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Jony Ive to form independent design company with Apple as client

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Re: Jony Ive to form independent design company with Apple as client

#251

Apple used to be known for their amazing designs. That was when Steve was running the company. Since his death Apple has been in a free fall in the design space. Most of the comments here seem to be about their awful hardware design. Yes, the thin macbook is not very usable, and the Homepod which is shaped like an amorphous blob is uglier than any Bose speaker. But what about their software? Their UI design is super…

Steve let some awful designs out. Remember the hockey puck mouse? He even released his own awful expensive failure of a speaker.

That speaker was GORGEOUS though.

Re: Jony Ive to form independent design company with Apple as client

#252
post #241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can confirm, it has been great. No more running around the office trying to find another macbook user when I accidentally leave my charger at home. I just easily roll up to anyone using a newer Lenovo laptop (that charges with USB-C) and use their charger. Ironically, it happens more often than not the other way around. Anecdote incoming. When I had to use a Lenovo laptop last month for a week as my on-call machine,…

Controversial opinion: Microsoft is making better hardware design decisions and better hardware design overall than Apple atm. It’s the software which continues to be the issue for me.

Probably. I liked my Surface Book, it was an amazingly solid piece of hardware with good design and some nice innovations. However, Windows killed the device for me. After a year of use, it felt more sluggish than 3+ years old macbooks, even after I did the factory reset.

Re: Jony Ive to form independent design company with Apple as client

#253
post #70

Hopefully this signals the end of the designers tyranny at Apple. While physical design has been of paramount importance in Apple's rise to the top, it has been more and more detrimental as Jony and his group wandered into worshipping at the altar of luxury and Platonic idealism. When combined with /not/ ignoring other than luxury market segments and usability that was fine. But when Jony's star was completely ascend…

Tyranny of design. Interesting thought. What if he was let go after seeing the reaction to the new Mac compared to the trash can?

What’s wrong with the new Mac?

Re: Jony Ive to form independent design company with Apple as client

#256
post #36

I haven’t forgiven this guy for the latest “thin at any cost” 4th gen MacBook Pro we’ve had since 2016. He ruined the best programer’s laptop on the market. Maybe with him and his ego gone, they can fix the next generation and salvage the product line.

I travel frequently for work. I like having a pro machine that is light and thin. I am okay with compromises, but understand that the target audience feels differently. I believe my Macbook Pro goes more places than before due to the compactness. That includes using python, photo, design, and general office work.

I think it’s fine they made it this way but they still should have kept the ACTUAL Pro line - ie a more versatile machine. The new MacBook Pro’s just don’t cut it as much for professional applications as they used to (at least in my field of filmmaking/multimedia)

Re: Jony Ive to form independent design company with Apple as client

#257
post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

USB-C is infinitely better than Magsafe. You can use any charger, use battery packs and any third party cable which means far more reliability and quality.

There are also magnetic adapters you can get for USB-C.

I'll be damned, there are [0] and at first glance it seems like a good replacement. Granted, it is still annoying to have to buy a damn dongle for almost every port.

[0]: https://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-Adapter-Connector-Quick-Char...

Re: Jony Ive to form independent design company with Apple as client

#259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nothing wrong with USB-C and the big trackpad is fine too, and I would love to have touchID on my 2015MBP. But getting rid of mag power and the USB-A ports, HDMI port, and SD card slot was a big step back. Maybe you don't ever need to present anything from your laptop, but if you talk to anyone who does, they will tell you how awful it is to not have an HDMI port. The USB-C to HDMI is the worst adapter I've ever seen…

So, on the power side of the equation, I have come to understand why they chose to go the direction they did. With the previous generation of MagSafe/MagSafe II power supplies, if the cable gets frayed, you have to replace the entire power supply. If the MagSafe connector gets hosed, you have to replace the entire power supply. Basically, if anything goes wrong beyond the AC input side, you have to replace the whole…

> With the previous generation of MagSafe/MagSafe II power supplies, if the cable gets frayed, you have to replace the entire power supply. If the MagSafe connector gets hosed, you have to replace the entire power supply. Basically, if anything goes wrong beyond the AC input side, you have to replace the whole power supply. I ended up buying a whole bunch of these things over the years, so I am particularly sensitive to the amount of money I've spent.

This is a design issue that doesn’t require a USB-C cable to fix.

Re: Jony Ive to form independent design company with Apple as client

#260

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nothing wrong with USB-C and the big trackpad is fine too, and I would love to have touchID on my 2015MBP. But getting rid of mag power and the USB-A ports, HDMI port, and SD card slot was a big step back. Maybe you don't ever need to present anything from your laptop, but if you talk to anyone who does, they will tell you how awful it is to not have an HDMI port. The USB-C to HDMI is the worst adapter I've ever seen…

So, on the power side of the equation, I have come to understand why they chose to go the direction they did. With the previous generation of MagSafe/MagSafe II power supplies, if the cable gets frayed, you have to replace the entire power supply. If the MagSafe connector gets hosed, you have to replace the entire power supply. Basically, if anything goes wrong beyond the AC input side, you have to replace the whole…

Funny how other laptops (and I've owned PC laptops and macbooks) have cables that don't fray. Only Apple's old magsafe cable has that fine rubbery material that disintegrates with time, and no strain relief on the connector.
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