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How Tim Cook transformed Apple after Steve Jobs

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Re: How Tim Cook transformed Apple after Steve Jobs

#121

Post by koyote »

RandallBrown wrote: post #87
airstrike wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would you buy two of the same terribly designed item instead of getting, I don't know, an MX Master (3)?

I personally think the MX Master 3 is pretty ugly compared to a Magic Mouse. I've never used one but generally dislike mice that are that big.

I don't think I have ever cared about how my mouse looks (or how my laptop looks for that matter; it sits at home where no one will see it).

Something you use 8 hours a day should first of all be pleasant to use and reduce the risk of long term damage to your wrist (carpal tunnel syndrome or similar).

Re: How Tim Cook transformed Apple after Steve Jobs

#122

Post by Spooky23 »

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #88
yreg wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Steve might have actually loved it if he'd see it. It is rumoured that Apple put the charging port in such an awkward place to force people to unplug the cable as soon as the mouse is charged. I can imagine customers using the wireless mouse with the cable attached is something that would grind Steve's gears as well. Preventing the situation with a flipped tortoise design is a Steve thing to do.

> It is rumoured that Apple put the charging port in such an awkward place to force people to unplug the cable as soon as the mouse is charged. You say this as if it's absolutely typical of Steve Jobs. I read it and think exactly the opposite. Jobs was certainly a stickler for aesthetics, but also for usability. I've read numerous accounts of him lashing out when he found a workflow noticeably frustrating. What decis…

Did you ever use an original iMac? That mouse would create RSI just looking at it.

Their keyboards got progressively worse as well.

Another great example was the iBooks that soaked up skin oils and became gross and disgusting.

Re: How Tim Cook transformed Apple after Steve Jobs

#123

Post by andrewem »

baybal2 wrote: post #92
baybal2 wrote: post #79

I worked in, and around OEM electronics since 2007. I've seen many guys like Tim Cook, most worse off ones. He squeezes suppliers, and know what he is doing. Others squeeze suppliers, and don't know what they are doing. On one of my first jobs, I've been witness to one such negotiations down to single cents, and microns of plastic for a few million units customized charger order. The order was such a whopper for a sm…

I recalled that when in 2015, working for another sourcing shop working for likes of BestBuy/Futureshop/Target/London Drugs I was asked to tear down few chargers for them. I found that diodes in parallel are surprisingly common around the industry. This is such a thing which you are pretty much told on day 1 of any electronics course that it is impossible to not to know. My only thinkable conclusion was that people k…

I had to look up why not to put diodes in parallel, and here’s an answer: https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/6151/is-para...

Re: How Tim Cook transformed Apple after Steve Jobs

#124

Post by gonehome »

chipotle_coyote wrote: post #102
gonehome wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Farag recalls a prototype presentation meeting with Jobs where he and the design team presented possibilities for what would be the next Apple mouse. The team had several versions to show Steve, some of which "were fully done, with all the parting lines cut in for buttons and different plastic parts, and all the colors just right," according to Farag. At the last moment the team decided to include a prototype that e…

I think you're misunderstanding the article you linked at least a bit here; it's not the origin story of Apple's original one-button mouse. It's describing the "no button" Pro Mouse circa 2000, which still functioned like a one-button mouse in practice. Macs had one-button mice since they first shipped in 1984. > As far as not thinking about a button to click - that only works if the idea of 'right-click' doesn't exi…

I had the “no button” mouse where the entire top was the button - I thought it was pretty.

Fair point that when this started the right click menu wasn’t super established. That said, at some point it was, probably more than 20 years ago.

Today the Magic Mouse supports right click, but is still a bad mouse in my (and many others) opinion. It’s form over function. The Magic Trackpad is great though.

I’m about as big an Apple fan as exists so this isn’t some tribal argument. It’s just not a good design and I think they do it because multi-click mice look ugly. They pretend it’s for other reasons with some rationalized explanation, but in the mouse case I don’t think it is.

Re: How Tim Cook transformed Apple after Steve Jobs

#125

Post by DRW_ »

whoisjuan wrote: post #107

Apple is the best company in the world at operations. I don't know how they do it but: 1) Ever year they manage to diligently upgrade iphones/ipads, macbooks and watches. 2) Every year they make some progress in their quest of removing suppliers by becoming vertically integrated. They don't only remove the supplier. They beat their former suppliers specs. (e.g: M1 chip). 3) Every year they make some progress in their…

Yep, Apple's operations and logistics are second to none in this industry.

