Apple...

[steves1977uk]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows10/comm ... place_the/

Steve

[Cornbread]

Really liked my iPhones till I had an issue with one. Got dropped and screen had a crack in it. Researched a bit, saw it wasn't a big deal. Figured, simple enough for me to fix. Wrong. They offered two options. Send it in and wait. Or I had to schedule an appointment with an official Apple tech at the Official Apple store. Who would then identify my issue and then either fix it or send it to another higher tier of tech to get it fixed. Which was 60 miles away, and closed on my only day off.
All I wanted was the parts, which they wouldn't sell me. Ended up buying a spare phone, then picking up a repair kit off DX or Ali.... I can't remember. It was an IPhone 3G, so however long ago that was. Still have it as an iPod for travelling. Solid products, but the level of service they provided makes even the government look efficient. Heh, that was also the last Apple product I bought.

[Gnomatic]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows10/comments/e52oo9/apple_wanted_to_charge_me_600_to_replace_the/

Steve

Apple and their trillion dollar market cap laugh back .....

https://www.google.com/search?q=NASDAQ: ... ClLfQDA9:0

[steves1977uk]

Really liked my iPhones till I had an issue with one. Got dropped and screen had a crack in it. Researched a bit, saw it wasn't a big deal. Figured, simple enough for me to fix. Wrong. They offered two options. Send it in and wait. Or I had to schedule an appointment with an official Apple tech at the Official Apple store. Who would then identify my issue and then either fix it or send it to another higher tier of tech to get it fixed. Which was 60 miles away, and closed on my only day off.
All I wanted was the parts, which they wouldn't sell me. Ended up buying a spare phone, then picking up a repair kit off DX or Ali.... I can't remember. It was an IPhone 3G, so however long ago that was. Still have it as an iPod for travelling. Solid products, but the level of service they provided makes even the government look efficient. Heh, that was also the last Apple product I bought.

Know what you mean re: Apple repairs... My Brother had to fix a cracked screen on an iPhone 6S which belonged to a work collegue. So he ordered a replacement screen off eBay for £15 odd... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/For-iPhone-6 ... 2643033619

Now if his work collegue had've taken it to an official Apple Genius store, they would've charged her a lot more than my Brother's £25 to fix it. Crazy!

Steve

[steves1977uk]

https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows10/comments/e52oo9/apple_wanted_to_charge_me_600_to_replace_the/

Steve

Apple and their trillion dollar market cap laugh back .....

https://www.google.com/search?q=NASDAQ: ... ClLfQDA9:0

Yeah, but they will lose marketshare in the next decade if they keep rehashing their products. Their products lack appeal to me, what have they really innovated in the last decade apart from copying their competitors? Even Android-based phones have better features than iOS and can be cheaper too!

Steve

[Gnomatic]

I don't own a single Apple product, and you're right, they haven't done much in the last ~10 years. AirPods I guess?

~20yrs ago is a different story. Back then, Napster had just come on the scene. Sony owned the portable music player with their Walkman. But they wouldn't put out a portable digital music player that played mp3's, because they were terrified about piracy hurting their own music division. So their player only played their proprietary DRM-laden format. Nobody wanted that crap. Jobs had the smarts to know millions of college and highschool students had by then collected many gigs of mp3 music files on their computers. The iPod was the best digital music player upon its release, but why it crushed Sony and everybody else's offerings was the iPod could play all those mp3's the kids around the world had downloaded. Even with its initial success of the iPod, Apple was still relatively tiny. The music industry reeling at that point, and with CD sales tanking, they were finally ready try their hand at selling digital music.(full of DRM of course) They didn't see Apple as a threat, so they all agreed to sell their music on iTunes. But Jobs only agreed if he got to set the price. In that moment, Apple basically intercepted the music industry's revenue stream. It was brilliant. Other companies tried to get in on the digital music player game(remember the Zune?) but by then it was too late.

And of course, Apple created the modern smartphone market in 2007 with the release of the iPhone. Some initially scoffed at it.


youtu.be/eywi0h_Y5_U

While I've never been into Apple's products, its hard not to admire them as a business, at least during the run they had in the 2000's and a little beyond.

[steves1977uk]

I agree Gnomatic, back in the noughties Steve Jobs was the visionary behind Apple and he captured the market at the right time. Since his passing in 2011, Apple have lost their touch as Tim Cook lacks what SJ had. I just wish Microsoft hadn't given up on Windows Mobile 10 as it could've been a great competitor to the iPhone. I still own Windows Phones 535 and 640 and find them easy to use with my feet.

Steve

[Burgerman]

And of course, Apple created the modern smartphone market in 2007 with the release of the iPhone. Some initially scoffed at it.

I still do.

I bought one when they were all the craze. Used it for a month. Took the sim out and put it back into my plastic Doro flip phone.

