and poor people

#542

Post by SiVal » Wed, Mar 23, 2016, 9:34 PM UTC

dror wrote: post #539

rockshassa wrote: post #12

I just can't bring myself to feel the author's anger, in any capacity. He wants to position this as a jab against those who build their own PCs, but that is utterly irrelevant. What percentage of those 600 million five-year-old PCs do you really think are being thoughtfully maintained by modders? Does the author realize that most people do not want the responsibility of maintaining their own hardware? Or that they do…

In the last 3 months I bought 2 Toshiba 13 inch Chromebook for $300. "A properly configured iPad, leveraging iCloud for device backups, photo backups, email credentials etc, solves all of these problems." but a Chromebook does all of that with close to zero configuration with a device that has a built-in keyboard, and a 13 inch 1080P screen. You do loose the touch interface, but end up paying roughly half of the iPad…

So true, and it gets even better. If you have to be the one doing the setup and IT support for Grampa, and he needs maintenance for his Chromebook, you just show him how to reset it. Now HE can do his own maintenance.

And if drops it or leaves it on a bus? It costs half and iPad to replace, and the new one is completely reconfigured, software installed, and personal data all ported by...turning it on and logging in.

If it's for watching videos or reading, an iPad might be a better choice, but if it's a replacement for a PC for writing your memoirs, responding to email, doing a budget in a spreadsheet, and other basic, productive work, a Chromebook is better.

Re: That awkward moment when Apple mocked good hardware and poor people

#543

Post by mruniverse » Wed, Mar 23, 2016, 9:35 PM UTC

ekianjo wrote: post #42

The superior attitude of Apple execs is nothing new. Even right at the start of the company that's a culture Jobs started with, looking down on all its competitors. What's rather sad is the laughing audience, to me, who left their brains at the door and laugh and applause when they are told to. Just like in 1984's iconic Apple ad, by the way. The loop is complete.

Yeah, that attitude is off-putting. But man their hardware is nice.

It's kind of like the artist and their art. Leni Riefenstahl and her propaganda films.

Re: That awkward moment when Apple mocked good hardware and poor people

#544

Post by dTal » Wed, Mar 23, 2016, 10:13 PM UTC

SyneRyder wrote: post #390

bluthru wrote: post #354

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think it's fair to expect Apple to support 32-bit processors anymore. OS X will run on Core2Duo, which is nearly 10 years old. My parents' iMac is a 2006 and runs El Cap.

I think it's understandable, but also interesting when juxtaposed with Microsoft still making 32-bit versions of Windows 10 in 2016. They're supporting the same hardware that Apple won't, and also an additional 10 years of security updates (Windows 10 End-Of-Life for those 32-bit machines is October 14, 2025 [1]). I also have a 64-bit Core 2 Duo that Apple no longer supports. OS X Lion was the last release for the 20…

It is interesting, but perhaps it doesn't mean much in the end. All it really signifies is that Macbooks are PC-compatible. Microsoft is under a lot more pressure to support 32-bit processors, as they're still kicking around - Apple meanwhile only have to support their own hardware.

I would also say that Microsoft's End-Of-Life security update promises mean a lot less now that they've demonstrated willingness to subvert that system to force-upgrade people.

Re: That awkward moment when Apple mocked good hardware and poor people

#545

Post by pmlnr » Wed, Mar 23, 2016, 10:14 PM UTC

mrbill wrote: post #164

I just bought a "new to me" laptop. Refurb Thinkpad T420s from 2011. I added 16G RAM, two Intel SSDs, an Ultrabay battery, and an 802.12ac wifi card. Grand total: less than $325. This will be my primary portable for at least 2-3 years, and it's already four years old. Just because I can afford Apple doesn't mean I can justify the 2x price premium, or that "old" hardware isn't capable.

X200 user here. AC wifi, 3G for fallback, minipci-e 64GB, SSD, 1TB HDD, AFFS screen; ultra light, robust, battery replaced ~every 2 years. The only things it needs to keep up with the web today are uBlock and IRC gateway to Slack.

Re: That awkward moment when Apple mocked good hardware and poor people

#546

Post by nsgi » Wed, Mar 23, 2016, 10:33 PM UTC

JohnBooty wrote: post #369

CaptainZapp wrote: post #338

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure if you have any perspective what being poor means. This link : http://whatever.scalzi.com/2005/09/03/being-poor/ Seems quite appropriate and - I hope - illuminating.

