Is anyone else getting sick of Apple?

[kazmac]

Tell your employer to give you a proper Lenovo workstation laptop or screw off because that Lenovo Yoga is gonna make you hurt big time. Dodge! DODGE. GET OUT OF THERE NOW.

They only offered the Yoga.

@AidenShaw the lack of travel of the keys and the cramped layout. Granted, I am not a laptop person (and with my arthritic wrists I will need an external keyboard), but I've found the Lenovos very uncomfortable to type on.

Ironically, unless I can find a small PC desktop with a Geforce RTX card in it, I have to buy a laptop since Apple just isn't practical now. Shame since I wanted to try a Mac Mini, but I've experienced the WiFi & Bluetooth issues in person (and I'd need an eGPU). I am gutted about the touch irresponsiveness in the iPads too.

 

[robogobo]

I honestly believe that there is a genuine disorder called Apple Derangement Syndrome, and it's out in full force for the 16" Macbook Pro...That's a decade of rage towards Apple dispelled by the quality of the 16" Macbook Pro.

...It stands to reason that one would expect perfection at an experience that starts at $2399 straight from Apple, but none will ever exist.

...and I say that as a person absolutely not stuck in the reality distortion field that the Apple community is well known for.

Just calling out a few lines from your post. Hope you can see why many of us here are saying that you shouldn't have to buy all new hardware every year in order to have things working correctly, particularly when even the new stuff has similar issues. These complaints aren't about outdated hardware so much as Apple's updates breaking things that worked fine before. We can oscillate back and forth between the ADS and RDF, or we can just try to see things for what they are: we pay a premium for hardware and expect it to perform accordingly, and Apple has the cash to necessary to be doing a better job than the companies who give their stuff away for cheap.

 

[faust]

Just calling out a few lines from your post. Hope you can see why many of us here are saying that you shouldn't have to buy all new hardware every year in order to have things working correctly, particularly when even the new stuff has similar issues. These complaints aren't about outdated hardware so much as Apple's updates breaking things that worked fine before. We can oscillate back and forth between the ADS and RDF, or we can just try to see things for what they are: we pay a premium for hardware and expect it to perform accordingly, and Apple has the cash to necessary to be doing a better job than the companies who give their stuff away for cheap.

hey, since when did I say I think you should have to buy all new hardware every year? after two years of having nightmare fuel logic board failures occur? i for one didn't touch apple computers beyond the odd iPhone or two here and there for over a decade. Furthermore, the switch to solely USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 was heinous as now you were forced to buy adapters, dongles, and so forth in order to have a fully functioning computer. The only mice that I can guarantee would work with my 16" MBP are a Logitech G602 and their Magic Mouse 2. Neither of which were a good fit for me, so I have to usb a USB-C to USB-A adapter to use a mouse. Furthermore, while I think it's sensible to increase what's needed to fully power a device as needed, the overall lack of 97-ish kWh pushing docks/portable docks for access to things like SD card reader/USB-A ports is really representative of how Apple thought too far ahead for it's own good. Sure, I bet they're making a tidy profit on their dongles and licensing for Apple certification of such accessories, the reality is it's left the user holding the bag themselves for far too long. It's absurd.

However, the real damnable thing they did was release three iterations of the butterfly switch keyboard. That really eroded my faith in their company, and the only reason I got back into the fray with Apple again was because of the retur to scissor switch keyboards that arrived with the 16" MBP. I say anyone who bought a butterfly switch MBP shouldn't buy another Apple laptop for at least a few years. I for one fully support any of you that decide to go with a Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon for a 13" MBP replacement, and a Thinkpad X1 Extreme(Gen 1 & 2 is fine) for a 15-16" MBP killing laptop. There is absolutely no reason any of you should put faith in Apple after how they insisted on three generations of butterfly switch addled MBPs. And throw in the fact the poor thermal performance and Intel's performance sapping security flaw mitigations, and what you've all got are piles of hot trash, and I don't envy you one bit.

 

[robogobo]

hey, since when did I say I think you should have to buy all new hardware every year?

