I feel Apple has lost its alignment with me and other long-time customers • Hacker News Board

Re: I feel Apple has lost its alignment with me and other long-time customers

#451

Post by montagg » Tue, Sep 16, 2025, 2:45 PM UTC

browningstreet wrote: post #438

During every OS, design, logo, website update.. there are the common complaints. The new is worse than what came before. When the thing that came before was launched, it was worse than what preceded it, but is now the thing the complainer can't live without. I usually try and sit out those initial waves of time where all the emotioning happens.. but I have to admit, I'm pretty unhappy with Liquid Glass. Too many "dai…

In Safari settings (Settings > Apps > Safari) there’s an option to use “bottom” vs “compact”, which brings back the tab button. Much better interface tradeoffs.

Re: I feel Apple has lost its alignment with me and other long-time customers

#452

Post by righthand » Tue, Sep 16, 2025, 2:47 PM UTC

snowwrestler wrote: post #89

> it’s a company that I feel has lost its alignment with me and other long-time Apple users and customers. When OS X debuted there was a daytime radio talk show in my area called “The Computer Guys.” They capably covered all sorts of computing topics, but were clearly long-time Apple dudes. And they spent weeks complaining about what a disaster OS X was. The Dock was useless and violated Apple’s HIG. The Finder made…

The crowd you’re talking at say things like “I love Apple” unironically as an expression of self-discovery and identity.

Re: I feel Apple has lost its alignment with me and other long-time customers

#453

Post by browningstreet » Tue, Sep 16, 2025, 2:47 PM UTC

montagg wrote: post #451

browningstreet wrote: post #438

During every OS, design, logo, website update.. there are the common complaints. The new is worse than what came before. When the thing that came before was launched, it was worse than what preceded it, but is now the thing the complainer can't live without. I usually try and sit out those initial waves of time where all the emotioning happens.. but I have to admit, I'm pretty unhappy with Liquid Glass. Too many "dai…

In Safari settings (Settings > Apps > Safari) there’s an option to use “bottom” vs “compact”, which brings back the tab button. Much better interface tradeoffs.

Hmmm, yes indeed. And thank you.

It does take up two lines, where in iOS 18 it accomplished that feat in one line. At least it reduces when you scroll down. I can live with that.

The other behavior I really can't stand is the search icon behavior in Apple Music. You click on it and it swipes into a search bar that you can't use, then swipes up on top of the keyboard. It's very jarring.

Re: I feel Apple has lost its alignment with me and other long-time customers

#454

Post by kps » Tue, Sep 16, 2025, 2:48 PM UTC

cutthegrass2 wrote: post #448

First time i've had to enable "reduce transparency" on iOS. I have near perfect vision, btw.

I have astigmatic halation¹ so my phone is set to ‘light mode’. Despite this I'm seeing iOS use white on black or grey in multiple places, notably including notifications. (And in one case, white on very light gray.)

Re: I feel Apple has lost its alignment with me and other long-time customers

#455

Post by endemic » Tue, Sep 16, 2025, 2:51 PM UTC

snickell wrote: post #164

hedora wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The air is too big and clunky from me. Sent from my iPhone 13 mini, which is also Too Damn Big. I’m got above average size human hands, which are too small even for the mini.

On an iPhone 12 mini, wishing I hadn’t upgraded to iOS 26 because now my phone is notably laggy. Word to the wise. I use swiping for input and would consider it now unusable due to extreme lag. The physical aspect I can’t give up is I can hold the phone with my thumb on the bottom and my middle finger on the top and scroll with my index finger to read. Wish I could buy that capability on a new iPhone, maybe one even…

Yeah, the last supported OS upgrade for iPhones really makes them dog slow. (no idea if this is actually the last for the 12 series)

Re: I feel Apple has lost its alignment with me and other long-time customers

#456

Post by i80and » Tue, Sep 16, 2025, 2:53 PM UTC

dingnuts wrote: post #439

makingstuffs wrote: post #434

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Save your loyalty for people that matter in your actual life. There isn’t a single business in existence that cares about you. Even companies in the business of keeping you alive will only do so while doing so makes them a profit. I say this as the example of the local handyman is one where you will matter more. It’s a human relationship with a real person not a fake relationship with one person and a spreadsheet

spoken like someone who has never been a regular at a small business. there are all kinds of benefits when you get to know the guy who owns you favorite pizza shop for instance

As a good friend of a restaurant owner I have personal experience with this and you're friends with the people, not the company.

