Getting Sick of Apple

[iMi]

I say this every time I come to update my laptop. The frustrating thing is that there's no real alternative for the average Joe. There's Windows or Chrome OS. Windows is a big chunk of cash to then find out you don't like it, and I tried Chrome OS - totally useless in my opinion.

I've said for ages - Windows need a website that emulates windows so you can give it a good try before buying. Plus, someone somewhere needs to build some beautiful PCs that genuinely compete with Macs, because I've not found any in about four years of looking.

Me too. I just bought another Macbook Air... I swore I would look for a new Windows machine. Apple's device was still the best machine I could buy to address the needs I have. Plus, after all these years I don't own any Windows software outside of Steam games.

So, I looked, and looked, and looked, and bought a Mac... LOL

 

[Agent-J]

Yep. Yosemite and iOS 8 (and their successors) are just ugly to my eyes. I will never, ever listen to Apple Music on principle (violent, misogynist rap isn't my thing, but clearly it's Apple's). I don't like the iPhone 6 design at all, no interest in the Watch. Apple's all about fashionable stuff for hipsters now, but I'm not a hipster.

And I went all-in, 2 iPhones, a Mac Mini and rMBP, two iPads... But that's the high water mark for Apple in my life.

So my plan is to get a OnePlus One or 2 to replace my iPhone 5 when it dies, or maybe earlier so the iPhone can be a backup. I need to use an iPad and Mac at work, but what I've got will last for years, and I won't be buying a Mac to replace my home Mini when it eventually dies. Will be installing Windows 10 on my gaming PC and learning to use it. It will be hard to avoid Google, but I'll have to do the best I can.

Sorry, Apple. It's not me, it's you.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I agree about the quality decline of Macbooks, although desktop Macs are still droll worthy IMO.

 

[Abazigal]

Well, I'm here to vent...

I'm getting sick of Apple. Just in the past few months they released an update to the iOS that installed the Apple Watch app which I cannot remove and do not want. Then came the Photos app... Poorly executed "money funnel" intended to take more of your money (iCloud is pretty much required to really enjoy the software). Now the new iTunes, which again, requires a subscription to really enjoy. Everything is becoming a subscription based service designed to take more of your money but returning limited functionality. Apple has become intrusive and presumptuous with their software. Greed, at it's best...

Along the way we've got the ugly OS X interface (looks like it's been designed by an 11 year old). Hardware is declining in quality - Macbook Air is a great example. We have one that is a year old and one that is just about brand new - the old one is rock solid. The new one, same model, feels much thinner and more flimsy. The bottom clicks when placed on a flat surface. Software has been a complete garbage compared to the kind of work we've seen from Apple in the past. The new iWorks fades in comparison to iWorks 09 and the new Photos App is far worse than iPhoto and doesn't even come closet Aperture. Apple made it clear that Photos was to replace both platforms - what a joke...

These are my own impressions... I'm sure many will disagree and I respect that. But, after 13 years of exclusively being in the Apple ecosystem, I'm just about ready to give it up... Apple is deviating from the famous motto of their founder - to do few things, and to do them extremely well.

None of which has caused you to lose anything. You are free to use a competing service like Google Photos or Dropbox if you don't want to use icloud photo library. Same with Apple Music. Or are you trying to complain that Apple isn't giving you all this stuff for free?

The Apple Watch app is what...a few mb at most? Go use an Android phone if that's what floats your boat. I think even stock android comes with its fair share of preinstalled apps.

 

[Truefan31]

I agree about the quality decline of Macbooks, although desktop Macs are still droll worthy IMO.

I still love my iMac. I plan on finishing school here soon so I was looking at a rmbp, the dell xps 13 or the hp spectre. The OS X alone is leaning me toward the rmbp.

 

[Abazigal]

I agree about the quality decline of Macbooks, although desktop Macs are still droll worthy IMO.

I dunno. If anything, it seems that desktops are the ones declining. The entry level iMacs come with integrated graphics and Apple seems to be really pushing people towards the 5k iMac, which is pretty pricey. Basically, there doesn't seem to be a Mac desktop with a good price-to-specs ratio.

