The disturbing direction that Apple is headed...

[Serban]

day by day i see the future of apple...their ecosystem will be stronger than ever between ios and macos and tvos in the next 3 years i hope. nobody has what apple will have in 3 years.
android=google chromeOS...limited and only 2 platforms
windows+windows mobile...more closer but as we can see windows mobile its too weak and in the future may disappear

so while those two figure it out, apple in 3 years will have an much stronger communication between 3 platforms

 

[TrueBlou]

Couldn't imagine switching from Apple at all. Used/worked with/fixed Windows systems for years and that's what drove me to Apple in the first place.

Tried switching to Android a couple of times, just didn't like it compared to iOS, nothing was as simple, straightforward and easy to achieve. I was forever digging through menus, sub menus and sub, sub menus just to get basic things done. Can't be arsed with that kind of thing anymore. And whenever I have to fix problems on friends and families Android devices, I always wish they'd just buy Apple and make my life easier

I must be one of the lucky few because I honestly couldn't tell you the last time I had an issue with the software or an update. If I had to guesstimate it was back in the iPhone 3G days.

I tend to find the hardware good, sure they could cram more and more in but I've never had an issue with getting anything I need done. And there's never really a shortage of new features and more importantly, refinements with each new release. I like the consistency with iOS. I don't find it especially overpriced at all these days. When you look at the off contract pricing for Samsung/Sony/LG there's not really a world of difference.

When all's said and done I like that the operating systems allow me to work with the minimum of fuss, that everything across OS X/ iOS/TvOs/watchOS works seamlessly and that I've had a combination of reliable hardware, software and customer service that's far better than I've received from any other company, ever.

But of course that's all a personal experience and preference. We're all different, if the products aren't going to give you satisfaction don't buy them, there's a ridiculous amount of other options out there.

 

[imrazor]

There are two primary reasons why I bought my iPhone. The first one will seem trivial to some, but sound quality is important to me. I couldn't find an Android phone that sounded better. The other reason is security updates. Android updates are a mess, and there are at least a couple of serious security flaws that haven't been addressed because the Android market is so fragmented.

That said, Apple does need to step up it's game with iOS. Google keeps piling on features with Android, but iOS seems stuck in terms of new innovations.

Even though my Mac is ancient, I prefer using it to my PC. I currently have a gaming PC that I use for gaming. A neat feature of Steam is the ability to stream my PC games to my iMac's screen. It works surprisingly well.

 

[Low country]

• Buggy updates: Agreed. And it's less excusable for Apple since unlike Windows or Android, they have less variance of their product. Apple themselves were the one claiming tighter integration between software and hardware, yet all the show stopping bugs. Not good for the brand.
• Innovation: I disagree. I see Apple being more innovative than other OEMs. Look at the A9 chip. It allows the iPhone to have better performance than others, yet having battery that is much less than others while giving similar battery life. That's a big deal, and not an easy job. Other OEMs simply take off-the-shelve components and put them inside a phone. Samsung is hardly innovative. I can argue that Sony is actually more innovative than Samsung.
• Overpriced: most people think Apple is overpriced. But look at what Samsung is charging their flagship. Now that's overpriced, since Samsung doesn't even provide near the level of support as Apple.

Hi,
If I compare the pen that came with my company phone and the Apple Pencil you seriously have to agree that Apple has lost it's innovative side. The S-Pen as they call it never needs charging, has a very nice place to store it inside the device, notifies the phone if I walk away and leave it laying on the desk, has far more functions built into it and didn't cost an extra $99.

 

[ACG12]

No issues with my mini 4, iphone se and air 2 *shrugs*. The best part is the Apple Warranty, if something is wrong with the item, they swap me out and on my way again. Good luck getting that kind of service with an Android product.

 

[pika2000]

Hi,
If I compare the pen that came with my company phone and the Apple Pencil you seriously have to agree that Apple has lost it's innovative side. The S-Pen as they call it never needs charging, has a very nice place to store it inside the device, notifies the phone if I walk away and leave it laying on the desk, has far more functions built into it and didn't cost an extra $99.

