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Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra

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Re: Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra

#571

Post by nomel »

brookst wrote: post #152
dannyw wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The DRAM market is cyclical. I don’t think anyone truly knows when, but it will happen. Fab capacity is being bought online; there’s just lead time. Noticeably greater intelligence is being achieved at the same number of parameters (see: Qwen3.8). I think the future will be bright, it might be a matter of time. And for tinkers, a used Epyc + DDR4 server can be great fun and epic value.

100%. We're probably on the cusp of over-capacity, a glut, cheap RAM, bankruptcies, and shortages.

Or, they're price fixing, as they have many times before, and are currently being sued for [2].

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DRAM_industry_price_fixing

[2] https://moginlawllp.com/dram-antitrust-suit-ai-memory-supply...

Re: Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra

#572

Post by peddling-brink »

abroszka33 wrote: post #553
dcow wrote: post #533

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you characterize the deterioration more specifically? I only ask because every time I run this exercise for myself I end up back on macOS, despite any hiccups.

Not OP, but I have been using an M1 pro Mac Book since release. It's not sluggish in any way whatsoever.

Same, I bought it with the justification that this would be future proofed for 4-5 years. Nearly 5 years later with daily usage, it's not limping along, the battery isn't on its last legs, it's doing great. My impulsive side is annoyed that I don't have a justification to buy the next latest and greatest.

Is it amazing for LLM stuff? No, but that's the same story for anyone else _not_ spending boatloads, or willing to hack on weird mining cards.

Re: Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra

#573

Post by nifty_beaks »

abroszka33 wrote: post #553
dcow wrote: post #533

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you characterize the deterioration more specifically? I only ask because every time I run this exercise for myself I end up back on macOS, despite any hiccups.

Not OP, but I have been using an M1 pro Mac Book since release. It's not sluggish in any way whatsoever.

Same. I have an M1 Pro (personal use) and a M3 Max. Whenever I do side projects on my M1 Pro it feels nearly identical.

Re: Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra

#575

Post by TSiege »

shit_game wrote: post #570
fooster wrote: post #551

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok, what am I using on my workstations then? Windows? Hell no. Terrible hardware, OS sucks. Linux? Hell no! Terrible hardware, desktop is terrible.

What are your gripes with linux desktops?

what’re your gripes with people wanting to buy a Mac for the OS and hardware? It’s nice to have things work out the box

Re: Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra

#576

Post by alsetmusic »

dcow wrote: post #533
alluro2 wrote: post #524

I was blown away by M1 Pro, and used it for 4 years before it became a little sluggish, and replacing it with an Asus S16 running on Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (an excellent laptop). One of the main reasons was missing my old Linux setup. I've briefly tested M5 Pro in an Apple store and was surprised by how quick it felt and did anything. A tangible and significant difference, and I really feel it would be good getting it, or…

Can you characterize the deterioration more specifically? I only ask because every time I run this exercise for myself I end up back on macOS, despite any hiccups.

Not OP, but a decades-long Mac user. Removing CLI tools over the years would be one way, though I run Homebrew and have everything I want or need. That doesn't change that scripting is less useful on a fleet of devices.

Also, the UI has been in decline for a decade or so, with the regrettable decisions under Alan Dye. Thankfully, Zuck poached him and we're all grateful for that. I mean, what they've done to our icons is tragic, the glyphs in the menus was intern-level boneheaded, and reduction of contrast to "get out of the way" of our content has made everything less usable, especially for people with vision issues.

A bug that I filed about window-ordering when using the Cmd-` / Shift-Cmd-` shortcuts has been live since 2010 without getting fixed, though an industrious HN user posted a link to the background utility they made to fix it themselves[0].

0: https://github.com/tacomanator/sash

Re: Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra

#577

Post by prmph »

cortesoft wrote: post #563
prmph wrote: post #535

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep, vote with your wallets. It’s about time Apple learned that excellent hardware alone would not make up for what macOS lacks and where it fails for development.

What would you want Apple to do to improve the developer experience?

Proper macOS virtualization, for example.

Also, I do not want to have to upgrade my machine and OS every few years just to keep up with apps that stop working or installing, not because the hardware is no longer capable, but due to ridiculous obsolescence policies. Heck, I can not run the latest version of a lot of software (including basic developer tools) on one of my MacBooks, simply because it is running Monterey.

A proper package manager CLI is also sorely needed. Delegating that to Homebrew and MacPorts doesn't cut it.

Re: Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra

#578

Post by fooster »

shit_game wrote: post #570
fooster wrote: post #551

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok, what am I using on my workstations then? Windows? Hell no. Terrible hardware, OS sucks. Linux? Hell no! Terrible hardware, desktop is terrible.

What are your gripes with linux desktops?

Apart from anything else the keybindings are the most annoying thing ever.

Re: Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra

#579

Post by EgregiousCube »

giantrobot wrote: post #450
brookst wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

100%. We're probably on the cusp of over-capacity, a glut, cheap RAM, bankruptcies, and shortages.

I for one can't wait. Current prices are absolutely insane. However a problem exists with scalper bots. They're going to fight tooth and nail to keep prices artificially high even when supply increases. Same with the hyperscalers blowing "free money" at eating supply as a strategic position against smaller competitors.

Scalper bots need customers to sell to; their business model falls apart in the face of sufficient supply.

Re: Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra

#580

Post by nomel »

xiphias2 wrote: post #97

Apple still has the best hardware so I moved to it for the last few years, but the closed software ecosystem is terrible for taking advantage of it. I wasn't able to debug network errors (restartin my Mac worked), Metal was missing low level disassembly / debugging tools (there is some hard to use UI), but the worst thing was the inflexible windowing system. Even getting all the window handles on all screens/desktops…

> but the closed software ecosystem

There's aren't really any alternative OS [1], but I don't think it's fair to say there's a closed software ecosystem. You can install/compile/run whatever you want, including kernel extensions. The hardware isn't locked.

[1] Hardware isn't locked: https://asahilinux.org/about/

> Apple allows booting unsigned/custom kernels on Apple Silicon Macs without a jailbreak! This isn’t a hack or an omission, but an actual feature that Apple built into these devices.

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