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Is Apple Destroying the Mac?
#49307 07/02/18 08:25 PM
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deniro Offline OP
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I posted this on another thread. It belongs here.

https://ifixit.org/blog/10229/macbook-pro-keyboard/

I know that Apple is the wealthiest company in history. That's good in some ways for some people. For many years I wanted Apple to do well so that it could fix what I saw as longstanding problems: high price, too little software, too little market share, and so on.

But I have my doubts, criticisms, and complaints concerning the Apple that has existed under Tim Cook after the death of Steve Jobs. Instead of getting better, the Apple that I liked, the Apple I grew up with, got worse in ways I never imagined. If you doubt me, read about people's experiences on Macintouch. It's flabbergasting. Every day, Apple does something stupid.

That it's called Apple and not Apple Computer ought to have been a tip a long time ago. Of course, Steve Jobs often said that his model was Sony, and he wanted the kind of world conquest that Sony had achieved, with his brand on all kinds of products. I wouldn't mind if the Mac really had become like an appliance that you turn on and "just works". That didn't happen. Today Apple makes more money from phones than computers. Apple wants to be ATT. ATT wants to be Comcast. Comcast couldn't even get my TV remote to sync with the cable remote. I had to buy a Logitech universal remote instead. And it worked!

I don't want a smartphone. I dislike iPads. As someone who writes, those gadgets have nothing to offer me. I don't need to carry all of my data with me all the time. I don't care about swiping, gestures, or emoticons. I write words, not hieroglyphics. I don't care how thin a computer is so long as it works. I don't use cloud services. I don't use the Apple store. I buy CDs, not mp3s, so I have no use for Apple Music. I still have my old iPod. It's no longer made. I'm not sure what Apple Pay is, but I doubt it offers something I need. Trying to use an Apple ID is so absurd I'm at a loss for words.

Of recent iMacs, I dislike: the proprietary features, the price which is no longer justified, the inability to upgrade, the inability to repair, the fact that monitors get bigger but are no easier to read either because of glare, small type, or poor system font handling; the keyboard and mouse; the fusion with iOS; the breaches of privacy; the intrusion of cloud services; features I don't want or need like voice recognition or face recognition; the slow Finder; the crippling of software, including its own; the disappearance of products I liked; the poor quality of parts; the poor quality of service; the high cost of repair; the inability to compete with other companies which make better products at a lower price.

Living in the Mac ghetto isn't worth it anymore if you are going to own a computer that no longer "just works". Apple became Microsoft. Times ten.

I stopped in an Apple store, and after fiddling around I was shocked at how slow the OS is now. My ten year old computer running 10.6 does almost everything faster, and everything that matters to me: the Finder is snappy, programs start and stop quickly, the Mac starts up and shuts down quickly. There was better software in the 1990s.

My iMac can boot into either 10.6 or Windows 7. For a while I could boot into Mint, but I deleted it because Linux isn't worth the trouble.

I don't have to buy a new computer today. I can get by. I use a 10-year-old Dell laptop (which I upgraded) for surfing the web, for reading, and for fun. For writing, I have found nothing in Windows to replace Tom Bender's Tex Edit Plus, Pages, and Numbers.

Re: Is Apple Destroying the Mac?
deniro #49311 07/02/18 10:18 PM
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You go, guy!

I'm so happy to see someone so much more savvy than me in the ways of the computer world have the same sort of complaints about the evolution (or would that be devolution?) of same, viz:
Originally Posted By: deniro
... I don't want a smartphone. I dislike iPads. As someone who writes, those gadgets have nothing to offer me. I don't need to carry all of my data with me all the time. I don't care about swiping, gestures or emoticons. I write words, not hieroglyphics. I don't care how thin a computer is so long as it works. I don't use cloud services. I don't use the Apple store. I buy CDs, not mp3s, so I have no use for Apple Music. I still have my old iPod. It's no longer made. I'm not sure what Apple Pay is, but I doubt it offers something I need. Trying to use an Apple ID is so absurd I'm at a loss for words.

Re: Is Apple Destroying the Mac?
grelber #49353 07/05/18 04:31 PM
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A couple more tools that I find indispensable on the Mac: Default Folder and Clip Menu.

It's amazing how time is wasted in Windows resizing columns, windows, and preferences in Windows's equivalent of the Finder. There should be some kind of default that doesn't get reset every time I close a window. It is called Windows, after all. Shouldn't Windows's windows be easier to manage? Even more incredible, in some programs there are windows you can't resize. That's right. In Windows you can't always resize windows. That's absurd.

Much time is wasted, too, on drilling through folders to get back to where I was. Column view on the Mac is one solution, leaving a window open, but even snappier is Default Folder.

There are many clipboard programs for Windows, but I've found none better than Clip Menu on the Mac, which does exactly what I want with no fuss or complaints.

Mac users always hear about the amount of Windows software that exists, and it's too that there is a lot, but so much of it sucks. There's a lot open source software, too—and much of it sucks. I would gladly pay for quality software, but the past few years in Windows have taught me there's not nearly as much as I thought. Mac software is usually so much better, easier to use, more attractive. I really am flabbergasted that after all these years there hasn't been more progress in the usability, appearance, and reliability of Windows software. It's astonishing what people will tolerate.