My mistake. I took your post as claiming the new MBP solved all the previous problems and made you a believer again. That happens sometimes, and that person can quickly forget the hell they went through prior to shelling out $2000+ to fix their problems. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[Marsikus]

After getting sick of Apple, I switched to Android and Chromebook.

It was horrible. Android is trash and Chrome is a web browser. Came back to Mac as quickly as I could.

There are many Androids, but only few manufacturers take care about user experience. Most of them just take Android as free OS to reduce costs.

 

[AustinIllini]

There are many Androids, but only few manufacturers take care about user experience. Most of them just take Android as free OS to reduce costs.

Honestly, Google needs to step up their hardware game. Pixel 4 is a dud.

 

[MattG]

I'm sick of the gouging, and I'm sick of the decisions Apple is making that make the non-Apple people (understandably) laugh at us.

$400 for a set of desktop computers wheels. Call it "apples and oranges," call it what you will: that is literally just over half of what it would cost to outfit my ACTUAL VEHICLE with a new set of rims. $1,000 for a frickin' monitor stand. And what's sad is that there are Apple apologists who will probably reply to this post and actually defend this garbage.

I've also said this before on other threads, but it really sucks that in order to get what I want in a laptop (bigger than a 13" screen), I have to pay upwards of $2,500 for a MacBook Pro. There's nothing in between the consumer MacBook Air, and the full fledged $2,500 "professional" model.

The "Apple Tax" has always been a thing, but lately it's just reached gargantuan levels.

 

[chikorita157]

Nope, not sick at Apple at all since the alternatives I tried aren't as good. While I do work in IT and work with various operating systems such as Linux and Windows, they aren't as good as macOS for my needs. Windows 10 in my opinion is hot garbage mostly because of the privacy issues, lack of control (e.g. forced updates, installing junk UWP apps, shoving advertisements into built in Windows programs, reduction of Group Policy settings unless you use the Enterprise version, etc.) and decline in quality (e.g. botched updates that can erase user data).Also, I have to use Windows 10 as part of my job, so I certainly don't want to use it for my personal use and deal with the same frustrations with the operating system. Not only that, my work computer managed to crash as in a Blue Screen out of nowhere and of course, Edge browser crashes. My Macbook Pro 15" 2018 does not crash. Mine you, the work computer I am using is a business class Dell Latitude 5490 and not a typical consumer laptop, which is usually made cheaply and don't last long. Windows 7 is the last good operating system and anything Microsoft puts out today is pure garbage in my opinion for reasons I mentioned.

Sure, I own a Surface Pro 2 since I wanted a full OS on a tablet with pen support. On paper, it's a good idea. In practice, it's clunky to use. My iPad Pro 11, which came out several years later is still a better experience. I even own an nVidia Shield TV. While it can do more, the Android TV interface is clunkier and harder to use compared to my Apple TV 4k I recently got since I need a streaming box.

Also, Linux while good as a server OS is not a good desktop OS, mostly because it's missing a lot of software such as Photoshop, Office, Adobe Acrobat and others. Open source alternatives like The GIMP is vastly inferior, which is why I think Linux will never take off. Maybe for people who do basic stuff like web browsing or you do specialized stuff like programing or scientific work, Linux will be suitable, but not for me. Also, I hardly have any issues with my Apple gear, besides the lemon Macbook Pro from 2008, which eventually got replaced with a new laptop under AppleCare, but I am willing to pay the premium since the alternatives aren't that great. But that is me as everyone's needs will be different.

 

[retta283]

To me, Apple is not as good as it was 15 years ago. Does that mean I hate Apple now? Not particularly. I just think the level of polish and wow factor has gone down greatly, along with their Pro apps. I used to feel such excitement when I would get a new Mac or iPod, but that's gone/ Unboxing my newer Apple purchases just isn't the same. I also think their advertising is far worse than it used to be.

