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Apple Is Listening

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Re: Apple Is Listening

#361

Post by acroback »

Stockholm syndrome is strong with this one.

On a serious note, problem seems to be extremely long product cycles for Apple Hardware products with "my way or highway attitude" from Apple.

These 2 make for a disaster recipe. Putting form before function is a fallacy which is bound to boomerang sooner or later.

E.g The monitor stand fiasco speaks volumes of either a disconnect or ridicule raised by wrong audience.

The latest MacBook pro is a bad and good design both depending on audience.

Last Mac Pro was laughably form before function for a fortune.

Re: Apple Is Listening

#362

Post by tlavoie »

xenospn wrote: post #137
newscracker wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel the same way. Macs have become more expensive and less friendly for upgrading RAM and storage, the two most important things that need to be user upgradeable for longevity and reducing e-waste (I don’t care much about CPU/GPU upgrades). Even the new Mac mini is quite expensive compared to its predecessors. Mac mini used to be the cheap and beginner level entry into Macs/macOS. The current hardware may be worth…

I’ve been using my 2013 MBP every day since it came out, through my previous startup, an acquisition, and now my new startup. It’s been perfect, except for the fact that it only has 8GB of ram, and cannot be upgraded.

Meh. After one too many failures, my upgrade is a Thinkpad "mobile workstation" running Linux. Awesome keyboard, great battery, and room inside for me (!) to install the SSD from my dead, also-2013 MBP. Came with 16GB, and still has three more sockets waiting for more if I need it.

Re: Apple Is Listening

#363

Post by m463 »

linguae wrote: post #151
chipotle_coyote wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see people downvoting this comment, but...it's kind of true. The "kind of" part is this: Apple arguably built its culture first around the extremely hacker-friendly Apple II, then around the original Macintosh -- which was certainly expensive, but was very specifically pitched as "the computer for the rest of us." That segment is one that they're ironically a bit wobbly on right now. (The MacBook Air and the iMac a…

The sub-$3K flagship era of the Power Mac G5 and original Mac Pros is something of an anomaly. Apple actually was able to maintain this pricing for entry-level Power Macs and Mac Pros from 1999 (I haven't checked earlier prices) through the 2013 Mac Pro model. Here is a list of prices I compiled: Blue and White Power Mac G3 (January 1999) -- $1,599 ($2,453 in 2019 dollars) Graphite Power Mac G4 (December 1999) -- $1,…

interesting! Looked up some old datapoints on wikipedia

Apple Lisa 1983 $9,995 ($25,143 in 2018 dollars)

Apple Macintosh 128k 1/24/84 $2,495 ($6,000 in 2018 dollars)

Macintosh II 3/2/87 $5,498 ($12,125 in 2018)

Next Cube 9/18/90 $10,000 ($19,177 in 2018 dollars)

Re: Apple Is Listening

#364

Post by Angostura »

HeadsUpHigh wrote: post #309
Angostura wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually, I'm in the middle of writing an e-mail to the Tim address at Apple, saying that if it takes the environment seriously (and I commend them on what they have done so far) they really need to take the next step, be truly 'courageous' and prioritise repairability and expandability in their forthcoming products. Apple in the last 20 pushed the boundaries in terms of sleek and slim, but I argue those are last cen…

>Actually, I'm in the middle of writing an e-mail to the Tim address at Apple He won't read it. His PR team will respond instead. >if it takes the environment seriously (and I commend them on what they have done so far) They don't it's just PR. The stuff that they should do if they took the environment seriously are offloaded to companies like Foxconn which don't care about their public image. >be truly 'courageous'…

He probably won't read it - that's correct. Although about 20 yeasrs ago, I did actually get a response from sjobs when I wrote about an issue.

> That doesn't make them money. They didn't become the biggest tech company by not focusing on making money.

It does if they catch a new wave of consumer enthusiasm earlier than their competitors. I eliev such a wave exists.

Re: Apple Is Listening

#365

Post by ksec »

swhitt wrote: post #357
ksec wrote: post #351

I see a lot of people complaining about Mac Pro not for them and iMac / Pro doesn't fit their needs / price point. Is there any reason why Apple isn't considering the option of using AMD?

The main rumor these days (well, it's been a rumor for quite a few years) is that they'll be dropping Intel and switching to house-designed ARM chips across the board.

Well that would be the case if they didn't introduce Mac Pro. And now it is obvious that Apple don't want to do that, at least there is no way Apple is going to design a 250W CPU just for the Mac Pro.

