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Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

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Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#31

Post by coldtea »

addicted wrote: post #28
coldtea wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Swift appeared in IOS first Which makes perfect sense. We talk to our phones all the time anyway, and hands-free is crucial. For desktop, not so much. > APFS (not AFS) is the default in IOS, and still in feature preview and pretty unusable in 10.12. It's "expected" it will be released for desktop in 2017 Which makes perfect sense. A constrained environment without an exposed filesystem like iOS is easier to convert…

I agree it makes sense. But it also indicates that Apple isn't really designing for the Mac as the author points out. I mean, Siri is the biggest feature Apple is touting for Sierra ( http://www.apple.com/macos/sierra/ ). And as you point out, it's something that doesn't even make all that much sense on the Mac.

>But it also indicates that Apple isn't really designing for the Mac as the author points out.

Maybe they don't but I don't see them doing anything major on the iOS side either. Both platforms are quite mature by now anyway.

(And Apple was never about revolutionary new designs and jumps. Back in the day of the iPod and early MBPs etc, we cheered and waited anxiously for at best incremental changes -- now it has USB, now it has a different touch wheel, now it has a color screen, now it has wifi, now it does video, etc, year over year).

>And as you point out, it's something that doesn't even make all that much sense on the Mac.

Yes, but people (and pundits) have been asking for it all the same to appear on the Mac anyway.

And "talking to your computer" has been a thing from the times of 50's sci-fi stories even.

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#32

Post by DonaldPShimoda »

1_2__3 wrote: post #29
coldtea wrote: post #3

> But recently, I realized I’d gotten tired of Apple’s attitude toward the desktop. The progress in macOS land has basically been dead since Yosemite, two years ago, and Apple’s updates to the platform have been incredibly small. So, like creating a full blown new programming language (Swift)? Or a full new filesystem (AFS)? Integration of Cloud storage directly to the desktop? Siri on the desktop? Saving RAM through…

Er isn't AFS still essentially vapor ware at this point?

No? Pretty sure with the initial release they specifically said that they were taking their time in testing it thoroughly, but that they wanted some initial feedback from people. It's been in a preview mode available in MacOS for just shy of two years if I remember correctly, but they explicitly said from the beginning that they didn't advise people to use it for their main OS partitions or anything important for a while.

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#33

Post by wyager »

owenwil wrote: post #15
otterley wrote: post #13

The question I'm left asking from posts like these is: As a non-game developer, what practical advantages does Windows hardware and software provide over Mac? The writing doesn't make it clear to me. Sure, there are some interesting facts noted, but there's no connection drawn or relationship established between the facts and the impact on the author's ability to work, or the work product itself.

Why not spin it around the other way? What advantages does Mac now have over Windows, in a world where Microsoft is catering to developers from both sides?

* Actual UNIX, as opposed to a hacky compatibility layer.

* Generally nicer hardware even compared to things at the same price point. Don't forget that hardware is more than RAM and CPU specs. There are some notable exceptions with pretty nice hardware, like the surface pro tablets.

* More friendly UX all around. This is somewhat subjective, of course, but if you'll recall a while back there were some big corporate IT departments who explained that IT costs were much lower for Mac users. They chalked this up to a combination of increased user friendliness, lower virus risk, and increased reliability.

The only activity in my life where I actually choose to use Windows is for FPS games. However, that advantage is disappearing; over half my steam games support mac now.

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#34

Post by quinndupont »

I'm in the same boat (with everyone, it seems). One remaining big differentiator, for me, is the resell value and service support of Macs. I can use a Mac for three full years, under warranty, and then turn around and sell it used the day AppleCare expires. And, I can regularly get 50-60% of original sale price (realizing that I've also sunk $300 for AppleCare and taxes). After three years, you'd be hard pressed to give away a Windows machine. This means, all things considered, the Mac premium isn't really a premium, but actually great value.

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#35

Post by owenwil »

1_2__3 wrote: post #29
coldtea wrote: post #3

> But recently, I realized I’d gotten tired of Apple’s attitude toward the desktop. The progress in macOS land has basically been dead since Yosemite, two years ago, and Apple’s updates to the platform have been incredibly small. So, like creating a full blown new programming language (Swift)? Or a full new filesystem (AFS)? Integration of Cloud storage directly to the desktop? Siri on the desktop? Saving RAM through…

Er isn't AFS still essentially vapor ware at this point?

On iOS Apple switched it to being the default update quietly in a point release: https://arstechnica.com/apple/2017/01/ios-10-3-will-be-apple...

It actually shows marked performance improvements, but that's because it focuses on performance on the type of storage an iPhone uses.

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#36

Post by saagarjha »

1_2__3 wrote: post #29
coldtea wrote: post #3

> But recently, I realized I’d gotten tired of Apple’s attitude toward the desktop. The progress in macOS land has basically been dead since Yosemite, two years ago, and Apple’s updates to the platform have been incredibly small. So, like creating a full blown new programming language (Swift)? Or a full new filesystem (AFS)? Integration of Cloud storage directly to the desktop? Siri on the desktop? Saving RAM through…

Er isn't AFS still essentially vapor ware at this point?

No, it's almost ready. It's already in use in iOS 10.3, and signs point to a full rollout this year.

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#37

Post by owenwil »

quinndupont wrote: post #34

I'm in the same boat (with everyone, it seems). One remaining big differentiator, for me, is the resell value and service support of Macs. I can use a Mac for three full years, under warranty, and then turn around and sell it used the day AppleCare expires. And, I can regularly get 50-60% of original sale price (realizing that I've also sunk $300 for AppleCare and taxes). After three years, you'd be hard pressed to g…

Very true - when I sold my Mac I was blown away that it had retained 60% of the resell value, and that Apple would still help me with support. I agree that the misnomer that Apple's "premiums" are ridiculous is far too out there - the amount of benefit I received from being able to take a Mac to the store and get it fixed on the spot can't be calculated.

Re: Why I left Mac for Windows: Apple has given up

#39

Post by otterley »

wyager wrote: post #33
owenwil wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not spin it around the other way? What advantages does Mac now have over Windows, in a world where Microsoft is catering to developers from both sides?

* Actual UNIX, as opposed to a hacky compatibility layer. * Generally nicer hardware even compared to things at the same price point. Don't forget that hardware is more than RAM and CPU specs. There are some notable exceptions with pretty nice hardware, like the surface pro tablets. * More friendly UX all around. This is somewhat subjective, of course, but if you'll recall a while back there were some big corporate I…

Don't take the bait! Otherwise this thread will devolve into a petty OS war.
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