Seems like quite a bit of subjectivity in all of that. Certainly all good and fine. Could something be better in one way or another? Sure, pretty much anything/everything can, but it doesn't mean something is right or wrong or good or bad in general simply because of that. Something isn't horrible just because it's not perfect.
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Why is constructively criticizing Apple not allowed on this forum?
- Thread starter BillyMatt87
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No, there is right and wrong. Apple's brand is perfection, simplicity, uniqueness. Unresolved design ideas and poor execution has no place at Apple, those undesirable traits take up residence at other manufactures not Apple. If you can't get it right at Apple, then do yourself a favour and pack your bags for another manufacturer please. It's a harsh standard but it yields the best of humanity long term.
No they don't because it's not about that. A corporation will not stay in the innovative growth stage for very long because too many want to cash in. That's what humans do. Apple is going to cash in for a while longer but don't expect the same Apple you saw in 2010. Those days are long gone. This is normal business.
Seems like it's more that some people's perceptions and/or expectations of Apple are essentially beyond what the reality is and realistically has always been.
It's about standards. Some people in this world have and care very much about standards.
And all of that exists in the realm of reality, which doesn't really get accounted enough for in many instances.
Well, it's more like realistic--and that's basically true as far as how all business (or essentially everything) operates.
I disagree with everything you wrote but you are entitled to your opinions. Apples sales figures suggest more people disagree with you than agree though.
Steve built a culture where user experience was the core business driver. Yes, things like Antennagate still slipped through the cracks, but ultimately user experience was still the core. He believed that if you get the core user experience right, people will buy your products.
Since Steve's death, Apple have been riding on that legacy while putting profit as their core business driver. People still buy Apple products based on that legacy. They expect a joyful user experience. Instead they get a buggy, over complicated mess (assuming they successfully navigate their ridiculous product line up). They get eye strain. Their devices bend or slip out of their hands. They get hours and hours of frustration. They loose data. They get features that don't work in their region. They loose money. They come to MacRumours and post their experiences. They get told to try different apps. They get told to go to Android.
People want the user experience Apple used to provide. Going to Android or 3rd Party apps won't help someone get that experience. People download updates hoping that experience will come back. People buy new products like the iPad Pro or the MacBook, but the experience just isn't there.
Some users think that experience can still be found in Apple products, and sadly, I think many of these people are in denial. There are definitely still some elements that have that "Apple" factor, but mostly it's history.
Since Steve's death, Apple have been riding on that legacy while putting profit as their core business driver. People still buy Apple products based on that legacy. They expect a joyful user experience. Instead they get a buggy, over complicated mess (assuming they successfully navigate their ridiculous product line up). They get eye strain. Their devices bend or slip out of their hands. They get hours and hours of frustration. They loose data. They get features that don't work in their region. They loose money. They come to MacRumours and post their experiences. They get told to try different apps. They get told to go to Android.
People want the user experience Apple used to provide. Going to Android or 3rd Party apps won't help someone get that experience. People download updates hoping that experience will come back. People buy new products like the iPad Pro or the MacBook, but the experience just isn't there.
Some users think that experience can still be found in Apple products, and sadly, I think many of these people are in denial. There are definitely still some elements that have that "Apple" factor, but mostly it's history.
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Criticism is permitted but one factor is how the person frames the point or question. Creating a thread just to grouse about a given facet is not criticism, its complaining. People tend to argue when they feel a topic is posted just to complain and not talk about something that may have some short comings.
Then there is how people interact with each other. I've seen far too many threads where everyone (including the OP) thinks they're right. Everyone talks, no one listens, and then that turns into arguments and bickering
The point is not that people cannot criticize Apple here, but its how you debate and communicate it.
I think you can see a number of threads here in the Apple Inc and Technology forum where people have raised issues about a given point about apple, whether its Tim Cook, or the absence of Jobs, or the perceived lack of innovation.