Re: Apple Is Listening

#366

Post by michelb »

pier25 wrote: post #311
coldtea wrote: post #261

Well, I'm not so sold on this. 1) Pro users wanted a replacement for the Mac Pro of yore. Instead they got something suitable only for high end pro studios, willing to pay $6k starting price for the new Pro (or are in need of a very-cheap-for-what-it-does (even-with-the-stand-included) but still very expensive reference quality monitor). Where's my $3K-$5K Mac Pro (basically a headless iMac Pro grade machine) for reg…

> now it's either the iMac Pro or, I dunno, the mini What about the 5K iMac? With an i9 it becomes a very powerful machine that describes your use case perfectly. It's not as repairable as a tower though, but neither are the iMac Pro or the Mini.

It’s also thermally challenged.

Re: Apple Is Listening

#367

Post by scarface74 »

imagetic wrote: post #327
scarface74 wrote: post #320

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Core I9 versus the workstation class processors wouldn’t use the same motherboard. It’s not just a configurable option. I understand the desire for such an option. But that wasn’t the market they we’re designing for.

This is true, it's a hard comparison / wish because it's actually a different motherboard. But if Apple wants something, they can typically figure out how to get it. Based on my years working in media, there is a much larger market for a well priced mid-range Mac Pro than the "you're only a pro if you can afford it" level workstation.

A lot of posters here are saying that the software is available on Windows so it is an alternative. But, the automation story is much better on the Mac. There are a lot of professionals who will demand a Mac. Companies are not going to skimp on hardware to save a couple of grand. They will grit their teethe and by an iMac Pro or a Mac Pro.

The submission is about “Apple listening” while that’s one guy’s opinion, Apple told the press that they have an entire internal team of real professional media creators they worked with while designing the Mac Pro. Does anyone really think that Apple spent the last two years designing the Mac Pro without getting feedback of potential customers and didn’t design it to get the market they wanted? The same could be said about the iMac Pro.

Sure it’s nice to have other developers, but between web developers who prefer the Mac and could care less about a modular Mac and iOS developers who must buy a Mac, if Apple loses the other few - so be it in Apples eyes. The entire desktop market is a small niche (as opposed to laptops). If Apple developer the perfect mid range expandable Mac it wouldn’t make a meaningful difference to their revenue or ecosystem.

Re: Apple Is Listening

#368

Post by pier25 »

michelb wrote: post #366
pier25 wrote: post #311

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> now it's either the iMac Pro or, I dunno, the mini What about the 5K iMac? With an i9 it becomes a very powerful machine that describes your use case perfectly. It's not as repairable as a tower though, but neither are the iMac Pro or the Mini.

It’s also thermally challenged.

The iMac 5K? Even with the i9 it doesn't throttle.

Re: Apple Is Listening

#369

Post by giancarlostoro »

scarface74 wrote: post #30
giancarlostoro wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dunno nowadays with all the Electron apps, the RAM jacked up by open JIRA browser tabs, needing Outlook open plus JVM based IDEs from JetBrains having 16GB of RAM is not enough. I need at least 32GB and even then I would feel better with 64GB cause I fear it will only get worse. I am partially hoping JetBrains makes their IDEs fully Kotlin based and compile them natively to much lower memory footprints. I am also ash…

I wouldn't pay $600 for the 32GB upgrade from Apple. I would buy the 8GB configuration from Apple that would take the price down to $1899 and buy 3rd party RAM. https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/memory/imac-2019-27-inch I refuse to use Slack or Outlook on my computer. I keep them both running on my phone.

Except the RAM is soldered on their laptops. It's company provided so I rather not argue against a laptop, plus I am effective in using it anyway.

I wish I could buy 3rd party RAM for a MacBook Pro unless they finally stopped soldering on the RAM recently, then I would love to buy a new MBP with my own cash if I can get a normal keyboard.

Re: Apple Is Listening

#370

Post by psnosignaluk »

auggierose wrote: post #264
psnosignaluk wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As I sit here looking at the stupid TouchBar, the hunk of aftermarket plastic that contains an HDMI port, Thunderbolt port and USB ports hanging off the side of my MacBook Pro so that I can connect my peripherals, the TouchPad I never use and the keyboard I hate, I can't help but wonder if I'm just an idiot for buying Mac after Mac after Mac. I've run Apple products since 2007 and this is the feeling I'm left with. W…

If you never use the TouchPad you are probably not the typical MacBook Pro user ...

Granted. I have Drevo Calibur keyboards and Logitec MX Master S2 mice at both home and work. I've relegated my MacBook to being a flat desktop that gets hauled between the office and home. I'm the first to admit that I'm a sub-optimal laptop user.
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