If a friend asked me what Mac laptop to get, I could still steer him towards the 13" retina MBP. But for desktops, there isn't one I can recommend in good faith without a lot of caveats.

 

[MRU]

I dunno. If anything, it seems that desktops are the ones declining. The entry level iMacs come with integrated graphics and Apple seems to be really pushing people towards the 5k iMac, which is pretty pricey. Basically, there doesn't seem to be a Mac desktop with a good price-to-specs ratio.

If a friend asked me what Mac laptop to get, I could still steer him towards the 13" retina MBP. But for desktops, there isn't one I can recommend in good faith without a lot of caveats.

Apple products have never been cheaper .... Even if they still seem pricy.

I speak as someone who has been using Macs for close to 25 years.

That being said, when my MacPro dies I would not know what to replace it with. The iMacs have inherent flaws and shorter shelf life longevity wise and the new MacPro is still on the stratosphere pricing wise should I wish to buy one that shows tangible boost performance wise over my current MacPro - additionally being so limiting expansion wise due to the way it's designed constraining what you can actually upgrade and where you can upgrade it from, it does leave me in proverbial pickle as to what I could get when the inevitable happens.

I honestly just have no idea what desktop I would buy myself that could last me potentially 7-8 decent working years.

 

[hojx]

I dunno. If anything, it seems that desktops are the ones declining. The entry level iMacs come with integrated graphics and Apple seems to be really pushing people towards the 5k iMac, which is pretty pricey. Basically, there doesn't seem to be a Mac desktop with a good price-to-specs ratio.

If a friend asked me what Mac laptop to get, I could still steer him towards the 13" retina MBP. But for desktops, there isn't one I can recommend in good faith without a lot of caveats.

The situation with the 5K iMac is exactly the same as what happened years back with the retina MBP.

When the retina MBP was introduced it was very pricey and Apple kept the non-retina MBP line intact. Then Apple dropped MBP prices continuously for years until it matched non-retina MBPs. That's exactly what's starting to happen to the 5K iMac.

It does not mean their desktops are declining per se.

 

[Nogitsune]

I'd never use an android phone if I can. I am definitely team windows phone with the iOS team a close second

 

[iMi]

Yep. Yosemite and iOS 8 (and their successors) are just ugly to my eyes. I will never, ever listen to Apple Music on principle (violent, misogynist rap isn't my thing, but clearly it's Apple's). I don't like the iPhone 6 design at all, no interest in the Watch. Apple's all about fashionable stuff for hipsters now, but I'm not a hipster.

And I went all-in, 2 iPhones, a Mac Mini and rMBP, two iPads... But that's the high water mark for Apple in my life.

So my plan is to get a OnePlus One or 2 to replace my iPhone 5 when it dies, or maybe earlier so the iPhone can be a backup. I need to use an iPad and Mac at work, but what I've got will last for years, and I won't be buying a Mac to replace my home Mini when it eventually dies. Will be installing Windows 10 on my gaming PC and learning to use it. It will be hard to avoid Google, but I'll have to do the best I can.

Sorry, Apple. It's not me, it's you.

Couldn't agree more. I'd like to stay away from Google, if possible. Windows 10 looks awesome - we'll see.

 

[iMi]

Apple products have never been cheaper .... Even if they still seem pricy.

I speak as someone who has been using Macs for close to 25 years.

That being said, when my MacPro dies I would not know what to replace it with. The iMacs have inherent flaws and shorter shelf life longevity wise and the new MacPro is still on the stratosphere pricing wise should I wish to buy one that shows tangible boost performance wise over my current MacPro - additionally being so limiting expansion wise due to the way it's designed constraining what you can actually upgrade and where you can upgrade it from, it does leave me in proverbial pickle as to what I could get when the inevitable happens.

I honestly just have no idea what desktop I would buy myself that could last me potentially 7-8 decent working years.

I actually really like the new iMac. I expect it will last at least 5 years. As for your dilemma, maybe a refurbished new MacPro or wait for the next generation to be introduce and buy the then lower priced. "old" MacPro?