I think this might be the reason you might be getting push back from some people on the "several threads" you've started.
The poster you quoted said he/she was happy. Why do you find it necessary to question what he/she likes and also use the parting shot of buying or supporting Apple no matter what?
With that antagonistic approach, I'm not surprised.
Note - I am extremely happy with my iPhone 6s Plus. It does everything I want. I am very happy with my iPad. It does everything I want. And before you tell me that I'm support anything with an Apple logo on it, be advised that I used Samsung products until my Note 4 became a laggy rebooted locked up mess, I use a BlackBerry Passport, and I use a Lumia 1520. Of these, I return to Apple because it works best for me. If it didn't, I'd use something else.
Life is way too short to buy and keep a product I don't like. Which is the reason I'm skipping the Note 6 just like I skipped the Note 5. Samsung doesn't get my money anymore.
A person will sometimes attempt to justify their feelings by removing value from the actions and choices of others. It's a psychological issue.
That's what my thought are. But since op asked the question, it seems a number of threads "constructively criticizing" Apple devolve into name calling.
I like Apple and the direction they are headed. Selling 74 million phones last quarter is a testament to that.
Simple is fine until your customers become savvy and demand more. I remember when a workaround was needed for far too many useful tasks when using Apple products. Now we have that again with iOS. Apple struggles with the balance but for the most part they appeal to many more people now than in the past. It isn't the rabid fans keeping them going.
Have you tried Android lately? Windows and it's twisted logic of use? Have you felt the materials used in other gadgets?
Apple is pretty much high standard as you can get. There are lots of holes in their implementations, agreed. But the grass isn't greener on the other side.
You have to take into account that you innovate once and then you make incremental updates. There is so much a phone can do.
To me the taptic engine, the design of the Mac Pro, the band system of the apple watch, the design of the bezel,the design of the bracelet link, the different keyboard designs, the profile of the Macbook and the no lag pencil recognition seem like innovation. There was nothing like it when they were released.
Yes, Apple isn't perfect, but overall they are just better in most ways than the others. I'm retired, so I don't really do anything heavy duty these days, so somewhat lesser powered gear isn't an issue. That's why the 12" MacBook fits me so well, it is more than powerful enough, it is very light for my lap and carrying around, and the lack of ports isn't much of an issue in a wireless world.
The ecosystem and interconnectivity of iOS and OSX is just superb in comparison to the somewhat haphazard way things are done with Android/Chrome/Chromebooks.
The only thing these days that I do that needs a bigger screen and a desk to operate on, is music engraving. Nothing comes close to Sibelius and/or Finale for that.
The ecosystem and interconnectivity of iOS and OSX is just superb in comparison to the somewhat haphazard way things are done with Android/Chrome/Chromebooks.
The only thing these days that I do that needs a bigger screen and a desk to operate on, is music engraving. Nothing comes close to Sibelius and/or Finale for that.
I'm retired and was using an Android phone and Linux on the desktop. This worked sufficiently until I moved to an iPhone and a Mac mini.. then I wondered how I got along as well as I did. I haven't found any other company that controls the software as well as hardware ends and makes things so seamless across devices. Moving to iOS and OS X was the first time I wasn't required to do so much work just to get things done.
The grass may be greener on the other side, but you're eventually going to have to mow that lawn too.
The grass may be greener on the other side, but you're eventually going to have to mow that lawn too.
Again the conversation trails off to what other companies are doing and the products they are making. I think the majority of us agree that Apple are still the best at what they do.
However I think these conversations need to be focused on comparing Apple to Apple.
I completely migrated to Apple back in the Snow Lepoard and iPhone 3G days (the first iPhone released here). It was such an easy and seamless experience. It was fantastic. These days, it can take hours of frustration and finding work arounds just to migrate from an iPad 2 to an iPad Air 2. "Seamless" isn't really a term that's still relevant to the Apple experience in 2016.
However I think these conversations need to be focused on comparing Apple to Apple.
