Apple has lost it's luster.

[JohnnyQuest]

i do not work for Apple:
TouchBar //not getting a lot of support even for apple applications
MacBook Pro //the defective keyboard wound up in the Courts (class action)
HomePod //expensive
Apple Watch //old peeps wear watches, redundant, another mouth to feed in the house

mid life crisis at the 40 year old Apple Inc
limited market space & the competition is well developed
for my money i would rather make an extra school and or mortgage payment. Apple is the trillion dollar money pit.

That's tech period, and Apple products have always had issues or been controversial. This isn't something that happened overnight.

- the antenna reception issues with the iPhone 4
- the price and AT&T exclusivity of the OG iPhone
- #bendgate with iPhone 6 (which also ended up in court)
- stuck pixels in the first Retina MBP, and the elimination of the CD drive
- the outrage and shock over the original MBA, which was extremely expensive and underpowered
- failed products like the Quicktake camera, the Hi-Fi, and multiple iterations of the iPod Shuffle

And what you're saying about the HomePod and Watch is just idiotic. iPods in their glory days went for $300-500. The HomePod is comparable and delivers quality sound compared to an Echo or Google Home. And many young people, myself included, wear watches, and Apple has actually breathed new life into a product that was outdated, and made it more personal, functional and modern for a younger generation.

So...next.

 

[Cryates]

The HomePod is comparable and delivers quality sound compared to an Echo or Google Home.

At $200+ more than the Echo and Home, it has no choice but to sound superior, because from a functionality/assistant standpoint, it doesn't compete.

 

[Tig Bitties]

I will give Apple credit on making beautiful hardware, the phones look amazing the A12 is a beast.

But, man iOS looks so out of place on these futuristic looking phones. It looks like something from a decade ago, just very aged and dated.

- No AoD yet ( Always on Display )
- Zero customization still
- Can't even move app icons wherever you want LOL come on Apple. Like i want a row of icons at the bottom just above the dock only, and no app icons on top at all.
- No default settings option.
- No Dark mode or themes
- Can you use the iPhone as s hard drive yet ? Meaning plug the iPhone into your computer, throw a PDF file or some pictures or videos on it, then unplug the phone, bring it to work, and plug the phone into the work PC, and transfer the file ?

And the price !!! WTF Apple, well over $1,000 for these phones. Holy cow crazy. At least the Samsung Note 9 for $900 or so feels like a bargain in compare, and the Note 9 offers a lot features, and amazing hardware. In my opinion the Note 9 is a better value and purchase over the iPhone Xs Max.

Call me back in when iOS 13 beta release, maybe Apple will finally update iOS ?

 

[DRIP2]

I agree I think apple has lost it luster than iPhone xs is overpriced and the competition is just has better phones like the note 9 and also iOS is basically inferior to Android in every way.Before apple was seen as the best because there phones had the best design and iOS was way smoother and they had more apps,But now Android has either caught up to or surpassed iOS in those areas where it was lacking and on top of that it offers more features,customization options ,and flexibility than iOS.I agree apple has lost its luster the competition is just better

 

[jeyf]

That's tech period, and Apple products have always had issues or been controversial. This isn't something that happened overnight...

very true but what has changed is the tech market(s) have matured.

innovation is harsh for a trillion dollar 40y old company
old management, methods and customer base... why bother with new when magic works?

 

[bluecoast]

Who wouldn’t want to use the sort of OS where Google can change the settings remotely on random people’s phones without ever being given permission to do so?

Back to Apple...

I like S years. They’re the years where Apple focusses on adding real power to the foundations built in the previous year. This year was no different.

...Although let’s not mention the 6s which added 3D Touch (RIP) and shrunk the battery life in order to do so.

And the Watch has come of age. It’s just going to get more and more capable.

 

[JohnnyQuest]

At $200+ more than the Echo and Home, it has no choice but to sound superior, because from a functionality/assistant standpoint, it doesn't compete.

But it also serves as standalone stereo system, but gets compared to those because of its smart speaker functionality. I think the price is quite fair.

 

[lparsons21]

I agree I think apple has lost it luster than iPhone xs is overpriced and the competition is just has better phones like the note 9 and also iOS is basically inferior to Android in every way.Before apple was seen as the best because there phones had the best design and iOS was way smoother and they had more apps,But now Android has either caught up to or surpassed iOS in those areas where it was lacking and on top of that it offers more features,customization options ,and flexibility than iOS.I agree apple has lost its luster the competition is just better

For all of that yet the S9 and Note 9 are seeing discounts off retail already. Add that you will only get OS upgrades for a couple of years, messaging being an ever changing but not improving mess and overall the Google ecosystem,while very good, just isn’t up to iOS standards.

