Apple October event tomorrow

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Who's at all interested in this event?

Personally, I'm after 2 things:

Mac Mini - currently have an old MacBook Pro, but if they actually release a new mac mini with reasonable specs, think for my uses (music packages), a mac mini would be perfect. I don't really travel around like I uses to so there's no need for a laptop anymore, and the prices of the new MBP's are just rediculous.

iPad - if the rumours are true and they're making it like the iPhone X with slim bezels and FaceID, and they do a non-pro version which is just a normal tablet, then I'd definitely upgrade. I currently have a pro but have no need for the added specs over the normal version.

2pm English time for those looking :yes:
 
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Tony1044

Prolific Poster
Prior to my Defiance, I had a MacBook Pro (2011 edition). It was probably the best Windows laptop I've ever owned (Bootcamp). I could never get on with OSX as was.

The build quality really was second to none but when the time came to upgrade, the newer alternatives had glued components, soldered components and was pretty much non-user upgradeable. I also read at the time that Apple had used a non-standard SSD connector, but it was also soldered in.

All that money for a laptop that you could literally do nothing with and would have to have a seriously expensive repair to change the battery if it failed out of warranty put me off.

Likewise, I used to have iPhones but I moved to Android a few years ago and whenever I need to do anything on the wife's or my lad's iPhones it feels like a real step backwards in usability and functionality.

On top of that, it feels like they've slipped more and more from being innovative (iPod, iPhone, MacBook Air were all revolutionary) into the "more of the same" but with silly changes - that icon bar thing they put into the recent MacBooks to replace the function keys...or keyboards that self-destruct if they get a grain of sand under a key...no thanks, Apple.

And the prices...I mean....

Not that the likes of Samsung are any better in a lot of these things, mind.
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Prior to my Defiance, I had a MacBook Pro (2011 edition). It was probably the best Windows laptop I've ever owned (Bootcamp). I could never get on with OSX as was.

The build quality really was second to none but when the time came to upgrade, the newer alternatives had glued components, soldered components and was pretty much non-user upgradeable. I also read at the time that Apple had used a non-standard SSD connector, but it was also soldered in.

All that money for a laptop that you could literally do nothing with and would have to have a seriously expensive repair to change the battery if it failed out of warranty put me off.

Likewise, I used to have iPhones but I moved to Android a few years ago and whenever I need to do anything on the wife's or my lad's iPhones it feels like a real step backwards in usability and functionality.

On top of that, it feels like they've slipped more and more from being innovative (iPod, iPhone, MacBook Air were all revolutionary) into the "more of the same" but with silly changes - that icon bar thing they put into the recent MacBooks to replace the function keys...or keyboards that self-destruct if they get a grain of sand under a key...no thanks, Apple.

And the prices...I mean....

Not that the likes of Samsung are any better in a lot of these things, mind.

iFixit and a load of other techy establishments have just had a law passed in the States with regard to "Right to Repair", it's a milestone and paves the way to end this sort of malpractice when it comes to upgradeability and serviceability. The movement is really starting to make waves (at least in the States), and I have high hopes it will filter down to us shortly. It's still the beginning of the road, but they've already made some huge leaps, namely being allowed to bypass DRM to modify an OS or repair a device. I think they were also part of the influence into standardising USB C on devices, rumours are that Apple will reluctantly be following suit with todays releases.

With regards to my requirements for a Mac, my DAW software is Mac only and whilst I know there are windows alternatives, I'm so familiar with this suite and have been working with it for so long that I have no want to start learning a new package.

I think you're right, Apple have lost their way a bit since Steve Jobs died. He was Apple and there's never going to be anyone to replace him.
 
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Tony1044

Prolific Poster
There was a lot to dislike about Steve Jobs but two things I do hold him in very high esteem with were his absolute insistence on the user-experience and quality of any product and the other was that the men and women sat at the top table in Apple were held accountable. Not their underlings or middle managers - them.