On apps though, this is where they've really fallen apart. Aperture is gone, Photos is way worse than iPhoto, iMove never recovered from the mess that was 08, Garageband dumbed down, all iWork apps dumbed down, Disk Utility dumbed down, Activity Monitor made worse, and so on. Not to mention the absolute joke that macOS Server has become, that one is really unfortunate.

I also think their hardware lineup is weaker than it used to be. AirPort is gone entirely, NAS with it, Xserve gone, no Mac Mini server, in its place, no cheaper tower, no middle iMac size, no consumer monitor, no more dedicated iPod, and again, so on. Prices have gone up on many of their products, but not much justification in most cases.

I will continue using Apple for the foreseeable future however, as I still prefer them to the competition. But the magic is lost. Reality distortion field wore off a long time ago.

 

[jeyf]

Apple who?

 

[H. Flower]

I'm sick of the gouging,

If the quality is high, I don't mind gouging.

But if keyboards don't work, software is buggy, services lack added value, etc.... then it's a major problem.

 

[Tekguy0]

I too am sick of the price gouging.
I am sick of crappy keyboards that fail even after being fixed twice.
I am sick of a lack of upgradeability.
I am sick of services for everything.
I am sick of a lack of customization.
I am sick of ports that need dongles to be useful.
I am sick of gimmicky touch bars.

I just wish Apple would return to producing reasonably priced laptops and devices that have actually useful features and an unparalleled reputation for quality and reliability.

 

[BigMcGuire]

I too am sick of the price gouging.
I am sick of crappy keyboards that fail even after being fixed twice.
I am sick of a lack of upgradeability.
I am sick of services for everything.
I am sick of a lack of customization.
I am sick of ports that need dongles to be useful.
I am sick of gimmicky touch bars.

I just wish Apple would return to producing reasonably priced laptops and devices that have actually useful features and an unparalleled reputation for quality and reliability.

I've only used Apple since 2011 but... since when has Apple had "reasonably priced laptops"? Even back in 2008 when my friend got a MBP it was considered an excessive expense. I remember the days of Firewire and how Apple was pushing that really hard. (I grew up on Windows and my first Mac was 2011).

Genuinely curious - when did Apple produce reasonably priced laptops? (No sarcasm intended or meant).

 

[Tekguy0]

I've only used Apple since 2011 but... since when has Apple had "reasonably priced laptops"? Even back in 2008 when my friend got a MBP it was considered an excessive expense. I remember the days of Firewire and how Apple was pushing that really hard. (I grew up on Windows and my first Mac was 2011).

Genuinely curious - when did Apple produce reasonably priced laptops? (No sarcasm intended or meant).

There has always been the Apple Tax, but it feels as though it has gone up. For example, the MacBook Air Unibody was $899 for a base model with an i5, and 128 GB of Flash PCIe SSD. But now its $1099 USD. But also the price gouging in general, especially SSDs and RAM. It should not cost $200 to upgrade to 16 GB of RAM or to 256 GB of storage. Another example (though not a laptop) was the Mac Mini. It used to start at $599. Now its $799.

 

[BigMcGuire]

There has always been the Apple Tax, but it feels as though it has gone up. For example, the MacBook Air Unibody was $899 for a base model with an i5, and 128 GB of Flash PCIe SSD. But now its $1099 USD. But also the price gouging in general, especially SSDs and RAM. It should not cost $200 to upgrade to 16 GB of RAM or to 256 GB of storage. Another example (though not a laptop) was the Mac Mini. It used to start at $599. Now its $799.

I see what you’re saying. I know my wife and I got our 2015 MBAs from BestBuy for like $750 each (a sale they were having). Now I think the lowest I’ve seen the MBAs for is $999. It has gone up.

 

[Tekguy0]

I see what you’re saying. I know my wife and I got our 2015 MBAs from BestBuy for like $750 each (a sale they were having). Now I think the lowest I’ve seen the MBAs for is $999. It has gone up.

Exactly. The previous gen MBA is still for sale and is usually found around $750, but that's for a model from 2017, with CPUs from 2015.

 

[faust]

Honestly, Google needs to step up their hardware game. Pixel 4 is a dud.