The Note 9 is a beautiful piece of kit, if it ran iOS I’d have one now

 

[StellarVixen]

I do not know, because I cannot judge objectively.

Compared to the 10 years ago, everything has lost luster to me, not just Apple. So, it is probably just me getting old and intolerant of new things. It's common.

 

[Shanghaichica]

At $200+ more than the Echo and Home, it has no choice but to sound superior, because from a functionality/assistant standpoint, it doesn't compete.

At least you can play music on more than one HomePod at the same time. You can’t on the other 2 if you’re using google play music or amazon unlimited.

 

[Cryates]

At least you can play music on more than one HomePod at the same time. You can’t on the other 2 if you’re using google play music or amazon unlimited.

Yeah, that's a cool feature, but also requires spending $700 to do so, which is expensive for a product that ties you into a single music service, and doesn't even work with non-AirPlay devices via industry standard Blueooth. I'd rather spend that money on another system that gives you more flexibility.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Yeah, that's a cool feature, but also requires spending $700 to do so, which is expensive for a product that ties you into a single music service, and doesn't even work with non-AirPlay devices via industry standard Blueooth. I'd rather spend that money on another system that gives you more flexibility.

Very true. I have 2 HomePods and 2 echos and a google Home mini.

I have one of my echos in my Dining room and a dot it the kitchen which I have connected to a small Bluetooth speaker. I was planing on getting another of the standard echos to replace the dot in the kitchen because it’s a pain having to keep the Bluetooth speaker charged all the time and the speaker is only small and cheap so the sound quality isn’t very good. I want to put the dot upstairs in our bedroom as all the speakers are working wonders putting my 4 month old to sleep!

Anyhow I was in the kitchen this afternoon cooking and listening to music and my husband wanted to use the echo in the dining room to get my baby off to sleep and we couldn’t get the second one to play whilst the first one was still playing.

It’s annoying because I’d rather spend £89 on another echo than spend £319 on another HomePod.

I could get a google Home but I don’t want to be tied into paying for a subscription for google play music. I’m currently subscribed to YouTube premium but I like the idea of being able to stop at anytime time and not feel like I need to carry on to get some use out of the speaker!

 

[kasakka]

I don't think Apple has lost its luster at all. I think technology is not advancing as rapidly as it was during the OG iPhone days. Think about it, during that time, HD video was still a big deal. There wasn't MMS, or video recording. No App Store

We have SO MUCH packed into our iPhones now, and also an extension for our wrists, that it's hard to advance it as drastically as it was in the past.

That being said, I think the TouchBar MacBook Pro, AirPods, HomePod, and Apple Watch have all been fantastic products.

Touchbar MBPs are so bad that I'm considering something other than a MBP for my next work machine. Touchbar is useless, keyboard feels horrible and is unreliable, trackpad is too large and throw some dongle hell on top of that. Airpods are overpriced wireless headphones that are not even in-ear. Form over function is the name of the day for Apple these days. Apple needs to get back to the days when things they did seemed like something that would help the user instead of just pleasing shareholders and bean counters.

That said, tech becoming "boring" is only an issue with its users instead of the tech itself. Eventually everything hits a point where updates are not as exciting as they are in earlier versions where improvements per year seem a lot more significant. That usually just tells that the tech has become really good. Laptops and tablets are completely unexciting and so are smartphones nowadays. We just use them and don't think about all the fancy tech inside them when they become a natural part of our everyday lives.

 

[IdentityCrisis]

For all of that yet the S9 and Note 9 are seeing discounts off retail already. Add that you will only get OS upgrades for a couple of years, messaging being an ever changing but not improving mess and overall the Google ecosystem,while very good, just isn’t up to iOS standards.

The Note 9 is a beautiful piece of kit, if it ran iOS I’d have one now

Your opinion, which is wrong. iOS is the limiting factor and the reason why many appreciate and use android no matter what phone they want. People don't like their lives run by a corporation, which Apple is doing with their products. The Note 9 is still sold out everywhere and has been since the day it went on pre-order. Unlike the new iPhones which you can still order today and get it by release day. That is proof enough that the phones aren't selling like they should. And it isn't because Apple stocked up. They have never done it ever in the history of a release.

 

[lparsons21]

Your opinion, which is wrong. iOS is the limiting factor and the reason why many appreciate and use android no matter what phone they want. People don't like their lives run by a corporation, which Apple is doing with their products. The Note 9 is still sold out everywhere and has been since the day it went on pre-order. Unlike the new iPhones which you can still order today and get it by release day. That is proof enough that the phones aren't selling like they should. And it isn't because Apple stocked up. They have never done it ever in the history of a release.