Restaurant owner friend transferred his company to new ownership, and I would never ask for the kinds of goodies the previous owner gave me. Because it was the owner, not the company, with which I had a relationship.

Re: I feel Apple has lost its alignment with me and other long-time customers

#457

Post by adeelk93 » Tue, Sep 16, 2025, 2:54 PM UTC

browningstreet wrote: post #438

During every OS, design, logo, website update.. there are the common complaints. The new is worse than what came before. When the thing that came before was launched, it was worse than what preceded it, but is now the thing the complainer can't live without. I usually try and sit out those initial waves of time where all the emotioning happens.. but I have to admit, I'm pretty unhappy with Liquid Glass. Too many "dai…

In Safari - swipe up from the dots as a quick way to get to tabs. Avoids the double tap.

Nothing says intuitive like hidden gestures!

Re: I feel Apple has lost its alignment with me and other long-time customers

#458

Post by graemep » Tue, Sep 16, 2025, 3:00 PM UTC

> The more Apple talks and moves like other big tech companies, the less special it gets; the less special and distinctive it gets

Special and distinctive to whom?

Apple is a mass market consumer brand. They are half of the mobile phone duopoly.

Most consumers buy "oh shiny", they buy status symbols. They do not read HN. They do not think about UI. They do not really care about technological or design innovation. They stick with brands (especially in technology) rather than compare alternatives when they make a new purchase.

Apple is well aligned with them, that is why Apple is successful

Re: I feel Apple has lost its alignment with me and other long-time customers

#459

Post by riebalas » Tue, Sep 16, 2025, 3:03 PM UTC

freetime2 wrote: post #76

Regarding the iPhone 17 Pro: > People who have no use for all these pro video recording features shouldn’t waste their money on it. Unless they want a big chunky iPhone with the best camera array and/or have money to burn. I feel like people who “want the best camera array and have money to burn” probably describes a significant percentage of HN readers. I’m honestly pretty excited that they’ve finally put the larger…

Except it’s 24-100 mm. They’re scamming with the 8x “optical quality” claims. Every year the scams (aka marketing) get deeper, Apple wasn’t as bad in the past.

The “Air” one is probably a test if they could stop those camera scams and simplify the phone maybe focusing on some other things. It barely even matters, one lens is enough, if you need more you’ll want a proper camera anyway.

This year I’d say the phone itself looks like some joke. From orange colors — probably some “diversity” team though it would be funny, because they don’t like the president — to overall cheap looking design, which looks like some unfinished AI generated, 3D printed prototype. You can tell Ive is gone and nobody replaced him.

At least they still have some engineers who scored big with the M chips back in 2020, but barely anyone cares about the chips anymore, they’re all good enough today and competition somewhat caught up.

Re: I feel Apple has lost its alignment with me and other long-time customers

#460

Post by FireBeyond » Tue, Sep 16, 2025, 3:05 PM UTC

snowwrestler wrote: post #120

xmprt wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The biggest reason for me using Android is simply because of how much competition there is in the space. If I use Apple products and don't like something they do then I'm stuck on an older version at best and need to migrate everything from their walled garden (at great cost) at worst. With Android, I can use Samsung one generation, switch to Pixel the next, and give Motorola/some other smaller company a chance later…

What would be the “great cost” of moving from an iPhone to an Android phone? I’m struggling to think of what would cost money at all, aside from the phone itself.

The lost cost of the apps and purchases you've invested in that you will likely now need to re-purchase?