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Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

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Re: Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

#121

Post by matthewmacleod »

reacharavindh wrote: post #33

May be people are disappointed with innovation in iPhones compared to previous years' or for the last few years, but every time I use my AirPods, I can't but feel good about the innovation it took to make it as easy to use and comfortable. * If I open the case near my phone, it automatically pairs and shoes battery levels. * They sound decent for earbuds (not in-ear plugs which I hate) * Lasts reasonable amount of ti…

There are lots of similar features which are just really nice from a UX perspective. The whole WiFi password sharing thing is basically perfect - and underlying a lot of these features are relatively complex technologies.

I agree it doesn’t excuse the lack of attention to Mac hardware though. That’s something I find absolutely baffling; I don’t understand the reason why they’re not periodically releasing newer Macs instead of letting whole chunks of the product line rot. I get that consumer devices are more profitable, but I struggle to think that they wouldn’t still make a handsome sum of money. The product lineup is still kind of spotty and weird. That said, it’s possible that the recent releases and upcoming Mac Pro will mark a bit of a change of pace on this front.

Re: Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

#122

Post by JustSomeNobody »

xiphias2 wrote: post #24

I look at Tesla as the next Apple. There's not much room for fast innovation in the smart phone space, but cars are outdated, and self driving / electric cars with better robotic manufacturing methods give an opportunity for new entrants to appear. It's too late for Apple though at this point to manufacture the full hardware (and also behind Waymo in self driving software).

Self driving cars are a way to fleece investors for 5 or 10 more years until everyone realizes it just isn't happening.

Re: Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

#123

Post by nradov »

izzydata wrote: post #93
lotsofpulp wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People aren't buying terrible things, they're buying the best thing available to them. Edit: Samsung/Microsoft/Google are free to come up with their own ecosystem and quality hardware devices that don't have the drawbacks that Apple's do. But for some reason they don't.

The idea that people think there is no better / equivalent alternative is an issue. Why people are willing to begrudgingly spend thousands on something without doing research doesn't make a lot of sense.

Often there really is no better / equivalent alternative. If you have a specific need for a particular feature then there may be only a few devices with offer it at all. So as a consumer you have a choice between buying crap or nothing at all. There's no economic way to signal that you'd be willing to pay for something better.

Re: Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

#124

Post by ryanwaggoner »

sithadmin wrote: post #83
iscrewyou wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love the fact that I can keep them in my ear and just go on my Macbook and select the output from the volume icon. I’m always amazed by that.

Moving AirPod pairing from iOS -> Mac works well, but going the other way is always a struggle for me. I nearly always have to go into my iOS device's Bluetooth settings to reconnect. It's tolerable, but an annoyance.

I find it works better if I disconnect them from Mac first.

Re: Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

#125

Post by stuartd »

zeveb wrote: post #118
OkGoDoIt wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The AirPods are my favorite purchase I’ve made in the last several years and definitely the best new technology product I’ve seen in a long time. I use mine for hours every day and have for the last year and a half. Before I got my AirPods I had used and returned multiple other wireless earbuds and none of them hold a candle to the AirPods. And somehow the AirPods are half the price of any of those others. I’ve kept…

> I still haven’t seen anything that has the size, battery life, functionality, range, and audio quality as AirPods at any price point Walmart has wired earbuds for under $5, which are quite small (they fit in your ears), have perpetual battery life (because they have no battery!), the same functionality (they play sound, in your ears), great range and great audio quality. And you won't have to replace them in two ye…

Wired earplugs on a phone are a usability nightmare as soon as you stand up. No thanks.

Re: Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

#126

Post by snowwrestler »

SomeHacker44 wrote: post #51
bloorp wrote: post #35

Two months ago, Apple announced an ECG sensor for your wrist. A year before that, they announced face detection for the purposes of identity with enough accuracy that it can be used for financial transactions. Also, AirPods are incredible. I'm not saying Apple has a monopoly on invention, but to say they 'used to be an inventor'? That's weird.

Personally, I find FaceID to be vastly inferior to TouchID for many of my regular use cases. Perhaps the worst one is that you cannot easily unlock your phone while it lays on a conference room table to see the contents of a message. You need to picking it up and point it at your face. Likewise when using the phone while it is in a stand/holder. The one and only benefit I found is during the winter, it is easier to u…

Ok, but whether or not you like it, it's certainly a new feature that is technically sophisticated.

Apple did not need to introduce FaceID... seems to me a non-inventing landlord would have just ridden TouchID as long as possible.

Re: Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

#127

Post by mediocrejoker »

zeveb wrote: post #118
OkGoDoIt wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The AirPods are my favorite purchase I’ve made in the last several years and definitely the best new technology product I’ve seen in a long time. I use mine for hours every day and have for the last year and a half. Before I got my AirPods I had used and returned multiple other wireless earbuds and none of them hold a candle to the AirPods. And somehow the AirPods are half the price of any of those others. I’ve kept…

> I still haven’t seen anything that has the size, battery life, functionality, range, and audio quality as AirPods at any price point Walmart has wired earbuds for under $5, which are quite small (they fit in your ears), have perpetual battery life (because they have no battery!), the same functionality (they play sound, in your ears), great range and great audio quality. And you won't have to replace them in two ye…

I know you're being sarcastic but the range on my AirPods is greater than 30ft, down the hall and two rooms over.

Re: Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

#128

Post by Twirrim »

bloorp wrote: post #35

Two months ago, Apple announced an ECG sensor for your wrist. A year before that, they announced face detection for the purposes of identity with enough accuracy that it can be used for financial transactions. Also, AirPods are incredible. I'm not saying Apple has a monopoly on invention, but to say they 'used to be an inventor'? That's weird.

Just a reminder, that under US law, the 5th amendment only applies to passwords (what you know), and not biometrics (what you are). If you choose to use FaceID, thumbprints etc, the government can force you to unlock your device.

Re: Apple Used to Be an Inventor. Now It’s Mainly a Landlord

#130

Post by Wavelets »

What a silly article. How someone could look at Apple's chip developments (A, T, S, W, etc. series of processors) and think they aren't innovative is mind-boggling. Apple developing key silicon in their devices is a major security benefit for their users and I consider that an innovative model.

The Apple ecosystem itself is innovative and I don't think there's a single company that does it better.

They still lead in interfaces (biometrics...FaceID) and multi-touch gestures.

I don't use Siri, but I'm glad they are developing that technology in a way that doesn't flat-out violate the privacy of their users. I just hope all the criticism comparing Siri versus Google Assistant and Cortana don't push them to change that posture.

It feels like Apple hate is becoming a meme. You can certainly criticize the company... their product line is becoming confusing, but to say they "used" to be an innovator is ignorant.

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