Hell yea it is, I bought one in the autumn and realized it was a pile of hot trash within a few days. Best Buy employees were positively shook that I decided to return the Pixel 4 within three days of buying it. I had the iPhone 11 when it came out, and I genuinely liked it, but I couldn't overcome the hurdle of not being able to select my default apps.

Like, I don't know anyone with an iPhone I could use iPhone specific features with(like memoji or w/e its called? face emoji? or face time). Plus, iOS 13 was very broken so I returned that phone to Apple before the return window closed.

I most recently purchased an iPhone 11 Pro Max 512 GB alongside a ridiculously priced $2799 model(but discounted) of the 16" Macbook Pro, and a 512 GB iPad Pro 11", and I just returned all three this past week because the ecosystem may have been waiting for me, but it genuinely had nothing I wanted. So, this past week I also picked up a Samsung Galxaxy S20+ in Cosmic Black and went back to using my Thinkpad X1 Extreme Gen 2(just upgraded the RAM to 64 GB and added 4 TB total NVMe storage to it). I'll probably return the Samsung Galaxy S20+ too and just use an Android One powered Motorola phone instead, not sure which I'd get at the moment, but the S20+ has Samsung hardcore pushing it's password manager onto me and I dislike that because I Don't Trust Corporate Entities With My Passwords.

It's like Apple just isn't good anymore. Their mediocrity really shines when it's obvious, and while I appreciated the improved thermal design of the 16" MBP, well, it's main selling point for me were a great speaker setup and that's not worth nearly $3000 to me. I got my Thinkpad X1 Extreme Gen 2 for $1300 this past November, and I bought next day, in house warranty service with it in case I ever accidentally damage it(other repairs can be done by myself with Lenovo supplied parts).

Apple really sucks. I wish they didn't, but they just don't sell a product that I can stand behind nowadays. Even the Apple TV 4K is a bit of a miss for me, altho I gave it to my elderly housemate and she appreciates the ease of use, so yay? But for me? Oops. Instead, for me, I bought an Intel NUC and connected it to a 100 TB NAS bay for all my Definitely Legally Acquired media.

It's just the state of technology tbh. There's been a long period of technological stagnation that we're still in, and tbh you cannot tell the difference between let's say a Samsung Galaxy S20+ and a OnePlus 7T at almost a third of the S20+'s price. I'd pay a premium rate for a premium product, but uhhh Apple just isn't Premium anymore except it's pricing. Undoubtedly, however, Apple does find it's niche in tech unsavvy users, and hey yeah. Coders can code pretty well to justify their worth to bosses, but again: Does a full stack programmer know how to solder? Can they do that kind of work? Not necessarily, usually are too in-depth with the software for that, so Apple has a niche in them too. Most coders I know are not hardware savvy AT ALL.

 

[kazmac]

@AidenShaw You were right about the Lenovo keyboards. I had to buy a machine for work to use at home and picked up a 15" Yoga. The keyboard is very, very good. Much better than the 13"Yoga at work, and almost as good as the mechanical keyboard. This 15" Yoga is built like a truck. As far as starter machines, I do not need something fancy, just something better than the Acer I had, and this is fine. I like the hardware a lot actually.

I am a Windows 10 spaz, but it's good to break it in. I won't be scrambling as much when I use it more extensively at work.

That said, no matter how hard I rail or moan, I will always be a Mac gal. Somehow, my iMac's version of Sierra was possessed by Catalina (very locked down now and beach balling a lot) after a wipe and restore last month, so I am resigned to the fact that whatever Mac I eventually get will be locked down. So Apple masochist here will keep on keeping on. However, I won't need the redonkulous greatest specs, since the video conversion I used to do is now moot. That means less money to spend on Apple.

It took 3 years to understand there are compromises regardless of which of these OS I use, there will be issues in hardware and software etc. Do I hate what Apple's become? (Oh yes, indeed.) Do I dislike that I cannot seem to entirely break away (Yes.) Ultimately though, I'll just use both systems and learn as much as possible, and create as I can.