Why? I drop it on the road, run over it, weekly and I got 2 for £39 many years ago. Its a phone and does SMS. And the rest of it is a battery. Its got a couple of scratches, otherwise still perfect. If I flush it down the toilet by mistake, I have a spare one still sat brand new on the shelf. Its easy to see, got real keys that you can use in sunshine. It has no camera or internet access or anything else draining its battery.

I charge it monthly. Its 6 years old. It still lasts a month. In fact thats 6x 12 charges in its lifetime, so 72 cycles!
Charging that fragile flat glass thing daily is a pain in the backside. And every last time I actually NEED a phone because I am trapped or fell out or whatever, it was dead.

If I want to go online I already have the worlds lightest and thinnest 13 inch laptop. Its way better when in my van, or the pub etc. Its got a real mouse and keyboard too. And a 4k gorilla glass screen. And a right click which is essential unless you like going all around the houses like an apple! And a 55inch screen desktop. It does everything from skype, movies, for free calls anywhere, and email, and everything else better. Why would I want a stupid phone to do all that badly while sucking the battery dry?

If I want a camera I have a £2.4k nikon, plus lenses etc that makes the garbage from any noisy blurred smartphone look a bit too sorry for my liking, so the pics they take are of no interest to me. Its true that the camera you have on you is the best, so I keep a go pro in the bag on my knee. It likewise always is fully charged. You have all been marketed $$$.

[Gnomatic]

Yes BM, YOU don't like smartphones. And I doubt Apple is a trillion dollar company today if you had been its CEO.

Regardless of the fancy camera you own sitting in your closet, the best camera you own is the one you have on you. And most don't go through their day with a clunky DSLR strapped over their shoulder at all times. Smartphone cameras are good enough for most, in fact they've improved a lot since a decade ago. Whole movies have been shot with nothing but an iPhone in fact.

I need driving directions? I got a navigation assistant in my pocket. QR scanner? Works great for that! Remotely view my home security cameras while I'm away? Done in an instant. Listen to music or books while on the go? its all right there. Wifi hotspot for my laptop because the hotel has shitty wifi or am away from a wifi source. Done. Plus a million other uses.

And battery running dead? I'm sitting on a lithium battery in my chair all day. I can top my phone off EASILY if not near a wall outlet. Although I typically charge it every one to two days near my PC.

And I've needed assistance while stuck in bed or fallen out of my chair(don't ask LOL), with no phone of any kind in reach. I just verbally wake the phone up, and tell it to call whomever I want. And it does!

[Burgerman]

I am not saying YOU dont like your smart phone with its tiny screen...

Yes BM, YOU don't like smartphones. And I doubt Apple is a trillion dollar company today if you had been its CEO.

Regardless of the fancy camera you own sitting in your closet, the best camera you own is the one you have on you. And most don't go through their day with a clunky DSLR strapped over their shoulder at all times.

I agree. But I keep a tiny go pro, in my bag on my chair. I felt the need to use it while out and about because its the only camera available, not once since landing in a chair. Your mileage may vary.

Smartphone cameras are good enough for most, in fact they've improved a lot since a decade ago. Whole movies have been shot with nothing but an iPhone in fact.

Im pleased you are pleased. I tried using my ex recent iPhone and like most such tiny sensor cameras, its got hopeless noise unless its a bright well illuminated scene. Its got really crappy dynamic range, and so you get only shadow detail and blown highlights, or good highlights and no shadow detail. And all its images are over processed and over sharpened. Its also got the tiny sensor depth of feild problem. Everything is in focus. You cannot do any kind of isolation of subject or blur the background properly without electronic fake trickery. As a photographer I find the pics they produce hopeless. And wouldnt keep or use any of them. I cant even use a small sensor DSLR. I much prefer the full 35 x 24mm full 35mm sensor size, and proper wide aperture lens. Everything else looks just like what it is... As I said, your mileage may vary.

I need driving directions? I got a navigation assistant in my pocket.

II have one in my van thats far more useful, bolted into the dashboard. Do I use it? No. I already know the UK. Why would I need one in a powerchair?

QR scanner? Works great for that! Remotely view my home security cameras while I'm away? Done in an instant.

Those 2 things may be useful if you actually do that. If you think a permanantly dead battery, a mortgage for a fragile phone, and no keyboard, and a daft touchy screen makes that worthwhile. I can also do that cam thing from the pub, or my van with my laptop. And have a way better screen, and a real mouse, keyboard etc. Should I want. And I can do a real GPS, with verbal directions, and a big enough screen to see while I drive. Not that I do.

Listen to music or books while on the go? its all right there. Wifi hotspot for my laptop because the hotel has shitty wifi or am away from a wifi source. Done. Plus a million other uses.

