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Bye, Bye for now Apple, it has been fun!
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Ummm, yeah. It's fun to read, but also a bit depressing at times. The threads origin is precisely what this sub forum is about, Alternatives to Apple hardware. Not processor design, Tim Cook, ram levels and pricing, value, etc. The thread definitely strayed on more than one occasion, but it is heart of why the sub forum exists. And now I will wait for someone to argue some point or summary that I have made. For some reason, counterpoints or arguments, even sort of friendly, are built into the DNA of all humans.
I'm not sure what's driving the angst. Corporations are not sports teams.
Apple has been and is currently just a typical corporation who is in business to earn money for its shareholders.
If people like and need their products then buy them. Otherwise, buy another brand.
Apple has been and is currently just a typical corporation who is in business to earn money for its shareholders.
If people like and need their products then buy them. Otherwise, buy another brand.
But that is exactly what they are in South America, Africa, parts of East Asia, when compared to the USA prices, Apple does not allow for regional pricing, or products for that region..Apple is trolling the market with the prices..
I cannot tell you how many products were never bought by me, ipads, phones, laptops, headphones, ear pods, watches, I would love to buy the iphone and watch for health reasons, but at a year's rent, cannot do this, times are tough...
Apple is feeling the same issues, so cannot drop prices, has to sell low quality products for a high price, it has a brand to keep... The Apple Brand is about exclusivity, I get that, but maybe time for that idea to fade??
"However, Apple is reportedly in talks with Google to license its Gemini model to power generative AI features on iPhones."
From this article,
I said that Apple would catch up and it looks like Google of all companies is going to help with Gemini. I am sure Google will license it out at a fee. So now what will this mean about iPhone privacy if Gemini is baked into iOS?
Very interesting times. If this happens you can say goodbye to any privacy advantage iPhone has over Android. Lol.
From this article,
Apple Quietly Unveils New Multimodal AI With A Staggering 30B Parameters: Could It Power Text And Vision Features On iPhones?
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) researchers have made significant progress in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). The iPhone maker published its latest research detailing new techniques for training large language models (LLMs) using text and images, potentially leading to more powerful and...
www.msn.com
I said that Apple would catch up and it looks like Google of all companies is going to help with Gemini. I am sure Google will license it out at a fee. So now what will this mean about iPhone privacy if Gemini is baked into iOS?
Very interesting times. If this happens you can say goodbye to any privacy advantage iPhone has over Android. Lol.
A base model for most users needs more than 8GB of RAM.
(sigh). It would be so nice if people would stop thinking that their boomer parents are the model for the so-called "average user". They are not the average user. The average user still does more than "browsing the internet and typing documents." Especially nowadays when more and more "lite" users (like your mom) do most of those things on consumption devices.
Aside from this nonsensical take, you miss the point entirely. How well would your mom be "browsing the internet" right now on 4GB? How about 2GB?
Not sure what Android phones you've used, but I am on only my third in 12 years. Bought a Nexus 4 when they were new (2012) and that one lasted without any major issues until the Samsung Note 8 came out (2017). Bought the Note 8 when it was first released, kept it until last summer when I finally upgraded to the 23 Ultra. The closest thing to a hardware or software issue I ever encountered was some dust bunnies had collected in the charging port of the Note 8 at one point, causing it to no longer connect properly to a cable. Five minutes at a "Mobile Klinik" and zero dollars later, that phone was back to normal.
I know so many Apple fans like to tout the "they last forever and Android dies in a month" myth, but c'mon - most normal people know that is absolute BS.
You mean the one component that makes up half the cost of a laptop? You don't say.
For being "not a sports team", Apple certainly has its share of cheerleaders and fans.
Nobody said otherwise. That doesn't mean people shouldn't call them out when their "earn money for its shareholders" means offering incredibly bad value for the price that they charge their customers.
Oh my.. what a great idea. Why didn't I think of that?
Indeed, but one thing is sure apple was caught unprepared yet again. Voice assistants and the smart devices like speakers were another area where apple failed to leverage. It’s going to be tough sledding for them to catch up imo
Are senior citizens the targeted group that Apple is trying to sell their Macs or is it students and professionals? I’m guessing that later. I think 8gb is inadequate by large margin for those demographics
How many professionals do you think buy a 8gb Mac ?