Other Mac tools of mine: atext, Audio Hijack Pro, Beyond Compare (which does have a Windows version), the built in Oxford American dictionary and thesaurus, Disc Cover (which comes with a reduced version of Art Text), EasyFind, FinderPop, Font Book (which is fine for my uses), Graphic Converter, iCal , Mail (good when it works), Monolingual, Numbers, Onyx, Pacifist, Pages, Preview (yes, Preview, with its nice annotation feature), Reunion, Singer Song Reader, SuperDuper, Tex-Edit Plus, TextWrangler, TinkerTool, and XLD.

What great tools these are. If only I could keep using them.

Last edited by deniro; 07/05/18 04:34 PM.
Re: Is Apple Destroying the Mac?
deniro #49354 07/05/18 05:38 PM
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Originally Posted By: deniro
Mac users always hear about the amount of Windows software that exists, and it's too that there is a lot, but so much of it sucks. There's a lot open source software, too—and much of it sucks. I would gladly pay for quality software, but the past few years in Windows have taught me there's not nearly as much as I thought. Mac software is usually so much better, easier to use, more attractive. I really am flabbergasted that after all these years there hasn't been more progress in the usability, appearance, and reliability of Windows software. It's astonishing what people will tolerate.

And that's the problem in a nutshell (all puns intended), as you succinctly have laid* it out. If people accept (and pay) for inferior product, what's the incentive to improve it?!
Ergo, the best reason to stick with Apple ... until the worm turns.

* PS Should anybody be interested in my diatribe on The death of "lie" (vs "lay") or Put the lie to lay, let me know and I'll post it in the Lounge.

Re: Is Apple Destroying the Mac?
grelber #49360 07/06/18 01:45 PM
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If the Mac is so God awful how do you account for the fact that in a market where sales are continuing to fall across the board, how is it that Mac sales continue to increase, albeit slowly? How is it that the originator of the PC, IBM, has switched to Apple for their corporate desktop and laptop computers?


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Is Apple Destroying the Mac?
grelber #49369 07/06/18 04:26 PM
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Originally Posted By: grelber
PS Should anybody be interested in my diatribe on The death of "lie" (vs "lay") or Put the lie to lay, let me know and I'll post it in the Lounge.


Yes, that is one of my pet peeves. How about "further vs. farther" or "'data' is a plural word, folks. The data are…"?


On a Mac since 1984.
Currently: 24" M1 iMac, M2 Pro Mac mini with 27" BenQ monitor, M2 Macbook Air, MacOS 14.x; iPhones, iPods (yes, still) and iPads.
Re: Is Apple Destroying the Mac?
joemikeb #49372 07/06/18 05:09 PM
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deniro Offline OP
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Are you sure imac sales are increasing?

If the question is who would buy an imac, my answer is: people who don't any know better.

There are many possibilities. My guess is that these are new users rather than repeat users. These people don't read computer web sites and aren't that tech savy. Maybe they wandered into an Apple store at the mall. Maybe they've never owned a computer before and have no experience to compare. It could be the appearance of the Mac, it could be that they've fallen for Apple advertising and marketing, or maybe they want "anything but Microsoft."

There are many reasons why people buy bad products.


Last edited by deniro; 07/06/18 05:09 PM.
Re: Is Apple Destroying the Mac?
Ira L #49378 07/06/18 07:13 PM
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Originally Posted By: Ira L
Originally Posted By: grelber
PS Should anybody be interested in my diatribe on The death of "lie" (vs "lay") or Put the lie to lay, let me know and I'll post it in the Lounge.

Yes, that is one of my pet peeves. How about "further vs. farther" or "'data' is a plural word, folks. The data are…"?

First off, check the usage info under "further" or "farther" in your macOS's Dictionary app.

Most reputable journals will correct "data" and supply a plural verb where appropriate. If it's used in the singular, they'll supply the correct "datum".

Since you asked, I'll drop The death of "lie" (vs "lay") or Put the lie to lay into the Lounge.

Re: Is Apple Destroying the Mac?
deniro #49383 07/06/18 08:35 PM
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Originally Posted By: deniro
Are you sure imac sales are increasing?

Apple normally reports sales by product line rather than by model within a product line and Mac sales — that is all Macs including Mac Mini, MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac Pro — have shown a small but consistent increase in sales almost every quarter. At the same time the general computer market — which includes all PC manufacturers as well as Apple — has seen a slow but steady decrease in sales. The few times Apple has released sales figures for a specific model line the focus has been on their laptops — MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro — and it would appear they are doing the heavy lifting for the rest of the Mac product line, not the iMac.

Last edited by joemikeb; 07/06/18 08:37 PM. Reason: terrible grammar

If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: Is Apple Destroying the Mac?
deniro #49510 07/18/18 07:34 PM
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For me, the turning point for Apple's sense of reason was when it removed MOSAIC from its screensaver options. (I believe Mountain Lion was the last OS to offer it.)

Why remove MOSAIC? No "logical" reason that I can think of. I can't imagine that it took up too much valuable space within the screensaver application. Instead Apple offered redundant variations of slides, panels, and mobiles. MOSAIC was way cooler than any of these.

confused


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