Never been more pessimistic about Apple.

[Zirel]

My problem is that the anti-Apple sentiment among the loudmouth tech bloggers, Wall Street analysts, and forum trolls is really starting to get to me. I used to be able to shrug it off as click bait and attention mongering, but I'm unable to do that any more. I'm really and truly starting to feel like for all the good Apple does in tech, Wall Street and tech writers have finally succeeded, and the process of tearing the company down for good has finally begun. I've weathered periods like this before because they felt like hyperbole. This time it feels like it's the real deal.

I feel you.

Specially that poor fool Walt Mossberg, trying to stay relevant, and appealing to anyone under 30. After Steve Jobs died, he died, as his only notable feat was being friends with Steve Jobs.

There's a need for a true Apple community.

It's easy to read this and say, "Well jeez, it's just a bunch of gadgets. Get over it." To me, it's not about that. It's about how our entertainment, communication, and productivity is completely tied into our lives through Apple's ecosystem, and that ecosystem has done so many amazing things for us over the years. I feel like it's all coming to an end, and the thought of having to switch to something else makes me incredibly sad, as I am not usually a believer in the "Apple is doomed" mantra. Apple has done nothing but amaze me and improve my life ever since I bought my first iPhone. Right now it feels like the end of an era.

Why?

It's funny because if you check Windows store, it's always down, I mean, it's rare to be open, not the contrary, but Apple gets all the slack.

And Spotify has much more problems than AM, but nobody wants to report about that.

Journalism is sick, because they write what people want to hear, not what's going on. That generates consensus, and it's the crap you are witnessing.
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Great, so you've got Benedict's comments on AI (related to Google's IO keynote).

Marco's commented on it, too:

https://marco.org/2016/05/21/avoiding-blackberrys-fate

Intersting to read his overall thought on how Apple is doing -- "being lead properly day-to-day and doing very well overall". Based on what you were saying earlier, I was surprised to read that. Just because he doesn't cheer literal everything they do (or don't do), doesn't sound like he's anywhere near abandoning the platform.

So what does this whole AI thing mean? If Google dominates here (like they are doing with Google Maps), is everyone going to switch to up-and-switch to Android, or are they going to use an iOS version of Google AI, like how many people use the iOS version of Google Maps instead of Apple Maps?

It really sounds like you're approaching this from an emotional point-of-view instead of a pragmatic one.

Well, that all sounds alarming, then you check what Google has been doing to change people's lives, and the answer is more ads on YouTube and more ads on Google Maps. Like it or not.

AI to the point to change people's lives is extremely expensive, too much CPU to give away for "free" to billions of people.

Google's assistant will keep being the crap that it is. Lots of journos tout it being better than Siri because "bug, it's Google, it's search, they collect your location and read your emails, so it must be better", which is BS. Google Now does the same things that Siri does, nothing more, nothing less, their dictation is not better, I've tried them, and both are horrible if you speak naturally, and both good if you try to be understandable, that's the reality. Yes, Google Now tells what's the latest score of your team, and that's useless, because that's "when it works", most people have their sports team app or a sports tracking app (I use OneFootball), that does a much more complete job.

Also, everyone talks about Alexa, and now google's thingy, it's stupid, which non-nerd dos going to dump $200 on a useless thing without a Screen? Not me... Also, HomeKit is not even trying, and is already the largest home automation ecosystem. What are you going to control with Alexa? You are going to have a subpar experience, and lots of security problems, not to mention products that just stop working with Google, because they are dependent on their specific apps, while HomeKit devices work without even apps. They are building their stuff top to bottom, while Apple seems to be building as "meet at the middle", because they already have some HomeKit devices (CES 2016 was rich), and now they seem to be forcing more at the top, if they release an HomeKit app in this iOS version.

That Google euphoria only lasts for a couple of bad purchases from most people, if you're still happy after purchasing Nexus with poor battery life, That Google Glass complete flop and even thermostats that let you freeze, then you have a severe problem of cognitive dissonance.