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Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

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Re: Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

#151

Post by shittyadmin »

reacharavindh wrote: post #33

May be people are disappointed with innovation in iPhones compared to previous years' or for the last few years, but every time I use my AirPods, I can't but feel good about the innovation it took to make it as easy to use and comfortable. * If I open the case near my phone, it automatically pairs and shoes battery levels. * They sound decent for earbuds (not in-ear plugs which I hate) * Lasts reasonable amount of ti…

Is there any decent data on those AirPods? I am considering them against the OnePlus Bullet Wireless if I'm forced to go this way with a new phone. Overall I'm not a big fan of the completely separated earbud style Apple went with and I'm not using them with any other Apple hardware. The OnePlus design seems better, the price is much cheaper and the charging time is much less, but if the quality isn't there then maybe the Apple ones are the way to go.

I just wish they had decent objective quality numbers like I can find for even fairly cheap wired headphones via InnerFidelity. Anyone know if these are widely published for any of the wireless headphones?

Re: Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

#152

Post by yodsanklai »

ummonk wrote: post #23
techsocial wrote: post #2

I like this part: Apple is milking its essentially captive audience. I hesitate to call it “loyal” — these are, essentially, people who look with trepidation at the idea of moving years of photos and other data to a different system. My wife gnashed her teeth when she got one of the new, wildly overpriced iPhones — but she just can’t imagine switching to Android.

Weird. I recently moved from Android to iOS, for privacy reasons as well as wanting a phone that would be supported with software updates for a long time. I've really really enjoyed the switch. Admittedly, it helped that I got the iPhone SE which hadn't been discontinued yet; I might have been less happy with the newer X-series phones, particularly given the sticker price.

> I've really really enjoyed the switch.

How so?

I've been a mac user for many years but can't really justify the price of an iphone. I've been considering making the switch though, for better integration, privacy and smaller phone. Not sure it's worth it.

Re: Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

#153

Post by bepotts »

gaius wrote: post #69
lotsofpulp wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People aren't buying terrible things, they're buying the best thing available to them. Edit: Samsung/Microsoft/Google are free to come up with their own ecosystem and quality hardware devices that don't have the drawbacks that Apple's do. But for some reason they don't.

But for some reason they don't. Microsoft are adding headphones to the Surface range very soon, early reviews are very positive.

Windows just isn't cool, no matter how hard Microsoft tries to rebrand it. It'll never be cool until Microsoft does something to not make it ubiquitous.

Windows is what you use when you're a kid at a public school or have parents that don't have the money to buy a Mac. Macs and iPhones are trendy because not everyone owns them, they're really nice, and they're pricey.

Windows is like Wal-mart while Apple is Whole Foods.

Re: Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

#154

Post by rifung »

chadash wrote: post #68
reacharavindh wrote: post #33

May be people are disappointed with innovation in iPhones compared to previous years' or for the last few years, but every time I use my AirPods, I can't but feel good about the innovation it took to make it as easy to use and comfortable. * If I open the case near my phone, it automatically pairs and shoes battery levels. * They sound decent for earbuds (not in-ear plugs which I hate) * Lasts reasonable amount of ti…

I think their biggest innovation is making devices where everything just works. Look no further than any two year old who has been exposed to an iPad to see that their interfaces are super-intuitive. Plus, unlike most manufactures, they control all the hardware plus the software, so they can make sure that the entire experience is seamless.

This is so true. People keep comparing the specs with competitors but they're missing the point.

Apple's strength, be it when they are doing it well or not, has always been UX.

Re: Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

#155

Post by zjaffee »

matthewmacleod wrote: post #88

I’m not really sure I buy the premise - Apple has never been much of an inventor, instead being more of a “competent executor”. It’s true that Apple is likely to continue to increase its service offerings, but I don’t think that fundamentally changes the nature of the company. Since Apple has historically focused on executing extant ideas well, it’s quite possible that we won’t see any massive new markets until we kn…

I disagree, when apple released the iphone, they changed the face of what smart phones would ultimately become. The touch experience they pioneered really shouldn't be overlooked, and add that on to future technologies like the ipad, where both were deeply immersive devices that people were able to generate new and exiting feelings towards.

Since then, apple has migrated from being a brand focused on the shear love of using technology to essentially any other luxury brand (I disagree with the premise that they aren't still inventors in the engineering sense, but they certainly aren't innovating in the way they had prior).

The closest thing we have today would be something like Alexa, where people young and old can be deeply immersed with a new, and further humanizing, piece of technology. Apple certainly had a head start with Siri, but they were never able to keep up and clearly misunderstood what people are getting out of digital assistants with their homepod since it's too much of a luxury sound product rather than something more utilitarian.