In fairness, it's not only Apple using these build practices. One argument is it makes recycling easier - a simple oven can be used to melt the glue that is popular without melting the precious metals etc.

That right to bypass DRM is a long time coming. I am tired of this concept that I hand over money to a company in order for them to effectively loan me the device by telling me what I may and may not do. And...DRM laws used to prevent repair...? Seriously?
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
There was a lot to dislike about Steve Jobs but two things I do hold him in very high esteem with were his absolute insistence on the user-experience and quality of any product and the other was that the men and women sat at the top table in Apple were held accountable. Not their underlings or middle managers - them.

In fairness, it's not only Apple using these build practices. One argument is it makes recycling easier - a simple oven can be used to melt the glue that is popular without melting the precious metals etc.

That right to bypass DRM is a long time coming. I am tired of this concept that I hand over money to a company in order for them to effectively loan me the device by telling me what I may and may not do. And...DRM laws used to prevent repair...? Seriously?

It was on Apples latest MBP’s that have the T2 security enclave in them, prevents any third party attempting repairs:

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www....4/t2-apple-imac-pro-macbook-pro-repair-right/

It’s disgusting and will hopefully be overruled immediately.
 

Tony1044

Prolific Poster
Wow...I wasn't aware of that. This isn't legal, surely - remember when the car industry had a similar battle back in the 90's? The courts forced them to provide training and materials (specialist tools) to external third party repair companies.

I can see this going the same way, hopefully.

I'm not Apple's target market but no way I'd buy into any computer that I couldn't upgrade or at least attempt to repair myself
 

mdwh

Enthusiast
To be honest more interested in the OnePlus event, or the recent Surface event - I didn't post the latter here as these forums are owned by PCS, so we shouldn't really be advertising competitor announcements imo.

I'm not a fan of small desktops (the portability of a desktop with the power of a laptop!) but plenty of companies do them. I'm not interested in oversized-phone tablets (i.e. non Windows/Chrome) anymore. Thin bezels and face unlock = old news.

My Surface Pro is excellent in build quality and everything else, as are the other PCs I've used over the years. The Surface does have the same lack of upgradability, but I can excuse that on a 2-in-1, and the flexibility of Windows is I can have both that and something like a PCS laptop, running the same compatible platform.

Apple have certainly slipped further today, but they weren't that much better in the early 2000s. Never saw what was special about an apple PMP, I gave them a look but Sandisk offered more storage for less, in a smaller device, and without having to install apple bloatware to use it. Their advantages were anti competitive rather than marketing: e.g., the media talking about "ipods" rather than the correct generic term, so people would ask for that in the shop and not be offered any choice (a similar thing happened with "ipad" for a period - when people find out there's a choice, apple share plummets); or there was the period when record companies would have "exclusive" deals where you could only buy an album from apple. That kind of stuff is inexcusable to me.

The revolution in PMPs came from the companies making the small hard drives and flash RAM.

For revolutionary in phones, I'd say see companies like LG (revolutionary touchscreen Prada in 2006, rather than a touchscreen feature phone a year later), Nokia (who popularised smartphones including touchscreen ones, dominating until Android took over around 2010 - and developed huge amounts of essential mobile technology), Asus (who introduced small form factor laptops at low cost, rather than just yet another expensive ultra portable) would be the ones I'd pick out. Apple phones failed to match basic functionality on so called feature phones, and I remember the apple hype machine in the media at the time instead compared it to WAP dumb phones of 2000 to make it look better ("you can access an email or website!") or made false comparisons (e.g., focusing on Windows Mobile's UI attempt, when every other phone OS had already moved onto a grid of icons). Despite absurd amounts of hype and coverage, they couldn't even outsell Windows Mobile, let alone Nokia or Samsung, and then Android came along.

"the men and women sat at the top table in Apple were held accountable. Not their underlings or middle managers - them."

Although that's pretty standard practice in big companies, managers are accountable for what they're in charge of.
 
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