Also, I think that a primary goal for students buying a Mac is spending as little as possible. If the starting entry cost for students was the price of a 16gb Mac, many students would probably not buy one.
That's my point, we have people trying to justify the base model. I think its easy to show that 16 to 32gb is something that most people will need
Most students definitely need > 8GB and most parents are the ones footing the bill IMO
Perhaps, but many, many students were buying Mac laptops for over a decade now, and that entry cost was much higher before. Also, the whole argument of "that would make the entry-level machine more expensive" is missing the point. The move from 8GB to 16GB costs Apple very little. In fact, it could reduce the number of different SoCs Apple has to build, resulting in some cost savings during manufacturing. There is really no logistical or cost reason for 8GB to be the base for Apple's line - it is purely specc'd that way to force users to either buy into the higher priced model or face having to replace their machines sooner.
It depends on what their usage is, my daughter is going to be an engineering major, so we're not sure if they'll want her to get a PC or a Mac. We're waiting for more details as we inch closer to her graduating HS
First of all my mom Is 45. She’s not a boomer.
Second of all then I guess I am an average user because I do more than consumption but 8 Gb is more than enough for me.
I worked selling products for years and the average user uses their pc for consumption.
I’m a grad student and I still from time to time use my old surface pro lol. It is from like 2015 or 2016. My Mac was in the shop. I was Just fine.
8 gb as a minimum Is fine.
Let’s keep it real. It’s you guys thinking you should have more ram because of apple asking price.
Your Mom is 45, and you "worked selling products for years and the average user uses their pc for consumption."?
How many years?
Where?
Who were these average users?
This is one area that to me looks like Apple is a bit ahead.
Photogrammetry and LIDAR scanning
All the iPhone Pros have a LIDAR scanner since iPhone 12 Pro. Even if many owners are not aware of it.
It is not perfect, by any means. But incredibly useful for users wanting to use it.
On a mac, with the new M-series, it takes advantage of the Neural Engine, creating the model.
To create a model on Intel macs, it needs better graphic cards.
Apple claimed it worked on macs with 4GB or more, of video memory. But it did not run on my iMac 27" 5k Late 2015 with R9 295X 4 GB. It runs ok on my iMac Pro with a Vega 56 8 GB.
There is an updated version of Photocatch for Sonoma
______
PhotoCatch 1.7 introduces new 3D editing features and supports new features on macOS Sonoma.
Redesigned Textures Editor
- Additional options for adjusting light and color on textures
Custom Quality
- Specify a maximum polygon count and texture size
- Choose which textures to generate before processing
Camera Poses
- Visualize camera poses for your input images on your 3D model
_____
This is hardware that is being used by professionals as well.
Forensics.
Recon3D
Land development
Photogrammetry and LIDAR scanning
All the iPhone Pros have a LIDAR scanner since iPhone 12 Pro. Even if many owners are not aware of it.
It is not perfect, by any means. But incredibly useful for users wanting to use it.
On a mac, with the new M-series, it takes advantage of the Neural Engine, creating the model.
To create a model on Intel macs, it needs better graphic cards.
Apple claimed it worked on macs with 4GB or more, of video memory. But it did not run on my iMac 27" 5k Late 2015 with R9 295X 4 GB. It runs ok on my iMac Pro with a Vega 56 8 GB.
There is an updated version of Photocatch for Sonoma
______
PhotoCatch 1.7 introduces new 3D editing features and supports new features on macOS Sonoma.
Redesigned Textures Editor
- Additional options for adjusting light and color on textures
Custom Quality
- Specify a maximum polygon count and texture size
- Choose which textures to generate before processing
Camera Poses
- Visualize camera poses for your input images on your 3D model
_____
This is hardware that is being used by professionals as well.
Forensics.
Recon3D
Land development
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You aren't alone in your journey... there have been many before you and I suspect there will be many after.
Based on what you've written, it appears that you have succumbed to the marketing hyperbole of Apple and their astroturfing tech-blogging/reviewer partners. They place disproportionate emphasis and importance on things that obectively don't matter but are subjectively influential. They foment FOMO (fear of missing out) which helps up-sell customers to the more expensive models and offerings (to assuage their fear over not enough RAM or storage), AppleCare+, and overpriced accessories.
