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Apple Reports Second Quarter Results

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Re: Apple Reports Second Quarter Results

#151
post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More like: constantly attached to the cable. Only USB-A device I use is a printer and I have an adapter permanently attached to the cable.

That's a solution I guess. It could result in an annoying edge case if you wanted to for example bring your laptop somewhere else, and borrow a peripheral there. (I'm sure someone will be along to correct me, with the information that using a laptop as a portable device is some niche use-case that Apple shouldn't care about).

I keep one of these in my laptop case: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CVX3516/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_8Q...

It’s worked great for years.

Re: Apple Reports Second Quarter Results

#152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Find a new wired mouse with a USB C connector. USB A isn't dead just yet. Also doesn't really help in the scenario where maybe you need to grab files off a client or colleague's flash drive...

That's because no one even makes them anymore e.g. Logitech has ZERO normal wired mice. So of course you're seeing USB-A mice because they are probably old models from the 2000s.

I mean Razer released a new wired Deathadder in 2020 with USB A. All of Logitechs non-Bluetooth wireless mice come with receivers that use USB A. Logitech doesn't even sell a USB C wireless receiver yet as an option, just an adapter.

Re: Apple Reports Second Quarter Results

#153
post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Find a new wired mouse with a USB C connector. USB A isn't dead just yet. Also doesn't really help in the scenario where maybe you need to grab files off a client or colleague's flash drive...

https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/accessories-and-software/keyb... They’re out there. Would a USB A be nice? Probably.

They're out there but not commonplace. Walk into a Staples or Best Buy and they're either USB A corded or USB A wireless dongles with a dash of Bluetooth.

Re: Apple Reports Second Quarter Results

#154
post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use the iPad Mini for taking handwritten notes and it works beautifully for that use case. I would use an iPad Pro as my "laptop" if Apple would let me run macOS. It's a Macbook Air but without a directly attached keyboard saddled with an inappropriate OS for the hardware.

What do you use for your notes? Is it crazy to just use the built in Notes app?

I use Bear.

Re: Apple Reports Second Quarter Results

#155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your requirement of a USB Aport to satisfy an esoteric accessory is a niche use case. They are not going to include A USB A just like why they won’t add a firewire port to satisfy that 1%. Pretty much all new keyboards, even niche ones, now come with Type C standard. Plus you are making a huge deal out of the graceful degradation of attaching an adapter to your keyboard. If we’re going to permanently retrofit somethi…

I think we might just be posting from different universes or something. Where I'm at USB-A is not really a niche interface. I don't know what to tell you.

If you upgrade the minor peripherals to the newest versions you’ll find USB A is not really used anymore.

Re: Apple Reports Second Quarter Results

#156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think we might just be posting from different universes or something. Where I'm at USB-A is not really a niche interface. I don't know what to tell you.

If you upgrade the minor peripherals to the newest versions you’ll find USB A is not really used anymore.

Is this a subtle troll or something?

Yes obviously, if I get all new peripherals with USB-C compatibility (other than things like my keyboard and mouse, which don't have USB-C versions, and which are actually my favorite peripherals) then I won't encounter USB-A. Unless I leave my house, where the rest of the world hasn't upgraded to USB-C yet.

Re: Apple Reports Second Quarter Results

#157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It isn't really a matter of cost, so much as the inconvenience of replacing all the peripherals I've accumulated over time (ignoring the fact that there isn't even a USB-C version of my favorite keyboard). Yes adapters are possible, however an even better solution (in that it doesn't require remembering to bring an adapter everywhere) is just to buy a different brand of laptop.

How many peripherals do you take with you when you leave the house? I've found a single, compact USB-C hub does fine for me, but of course YMMV.

I mean it is unusual situations. And, I like my USB-C ports! But it isn't a mutually exclusive thing.

For example, I work at a university, in an office. If my laptop lacked the normal USB port, I'd probably have an adapter or hub in my backpack or at my desk. But if I'm in a rush to a meeting, I might just grab my laptop and not my backpack. So, if somebody needs to share a file using a bog standard USB drive, I'm out of luck.

I'm capable of adapting around this and it isn't a huge hassle really, but... my current laptop is cheaper than a... any Macbook, I think, and thinner than a Macbook pro, and still ASUS managed to fit in a USB-A (and even a legacy HDMI!) port. I dunno. It is ASUS, I don't think they've got any wild engineering talent that would blow Apple's mind... it just doesn't seem very hard.

Re: Apple Reports Second Quarter Results

#158
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I mean, they are building their own processors now, and both the macbook and the iPad have the same processor. Why maintain two operating systems if one could work. I say that because obviously there are differences with iOS and MacOS, but apple controls both.

Because iOS was designed for touch and MacOS designed for mouse. Very hard to unify completely different paradigms.

The problem with the iPad in my eyes isn't the mouse vs. touch issue. Yes, you want the UI to be designed for touch, on the other side the iPad now also supports a mouse.

The thing is a quite different point: the availability of software and the interactions. The iPad limits software to the App Store and its very restricted rules. Which makes the iPad nice for tasks which can be done completely inside one App, if that App exists in the first place. But it is really bad at any work flow which would involve multiple programs and a lot of programs aren't even allowed on the App Store.

On the Mac, one is free to run any software one wants, it is very easy to write your own. If it only is a quick shell script or python program. And it is trivial to combine multiple software in one project, just access the project directory from all involved programs.

There seems to be some capability of sharing file space between apps on the iPad, there is a great Git client called "Working Copy" which I can highly recomment which can interact with other apps, but that is quite an exception. In most cases, Apps on the iPad don't really support free data exchange with each other. My pet peeve: you cannot even add your own music to the music player on the iPad. It is sitting uselessly in Files and I can't access it.

Re: Apple Reports Second Quarter Results

#159
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

iPad has so much potential with M1 now. They can make it a hybrid with iOS and MacOS for example. In fact, I’d be shocked if that’s not what they end up doing with the M2 line of iPad Pros.

Yea, what if one could instantly switch between macos and ios? Imagine having a super powerful ipad pro running mac os for your work stuff, and when you are lying on the couch you detach the keyboard and any external monitors and switch to the more touch friendly ios. I think that would be a much better approach than to try to merge the 2 OSes into one hybrid OS that can do neither this nor that very well.

I don't think iPads would need to run "Mac OS", just quite a few artificial restrictions on iPadOS would need to be lifted. I need to be able to install software myself on the device - be it only a small shell script or python program - and most importantly, I need to be able to share files between programs in the sense that several programs need access to the same file and can interact with it.

Re: Apple Reports Second Quarter Results

#160

I’m not surprised that the iPad has a decline. My son has a few year old 9.7” iPad and it works great still. Consume media very easily and even have games. I can notice the difference between it and my 2018 iPad Pro but I could see people are just not going buy new ones every year or two. I’d like the M1 iPad Pro but it’s not worth the jump in price.

Yeah. Until Apple presents a good software reason to upgrade an iPad, most people are just going to stick with the iPad they have until it breaks.

Indeed, I think the artificial restrictions on iPadOS are the #1 reason the iPad isn't eating up a larger part of the laptop space. Until software on the iPad becomes more useful, there is less reason to upgrade.
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