Watching AMD, NVIDIA, Sony, Microsoft and others struggling so much manufacturing their products, and then having Apple launch: - 2 new Apple Watches - 4 new iPhones - 3 new Macs - Airpods Max - Homepod Mini

All with Apple's own custom designed chips, even relying on the same chip fabs as those other companies, and still managing to mostly avoid the huge shortages that those others have faced is impressive.

It's probably a combination of their operations, logistics, supply networks - their predictable yearly cycles that allows them to plan out further in advance, having higher margin products that allows them to outbid the competition for capacity, etc, etc...

But as someone who did the fight for the new AMD CPUs, NVIDIA GPUs, been on the look out for the new Sony console, and bought a new iPhone, Apple Watch & Homepod mini on release - the Apple experience was such a breeze in comparison. It may seem like an odd thing to be impressed by, but with how much everyone else has been struggling - for it to appear to relatively easy for Apple is notable.

Re: How Tim Cook transformed Apple after Steve Jobs

#126

Post by pixelatedindex »

zepto wrote: post #115
cageface wrote: post #81

I think it’s naive to expect that American companies like Apple that outsource everything but design and software and reap enormous profits are going to be able to do this indefinitely. China is getting better fast at doing these things too and will have tremendous advantages when it owns the entire stack. If American companies want to stay competitive in the long run they’re going to have to break their addiction to…

It’s going to be a while before China can own either the top (the OS) or the bottom (the silicon) of the stack, but ultimately you are right.

Genuinely curious - why do you say that? It might not be something they can export to other countries, but that’s mostly because of the rap that they have for surveillance and data collection and not because of a lack of resources. For the domestic market I don’t see why they can’t make their own silicon or software. I’d love to hear thoughts on the matter.

Re: How Tim Cook transformed Apple after Steve Jobs

#127

Post by yourapostasy »

baybal2 wrote: post #79

I worked in, and around OEM electronics since 2007. I've seen many guys like Tim Cook, most worse off ones. He squeezes suppliers, and know what he is doing. Others squeeze suppliers, and don't know what they are doing. On one of my first jobs, I've been witness to one such negotiations down to single cents, and microns of plastic for a few million units customized charger order. The order was such a whopper for a sm…

I would like a named list of such buyers. Not their employers. The actual natural person names. So I know which clients to decline outright based upon the name of the buyer I'm working with, if I find out they are anywhere in the chain of procurement during negotiations. I have happily told buyers "no" on numerous occasions (there is an art to how to decline a customer's request, or to decline the customer themselves). Warren Buffett was right: knowing when to judiciously say "yes" is a key factor in managing your time.

Re: How Tim Cook transformed Apple after Steve Jobs

#128

Post by syshum »

yazaddaruvala wrote: post #63

Steve Jobs built consumer products that he wanted for himself, his family and friends. He would push for out of the box ideas while scrutinizing every detail of the product, optimized and repeated. Tim Cook builds the supply chain that he wants for himself, his shareholders and coworkers. He pushes for out of the box ideas while scrutinizing every detail of the supply chain, optimizes and repeats. Tim Cook builds sup…

I think that is fantasy land thinking on the part of all 3, and I am sure past companies all thought the same thing until someone did out compete them...

Telsa is even more fantasy to believe Ford, VW, or Toyota will never be able to out compete them in manufacturing. Ohh sweet child.....

Re: How Tim Cook transformed Apple after Steve Jobs

#129

Post by [deleted] »

rektide wrote: post #7
icelancer wrote: post #4

Apple M1 is the kind of thing that truly impresses in the post-Jobs era, IMO.

Years of snapping up brilliant companies/minds[1]! * PA Semi, 2008 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P.A._Semi * Licensing then hiring most of the Imagination Technologies GPU engineers, including setting up an office down the street from them in St Albans, 2017-2020. * some of Dialog Semiconductor, 2018 * Intel's smartphone division, 2019 * Intrinsity, who had some cutting edge chip design, 2010 There's also an unbeliev…

[deleted]

Re: How Tim Cook transformed Apple after Steve Jobs

#130

Post by eigen »

toomim wrote: post #70
joshspankit wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I heard “iPhone mini” rumours last year I was like “Finally! I can get a much more powerful 4S!” Unfortunately that’s not what happened.

I'm using one now. This "mini" is huge.

the iPhone 12 mini is slightly smaller by volume than the iPhone 4.

iPhone 4: 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm or 62.781 cm^3

iPhone SE: 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm or 67.994 cm^3

iPhone 12 mini: 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.4 mm or 62.473 cm^3

[1] https://support.apple.com/kb/SP587?locale=en_US

[2] https://support.apple.com/kb/SP820?locale=en_US

[3] https://www.apple.com/iphone-12/specs/

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