Not sure what your point is. Are you implying Samsung is innovative for making a stylus? I was using stylus on my Palm pilot and Windows Mobile. And those devices have slots for the stylus as well. Hardly innovative.

Microsoft charges $60 for the Surface pen, and it requires AAA battery. The $99 price of the Apple pencil doesn't seem too far-off.

 

[AFEPPL]

They all seem like fair comments, iOS has or is increasingly flakey and annoying..
OS X is not as bad, but for me windows has surpassed OS X in many ways.

 

[Macalway]

I don't know. All I know is that my Macbook 12" is the best tech i've ever bought.

Sort of like an Ipad with OS X and a keyboard/stand. Best of both worlds.

They keep making stuff like this i'm coming back for more

 

[Erdbeertorte]

Since the update to the final versions of iOS 9.3.2 and OS X 10.11.5 most things were fine starting with developer beta 1 of 10.11.0.

I already planned the switch to Linux and maybe Android. I don't like the non-user upgrade-ability of the current Macs. But I'll keep at least some older MacBook what is able to run Linux.
I don't think the Late 2015 5K iMac can do it properly yet. So I'll sell that one. Maybe I keep an iPhone too until I need something newer. Can't decide yet. I have a 4s 16GB, a 6 128GB and a 6s Plus 128GB.
The 6 is almost sold, the 6s Plus will be sold and then I have to see if the 4s is enough for me for a while. I don't do much on the phone, but 16 GB a little less for my music and I want one what is able to handle two SIM cards, that I don't always need two phones.

Edit: Why most people see Windows as the only alternative? I would never get back to that. The graphics driver update for BootCamp today made my Windows 10 unusable, what I only installed to test it on my 5K iMac. Even that Apple is not able to manage anymore.

 

[barkomatic]

According to rumor, Apple is gonna break its cycle and release a dramatically redesigned and upgraded iPhone in 2017 when normally that would be a spec update year. Since I've got an iPhone 6s Plus so I'm in a position to wait and if that's true I'll stay with Apple. If not, the Samsung Galaxy series is looking stronger and stronger every year and I may get one.

I might experiment with a high end Windows 10 machine with my next computer purchase though. Getting tired of the ancient design of the current lineup with the exception of the MacBook--which is beautiful. I need more power than that model has.

 

[Heat_Fan89]

I might experiment with a high end Windows 10 machine with my next computer purchase though. Getting tired of the ancient design of the current lineup with the exception of the MacBook--which is beautiful. I need more power than that model has.

You don't need a high end machine to run Windows 10. I run Windows 10 on several laptops built in 2007 with 2gB of ram and a Core2Duo processor and they run fantastic.

 

[AFEPPL]

this is pretty true...

 

[ardchoille50]

Edit: Why most people see Windows as the only alternative?

I believe it is because Windows is more familiar to a greater number of people. I had a friend who wanted to move away from Windows, and couldn't afford a Mac, so I introduced him to Linux. He had nothing but problems, the reason for most of his problems was that he kept trying to implement his old Windows habits into a system that was drastically different. A week later he was back in Windows. It is difficult for some people to unlearn what they have learned.

 

[BenTrovato]

Guys.. already said this a few times. You CAN'T be insanely profitable and continue to belt out amazing products. Business doesn't work that way. When public companies make a lot of profit, the shareholders and investors come first. When companies are in trouble the shareholders and investors hire talent and shut their mouths so that the company can be saved. If they hire good people, you get great products. That was Apple until the iPhone took off. If you're a huge Apple fan then this period is going to suck for you but that's the ebb and flow of business. The best thing that can happen is for Apple to keep delivering sub par products. The thing is that they are still "good", just not as great as they were a few years ago.

 

[sracer]

Edit: Why most people see Windows as the only alternative? I would never get back to that. The graphics driver update for BootCamp today made my Windows 10 unusable, what I only installed to test it on my 5K iMac. Even that Apple is not able to manage anymore.

I believe it is because Windows is more familiar to a greater number of people. I had a friend who wanted to move away from Windows, and couldn't afford a Mac, so I introduced him to Linux. He had nothing but problems, the reason for most of his problems was that he kept trying to implement his old Windows habits into a system that was drastically different. A week later he was back in Windows. It is difficult for some people to unlearn what they have learned.