Without addressing the root cause, switching over to Android and Windows, you will end up with the same results... ping-ponging back and forth between two poles.
Your username is the key.
I was once in that position. I learned years ago, to ignore the hype and the power of persuasion from fellow Apple enthusiasts and place the greatest priority on what I actually need and want regardless of what the influencers tell me should be important.
The result: I own a wide array of devices across the spectrum. Apple and non-Apple. Bobbing and weaving through the options to find what is best for me. iPad Mini 5th gen, 9th gen iPad, 8GB/256GB M2 Mac Mini, and now an 8GB/256GB M1 Macbook Air. So when the "experts" tell me that 8GB RAM is insufficient for Mac OS, I look at the audio I'm processing with Audacity, video that I'm encoding with iMovie, running Chrome with a dozen tabs open, running a virtual machine, and remote desktop client simultaneously while the system continues to run smoothly and responsively, and ignore those "experts".
I have a light touch on the software and service components of all ecosystems by focusing on open-source and cross-platform options where they make sense. This allows me to have a both/and solution rather than an either/or. I don't have to choose between Mac OS and Windows... it can be both simultaneously.
But then again, I'm an old dinosaur that has been a programmer, systems engineer, and developer for nearly 50 years and counting.
Keep us posted on your journey. I know that I'm not alone in being interested in how things unfold.
I've also been thinking about leaving Apple, the Mac side anyway. I bought my M2 Mini because I wanted to have the latest macOS and patched macOS on my 2012 MBP was not going so well. However, the grass hasn't been greener on the Apple Silicon side, the mini has to be standing in just the right position to get stable Wi-Fi, it takes a minute when waking from sleep to accept keyboard input, and the unupgradeable RAM and storage really bugs me. On top of that, there's nothing I can do on the M2 mini that I can't do on the 2012 MBP. I've actually been using the 2012 MBP as a daily driver again and have been enjoying doing so. However, I know I will need something newer than the 2012 eventually, so I'm really thinking about being a Windows user again. I already have it on my 2012 MBP and use it to play games. I prefer modern macOS over modern Windows, but I don't want to be in the world of AS anymore. At least in the Windows world I can find laptops with upgradeable RAM and storage and have access to more games on Steam. I don't want to go back to having an Android phone though. I've been a Windows user with an iPhone before and I would do so again. I also plan on hanging onto my iPod for as long as possible.
I wonder how much of that is just "the Mini"?
The Mini form factor has had WiFi and BT reception issues for like over a decade and Apple continues to refuse to do a true redesign (and perhaps a materials change) to truly address it.
It's made a Mini something I'd only buy for server usage personally (with Ethernet)
"The Mini form factor has had WiFi and BT reception issues for like over a decade and Apple continues to refuse to do a true redesign (and perhaps a materials change) to truly address it."
That would be a very clear example, of what I call immature engineering, it is when a company that should know better, makes the decision to not address the issue, when you have a culture that is not producing products that seem very obviously lacking, or that have "mistakes" but they insist on you paying a lot for the mistakes, makes you wonder.. It makes me wonder, just how toxic is the work culture?
That would be a very clear example, of what I call immature engineering, it is when a company that should know better, makes the decision to not address the issue, when you have a culture that is not producing products that seem very obviously lacking, or that have "mistakes" but they insist on you paying a lot for the mistakes, makes you wonder.. It makes me wonder, just how toxic is the work culture?
My daughter's in college with "only" 8gb in her MBA M1 and she's fine. Very few students actually need high end machines - the majority are just doing typed assignments and presentations, and searching the web.
(and yes, I paid!)
Exactly, it is the right tool for the task, MacBook Airs, are not for tv news video editing, I would have preferred a replacement macbook pro, that was upgradeable as my 1st macbook pro was.. My 2nd Macbook Pro, 2013, was not upgradeable, and when I needed a replacement, I would have invested in the Macbook Pro in 2022, but as it was functionally a macbook air, in terms of the lack of upgrade-ability, it made sense to purchase the air, with 8GB of RAM, but I would have invested in the Pro, if upgrading was viable..