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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

#191

Post by asdff »

askafriend wrote: post #90
Reason077 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Part of the problem with the Mac is that Intel has been slow to make progress. Particularly when it comes to faster low-power chips, Moore's Law has been failing us for some time now. How long till Apple start putting their A-series chips in Macs?

The new iPad Pro already benchmarks as high as some of their recent laptops (Yes, I know the thermals are different, etc but bear with me here) My bet is that over the years iPad Pro will expand to do more and more of the jobs that people traditionally use MacBooks (or laptops in general) to do. We'll eventually see a world where most people have iPads, not laptops - thereby relying on A-series chips, not Intel, to g…

I still don't think the iPad is enough even for most consumers. The competition for the iPad pro is the surface, which has more I/O that people would actually use (see that nice USB-A port and headphone jack?) but importantly comes with a full featured OS that everyone has been using for decades. I could see people moving to a surface type device over a laptop because it has a full featured OS, but iOS is just too limiting. Look at how ridiculous the 1 foot iPad looks with two fingers worth of space between every icon; its just too rigid of an OS to support all the different workflows people might have in their jobs.

I think people have used iOS long enough to see that it's pretty limited as far as file management goes. The great multitasking of the iPad is still limited to split screening just two apps, a big step down in productivity from even classic MacOS of the 90s.

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

#192

Post by wwweston »

asdff wrote: post #149
stuartd wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Huh? Are you 8 feet tall?

Nightmare is overstating the case, but it is convenient not to have to manage a tether running from the phone to your head if you're doing anything active.

It's also convenient not to have to manage bluetooth pairing, though I usually find that to be less of a problem with most headphones and more of a problem with various car audio systems and some speakers.

So, Airpods solve those problems.

IMO none of this justifies removing the headphone jack and therefore the option of spending only $5-$20 on your headphones, and the particular solution package airpods embody won't justify their price for me: I've never liked Apple's earbuds, more of an over-the-ear fan anyway, $20-$40 over the ear bluetooth headsets work fine for me, if I'm spending $100+ on headphones they're going to be focused on audio quality in a way Apple will never prioritize over industrial design aesthetics and ecosystem.

But, Airpods still solve those problems, and people who love the particular package have a right to enjoy it.

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

#193

Post by Skunkleton »

philwelch wrote: post #136
amelius wrote: post #117

Why don't we all steer towards the IBM PC clone model, but for smartphones? Why do we have free/open Linux on PCs and not on phones? By the way, ironically, with its single user OS, an iPhone is more a "Personal Computer" than most PCs.

> Why don't we all steer towards the IBM PC clone model, but for smartphones? Isn't that Android?

Not at all. A PC has a defined hardware interface that allows software to be created and ported easily between PCs. Arm is in a less-good position with this. There are newer efforts that make portability easier, but is still nowhere close to what can be done on PC.

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

#194

Post by izzydata »

matwood wrote: post #139
izzydata wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I do research and my couple forays into Android, while less expensive, were not good experiences. Admittedly my last Android phone was a Nexus 5, so maybe I should look again? The problem is after other poor experiences I will only get a Google phone. The Pixel 3 XL with 128gb is $999. A new iPhone Xs is 1249 for the 256gb. Is taking yet another chance on Android worth $250? How well will that Pixel 3 XL even be supp…

The negatives were mainly concerning their desktop / laptop designs and business model of said desktop / laptops.

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

#195

Post by toasterlovin »

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…

Come on. Wireless is a hugely important feature. The PC market is dominated by laptops. Because they are wireless. The phone market is dominated by cell phones. Because they are wireless.

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

#196

Post by Wowfunhappy »

plussed_reader wrote: post #104
Reason077 wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Part of the problem with the Mac is that Intel has been slow to make progress. Particularly when it comes to faster low-power chips, Moore's Law has been failing us for some time now. How long till Apple start putting their A-series chips in Macs?

Did you know 'Moore's Law' is a nice idea, and not actually regulated by anything?

Yes, but it's an assumption on which many decisions across the industry on predicated, because it has held fairly consistent for a long time, until recently.

Moore's Law truly ending would cause a lot of upheaval. Is causing, but luckily a lot of the industry has shifted focus to mobile anyway, where advancements continue to accelerate for now.

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

#197

Post by drb91 »

Wavelets wrote: post #130

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…

Putting conditions on the use of the hardware is distinctly harmful to consumers in a way that otherwise good design cannot ameliorate.

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

#198

Post by Skunkleton »

based2 wrote: post #56
Confusion wrote: post #32

Meanwhile geeks are marvelling at the speed improvements of their latest SoC's over the previous generation and over their competitors.

https://liliputing.com/2018/11/qualcomm-snapdragon-8150-appl...

Tinfoil hat theory: Is apple holding back their x86 offerings so that their in-house arm processors can catch up performance wise? Perhaps in preparation for an all-arm line up?

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

#199

Post by Reason077 »

threatofrain wrote: post #185
Reason077 wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find Face ID to be a vast improvement over Touch ID. It's much faster and less fiddly to unlock the phone than with the old Touch ID. I love that you can activate and unlock the phone just by looking at it. Apple Pay is much faster. And I like that it's smart enough to not dim the screen when you're looking at it, even if you haven't interacted with the device for a while.

I find that Face ID is only a mild win over Touch ID in situations where it's better, such as when you're taking the phone out of your pocket in one motion, or when the phone is propped upright and you get more details on a notification. But in situations where it fails I find that it fails harder and repeatedly, which makes you want to choose a simple password (perhaps that's why Apple tucks away the alphanumeric op…

"When the lighting conditions aren't good"

Huh? Face ID uses infrared. It doesn't need external light.

You're right about the pillow thing, but the way I see it, if you can't lift your head off a pillow you probably shouldn't be using your phone!

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

#200

Post by hinkley »

askafriend wrote: post #15

I think people in the mainstream media and even most people period just don't understand innovation cycles. They expect novelty every year, but they don't realize that revolutions are created by consistently great evolution over a long period of time. We're nearing the top of the S curve with regards to the smartphone business. Upgrade cycles are getting longer. Phones are getting as powerful as laptops and people ar…

I think we may soon be entering a post smart phone era but the replacements just aren’t ready yet.

I had hopes that the Apple Watch 4 would be the iPhone 3g moment, but it’s not enough faster, smaller, or long running to make that logical leap.

For instance, if I could make calls from my watch and have an iPad mini 5 without also carrying a phone around with me, I might be tempted by that. But neither the hardware nor wireless plans are there for that. Yet.

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