You should get a proper laptop. Mines got an LTE modem, and a unlimited data sim built in. I can do all the tricks a phone can only better. Including calls. And GPS. And mobile internet. And use it as a hotspot for others that have shitty laptops like apple ones. Or ones without mobile access. Mine is exactly the same as your phone, only faster, with a proper screen, and windows 10... And a real keyboard, and can do anything your phone does better. Its also tiny. Like an A4 envelope.

And battery running dead? I'm sitting on a lithium battery in my chair all day. I can top my phone off EASILY if not near a wall outlet. Although I typically charge it every one to two days near my PC.

But just like most people you have to actually do so, and are always looking to see if the battery is dead again... And people forget. Almost every time someone turns up they are plugging in phones, or looking for USB chargers etc. Carers, freinds, ex gf. I do mine on the 1st of every month if it needs it or not!

And I've needed assistance while stuck in bed or fallen out of my chair(don't ask LOL), with no phone of any kind in reach. I just verbally wake the phone up, and tell it to call whomever I want. And it does!

Voice command? My stupid flip Doro does that too. Even if its been under the bed for a month.

[foghornleghorn]

This thread reads like subtle Apple advertising.

Why would anybody sane consider a smartphone when they could instead carry around a camera, and a laptop, and a gopro, and a full set of Encyclopaedia Britannica?

[Gnomatic]

This thread reads like subtle Apple advertising.

Why would anybody sane consider a smartphone when they could instead carry around a camera, and a laptop, and a gopro, and a full set of Encyclopaedia Britannica?

To each their own, I guess!

[Burgerman]

What exactly did you do before smart phone marketing made you want one? I had a life. And still do. I dont spend all day messing about staring at a tiny screen trying to type without a keyboard. Likewise I dont do multimedia asits a waste of time/life.

You dont need ANY of that stuff. You just need a phone for emergencies. You dot even need SMS it was invented by a woman.

And of course I have way better solutions for all the extra stuff that they do badly, that suck power, meaning you spend your life trying to keep it charged. But as you already said each to your own.

[Gnomatic]

And I can do a real GPS, with verbal directions, and a big enough screen to see while I drive. Not that I do.

My Dodge van has a Garmin GPS in the dash, but it is inferior to my phone in multiple ways. Every summer I travel. After being on the road all day, ready to get to the hotel, the Garmin gets confused sometimes, telling me to get off exits that no longer exist because its maps are outdated. So if I want my Garmin to be up to date, Garmin/Dodge/Chrystler will send you and updated map DVD for North America. And charge you $150 each time you want one.

Also, using an app like Waze, you get warned when the police are up the road looking for speeders. Or even if just a car pulled off the road on the shoulder. Accident up the road? You know before you get to it and the traffic slows down. It tells you when there's a traffic jam up ahead, and how long to expect the delay to be. It will then rerout you in real time, potentially saving hours of being stuck in traffic. Especially useful when traveling through a big city like Columbus, Indianapolis, or Chicago etc. And its maps are always up to date.

[Burgerman]

My Dodge van has a Garmin GPS in the dash, but it is inferior to my phone in multiple ways. Every summer I travel. After being on the road all day, ready to get to the hotel, the Garmin gets confused sometimes, telling me to get off exits that no longer exist because its maps are outdated. So if I want my Garmin to be up to date, Garmin/Dodge/Chrystler will send you and updated map DVD for North America. And charge you $150 each time you want one.

I get mine chrysler disks 4 dvds at a tme. From links on reddit, or various other dodgy sources. Thats why I use a PC. Also, if I want GPS, I just use my laptop, with many different maps inc google streetview, that shoes you the actual google street view or microsoft maps, or both at once as well as directions as I drive. Its perfect on the passenger seat, and way better than any built in GPS or phone for the visuals. Or I use both... But I cant remember the last time I needed it.

Also, using an app like Waze, you get warned when the police are up the road looking for speeders. Or even if just a car pulled off the road on the shoulder. Accident up the road? You know before you get to it and the traffic slows down. It tells you when there's a traffic jam up ahead, and how long to expect the delay to be. It will then rerout you in real time, potentially saving hours of being stuck in traffic. Especially useful when traveling through a big city like Columbus, Indianapolis, or Chicago etc. And its maps are always up to date.

You realise all that stuff runs on a PC and plenty more besides? It uses the LTE modem (the built in mobile phone sim card reader/gps device) and can run any ap a phone or windows can? Only with better sound, better graphics on a bigger screen and with a keyboard and mouse? And play and download any movies, music, or anything else you might want as you drive... And my laptop battery lasts 18 hours when on, whereas your smartphone keeps having to go dark because it will kill its battery too fast. Another reason to hate 'smart' phones. All the time you are using it it keeps shutting off.

[Burgerman]

Added...
My vans satnav is older than yours. But I am sure theres a way to do yours too. And I would be doing that at 150 a pop...

