Earlier quoted context omitted.
Apple invented one people actually wanted to buy
No I did not buy iPod. Am I not "people"?
Did you want to buy the creative boat anchor?
Apple didn't revolutionize power supplies; new transistors did (2012)
71–80 of 163 posts
Re: Apple didn't revolutionize power supplies; new transistors did (2012)
#72Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Apple is the only company I am aware of that manufacturers power supplies which are reliably completely free of perceptible inductor whine...I often have to replace non-Apple USB(-C) switching power supplies it's a well-studied economic fact that monopolists generally sell higher quality products, and it helps them maintain their monopoly. With their market power and the fat margins they earn, there is plenty of bu…
But regardless of reason it still matters to the buyer. If Apple monopoly is giving me better products, then I am not complaining.
people who set policy need to think of all consumers, not just the rich ones such as yourself. More working class people could buy iPhones if they were not artificially high priced.
You too would benefit from a competitive iPhone market, there would have been an earlier introduction of large screens, cheaper memory options, perhaps getting choices that included repairability, replaceable batteries, microSD cards, etc.
Think of it this way: if Apple was broken into three Apples that compete with each other, the shareholders would not have lost anything that they are entitled to: they'd each still own what they owned before a share of each of the new companies instead of a share in the old. But previously monopoly prices would drop.
Re: Apple didn't revolutionize power supplies; new transistors did (2012)
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
But regardless of reason it still matters to the buyer. If Apple monopoly is giving me better products, then I am not complaining.
people who set policy need to think of all consumers, not just the rich ones such as yourself. More working class people could buy iPhones if they were not artificially high priced. You too would benefit from a competitive iPhone market, there would have been an earlier introduction of large screens, cheaper memory options, perhaps getting choices that included repairability, replaceable batteries, microSD cards, etc…
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Re: Apple didn't revolutionize power supplies; new transistors did (2012)
#74I know someone who was an exec at Astec in the 90s and Apple was notable for being willing to pay a premium for their power supplies (I think for better efficiency and miniaturization).
Then... how did they wind up with such utter garbage? The Astec in the Mac IIcx/ci was prone to failures. The power supply in the mirror door Mac.
I don't remember any notable problems but Apple has a long history of doing interesting things for form factor rather than prioritizing reliability going at least as far back as the 128k.
Re: Apple didn't revolutionize power supplies; new transistors did (2012)
#75I'm guessing this article is from 2011, back when Apple fans were just ending their role as being a niche that believed anything. At this point it is - I think - a pretty common assumption that Apple just puts things together in a decent ecosystem. If Apple devices offers a new frequency range, its because Qualcomm's radio allowed for it, which was dependent on other things further in the stream. This is an interesti…
Not an Apple fanboy but I don’t this is completely correct. As a huge buyer of semiconductors they can, when they want to, exert a lot of pressure on suppliers. Famously they did this with Gorilla glass; they have done so with Intel and qcomm. Sometimes not so successfully (all the expense on the “liquid metal” company, for example). It’s not all sheer pressure; they do a lot of collaborative design. After all they h…
Apple’s supply chains and how they can apply pressure is massively underrated.
People still have this idea that “so and so actually invented it”. Or “Apple just combined X and Y”.
But they fail to see how truck loads of money and a customer willing to pay for something and making large pre-payments can change the trajectory of a company. Or even has impact on other players.
Re: Apple didn't revolutionize power supplies; new transistors did (2012)
#76While obviously Jobs’ claim was false, I will say that Apple is the only company I am aware of that manufacturers power supplies which are reliably completely free of perceptible inductor whine. I have very acute high-frequency hearing and I often have to replace non-Apple USB(-C) switching power supplies with Apple ones so I don’t go crazy from the whining. Teardowns of Apple PSUs typically reveal very favorable ele…
My Macbook Power Supply whines like crazy, especially when under load. The one thing that drives me crazy that I rarely see talked about is PWM fan control. I think different manufactures use different frequencies but it's usually far more annoying than the motor/air movement noise.
Re: Apple didn't revolutionize power supplies; new transistors did (2012)
#77Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've never heard the claim that apple revolutionized computer power supplies. I've heard the claim they make decent ones.
Jobs made the claim in his biography. Read the article or the book.
To be fair, he (and many other people) consider significant quality and design improvements as “revolutionary”. I tend to agree especially when the entire industry makes garbage. For example the touchpad. It’s still one of the top reasons not to switch to anything else for me. Nothing else comes close to being as accurate and natural.
Re: Apple didn't revolutionize power supplies; new transistors did (2012)
#78I'm guessing this article is from 2011, back when Apple fans were just ending their role as being a niche that believed anything. At this point it is - I think - a pretty common assumption that Apple just puts things together in a decent ecosystem. If Apple devices offers a new frequency range, its because Qualcomm's radio allowed for it, which was dependent on other things further in the stream. This is an interesti…
I don't like Apple generally. And it wasn't "their" technology - but thank fuck they brought "better than 1080p" screens to the mainstream. Throughout the 90's screen resolutions were getting better and better. Then LCDs came and 1080p stopped mainstream screen resolution improvements for at least 5 years. Thankfully Apple got the screen resolution race going again.
Mainstream 1080p wasn't the worst of it. Just a decade or so ago it was impossible to find a non-17" Windows laptop without a 1366x768 TN screen with awful contrast and viewing angles so bad there was no good angle. Even super premium $3000 "Ultrabooks", it was true insanity.
Re: Apple didn't revolutionize power supplies; new transistors did (2012)
#79Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's my subtle protest against the HN belief that people need to be warned against articles from previous years. That said, it's a bit alarming to realize I wrote the article 9 years ago.
I think it's just context to help people better understand what they are reading.
Agree - a date is often absolutely essential to placing what you’re reading in context. I always look for one at the top of any article I read, and assume based on past experience that the lack of one is usually indicative of clickbait (although clearly not in this case).
Re: Apple didn't revolutionize power supplies; new transistors did (2012)
#80Same story as with hard drive based audio players. I've been using one (if I remember correctly) from Creative long before iPod materialized. All was quiet but suddenly as iPod came it was of course called revolution.
Seriously, those MP3 players were nothing like the iPod. This is a bit like people going on about smart phones before iPhone. I had a couple of those and the iPhone was just so far ahead, that we are not really talking about the same category of products. A product isn’t merely checking some boxes. Checking the “has hard drive” box doesn’t make any it an iPod.
Yeah I also didn't know that "hard drive based audio players" was a thing :)
But I remember that ipod was awesome (comparing with the other players with shitty controls and sticky buttons). I hated apple products at the time (religion) but I was amazed by the quality and UI of ipod and the quality of ipad (took me and my kids many attempts and years to actually kill it).
I don't think any other product amazed me that much since then.