Have you noticed the quality of Apple has gotten worse compared to years ago?

[Spooner83]

Remember years ago when Apple was thriving and couldn’t be matched? They had this unspoken slogan of “it just works.” Now, I have so many issues with just about all of my Apple devices from speed, to bugs, to reliability, to Siri. It just seems like Apple has lost quality and charm. Some examples include how the iPhone 15 pro models have basically given us no major changes than the previous model.

HomePod minis are the worst device Apple has ever released. We have switched internet providers several times and have so many issues with HomePod minis. Siri is always unreliable, gets requests and queries wrong almost every time, does random requests that we didn’t ask. I’ll never buy a HomePod mini again.

My reminders app hasn’t worked correctly since iOS 7. It’s the slowest, laggy app I’ve ever used. Yes, I constantly clear the completed reminders, it doesn’t help.

My Apple watch now displays a white stripe on the date and I have restored it several times but it still hasn’t been fixed. Apple says I have a beta installed but I’ve never installed a beta 🤷‍♂️

I have troubleshooted all of these issues with Apple for years and there hasn’t been a fix for any of them. It’s so strange that they can’t fix these issue that I haven’t caused. They’re all bugs.

So, I’m still an Apple fan but their quality has gone so downhill in recent years that it’s depressing. Their answer for a lot of things is to “reinstall” but that never works and their products should work properly without us having to reinstall and lose all non-iCloud settings just because they can’t figure out how to fix their bugs.

I’m not asking anyone to agree with me, it won’t make me feel better to know that others agree. I’m just venting about the quality of Apple. Hope they restore their old image but it’s doubtful they will. You can do it if you actually care, Apple.

 

[StumpyBloke]

Couldn’t agree more. I think their hardware is great, but their software is absolute *****. And don’t get me started on Siri!!!

 

[now i see it]

Yes. Absolutely

 

[sjperformance]

Not really but if we on this topic all brands have. Y'all haven't read how bad new cars built during pandemic are?

 

[applepotato666]

Both software and hardware have taken a hit. I've caught myself googling whether the next major iOS release is good on my iPhone model, whether the new iPhone has any launch day or early batch issues, etc. - something you simply didn't have to do before unless you were one of those paranoid people.

With software, functionality that's important to me has been broken on a release iOS version embarrassingly often and you have to wait for the next update or two, and with hardware, in Europe we don't get to just return opened devices like you can within 14 days in the US. Had to turn in a 2-day old iPhone 15 to get serviced for 40 days because something was broken on it right out of the box and getting a replacement is just not a thing in countries that don't have official Apple Stores, we don't even get the benefits we pay for with Apple like good support (which has also worsened - no chat option now, and no social media).

But a lot of this perception is also that Apple was the only one doing quality-feel hardware and software while Android/Windows brands had crappy plastics and low resolution screens. Nowadays competing hardware is built the same or better, which makes the iPhone feel not as 'wow' in comparison. Software also does the same thing in very similar ways and are equally as beautiful, responsive, and pleasant to use.

Still, I do not see another brand providing the same quality apart from Google and Razer on Win/Android, and their pricing is similar to Apple's. So I just rather go with Apple for now. The moment this balance changes and Apple products' value doesn't match up, I'll switch. $999 from Apple and $999 from Google comes in cheaper in Europe because Google prices at 999 Euro while Apple will do 1199 with the real conversion rate and add some padding on that which already makes them a worse value than others for us. Most europeans don't have any special feelings towards Apple and more people around me than ever have started harboring some negative feelings about it after the painful recent price hike and worsening of the value, since that price hike on the iPhone 14 was "unwarranted" in Europeans' mind because it was the same thing as the 13. There's always been people who dislike Apple, but never more than now.