 

[iMi]

I'd never use an android phone if I can. I am definitely team windows phone with the iOS team a close second

I've been hearing good things about the Windows Phone software outside of the limited apps being a problem. I've never used one, but will definitely try it once Windows 10 is here.

 

[Nogitsune]

I've been hearing good things about the Windows Phone software outside of the limited apps being a problem. I've never used one, but will definitely try it once Windows 10 is here.

I enjoy my lumia a lot. I really only switch to iPhone last week bedside I won a free iPhone and I felt a bit bad just randomly selling it since of course they would want me to use it as well not just profit from it lmao

 

[nTrud3r]

I used to be crazy about Apple. Now I'm an Android custom ROM user and I love testing out the latest ROMs.
Come on over, you won't regret it

 

[aristobrat]

Now I'm an Android custom ROM user and I love testing out the latest ROMs.

That was me with Microsoft's Pocket PC and Windows Mobile phones back in the early 2000s. It was a lot of fun, at first. Well, except for having to buy phones from eBay UK or Expansys because these phones weren't readily available in the US.

After 2-3 year of baking ROMs, it got old. Other things started taking up more time, and I got to the point where I just wanted to buy a phone that came with a ROM that didn't suck.

That's the main reason why I appreciate Apple/iOS. But I can see how folks that didn't have to go through the process of baking ROMs to get one without a lot of carrier and OEM bloat might not feel the same way. I'd be curious to see if you're still deep into that a year or two from now.

 

[aristobrat]

I've been hearing good things about the Windows Phone software outside of the limited apps being a problem. I've never used one, but will definitely try it once Windows 10 is here.

After Microsoft's announcement last week, I'd personally be wary of investing any money in the Windows Phone ecosystem. At least for a year or two.

 

[MRU]

After Microsoft's announcement last week, I'd personally be wary of investing any money in the Windows Phone ecosystem. At least for a year or two.

In a year or two I doubt there will even be a phone ecosystem for Microsoft.

I think they'll push out a couple more devices this year - ones likely very late into development and then that'll be it. No more phone hardware...

 

[Nogitsune]

After Microsoft's announcement last week, I'd personally be wary of investing any money in the Windows Phone ecosystem. At least for a year or two.

In a year or two I doubt there will even be a phone ecosystem for Microsoft.

I think they'll push out a couple more devices this year - ones likely very late into development and then that'll be it. No more phone hardware...

I always love this type of ideology and speculation. There is a possibility you are wrong but I do love the fact that oriole are claiming Microsoft window phone is dead presently because anyone with any type of common sense would realize that Microsoft does still need a presence within the mobile segment.

Not to mention they are downsizing their windows mobile team. Because they are pulling an android and releasing variations of the same device and they over saturating the market.

So now they are doing what Apple is doing. They are focusing their efforts on a small select number of devices and they are controlling the experience more.

Several of those tech news have even parallel the fact that Microsoft latest move is like apple.

So there is no need to be wary of choosing a windows phone when window 10 comes out later this year. That's just silly.

 

[iMi]

I enjoy my lumia a lot. I really only switch to iPhone last week bedside I won a free iPhone and I felt a bit bad just randomly selling it since of course they would want me to use it as well not just profit from it lmao

Congrats on winning the phone!

 

[Elven]

I really used to be into the iPhone and iOS as a whole. However I am a total convert to Android, for the price point, it's a bargain of an Operating system, and in the real world, outside of the Apple ecosystem, it makes more sense.

I've an iPad though.

 

[Nogitsune]

Congrats on winning the phone!

Ha thanks it is definitely a bit Of a change. I miss my tiles and I miss being able to easily do things that the iPhone surprisingly can't.

But I am liking it so far

 

[MacRazySwe]

Haha, you're all changing a computer/phone. A phone! It's not like you're switching wives...

Don't make it so complicated. Try something else for a while. Maybe it works out, maybe it won't.

I got bored with iPhones after having used both the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4S for two years each. Switched to the Galaxy S4, as I wanted a larger display. The phone was full of bloatware. Although I rooted it, it was still slower than the 2 year old iPhone 4S. So much for "Octa-core", "2GB RAM" etc. Apps were also much worse than their iOS counterparts. I could not get my Uni's calendar to sync with the phone - there was not one Calendar-app on Android supporting it. The photos from the camera looked good while viewed in the phone, when imported to the computer you realized they weren't very good at all, as the phone applied some sort of filter/effect so that everything looked good to you, while it really wasn't.

