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The bizarre role reversal of Apple and Microsoft

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Re: The bizarre role reversal of Apple and Microsoft

#191

Post by lukaslalinsky »

blahi wrote: post #178
Ar-Curunir wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Linux is most definitely not for masochists; when did you last use it? Ubuntu, elementary OS, Mint, etc all offer pretty polished user experiences.

I try to install Ubuntu every 18-24 months or so. A problem occurs in about 2 days that I have to google and spend hours in frustrations. No, thanks. 2016 is not the year of Linux on the desktop.

You will be disappointed with any OS after 2 days of use. It might be because of real problems, or it might be because things are not how they used to be on what you were using before.

Despite disliking GNOME 3 when it came out, I got used to it and I honestly think it's the best desktop out there.

Re: The bizarre role reversal of Apple and Microsoft

#192

Post by kalleboo »

pavs wrote: post #176

I don't use apple products because of the shiny, sexy hardware. It doesn't hurt to have a visually nice looking device to look at when you are spending most of your day on it. I use apple computers (don't use iPhone), specifically because of the OS. I just can't see myself working on Windows ever (unless it makes some major leap of improvement). MacOS has its problems, but its still many time better than the POS Wind…

Part of the reason that macOS works so well is due to the good integration with the hardware.

Looking at the poor experience of other commenters in this thread, it looks like Microsoft hasn't realized that is how Apple has managed to do it, and the Surface devices are really "just another PC" and not first-class Windows hardware.

Re: The bizarre role reversal of Apple and Microsoft

#193

Post by verisimilidude »

rbanffy wrote: post #36
aaron-lebo wrote: post #7

> Just check out its striking video for the Surface Studio — it is so influenced by Apple’s playbook that I’m surprised there’s no Jony Ive narration. What's happened is that other companies have figured out how to emulate Steve Jobs's playbook that's now several decades old and there's nobody at Apple to write new plays. Jobs always talked about how Microsoft didn't have taste and when you look at MS products up unt…

I still find the Surface Studio is not exactly breathtaking. I dislike the chrome arms - they are part of the computer and shouldn't stand out like that. I like the computer being on the base, usually a piece of dead space, but that makes the design of the arms more complicated as they need to carry signals back and forth. It's good, but nothing I would be surprised seeing coming out of HP or Sony.

The arms are probably chrome to invite attention and imply motion. "Hey, play with me, I move!" It's a signal to potential buyers that they're not looking at yet another all-in-one computer. I think it's a smart choice. If you're staring at the arms enough to be bothered, then you're probably not the target market for this device; the arms are completely hidden when used in drafting/drawing profile.

For what it's worth, Apple created a similarly attention-grabbing hinge on their G4 iMac back in the day.

Re: The bizarre role reversal of Apple and Microsoft

#194

Post by kalleboo »

pjlegato wrote: post #143
jimbokun wrote: post #8

I was thinking recently how Bill Gates often said the biggest competitor to Windows was the previous version of Windows. Alternate OSes didn't have enough market share or compatible software to really be a threat, but customers always had the option of just not upgrading. iPhone seems in a very similar position. Sure, there are some people who will switch from iPhone to an Android phone. But Apple's biggest challenge…

They've long solved that challenge. After a few generations of phone (read: a few years), all new iOS upgrades simply refuse to install on your old phone. Then, after a short while, your apps auto-upgrade themselves and then stop working, one by one, because they won't run on such an old iOS. You then have no choice but to buy a new phone. I found this out by getting stranded on the side of the road somewhere after I…

That's not supposed to happen - Uber must be doing their own OS version detection and not using Apple's supported method to declare the supported APIs. Apple have gone out of their way to add a way to install old versions of apps when the new version has stopped supporting the OS you're using (the developer can even specify in iTunes what versions to serve up for what OSes).

https://support.apple.com/en-lk/HT201377

> If there's a compatible version, a message appears and you can choose Confirm to get the latest version of the app that works for your device

Re: The bizarre role reversal of Apple and Microsoft

#195

Post by kalleboo »

jimbokun wrote: post #8

I was thinking recently how Bill Gates often said the biggest competitor to Windows was the previous version of Windows. Alternate OSes didn't have enough market share or compatible software to really be a threat, but customers always had the option of just not upgrading. iPhone seems in a very similar position. Sure, there are some people who will switch from iPhone to an Android phone. But Apple's biggest challenge…

> But Apple's biggest challenge seems to be convincing their current customers they need a new phone at all

They solved this by just releasing a new color every year.