[Gnomatic]

Added...
My vans satnav is older than yours. But I am sure theres a way to do yours too. And I would be doing that at 150 a pop...

I've tried the alt sources for updated maps from reddit, jeep forums ect. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I've never been able to get map updates from those sources to 'stick' to my garmin unit. But my van is 8yrs old and it's in dash Garmin unit is outdated. Most cars vehicles being made today work with Android Auto and/or apple CarPlay. Which basically turns your cars big dash screen to display and control your preferred phone app like Waze for real time traffic and navigation as well as other stuff from your phone.

[steves1977uk]

Anyone fancy an expensive cheese grater?... https://www.neowin.net/news/apples-new- ... r-purchase That's one ugly looking PC.

Steve

[Cornbread]

Looks aside, I hope the specs are a misprint or there is a lot of stuff not shown. Because that's kinda sad for $6k. I mean Xeons are pricey. But a couple hundred dollars worth of ram and a sub $50 hard drive. Not real sure what the 580x gpu is. Surely it isn't a Radeon RX580... Maybe a newer version of the current 5700 XT?

[Burgerman]

Most of the money is in the branding. Because the operating system is backward crap, and the monitor is no OLED like my 55 inch one thats for sure. And 6k doesent include any monitor. And thats STARTING at 6k with a slow processor and little memory and one ssd.

[steves1977uk]

Apple are seriously taking the p!$$ with them starting specs! You could build a far better PC with 6k and have some cash left over! Even my Dell M6700 workstation laptop came with a 750GB HDD+250GB SSD, 32GB RAM etc. back in 2013! for £3k.

Steve

[Gnomatic]

I have had several people bring me the MacBooks just to install windows on it.

[Gnomatic]

The new Mac Pro starts at $5,999. That model comes with an eight-core Xeon processor, 32GB of RAM, Radeon Pro 580X, and a 256GB SSD.

That is NUTS!!! For that much it should have 2X 2080 Ti's, a 32 core Threadripper 2990WX, a 2TB PCIe Gen4 SSD, 64GB of RAM, water cooled in the fanciest case you can find. With cash left over.

[Gnomatic]

Not real sure what the 580x gpu is. Surely it isn't a Radeon RX580...

It basically is. its got a tiny clock boost compared to the RX 580, and has "Pro" driver support for improved stability supposedly for things like CAD work.. The 580X is only sold to OEMs like Dell, Apple, or HP.

[Cornbread]

Heh, that's funny and sad at the same time. Not to mention, I'd expect a Xeon rig to have a Quadro or Firepro in it. Even if it's only an 8 core.

[Burgerman]

zeon rigs are ultimately overpriced today now that intel have many more ever growing multicore solutions. Esp when you consider that every extra core becomes less and less effective/useful. Once past single figures more cores is not much help in anything a normal user can do day to day. The real gains are serious server use like a shared web or intranet server used by an ISP or work network server.

So quite apart from the daft price, its not really even the best solution for the intended user. Its supposed to be a workstation?

[Gnomatic]

Its supposed to be a workstation?

Thats my take on it.

[Gnomatic]

I thought $6K for the new Mac Pro was outrageous. That's the low end. MKBHD just reviewed the one he got, and with the specs he chose, his rig cost ~$27.5K.


youtu.be/DOPswcaSsu8

Basically, he prefers to do all his video editing in Final Cut Pro. For that kind of $, you could build a serious Hackintosh, based of the new Ryzen Threadripper 3770x, that will best the 28 core Intel Xeon in his Mac Pro, in both multithreaded AND single threaded tasks. And on down the part list with better performing and much cheaper parts.

Or he could just build a more powerful(and MUCH cheaper) Windows machine and pony up for a $30/mo subscription to Adobe Premier Pro. Which can basically do anything Final Cut Pro can do. And still have $15K+ left over in his pocket.

Oh, lets see what Apple charges for RAM upgrades .....


youtu.be/VHdUOJ6cuzI

[Burgerman]

and pony up for a $30/mo subscription to Adobe Premier Pro

Seriously?
How long will it take me to find a way around that? 15min?

Also my 3ghz memory is running at 4ghz just by setting its timing parameters the same as 4ghz corsair instead of 3...

I note that this wonder machine DOWNCLOCKS even 3ghz mem to 2.66... Are they serous? For how much?

[Scooterman]

I have an iPhone 5 SE. It's a nice little phone, good build and quite punchy specs for Apple, but the battery life is crap! I emphasise, absolutely lousy



Replacement batteries are pretty cheap, and I've watched vids on how to change them, but I'm not confident. My eyesight isn't so hot nowadays. I didn't realise how bad my eyes were getting until I tried to solder them little pins the D-Sub connectors. I had to keep looking away and blinking to try and rid the blurriness.