The 15 is bearable, but certainly the creakiest and most "hollow" feeling iPhone I've had ever, and the 14/16 inch MacBook Pros also feel not as solid to me in comparison with the touch bar generation. Many people who have handled my iPhone 15 tell me it feels like a flimsy clone of an Apple device. Unfortunately didn't get to feel the iPhone 15 before purchasing it as I trusted it should not be a downgrade from the 13 and there's no returns here if you have opened the box. But at least now I know that Apple has turned into every other brand, and that I can't trust them to be consistent with quality, so from now on I'll know to feel an Apple device before I buy.

the iPhone 15 pro models have basically given us no major changes than the previous model.

Always been Apple's approach. Both software and hardware design is backed by so much research to make it as appealing as possible. Keeping the same design around makes older devices keep their value for longer, the supply chain is optimised. The iPhone 13 and 14 look absolutely identical, but they literally had to reengineer the whole iPhone again to make it more repairable than iPhones have ever been. I appreciate changes like these and that is amazing progress. Pointless if they keep locking parts to the serial so you can't even repair it. But progress nonetheless.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Hardware, not so much. My polycarbonate iBook was crap..it stained, cracked and creaked, and scratched like none other. My 3g iPhone back cracked near the plug, scratched and caught my beard constantly. Wi-Fi failed, and then failed on the replacement.

That said, the software has went the other way. Stability is down, quite a bit.

 

[TGM85]

Things have also gotten way more complicated than they were years ago. The more complicated things get, the more possible points of failure they inevitably contain.

I mean, I absolutely loved my eMac back in 2005, but there’s no comparing the complexity of a single mac running Mac OS X Tiger to my personal device ecosystem in 2023 that includes a mac, iPhone, iPad and watch, all interacting with each other in dozens of ways.

 

[macher]

Couldn’t agree more. I think their hardware is great, but their software is absolute *****. And don’t get me started on Siri!!!

Their software is good enough for me. But I have to agree with you about Siri.

 

[krspkbl]

Nah. I remember iPhone 4-5S.

 

[SteveJawbs]

My iPhone 8 feels brand new. I can browse, podcast, call people, play music. Way better than a Blackberry Pearl.

I am starting to want a better camera though. ;-)

 

[x34]

​

Have you noticed the quality of Apple has gotten worse compared to years ago?​

No.

 

[RRC]

Nope, the reason I buy Apple products is because they work, and work well for years.
The new stuff I’ve bought recently is as good if not better than anything from 5+ years ago.

 

[Squillace]

(...)

Some examples include how the iPhone 15 pro models have basically given us no major changes than the previous model.

(...)

Oh stop with that nonsense already!! I hear this ridiculous argument way too much.

What major change did the iPhone 14 Pro gave you compared to the 13 Pro besides the Dynamic Island?
What major change did the iPhone 13 Pro gave you compared to the 12 Pro?
What major change did the iPhone 12 Pro gave you compared to the 11 Pro besides a design less rounded and sharper?
...do I need to continue?

Major changes are a thing that happens once in a while because nobody, Apple or anyone else, has enough tech invented to bring huge changes every year. And this happens in other markets too, not just tech.

TGM85 said it all about the fact that tech is way more complex now than two decades ago. I never experienced a single bug with my Nokia 3310 during its lifespan in my hands, but what features did it have which could actually cause bugs? Computers today are more capable but also communicate a lot more with other devices, making the possibility of failure and bugs more present.

You maybe got lucky over the years by not experiencing bugs, and now you have a few, but that doesn't mean software is worse now. It's just that people usually never show up to say that everything runs fine, people only complain when things go wrong. And you hear more complaints now because of social media and forums. Those were not a thing 20 years ago (I mean, forums were...) so issues were not so easily widespread.

But I'm not saying Apple is perfect. They have a long curve to improve. They're still top notch to me though.

P.S. - but yeah, Siri is crap.

 

[souko]

Software these days is much better and more reliable than in iOS8-11 and OS X El Capitan, Sierra,... days.

 

[leman]

I also have the impression that their software quality has been in decline in the last few years. The meticulous polish of the Jobs era is just not there anymore. There are many examples of inconsistencies and persistent bugs.