I completely migrated to Apple back in the Snow Lepoard and iPhone 3G days (the first iPhone released here). It was such an easy and seamless experience. It was fantastic. These days, it can take hours of frustration and finding work arounds just to migrate from an iPad 2 to an iPad Air 2. "Seamless" isn't really a term that's still relevant to the Apple experience in 2016.
When you suggest pr
this is exactly the type of post that @Qbnkelt has alluded to. A generic parting ad-hominem attack and a bunch of generalizations that express only one opinion not the masses.(there is no way to know what the masses think)
Most criticisms about Apple come from those that expected it to stay nearly the same after Steve died. That had such a low probability that it is hard to understand why it would happen.
Today's Apple is more incremental which means things are being added and improved, but maybe that 'next big thing' will never happen or take a lot longer. And for those that expect it to be different, well not going to happen. SJ was a unique personality with powers that few in business ever have. Hell, if Tim Cook brought out something that was truly the 'next big thing', it still wouldn't be good enough because he couldn't present it with the panache that SJ had.
And 'constructive criticism' isn't the issue because seldom does it stay constructive. The complainers will all come out to play and those that think Apple can do no wrong will be just as vociferous.
One comment I noted was the 'bending' of the iPhone. I always thought that was the most bogus of complaints. Put a phone in the back pocket of your skinny jeans and sit on a hard chair, what's wrong with that picture?
Switching into new Apple gear is just as easy today as it was when things were in that 'magical' time that has gone by. I've switched from an MBA to MB12, iPad Air to IPP and iPhone 5 to 6+. All went smooth as silk.
Today's Apple is more incremental which means things are being added and improved, but maybe that 'next big thing' will never happen or take a lot longer. And for those that expect it to be different, well not going to happen. SJ was a unique personality with powers that few in business ever have. Hell, if Tim Cook brought out something that was truly the 'next big thing', it still wouldn't be good enough because he couldn't present it with the panache that SJ had.
And 'constructive criticism' isn't the issue because seldom does it stay constructive. The complainers will all come out to play and those that think Apple can do no wrong will be just as vociferous.
One comment I noted was the 'bending' of the iPhone. I always thought that was the most bogus of complaints. Put a phone in the back pocket of your skinny jeans and sit on a hard chair, what's wrong with that picture?
Switching into new Apple gear is just as easy today as it was when things were in that 'magical' time that has gone by. I've switched from an MBA to MB12, iPad Air to IPP and iPhone 5 to 6+. All went smooth as silk.
But Jobs hired Cook and elevated him to CEO, so the current state of iOS is really Steve's fault.
So a user can't post about his or her experiences if they are negative, because it doesn't represent what the masses think? Where is the logic in that.
That's the thing with branding. If your brand is associated with products and services of a certain quality, then you have set that expectation. The average consumer doesn't care or even know who the CEO's of companies are.
One comment I noted was the 'bending' of the iPhone. I always thought that was the most bogus of complaints. Put a phone in the back pocket of your skinny jeans and sit on a hard chair, what's wrong with that picture?
For the record, I never had a bent iPhone, but for the sake of argument, I think it is a legitimate complaint. Putting your phone is your jeans and sitting down is a real world use case that Apple somehow didn't account for in it's design. It's another example of where the user experience was not at the core of their design philosophy.
And this mentality is another major flaw of this forum - "I've never experienced this problem, therefore it doesn't exist".
None of us actually do real world analysis, our opinions are based on our own experiences and the experiences of those close to us. I can say that at least 5 people close to me, in addition to me, have had major drama upgrading to new Apple products in the last 12 months. The baseline is that these same 5 people never had an issue in the 4 years prior. So in my sample, issues experienced with Apple upgrades are now much more frequent than they used to be. Of course this doesn't represent all of Apple's user base, but it certainly creates the perception among these people and the people they speak to that Apple's quality is indeed declining in quality.