Re: Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

#156

Post by MaysonL »

carlosrg wrote: post #135
ForrestN wrote: post #111

It's embarrassing that this doesn't include a massive, bold-faced disclaimer above the headline. Bloomberg is in the midst of a credibility-destroying fight with Apple over a sensational story that no other journalists can corroborate. Bloomberg has dug in, staking their reputation on Apple being wrong. Seemingly in response Bloomberg... publishes a hand-wavy piece of cultural criticism about the meaning of Apple doi…

What is embarrassing is believing there's now a conspiracy against Apple because Bloomberg got a scoop and decided to follow through. Don't worry, Apple can survive some criticism.

Scoops are usually considered first reports of true stories.

Re: Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

#157

Post by rauhl »

crooked-v wrote: post #112
rauhl wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I could not get this experience ever before and honestly, even after I have had it for a year. I don't know of a better competition to it. Real, wired headphones. Seriously, let’s address each of your points: > If I open the case near my phone, it automatically pairs and shoes battery levels. Whenever I plug headphones into a jack, they pair, and I needn’t worry about battery levels, because there’s no battery. > T…

Do you also react the same to people with any of the many, many wireless headphone brands out there, or do you reserve your wannabe-cool smugness only for Apple users?

Most wireless headphones don’t really call attention to themselves. AirPods are truly, terribly ugly, and do. Granted, taste is a subjective matter.

If I’d ever noticed someone wearing the ridiculous Google Pixel Buds, I’d probably do the same thing. Life’s too short to waste on poor technology — and Bluetooth headphones are a poor replacement for headphones (and keyboards, and mice). I’m reminded a bit of those ludicrous TV infomercials: ‘Aren’t you tired of the hassle of tying your own shoes? Try new Velcro TieMasters™, and never tie a shoe again!’

Re: Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

#158

Post by lotsofpulp »

bepotts wrote: post #153
gaius wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But for some reason they don't. Microsoft are adding headphones to the Surface range very soon, early reviews are very positive.

Windows just isn't cool, no matter how hard Microsoft tries to rebrand it. It'll never be cool until Microsoft does something to not make it ubiquitous. Windows is what you use when you're a kid at a public school or have parents that don't have the money to buy a Mac. Macs and iPhones are trendy because not everyone owns them, they're really nice, and they're pricey. Windows is like Wal-mart while Apple is Whole Foo…

Windows isn't cool because of BSODs, constant restarts and waiting for it to update, and Candy Crush advertisements in the start menu. And the hibernate/sleep function worked terribly (at least for the longest time, don't know if it's fixed now), compared to Apple's fold down the screen when you want to go and open it back up to what you were doing and it works all the time.

Re: Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

#159

Post by elsonrodriguez »

adpirz wrote: post #57
raverbashing wrote: post #45

Do you know what really worries me about Apple now? So, when SJ came back to Apple, he reorganized their (then at the time) computer lines into more streamlined ones. Something like (I might get some of the names wrong), into consumer/pro and portable/desktop iBook/Powerbook, iMac/Powermac Now look at their line now What the F is an iPhone XR? Is the XS "better" than the X or not? Why are there 2 iPad Pros? Is an iPa…

A few quick thoughts: >What the F is an iPhone XR? Is the XS "better" than the X or not? Somewhat agree about the XR, though I guess the idea is it's one less than an S, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say their "S" naming scheme has been consistent since it was introduced after the iPhone 4. > Why are there 2 iPad Pros? Steve once said netbooks were dead, then released a laptop in exactly that form f…

> Steve once said netbooks were dead, then released a laptop in exactly that form factor (11 in MBA). Clearly there was market demand for it, and I assume their must be demand for both sizes here as well.

Just a point of clarification on netbooks. Netbooks were a flop because they were bulky, slow, hard to type on, had terrible screens, and came with minuscule trackpads.

The air was none of those things, and was the progenitor of a new class of laptop that would be known as "Ultrabooks".

Re: Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

#160

Post by fetus8 »

Apocryphon wrote: post #142
wlesieutre wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

100% agreed. People are complaining online about how the new Mac Mini is priced, but they're not just selling a computer. It's a whole ecosystem of things of mostly reliable stuff that works well with each other. They can put a price premium for the quality of their software ecosystem, which keeps getting better. Being able to use your phone as a camera to take a photo directly into a document in Pages on your comput…

All of that stuff is great, and does not explain why the Mac Mini, an entry-level Apple computer, is somehow proportionally worth $300 more than it used to be.

Well, it's going from a laptop based dual core CPU, to a desktop based quadcore CPU. Not a great reason to increase the price dramatically, but it is a big difference in terms of performance.

The other thing I think people are failing to realize, is who is the Mac Mini for? It used to be for Windows switchers who wanted to plug in a small box to their existing mouse/keyboard/monitor situation. It was an introduction to the world of OS X. Nowadays, who uses the Mac Mini? Developers who need to compile in Xcode, and probably some creatives. The device serves a much different purpose nowadays, since most of your casual Apple users can get away with an iPad or a MB/MBA.

Personally, the new Mac Mini really appeals to me, regardless of price. I've been using a 2012 era mac mini machine, and the current bottle neck is the CPU. If I can spend $700 today, and have a capable macOS device for another 6-7 years, with some RAM upgrades, I think that's well worth it.

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