Tech Discussion The Future of Apple

[AliShibaz]

I recently read that Apple is planning on making a few new devices including one that is worn on the wrist.

But, my question is this:

Without Steve Jobs cracking the whip over his employees, is it likely these devices will be as excellent as Apples' previous devices?

My guess would be ... No.

IMO, the unparalleled excellence achieved by Apple in the past was primarily due to Jobs' tyrannical treatment of the employees working on these things and a reflection of his personality. It has widely been reported he was a real nasty slave driver "Type A" personality when it came to getting the best out of his workers.

I believe the fact that Apple has created the finest devices in the history of the world, is primarily due to Jobs and now that he is gone, will the Apple workers continue to work as hard or as well because they are loyal to the memory of Jobs?

I doubt it. That is not the way people react to those who have abuses them. They do not remember those people fondly nor do they feel they owe any kind of debt of gratitude. If I was one of the many Apple employees who were abused by Jobs, my attitude would be, "Oh, fuck him! I wouldn't piss on the prick - even if he was on fire!"

It is not possible to predict the future. But, I just can't see Apple producing the same outstanding quality as they did before Jobs passed, which is a real shame, because as @sporkium has intimated, Apple has produced the very, very best! Nobody else has come anywhere even close to Apple.

Personally, I want to get an Apple product eventually so that I can experience that quality firsthand.

(This post was last modified: 12-28-2012, 07:03 PM by AliShibaz.)

[sporkium]

i've heard the stories about how steve jobs was a dick and all, and to be honest, i don't really care that much. he controlled a company, demanded perfection and created outstanding products. if the employees felt stressed or abused, it's probably because their efforts weren't up to the standards he set for apple.

back when i used windows machines, there was always a problem to be dealt with:

01) drivers are out of date
02) urgent security patch required
03) blue screens
04) windows was unable to located dll...
05) windows encountered a fatal error
06) windows does not currently understand what a printer is. please use a pencil instead
07-14924) got a virus even with anti-virus installed... blah blah blah
14925) windows is currently confused. try again later.
14926) you get the point?

about once a year, apple has some updates to install and that's fine... as soon as an issue is identified, it's fixed; it's not like with windows when i needed to install a freaking update every other day because microsoft wanted to put out their new product by a set time to meet their launch dates but found out that they were overly optimistic about that launch date and intentionally decided to ship out a substandard product and justified it by installing the rest of the package later.... or they just left several known exploits vulnerable for whatever reason.

i wish more companies were under the control of someone like steve jobs if that's what it takes to design a solid product because apple does not compromise the way other companies do. the majority of apple users don't even care about stuff like that since they have never known the hell of using windows. what they care about is that their mac works each and every time and works with all the portable devices without an issue because they were designed from the ground up to be compatible. apple does not just build computers, apple designs awesomeness.

sure, there is not a lot of external support for add-ons dealing with the core system and that's fine as i hate having to constantly update third-party add-on's and so does apple... so now, i just wait until apple releases a flash update should one be required because apple does not allow a third party's software package to fuck up the koolaid which is great because there are no fatal exceptions and everything works the way it should.

you want innovation, look to apple to lead the way and get it right the first time and every time; if you want cheaper substandard engineering that may or may not work, there is always microsoft... but that's just opinion. if you want a fact, apple care's about it's customers while microsoft just cares about your wallets... that is, so long as it's not a the computer's manufacturer's problem...

lol: winblows

but, this might be changing. do you think that if steve jobs was still alive such a shitty product such as apple maps would have been allowed to hit the market? very doubtful, i think.

[AliShibaz]

Excellent rant, Sporkium.

I think that is the best rant I have ever seen on this board.

And ....

"06) windows does not currently understand what a printer is. please use a pencil instead"

That was absolutely ROFL material.

Good One!

[sporkium]

i'm being serious... who wants to spend money on something that requires special maintenance every single day just to ensure that it will continue to work?

that is not user friendly and it's unreliable.

there's a reason that strategic defense computers don't run on windows.

windows can't find your dvd drive? windows can't find your printer? windows can't find your usb devices? windows can't find it's own asshole? windows blows? yup. that about sums it up.

i'm familiar with the registration and logs and all that bullshit -- regretful experiences from my windows days -- and it's not an issue for me... i can usually fix that nonsense... but for a regular user that just wants to use the fucking computer... it's a nightmare and that's what windows does best... terrorizes people.

the old myths about people making their computers explode by pushing the wrong buttons are based solely on windows being a lousy software package.

rarely you hear about people having issues with osX... which is mainly caused by user error but sometimes by thirdparty software goofing up in the command lines... which is always fixed by just logging out and logging back in. good luck doing that with windows as the odds are you are going to be coming face to face with the safe-boot screen if you even attempt it.

