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A Guy Walks into an Apple Store

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Re: A Guy Walks into an Apple Store

#171

Post by slg »

Polylactic_acid wrote: post #141
slg wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Odds are no one reading HN is going to find this "difficult", but there is no question that this is a noticeable diversion from earlier eras and that the sheer number of options can be confusing for some people. Take a look at this graphic [1]. There was a point early on in which there was zero choice and Apple sold only one iPhone. There were several years in which they usually offered somewhere in the neighborhood…

It is weird that they keep selling the XR but while I was at the store they didn't even show that as an option. It was just the SE, 11, 11 pro, 11 pro max.

It is interesting that they didn't even try to sell the XR. I wonder what they will present now that the 12s are out. Would they show the SE, 12 mini, 12, 12 pro, and 12 pro max while ignoring the 11 and XR that they still sell?

Re: A Guy Walks into an Apple Store

#172

Post by californical »

ashtonkem wrote: post #143

I really hate arguments about how much electricity wireless phone charging wastes because it makes people feel like they’re doing something when in fact they aren’t. Charging a cell phone every day for a year consumes about 1-2 kWh per phone. The average American household consumes 10,399 kWh per year, meaning that a typical smart phone consumes one 5000th, (0.02%) of a typical home’s electricity (excl. natural gas)…

2-3kWh seemed impossibly low to me, so I checked, and yup, that’s amazing.

A phone battery at 5V and 2500mAh (probably about the average) is approximately 12.5Wh of energy storage. Even if you used the entire battery every day, we’re talking 4kW per year, costing ~60¢ in the US.

Your phone battery could only power a standard 60W incandescent lightbulb for 12 minutes, but powers your phone for hours. That’s amazing!

Re: A Guy Walks into an Apple Store

#173

Post by TeMPOraL »

MengerSponge wrote: post #159
hombre_fatal wrote: post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I do notice a certain glee we have when we can frame other people wasting energy in ways we don't happen to waste ourselves. As if wireless phone charging or bitcoin mining or X are the last unturned stones in the pursuit of zero waste. Some condescension we can share on HN before we drive to Walmart for a single gallon of milk. It's weird how tempting it is. I had a roommate that used our clothes dryer daily. I have…

Lol at your false dichotomy with bitcoin. Bitcoin mining uses a mind-boggling amount of power, and we don't get anything useful for all those emissions. I agree that we're quick to look at other people's small wastes with condescension, but bitcoin is not a small waste.

Yup. Also, the shape of the growth curve matters. It's superlinear with the number of participants, and even with no new participants, the amount of waste grows over time by design.

If an evil overlord wanted to exacerbate our climate and energy problems, pushing Bitcoin to mainstream use is probably the ideal way to do it.

Re: A Guy Walks into an Apple Store

#174

Post by naosouumapessoa »

ogre_codes wrote: post #65
carlivar wrote: post #26

Meanwhile I can share my Macbook Pro's charger with my Google Pixel phone.

You can plug the new iPhone cable into the MacBook Pro charger as well. Or into any of the ports in your MacBook for that matter.

You missed the point. He only need to take one cable with him to charge his pixel and MacBook (not at the same time) you’re suggesting him to take two cables. I will take the first option as I hate having to remember of multiple cables.

Re: A Guy Walks into an Apple Store

#175

Post by diebeforei485 »

jbombadil wrote: post #119
samatman wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm indifferent. On the one hand, yeah, USB-C works great, and everything else I own takes it. On the other hand, Lightning also works great, USB-C isn't an improvement on the merits, and iPhone users have a bunch of accessories for it. Like in my car, I have a 12v charger with one USB-A port and a built-in Lightning cable, and I'd have to either junk it or just ignore the built in cable if they went USB-C. I'm prett…

My concern with them removing the port is what what would happen to everyone whose car's entertainment unit supports CarPlay but not wireless CarPlay?

You use the last phone that does have a port for a 2-3 years (get its battery replaced so it lasts longer), and eventually you get a new head unit that does support Wireless CarPlay.

Re: A Guy Walks into an Apple Store

#177

Post by allenu »

ashtonkem wrote: post #143

I really hate arguments about how much electricity wireless phone charging wastes because it makes people feel like they’re doing something when in fact they aren’t. Charging a cell phone every day for a year consumes about 1-2 kWh per phone. The average American household consumes 10,399 kWh per year, meaning that a typical smart phone consumes one 5000th, (0.02%) of a typical home’s electricity (excl. natural gas)…

Thanks for doing the math. I always found it funny that Apple was advertising how they were doing such a great service to the environment by not packing in a charger.

If they really cared about the environment, they'd avoid updating their product every year and encourage users to keep using the same device for longer, but of course they would never do that.

Re: A Guy Walks into an Apple Store

#178

Post by DoreenMichele »

karakot wrote: post #176

People like to be outraged with petty things these days.

There's a pandemic on. People are pretty stressed.

It's really normal -- though not necessarily wise -- to get all up in arms about little things when you are living with very high levels of stress and feel like you can't really do anything effective about the source of it.

Re: A Guy Walks into an Apple Store

#179

Post by Aloha »

petre wrote: post #73
Zak wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm disappointed Apple hasn't dropped Lightning and just made all their devices use standard USB-C. I could see their motivation for developing their own connector when everyone else was using micro-B, which has a number of disadvantages, but now USB-C is used to power virtually every other phone and tablet, and many laptops including Apple's own.

USB-C is great but the Lightning connector is still better designed. Oh and you can downvote me all you want, I'm an electrical engineer, not an Apple fanboy. Don't like the phone. Anyway, they should at least include a cable.

I agree with you, the Lighting connector is more mechanically durable in general.

Re: A Guy Walks into an Apple Store

#180

Post by dexterdog »

notJim wrote: post #103
alistairSH wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The cable is a wear item. By the time I'm ready to swap phones (3 years or so), I'm also ready for a new cable. If I bought an iPhone 12 tomorrow, I would, at minimum, also have to buy another cable, because the one Apple included doesn't work with my existing charger. Not the end of the world, but still annoying.

I think you may be an outlier in owning only one lightning cable. I just looked in my desk drawer and counted 5, and I can think of 3 more in other areas of my house and car.

I have 5 in my drawer and I don't even have an iPhone.
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