I'm glad you posted that: everybody should read it and truly try to put themselves in those shoes. I do not understand the fact that you seem to have posted it as a rebuttal to my post. My post was meant as a criticism of another indignity that the poor often face: other peoples' (often baseless, and always condescending) criticisms of their financial decisions. Their criticisms often carry the subtext that poor peop…

I think people criticise these financial decisions because they feel their tax money is going to people who can afford things they either can't or have to work harder for. They might be failing to see the bigger picture, but I think it's reasonable to at least look at peoples' financial decisions if they are receiving handouts.

Re: That awkward moment when Apple mocked good hardware and poor people

#547

Post by kbutler » Wed, Mar 23, 2016, 10:38 PM UTC

xlm1717 wrote: post #278

rockshassa wrote: post #12

I just can't bring myself to feel the author's anger, in any capacity. He wants to position this as a jab against those who build their own PCs, but that is utterly irrelevant. What percentage of those 600 million five-year-old PCs do you really think are being thoughtfully maintained by modders? Does the author realize that most people do not want the responsibility of maintaining their own hardware? Or that they do…

>A properly configured iPad, leveraging iCloud for device backups, photo backups, email credentials etc, solves all of these problems. The iPad first came out in 2010. How many of those iPads are still being used? The original iPad can't even run the latest iOS anymore, while you can still load Windows 10 on five-year-old PCs, or many modern versions of Linux. To add to your grim picture, those PCs that came out five…

I've got an original iPad still in (occasional) use. Kids still play on it. They're frustrated when various apps or app updates won't install, because it's stuck on iOS 5.5 for many years now (since 2.5 years after release), but we've got cheap Android devices that almost always can do what they want.

At some point, we'll probably get a newer iPad - almost snagged an iPad mini 2 at Black Friday prices, but meh. No compelling use cases for our too-many-devices-already family.

Laptops for most work. Chromebook is really popular for getting school internet stuff done. Android devices and an iPod Touch for entertainment. New iPad would be solidly in the "entertainment" category.

Re: That awkward moment when Apple mocked good hardware and poor people

#548

Post by jp555 » Wed, Mar 23, 2016, 10:48 PM UTC

rorykoehler wrote: post #481

jp555 wrote: post #465

Earlier quoted context omitted.

the delta between your $250 smartphone and a new $400 iPhoneSE is pretty small when you consider the total cost and include the costs to provide the phone with data access - cellular plan + home internet plan. Is $150 the difference between luxury and not luxury for something that is used 4+ hours a day for years?

That $150 extra gets me precisely nothing that I don't already have. Actually it's a lesser phone because mine has a microSD slot that I use. Here's a thought experiment.... send me $150 on paypal now (email on my profile). I'll give you nothing in return. See if you feel like it was money well spent.

Hey as long as your able to get the latest OS and the phone fits your needs, great. But of course other people value different things, and obviously iPhones fit better for lots of people.

Re: That awkward moment when Apple mocked good hardware and poor people

#549

Post by nsgi » Wed, Mar 23, 2016, 11:23 PM UTC

RUG3Y wrote: post #306

petra wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> no one is forcing people to buy iPhones. It's not that simple. I once heard a lecture from a psychologist researching the effects brands have on teenagers, and she said owning a brand can deeply affect a teenager's self-assurance, create anxieties, etc.

It is that simple. This is how we learn as young people what is important in life. It gives us character. I was poor growing up, I always had garbage clothes and shoes, and people made fun of me. I learned that if someone made fun of my shoes, they didn't have very much character. I also learned that shoes don't matter too much, as long as I have a pair that protects my feet. All of this focus on self-esteem and conf…

> I learned that if someone made fun of my shoes, they didn't have very much character.

Isn't that basically learning self-esteem and confidence?

Re: That awkward moment when Apple mocked good hardware and poor people

#550

Post by nsgi » Wed, Mar 23, 2016, 11:28 PM UTC

ams6110 wrote: post #334

skywhopper wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just because the school provides free lunch to everyone does not mean the family cannot afford lunch. At some point it becomes cheaper to just give everyone lunch than to deal with the hassle of deciding which kid owes $1.55 and which doesn't. In fact, providing free lunch to all children in public school is an extremely cheap way of marginally reducing kids' awareness of who's poor and who isn't.

Very marginal if at at all. Believe me especially by middle school and older, everyone knows who is poor, who is rich, who is a slut, who is religious, who is a jock, etc. And there are other ways, e.g. everyone has a swipe card or number code to "pay" for their lunch and you never know who's on the free lunch program or not. I've never heard of a school giving free lunch by default, though. Maybe in areas where 99%…

Even if it doesn't increase kids' knowledge, it still draws attention to it (both to peers and the kid themself) and provides an opportunity for bullying.