The Note 9 is available for pickup today at my local BestBuy, hardly ‘sold out everywhere’

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I will give Apple credit on making beautiful hardware, the phones look amazing the A12 is a beast.

But, man iOS looks so out of place on these futuristic looking phones. It looks like something from a decade ago, just very aged and dated.

- No AoD yet ( Always on Display )
- Zero customization still
- Can't even move app icons wherever you want LOL come on Apple. Like i want a row of icons at the bottom just above the dock only, and no app icons on top at all.
- No default settings option.
- No Dark mode or themes
- Can you use the iPhone as s hard drive yet ? Meaning plug the iPhone into your computer, throw a PDF file or some pictures or videos on it, then unplug the phone, bring it to work, and plug the phone into the work PC, and transfer the file ?

And the price !!! WTF Apple, well over $1,000 for these phones. Holy cow crazy. At least the Samsung Note 9 for $900 or so feels like a bargain in compare, and the Note 9 offers a lot features, and amazing hardware. In my opinion the Note 9 is a better value and purchase over the iPhone Xs Max.

Call me back in when iOS 13 beta release, maybe Apple will finally update iOS ?

And not even split screen multitasking for the XS Max. What a waste of screen real estate.

 

[Cryates]

And not even split screen multitasking for the XS Max. What a waste of screen real estate.

This was easily the biggest miss for me, and it legit pissed me off that they didn't include it. I get that a lot of folks don't care and wouldn't use split-screen, even if it was available. The point for me though, is it would be an option, not a requirement to use. I love the idea of giving the users options to use, what on a smartphone is, massive sreen real estate to fit their personal workflow. Big miss from Apple. I think at some point they'll offer it, but if they aren't interested in doing so with the Max right now, it'll be a long while.

 

[mkz168]

Another garbage post that’s been founded by the Samsung to trash Apple, just like how they did with the HTC back then!

 

[decafjava]

Your opinion, which is wrong. iOS is the limiting factor and the reason why many appreciate and use android no matter what phone they want. People don't like their lives run by a corporation, which Apple is doing with their products. The Note 9 is still sold out everywhere and has been since the day it went on pre-order. Unlike the new iPhones which you can still order today and get it by release day. That is proof enough that the phones aren't selling like they should. And it isn't because Apple stocked up. They have never done it ever in the history of a release.

Seriously? What is Google doing then? Even Samsung, Huawei et al?

 

[Cryates]

Another garbage post that’s been founded by the Samsung to trash Apple, just like how they did with the HTC back then!

Tbf, there's plenty of evidence of Apple fans trashing Samsung and the like on this website as well. You don't have to agree with it, but everyone is entitled to their opinions. The reality is, the entire industry of personal devices (phones, computers, tablets, etc) is losing its luster. It's hit stagnancy. Apple Watch may be the only product line really pushing forward its category right now, imo.

 

[Michael Goff]

Another garbage post that’s been founded by the Samsung to trash Apple, just like how they did with the HTC back then!

Yeah, there's no way somebody could just have a negative opinion about Apple. It's all because they're being paid. /s

 

[lparsons21]

The Note 9 is available for pickup today at my local BestBuy, hardly ‘sold out everywhere’

Also available at the local Verizon stores if u want to pay full retail

 

[Cryates]

The Note definitely isn't selling out everywhere, not like the typical iPhone releases of the past at least. I'm sure it's sold out in some places, especially the 512GB model.

 

[mkz168]

Tbf, there's plenty of evidence of Apple fans trashing Samsung and the like on this website as well. You don't have to agree with it, but everyone is entitled to their opinions. The reality is, the entire industry of personal devices (phones, computers, tablets, etc) is losing its luster. It's hit stagnancy. Apple Watch may be the only product line really pushing forward its category right now, imo.

They’re the one got caught doing so.

On the other hand, if X Max was out last year they should of had a even better sales year. We got 7 people at my work place all hold back just for this years bigger screen max!

 

[Shanghaichica]

This was easily the biggest miss for me, and it legit pissed me off that they didn't include it. I get that a lot of folks don't care and wouldn't use split-screen, even if it was available. The point for me though, is it would be an option, not a requirement to use. I love the idea of giving the users options to use, what on a smartphone is, massive sreen real estate to fit their personal workflow. Big miss from Apple. I think at some point they'll offer it, but if they aren't interested in doing so with the Max right now, it'll be a long while.

They are just doing their usual drip feeding of features. They could out all these features put at the same time like Samsung but they hold things back. Let’s be real they could have had a bigger phone out last year but they held off until this year just to drive upgrades.