Excellent point. I remember as Minix gave way to Linux, Linux was pretty unstable. A single typo in a text file-based config file could prevent the system from booting up. Obviously that was a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

I have determined that should OSX ever becomes unusable for me then I would switch to Linux rather than back to Windows 10 or later. Linux has come a long way and is a viable alternative for me for most things.

I still have an excellent 15" notebook... preloaded with Windows 7 with an alternate hard drive loaded with XP optimized with the proper drivers. I use that occasionally for running old, antiquated software and am still impressed at the performance of it running those old OSes.

 

[imrazor]

You don't need a high end machine to run Windows 10. I run Windows 10 on several laptops built in 2007 with 2gB of ram and a Core2Duo processor and they run fantastic.

This is true. I had Win10 running pretty well on an old Core 2 notebook from 2008 or so, before I switched it to Linux.

 

[Ghost31]

Hi there,
I'm not at ease disclosing who I work for to the WWW but having said that our company bought a couple hundred Note 5's, Its got a phenomenal display, camera and a wonderful loud clear earpiece speaker that makes hearing in noisy environments very enjoyable. Otherwise I did find that the OS is very confusing compared to iOS so I forward my work calls to my iPhone 6S Plus. But lately my iPhone has been freezing up, iMessage failing, EXTREMELY poor word correction when typing, and a host of issues that Apple seems to NOT be interested in fixing.
[doublepost=1463805344][/doublepost]

Pretty much the exact point I tried to make, thank you.
[doublepost=1463805684][/doublepost]

Hi, Technically nothing wrong at all with the iPad....yet. But after another disastrous iOS update (9.3.2) which was just pulled today I'm beginning to wonder if Apple has the ability to support their products. Seems Apple has labeled the consumers as guinea pigs to do all their beta testing for them. Cannot for the life of me figure out how 9.3.2 left Cupertino "ready for prime time" when in fact it was anything but ready. And ...the iPad Pro is NOT a replacement for the laptop, sorry to burst your bubble Tim Cook.
[doublepost=1463805985][/doublepost]

I have the 256GB wifi/cellular at&t iPad 9.7
I like it but I am seriously questioning Apples abilities lately. They are making BIG mistakes across all fronts of their business. Regarding the Smart Keyboard, the keys on the 9.7 Smart Keyboard are far too small for me and depress too easily with very little tactile feedback. I'm just using the on-screen keyboard for now, it's not bad.

And I haven't had ANY of these issues. Neither has anyone in my family. So you went to Apple to get a replacement since yours is obviously defective right?

 

[baypharm]

Vote with your dollars. If people don't like what Apple is doing they'll buy from someone else. I, for one, am generally happy with my iOS devices, but prefer a Windows PC over a Mac.

So I wouldn't say that I feel slighted by Apple any more than any other company. If they make something I want I'll buy it. If they don't it's no sweat off my back, they have competitors offering other options.

I always loved using my 17" MBP with an antiglare screen. Since Apple has refused to build another one I bought a Windows machine with better specs and never looked back...

 

[bensisko]

Hi all,
Happy with our Macs, can't live without them. Disgusted with our iOS devices and considering returning my 10 day old 9.7" Pro, selling our 6S Pluses and booting up my company issue Galaxy Note 5 until I either see Tim Cook booted by the shareholders or hopefully iPhone 8 and iOS 11 addresses the multitude of current issues...

Anyone else feeling a little slighted by Apple lately with the buggy updates, poor quality control, lack of innovation, overpriced outdated tech, and same old launch cycles every year...4/4S 5/5S 6/6S, better camera, faster processor, more complex iOS and so on..... Its getting OLD Apple!!

Nope - I love iOS (more so than Mac) and am VERY happy with them.

Sounds like you'll be much happier on Android - enjoy!
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Pretty sure majority of companies that issue phones are Android at this point.