Didn't work out for me. Happy to be back on iOS, for now. Hopefully you'll be better off! Good luck!

 

[aristobrat]

So there is no need to be wary of choosing a windows phone when window 10 comes out later this year. That's just silly.

This is what, their third major pivot (in the last five years) regarding their mobile strategy? If that's not caution-inducing, ...

To your point, this isn't the death of Windows Mobile. Paul Thurrot (one of Microsoft's larger evangelists) sums it up as "Things aren’t going well, but this isn’t the end of the world." I agree.

Regarding the opinion of the other tech news site, it seems like it's being spun just as positively as the when Microsoft switched from Windows Mobile to Windows Phone, and when Microsoft rewrote Windows Phone for it second release, orphaning many first generation devices.

Maybe THIS will be the pivot that fixes things. Who knows. But until then, as someone who started with Microsoft in the early 2000s (with an imported T-Mobile PDA running Pocket PC Phone Edition) and stuck with them until the iPhone, I'm personally going to be wary until I start to see some true positive traction from this. Didn't really seem to happen after the last two pivots, but who knows.

 

[Phoenixx]

I'm a huge fan of Apple products, but Apple's current strategy reminds me of an Aesop Fable:

The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg

A man and his wife owned a very special goose. Every day the goose would lay a golden egg, which made the couple very rich.
"Just think," said the man's wife, "If we could have all the golden eggs that are inside the goose, we could be richer much faster."
"You're right," said her husband, "We wouldn't have to wait for the goose to lay her egg every day."
So, the couple killed the goose and cut her open, only to find that she was just like every other goose. She had no golden eggs inside of her at all, and they had no more golden eggs.

____________________________________

Too much greed results in nothing.​

In this case Tim Cook is killing the user base and Apples reputation (Apple's Goose), in order to get the golden eggs (more profits). The fact that Apple has exploded profit wise is a dead giveaway of what is going on. The major problem with this approach is that Apple has spent decades building a user base of dedicated fans and a reputation of creating top quality goods and of being a leading innovator. At the moment it is using this reputation and user base in order to keep sales up, while simultaneously reducing the quality of what it is producing. But, Apple fans have a limit on what they are willing to put up with and sooner or later the public is going to catch on to what Apple is doing. Once this reputation is gone and the fan base fades, Apple will be in serious trouble. What will happen if they gain a reputation for building expensive, unrepairable, non-upgradeable, underpowered, unreliable and out of date tech? At that stage Cook will have killed the goose.

 

[hojx]

I'm a huge fan of Apple products, but Apple's current strategy reminds me of an Aesop Fable:

The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg

A man and his wife owned a very special goose. Every day the goose would lay a golden egg, which made the couple very rich.
"Just think," said the man's wife, "If we could have all the golden eggs that are inside the goose, we could be richer much faster."
"You're right," said her husband, "We wouldn't have to wait for the goose to lay her egg every day."
So, the couple killed the goose and cut her open, only to find that she was just like every other goose. She had no golden eggs inside of her at all, and they had no more golden eggs.

____________________________________

Too much greed results in nothing.​

In this case Tim Cook is killing the user base and Apples reputation (Apple's Goose), in order to get the golden eggs (more profits). The fact that Apple has exploded profit wise is a dead giveaway of what is going on. The major problem with this approach is that Apple has spent decades building a user base of dedicated fans and a reputation of creating top quality goods and of being a leading innovator. At the moment it is using this reputation and user base in order to keep sales up, while simultaneously reducing the quality of what it is producing. But, Apple fans have a limit on what they are willing to put up with and sooner or later the public is going to catch on to what Apple is doing. Once this reputation is gone and the fan base fades, Apple will be in serious trouble. What will happen if they gain a reputation for building expensive, unrepairable, non-upgradeable, underpowered, unreliable and out of date tech? At that stage Cook will have killed the goose.

Thankfully that's not what Apple is doing right now.