Re: The bizarre role reversal of Apple and Microsoft

#196

Post by DavidPlumpton »

nilkn wrote: post #170
rayiner wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Microsoft lacked taste and the ability to execute. With the Surface Book, they absolutely nailed taste. But they still have no ability to execute (the SB suffered at launch from firmware glitches that took months to iron out: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/02/new-firmware-finally-... ).

First, I want to state that I have a ton of respect for what Microsoft is doing. This is the Microsoft I've been waiting to see for over a decade. That said, here's the truth. Just a week ago I tried out a Surface Book, and within the first few minutes I could immediately tell it was not as polished as a MacBook Pro. The first thing that stood out is that the screen suffered from a considerable amount of ghosting. It…

Ask them about their enterprise licensing and see if you still have the same opinion.

Re: The bizarre role reversal of Apple and Microsoft

#197

Post by wutbrodo »

serge2k wrote: post #101
lloyd-christmas wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm typing this on a 2013 macbook. I use it everyday/allday. I also have a fully functioning Asus laptop from 2009. I'm reasonably confident my 2005 inspiron is still kicking. Those two laptops are still running on their original charger. I'm on my third macbook charger in 3 years. I have a box full of broken apple chargers from merely glancing at the cord. I think you're drastically overestimating the macbook's abil…

> I have a box full of broken apple chargers from merely glancing at the cord. I think you're drastically overestimating the macbook's ability to stand out of the crowd in hardware. having to buy a 70 dollar charger every year vs having to buy a new laptop every 18 months. I'll stock up on chargers.

> having to buy a new laptop every 18 months.

What on Earth kind of violence are you putting your poor laptop through? I haven't had a desktop in about 10 years, and I just bought my third one in that time about a year ago. (The previous one was doing fine actually, but I gave it to my mom)

Re: The bizarre role reversal of Apple and Microsoft

#198

Post by kalleboo »

lqdc13 wrote: post #184
jolux wrote: post #160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a tool you have to download. It doesn't come with the OS.

And yet OSX doesn't have such a tool from an official or even unofficial source without a daemon running and wasting CPU cycles. I bought a non-apple keyboard and still can't map home+end keys in all applications without a daemon running.

Ukelele? I used to create a hybrid custom Swedish layout that shows up among all the system key layouts http://scripts.sil.org/ukelele

Re: The bizarre role reversal of Apple and Microsoft

#199

Post by Tossrock »

thaumasiotes wrote: post #130
twblalock wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I guess we might have just hit peak-phone handset. This is what happens in mature product segments. The first iPhone was released 9 years ago, and that was the last real revolution -- a smartphone whose front was pretty much all screen. Everything Apple and everyone else has done since then has been incremental -- better screens, larger screens, better cameras, faster processors, thinner chassis -- but definitely t…

> Sometime in the 90s, everyone standardized on the clamshell laptop with a 4:3 screen (later moving to widescreen) How did that happen? It used to be that a normal laptop had a 4:3 screen and a ridiculous, huge laptop had a huge, 16:10 screen. Now both of those are gone, and normal laptops have even shorter 16:9 (!) screens. It's hard to think of a more user-hostile progression. I don't want to work in a series of c…

Because most people use computers to consume content (ie video), which is largely produced in widescreen.

Re: The bizarre role reversal of Apple and Microsoft

#200

Post by nikolay »

Microsoft was always more innovative than Apple - just Steve Jobs did a great job at marketing, borrowing Porsche design, etc. Let's face it - Jony Ive is now boring, Jobs was really inspiring people. I miss Jobs, Ive is no match.

It's so funny how Apple doesn't release a dual-mode touchscreen laptop because they are afraid their iPad sales will tank. So cowardly - unlike Jobs' Apple!

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