Northern Man, you'll understand if I politely pass on responding any future comments. I've got software to learn and things to do. It's true, I am trying to spread my wings, while understanding the limitations of all the tech I use. No, it wasn't worth the stress, so I'm still a cranky Mac user who is giving Windows another college try.

 

[Marsikus]

Well, about quality concerns.

Three days ago I went to store to check again MBP 16.
I launched EIZO test and found:
- thin black lines in "Pattern" test are fuzzy and bleeding brown.
- 'sand on wind' effect on background of Gamma test.
Nearby in store there was 13 inch Pro.
Screen there was better, but with very distinct magenta leak across all screen perimeter.

For example, I am using corporate 15" 2017 MBP at work and personal 13" 2017 MBP at home - both having way better screen.
So, has quality been ended in 2017 or 2018?

 

[TiggrToo]

Well, about quality concerns.

Three days ago I went to store to check again MBP 16.
I launched EIZO test and found:
- thin black lines in "Pattern" test are fuzzy and bleeding brown.
- 'sand on wind' effect on background of Gamma test.
Nearby in store there was 13 inch Pro.
Screen there was better, but with very distinct magenta leak across all screen perimeter.

For example, I am using corporate 15" 2017 MBP at work and personal 13" 2017 MBP at home - both having way better screen.
So, has quality been ended in 2017 or 2018?

My work issued 2018 MBP is doing just fine.

 

[BigMcGuire]

My work issued 2018 MBP is doing just fine.

According to what this site has taught me, there is absolutely NO WAY your 2018 MBP is doing just fine. Same goes for my 2017 MBP! <cough>. /s

 

[kazmac]

I’ve decided to let my Apple angst go. Fully accept I prefer their products for home/creative use and will continue to use them as tools to create.

I’ve tried to switch many times since 2017. Always came back. I’ll just use Windows at work, which is what I’ve always done.

Yes, there are things I dislike about the company, but that is true about other companies I deal with too (Amazon).

 

[Dave245]

I’ve decided to let my Apple angst go. Fully accept I prefer their products for home/creative use and will continue to use them as tools to create.

I’ve tried to switch many times since 2017. Always came back. I’ll just use Windows at work, which is what I’ve always done.

Yes, there are things I dislike about the company, but that is true about other companies I deal with too (Amazon).

I can completely relate to this! I have tried other products over the years, but I still end up coming back to Apple products. I have gotten frustrated with Apple a few times, however I have found that there is nothing like Apple products.

Thats not to say that other products are not good, they just don’t have the Apple polish or the ecosystem that Apple has.

 

[LizKat]

Not sick of Apple yet but not a fan of how iTunes was disassembled even if I do figure the separate components are (VERY clearly) a work in progress.

Nothing and no one are perfect, I get that proven to me every time I go about my own to-do list with all due diligence, and even if when buying a new appliance as trivial as a veggie peeler. Why should Apple be an exception?

Any of the few times since my first Macintosh buy in 1985 that I've had some minor issue with one of their hardware products, Apple customer service reps or the engineers they kicked it up to in one case have been responsive and prompt on a fix or replacement. I can't ask for more than that.

On software issues and especially with the newer replacements for components of iTunes, I am less satisified so far, but I do use official feedback options and try to be specific about all the circumstances. LOL and so far I'm even civil, which I'm sure at least helps gets my feedback into the "look-into-this" pile.

 

[calliex]

I have been an apple customer since 1984. First Mac was a Macplus and the current one 2012 r MBP15. I have had great luck with all my machines and have never bought or used Apple Care. I figured when Steve died things would start to slip and that seems the case. After 2015 could not trust the MBP. Never liked the thin better camera scenario and of course the keyboard debacle. The current MBP seem a step in the right direction but there are problems people report like the heating issues with ext display. Nothing from apple about a fix for this. A pro laptop should be able to connect to ext display. Now apple silicon is looming in the future how good will it be, will take 2 yrs before its worth it and is safe to buy the current MBP.