Would love to see data on this. That's not what I see at all - in fact I see some people complain because they are forced to use an iPhonr when they want an Android.
[doublepost=1463869658][/doublepost]

Hi,
If I compare the pen that came with my company phone and the Apple Pencil you seriously have to agree that Apple has lost it's innovative side. The S-Pen as they call it never needs charging, has a very nice place to store it inside the device, notifies the phone if I walk away and leave it laying on the desk, has far more functions built into it and didn't cost an extra $99.

The S-Pen is okay, but it has no bearing on the Apple Pencil being "innovative" or not.

When I had Samsung devices, I ended up not using the included S-Pen and ended up buying a Wacom stylus instead.

 

[cynics]

Nope - I love iOS (more so than Mac) and am VERY happy with them.

Sounds like you'll be much happier on Android - enjoy!
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Would love to see data on this. That's not what I see at all - in fact I see some people complain because they are forced to use an iPhonr when they want an Android.

I assumed based on my previous experience working for Verizon. I don't actually know if that's still the case or not, be interesting to see data.

I watched some people get rich on corporate accounts from Android sales since at the time there were higher commissions on Android devices. Verizon was pushing Android and Backberry much more because they didn't even get iPhones until the iPhone 4, that's why a lot of the Feds still use Android on Verizon corporate accounts.

Regardless it's still not uncommon for any given employee to have a Note 5 and not be a Samsung employee.

 

[bensisko]

And ...the iPad Pro is NOT a replacement for the laptop, sorry to burst your bubble Tim Cook.

Uuuuuuugh. For YOU. The iPad Pro is not a laptop replacement FOR YOU! There are plenty of people for which it IS.

 

[imrazor]

Nope - I love iOS (more so than Mac) and am VERY happy with them.

Sounds like you'll be much happier on Android - enjoy!
[doublepost=1463869284][/doublepost]

Would love to see data on this. That's not what I see at all - in fact I see some people complain because they are forced to use an iPhonr when they want an Android.
[doublepost=1463869658][/doublepost]

The S-Pen is okay, but it has no bearing on the Apple Pencil being "innovative" or not.

When I had Samsung devices, I ended up not using the included S-Pen and ended up buying a Wacom stylus instead.

Most, but not all, of the company issued phones I see are iPhones. This is probably due to better compatibility with mobile device management software, Airwatch in particular.

 

[zhenya]

Hi,
If I compare the pen that came with my company phone and the Apple Pencil you seriously have to agree that Apple has lost it's innovative side. The S-Pen as they call it never needs charging, has a very nice place to store it inside the device, notifies the phone if I walk away and leave it laying on the desk, has far more functions built into it and didn't cost an extra $99.

Your metric for assessing a stylus is whether it has a battery and a silo in which to store it, on a device you admittedly don't even use. Tells me all I need to know about your opinion on the matter.

 

[TrueBlou]

Hi,
If I compare the pen that came with my company phone and the Apple Pencil you seriously have to agree that Apple has lost it's innovative side. The S-Pen as they call it never needs charging, has a very nice place to store it inside the device, notifies the phone if I walk away and leave it laying on the desk, has far more functions built into it and didn't cost an extra $99.

That's great if your evaluation consists of everything bar actually using the device for its intended purpose. I've used dozens of styli over the years on several platforms, including the S Pen and while obviously everyone's opinion will vary, I've found the Pencil to be at the top of the pile when it comes to actually using it as a drawing and writing implement.

I don't care if I have to remember to pick it up and bring it with me, I don't forget my iPhone or iPad so I'm sure I can remember to take the Pencil. I always have it charged up but should I ever forget I'm not so impatient that I can't wait 15 seconds in order to use one of the best styli I've ever laid hands on.

So to me they may not have reinvented the wheel, but they've made damn sure it's perfectly circular.

 

[bensisko]

To be honest, I wouldn't WANT a stylus well in the iPad - it would either (a) ruin the aesthetic of the iPad/Pencil or (b) inhibit the functionality of the Pencil.

TrueBlou is right though. The S-Pen is great for taking quick notes (which, I suppose, is the point of the Note), but for longer sessions and drawing, nothing beats the Apple Pencil (though the Wacom stylus for the Samsung tablets is close).