Hardware on the other hand is top-notch. Best in the industry, by far. Excellent industrial design, material, and manufacturing teams. And their silicon division is the best on the planet.

 

[eicca]

Absolutely. They used to be all about getting out of your way and giving you all the easiest, most efficient tools to run your workflow the way you wanted.

Now they are all about defining the workflow for you. You do things their way because they decided it’s cool that way, but it’s often not.

Apple has gone from “it just works” to “we have decided how it works.”

The Mac Pro 5,1 is a prime example of good old Apple. I can do whatever I want with that machine and it’s STILL reliable. Most rock-solid piece of hardware I’ve ever used.

The M2 Mac Pro is a prime example of arrogant stupid modern Apple. They decided it was cool to make it highly limited in flexibility and shortchange pro users on what they actually need.

iPhone hardware has always been great for me though. But the software certainly has become bloated and bug-riddled as the years go on.

 

[toobravetosave]

They’ve been aggressively chasing services revenue and settling for good enough in the race for profit

 

[Al Rukh]

I think the polish-ness or the lack thereof of iOS and software in general has taken a hit since iOS 7. It’s no coincidence that all these bugs and software quirks came under Craig’s leadership. It was under his leadership that we saw Apple move to the more colourful and playful UI of iOS. The business-esque design of iOS 6 was ditched rather than refining it further.

Apart from that, I think Apple has been doing great in the hardware side of things. The ARM architecture on the Macs is a game-changer. The AirPods, Watch and other peripherals have been massive hits. The numbers don’t lie.

As (edit: for) the perception of Apple ‘is not innovating’ - that’s not an Apple issue. It’s the issue of the entire industry. A smartphone can only do that much. What else do we want it to do? Bake us a cake? If so, how much would the masses pay? All these questions were asked and answered. The 15/15P are great phones in isolation and they’re not targeted for people who have 13 or later in my opinion. Those who’re on 12 and earlier, would appreciate the upgrades.

The base Pro series have always started at 999USD since 2017 with the iPhone X. Which other company can claim such a tight price control?

Apple sure have their flaws but I think what they are offering to the masses has been understated by media biases and distorted facts.

 

[GMShadow]

Software these days is much better and more reliable than in iOS8-11 and OS X El Capitan, Sierra,... days.

I try to remind myself that yes, iOS 17 is off to a bumpy start, but it's not iOS 8. Likewise Sonoma isn't Yosemite. Both OSes use DNS properly, for one. 😄

That said, this year has been bumpier than normal, and in ways that annoy me more than usual.

 

[leman]

The M2 Mac Pro is a prime example of arrogant stupid modern Apple. They decided it was cool to make it highly limited in flexibility and shortchange pro users on what they actually need.

Complete nonsense. You still have all the flexibility with expansion cards/storage/etc. Yes, you can't upgrade the RAM or the GPU. But it's not because "Apple decided to make it highly limited". It's a consequence of their hardware architecture. They literally can't offer you these things without making the product either much more expensive or messing up the rest of their computer line. Maybe a future revision will address this shortcoming. Maybe it won't. But you can't cherrypick on one change without looking at the full context.

And yes, I agree, M2 Mac Pro is a pointless machine as it is. It's likely just a placeholder until more powerful hardware comes along. They had to do something, and that's what they chose.

 

[XboxEvolved]

Hmm well..not particularly on the hardware side I think they have always had fantastic hardware overall, and in the case of the phones especially, they are built way better than they were when I bought my first iPhone. My first iPhone I would keep that bitch in a big nasty Otterbox because if I didn’t it the screen would shatter if I farted to hard with it in my back pocket. My iPhone 11 I have a crappy clear case I bought at Dollar Tree on it and I drop it constantly all the time and the most it has are scuffs.

I think with their laptops, specifically when they went to that one flat design, it was a good idea on paper but it ultimately faltered in durability.