[AliShibaz]

For anyone who is not familiar with the debate re. Microsoft vs Apple, I think the rage evident in Sporkium's posts are entirely indicative of the frustration Windows users have had to live with over the years at the many problems we experience with Windows.

So, an Apple PC will cost you maybe 25 to 30 percent more money than a comparable Windows PC (although it's very difficult to state that any two machines can be considered comparable), it's clearly worth the money to all the Apple users.

Why do so many people continue to use Windows and avoid the switch to Apple? Is it a question of money?

For me, it's a question of the time and effort it would take to unlearn everything I have learned about Windows and re-learn similar concepts with Apple.

I'm pretty certain that Macs are definitely superior to Window machines. In fact, there can't be much doubt about it. But I first started using a Windows PC in 1984 and I have studied and learned about them ever since. That is just about 30 years now. It would be an absolute killer to give up all the knowledge and all the effort I have put into learning about Windows PCs at this point.

Also, I have written many, many utility applications for Windows and it would take me years to rewrite them for a Mac.

I have a very strong doubt that if I was to buy a Mac today and begin learning about it and begin re-writing all the software that I have written for my windows machines, I doubt that I would live long enough to be able to complete the job.

Sad but true. Very, very sad.

(This post was last modified: 01-04-2013, 04:24 PM by AliShibaz.)

[velvetfog]

So, an Apple PC will cost you maybe 25 to 30 percent more money than a comparable Windows PC (although it's very difficult to state that any two machines can be considered comparable), it's clearly worth the money to all the Apple users.

Apple computers are indeed more expensive to buy than a PC clone running Windows.
But there are some features that help offset that extra cost:

1. Apple users tend to be more productive on their machines. They spend considerably less time fiddling with operating system issues.

2. Apple users tend to keep their computers longer. That means that the cost of the machine can be depreciated over more years.

3. Apple computers are well made, and as used equipment they generally have a higher resale value than PC clones.

[System Folder]

I'm pretty certain that Macs are definitely superior to Window machines. In fact, there can't be much doubt about it. But I first started using a Windows PC in 1984 and I have studied and learned about them ever since. That is just about 30 years now. It would be an absolute killer to give up all the knowledge and all the effort I have put into learning about Windows PCs at this point.

Also, I have written many, many utility applications for Windows and it would take me years to rewrite them for a Mac.

Why not buy a Mac, and run Windows on it with Boot Camp or Parallels Desktop?

[AliShibaz]

I was never even aware that such a thing was possible.

I'm seriously considering buying a used Mac and learning how to use it in my spare time.

Would anyone care to suggest to me a good bet in buying a used Mac?

I don't need a portable and I don't need the latest and greatest machine. How much would I have to spend to get a reasonably competent Mac these days?

[System Folder]

I can run Linux, Windows, and the Mac OS all at the same time, and copy/paste between them. Watch the video here: http://www.parallels.com/products/desktop/

Also, make sure to check the system requirements so you can get the appropriate Mac. A good place to check for used Macs are Craigslist or eBay, but be careful that you don't get ripped off.

The Mac OS is basically Linux with a nice GUI, so you could install and learn Linux on your PC while you save up for brand new Mac from Apple. There are some Linux distros that don't need to be installed and can be run directly from the DVD or thumbdrive. These might be a good choice for you if you don't want to have to install Linux on your PC just to play with it.

(This post was last modified: 03-24-2013, 11:31 AM by System Folder.)

[AliShibaz]

Wow!

Thank you ever so much. That is just great info to know.

I would still very much appreciate if anyone could recomend to me a particular model of the Mac for me to buy used. I sure don't need the latest or greatest. I just want a model that I can use to learn about the Mac.

Any suggestions? Please include the price you would recommend that I pay for any model. I would like to spend less than about $500. I'm just guessing. But do I need to pay that much? Or can I get away with paying less than that?