Apple is no longer thinking different

#1

Post by othmanosx » Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 3:43 PM UTC

I've never bought an Android device in my life; I switched from Nokia to Apple directly, and I've been buying Apple stuff ever since.

That said, I feel like Apple is no longer innovating; all the stuff I saw in the event and on youtube, these technologies are many years old. They're just changing the colors to make sure people don't mix them, same for the Duo, even the name is stolen.

With all the AI stuff going on, I'd expect innovation to take a leap, peopl using AI to advance a lot quicker, yet I see a tech giant promoting stuff that we saw many years ago. I know that can be said about a ton of other Android features, but Apple tends to perfect every feature they introduce (unlike Google who kills whole projects every other day).

I gotta say though, the execution, the animations, the attention to detail, the user experience, that's still top-notch on Apple, but for a tech giant, I would expect more.

I miss Steve Jobs' "One more thing..."

Re: Apple is no longer thinking different

#2

Post by mrhottakes » Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 4:05 PM UTC

Apple isn't really an innovator, at least in the sense of delivering "new" things. Their success is in assessing a market and refining products for consumer adoption.

Mac wasn't the first personal computer but it was well-suited for the mass market, not just "computer people". iPod wasn't the first mp3 player but the first that was easy for regular folks to use. iPhone wasn't the first smartphone, but the first one that people actually wanted.

There's a pattern here.

Re: Apple is no longer thinking different

#3

Post by myplantlookup » Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 4:05 PM UTC

What do you mean by your statement, "no longer thinking different?"

Re: Apple is no longer thinking different

#4

Post by gjvc » Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 4:12 PM UTC

myplantlookup wrote: post #3

What do you mean by your statement, "no longer thinking different?"

watch apple launches from 1997 onwards

Re: Apple is no longer thinking different

#5

Post by othmanosx » Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 4:14 PM UTC

myplantlookup wrote: post #3

What do you mean by your statement, "no longer thinking different?"

No longer putting in the effort to make themselves distinct from the competition, or make anything different for that matter

Re: Apple is no longer thinking different

#6

Post by joshstrange » Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 4:15 PM UTC

> these technologies are many years old

That's been Apple's MO for almost forever. Very rarely do they chase the newest tech, instead they wait for it to mature. They didn't invent the smartphone or the touchscreen, they did revolutionize it. It's still to be seen how their Duo holds up and until we can play with it we don't really know. Yes there are Android folding phones, yes there are even passport-style ones, but I've seen plenty of "slop" folding phones from Android manufacturers. We will see how the Duo holds up in real use.

> same for the Duo, even the name is stolen.

Stolen from who? Surface Duo? Did they steal it from their own Powerbook Duo?

> I miss Steve Jobs' "One more thing..."

They literally did a "One more thing" in the event yesterday (and said that line). Yes, it had all leaked already but that's just the reality. There is no hardware product from Apple that doesn't leak nowadays. They are able to surprise with software sometimes and naming but everything else will leak.

I don't disagree that they should be better on the AI front and they are still cleaning up from their massive fuck-up in 2024 but I haven't seen any of their competitors do anything compelling w.r.t. AI either so I'm not quite ready to get out the pitchforks.

Re: Apple is no longer thinking different

#7

Post by othmanosx » Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 4:16 PM UTC

mrhottakes wrote: post #2

Apple isn't really an innovator, at least in the sense of delivering "new" things. Their success is in assessing a market and refining products for consumer adoption. Mac wasn't the first personal computer but it was well-suited for the mass market, not just "computer people". iPod wasn't the first mp3 player but the first that was easy for regular folks to use. iPhone wasn't the first smartphone, but the first one t…

I think you're right, though you're talking about an old era, where the iPhone was truly revolutionary, but how do you think the Duo is different from the other folds now?

the first iPhone was years ahead of its time, but the first Apple foldable is arguably the exact same (if not inferior) to the competition, with the exception of the good user experience we're used to from Apple

Re: Apple is no longer thinking different

#8

Post by haitchfivee » Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 4:20 PM UTC

Upstarts who dare to think differently may be able to get a shot, since Apple are no longer confidently occupying that space. The shape of a successful upstart would probably have to unbundle Apple, turning their strength into a liability.

Re: Apple is no longer thinking different

#9

Post by Nc67 » Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 4:20 PM UTC

[flagged]

Re: Apple is no longer thinking different

#10

Post by mrhottakes » Thu, Sep 10, 2026, 4:22 PM UTC

othmanosx wrote: post #7

mrhottakes wrote: post #2

Apple isn't really an innovator, at least in the sense of delivering "new" things. Their success is in assessing a market and refining products for consumer adoption. Mac wasn't the first personal computer but it was well-suited for the mass market, not just "computer people". iPod wasn't the first mp3 player but the first that was easy for regular folks to use. iPhone wasn't the first smartphone, but the first one t…

I think you're right, though you're talking about an old era, where the iPhone was truly revolutionary, but how do you think the Duo is different from the other folds now? the first iPhone was years ahead of its time, but the first Apple foldable is arguably the exact same (if not inferior) to the competition, with the exception of the good user experience we're used to from Apple

Based on the marketing materials, the Duo is different from other folds because: - Runs iOS with lots(?) of attention to UI - Won't break from a piece of dust - IP68 rated - Will actually receive software updates unlike many Android devices

et cetera et cetera

> the first iPhone was years ahead of its time

Not really, not if you were paying attention to the market at the time. It was the first smartphone to put everything in a cohesive package instead of being a weird little computer that could make phone calls, but technologically it was comparable to features that already existed when it released. The real innovation was in UI and product design.