The ONE product that I would agree is crap are the first gen Airpod Pros. They fail like Xbox 360s with RRoD. At least for me. I’ve had to get these damn things replaced at least 4 times already. They are terrible. And now my AppleCare coverage has ran out and I haven’t tried to get them replaced again but I doubt that Apple will replace them for free. I can’t believe there isn’t a class action lawsuit on these things yet. I don’t know one person personally that can even use the noise cancellation at all after awhile. Sometimes they work fine for a few months, in my case one time I had them replaced and within 3 days, the noise cancellation started acting crappy.

Software wise..yeah I’d agree there is a lot more mishaps with their software than their used to be, but compared to the alternatives, I’m ok with it. I notice it far more with my phone, but I’ve also never used a iPhone for this long consistently either. Not sure if that is planned obsolescence or just the fact that it is getting older for a phone.

 

[Al Rukh]

Absolutely. They used to be all about getting out of your way and giving you all the easiest, most efficient tools to run your workflow the way you wanted.

Now they are all about defining the workflow for you. You do things their way because they decided it’s cool that way, but it’s often not.

Apple has gone from “it just works” to “we have decided how it works.”

The Mac Pro 5,1 is a prime example of good old Apple. I can do whatever I want with that machine and it’s STILL reliable. Most rock-solid piece of hardware I’ve ever used.

The M2 Mac Pro is a prime example of arrogant stupid modern Apple. They decided it was cool to make it highly limited in flexibility and shortchange pro users on what they actually need.

iPhone hardware has always been great for me though. But the software certainly has become bloated and bug-riddled as the years go on.

Apple has always had control of the workflow. Even more so during the early Jobs’ days of leading Apple. Jobs is known for creating products for die-hard Apple fans. However Cook has made Apple’s products attainable to the masses - and open to things that most consumers want. Do you think we would have had large iPhones, colourful iOS and wide product lineups if Jobs was leading Apple in 2023? No.

 

[Al Rukh]

Nope, the reason I buy Apple products is because they work, and work well for years.
The new stuff I’ve bought recently is as good if not better than anything from 5+ years ago.

It’s no secret why Apple products have high value retention throughout the years. I wish people would give Apple more props as much as the criticism that sometimes they deserve. We have to be fair.

 

[Al Rukh]

Complete nonsense. You still have all the flexibility with expansion cards/storage/etc. Yes, you can't upgrade the RAM or the GPU. But it's not because "Apple decided to make it highly limited". It's a consequence of their hardware architecture. They literally can't offer you these things without making the product either much more expensive or messing up the rest of their computer line. Maybe a future revision will address this shortcoming. Maybe it won't. But you can't cherrypick on one change without looking at the full context.

And yes, I agree, M2 Mac Pro is a pointless machine as it is. It's likely just a placeholder until more powerful hardware comes along. They had to do something, and that's what they chose.

Absolutely agree with your last paragraph. The existence of the M2 Mac Pro makes the Mac Studio an appealing purchase choice. That’s what it boils down to - choices.

 

[Squillace]

Apple has always had control of the workflow. Even more so during the early Jobs’ days of leading Apple. Jobs is known for creating products for die-hard Apple fans. However Cook has made Apple’s products attainable to the masses - and open to things that most consumers want. Do you think we would have had large iPhones, colourful iOS and wide product lineups if Jobs was leading Apple in 2023? No.

Larger iPhones I believe we would, because ultimately that's what people wanted and I'm not sure Jobs would have resisted to that. But I also believe we would had ONE larger iPhone and not a two/three sizes line-up like now.

Regarding iOS, I don't think it's more colorful now than before. It's just another design approach, but here again, there was a trend change a few years ago pointing to the flat design style, and I don't think it was dictated by Apple. So I think Jobs would have follow the trend. Maybe not in the same way as we have now, but I think he would.

I agree about the wide lineup of products. Way too much iPhones, iPads and Macs. He wouldn't allow that.