TRAG

I enjoy these ‘peek behind the curtain’ articles.  Same with the ones about AI staffer home working set ups, thoughts on events etc.

More importantly, fair play Mike for opening up and sharing. Glad to hear you are ok, long may it continue.

charlesn said:

At first I was surprised to read this news from Gurman. I would have thought Apple marketing would want an event. But on second thought, not so much. Apple doesn't do events for speed bumps, and that's the story for the MBAs and, in large part, for the iPads, too. So you're left with an event to talk about OLED screens, the XL iPad Air and a couple of new accessories. And it's not as if the existing screens in iPad Pros aren't terrific--they are. I'm sure the OLEDs will better them in ways typical of OLED tech, but this will be iterative improvement, not jaw-dropping advancement. Of course, Apple is a company that based its whole marketing campaign for iPhone's 15 Pro models on a piece of titanium trim, so I never question their ability to make an insignificant feature seem like so much more than it is. 

😂

I am all in with Apple outside of my work devices so not in the market for any of these; but I am glad Microsoft experiments and keeps pushing the design envelope. Not as profitable a model as Apple’s limited, popular form factors and SKUs but the different designs can only be good for the consumer, both Windows and Apple.

mpantone said:

This is a good example of why they are often referred to as ANALysts.

Let's see now...

Apple just launched a BRAND NEW MAC PRODUCT that has undoubtedly been in development for YEARS with dozens (hundreds?) of prototype designs, all of which got nixed save the ONE winning design that is essentially a tall Mac mini. Basically Apple could have made the Mac Studio any shape they wanted including a circular trashcan, a cube, or a mini tower like the last AirPort Extreme and yet they chose the tall Mac mini. Did they simply not think outside the box?

Gee, perhaps crazy to imagine this but maybe Apple thinks this basic Mac mini design is pretty good.

I really wish AppleInsider (and other Mac sites) would track the accuracy of ANALysts like Starmine or sports analytics. Use something like OPS or WAR.

Hell, there should be a Fantasy ANALysts League. Bet money on the accuracy of these jokers. LOL, Gene Munster...

  

Let's also point out that the Mac mini has a big datacenter presence. There are tons of commercial grade accessories (like rackmount adapters, VESA mounts, etc.) for the current Mac mini form factor. Apple doesn't gain anything from making a future Mac mini 8" square or 7.5" square versus the existing 7.7" square.

dewme said:

justinpe said:

Prediction: The remote will get a U1 chip so you can locate it using the Find My app. 

I truly understand the sentiment.

The ATV is a great product but the remote control is a human-factors engineering disaster. You can't really hold it in your hand comfortably because its like trying to drive your pickup truck with a Barbie Car steering wheel. Was it actually designed for Hamster hands? But if you put it down, its slick surfaces and wafer thin profile means it's going to disappear nearly instantly underneath or into something in your TV viewing area or anywhere around your house. When you buy an Apple TV, Apple should send a sales associate over to your house in-advance to pre-hide your ATV Remote somewhere in your house where you'd least expect to find it, like in the cat's litter box, in a diaper (yours perhaps?), or next to the emergency fire extinguisher under the kitchen sink. This would serve as a proper tutorial and training exercise for newbie ATV Remote owners.

Okay okay, I'll concede that if you actually live in a padded cell, like the designer of the ATV "where the **** is it?" (WTFII) Remote probably does, you should be able to locate it rather quickly, assuming your padded walls and floor are not upholstered in a very dark decor. Mine aren't. But then again, if you do manage to pick it up in an upright orientation in your tiny trumpian hands, there's still a 50-50 chance you're going to be grabbing it by the wrong end and stroking its shiny side and pressing its Pause button whilst nothing responds on your ATV screen. It's a Homer-Doh!-Fest ridiculous excuse for anything that is supposedly designed for use by creatures with fingers and an opposable thumb. Like me.

The ATV Remote should be inducted into the Apple Design Hall of Shame. It gets my vote. Just put the damn thing in there, but good luck finding it. It's probably hiding under the puck mouse or next to the Newton.

I have been reading this forum for 10 years and a post has never made me laugh out loud before, let alone twice. Brilliant! 

I am reading this on the exact machine. It is an absolute workhorse after 11+ solid years. I will be getting a maxed out M3 13" MacBook Air when they come out but this is still going admirably. A couple of HD cable replacements, a SDD switch for the HD and a recent speaker and 'woofer' (such as it is) replacement later and it is still incredibly useable.

I am a fan of maxing out when purchasing new and keeping tech for a long time. This will be kept on as a home entertainment and streaming device, plugged into the TV for the apps my box doesn't have such as YouTube until it dies, which I can't see being anytime soon.

I went out of my way to get this one for the DVD drive, not really realising just how much the lighter & smaller MBP retina 13" was in terms of screen resolution and speaker quality. My other half has the retina MBP and I envied hers for a long time. Was it worth it the extra weight in my bag for 11+ years for that DVD drive I hear you ask? Absolutely not, other than digitising my music collection I have barely ever used the drive but I love the laptop and it continues to be an upgradeable, repairable and reliable trooper.

I can't deny I am looking forward to the light, thunderbolt dock-able, better sounding and smaller MBA M3 though

retrogusto said:

ndornquast said:

Some info to be aware of:

• 10 core processor only available on TB versions, 256 & 512MB versions get 9 cores (3e & 6p).
• 1TB option is $600 (60%) more than base option, $400 more than 512GB version.
• Textured nano glass requires TB option.
• Wide angle camera is dropped.. only one camera on rear.
• GPS still requires cellular version, which is $200 upgrade.

I am extremely disappointed Apple continues to bundle options.  Why should I have to buy storage I do not need to get the processor I want??

To get better processor and GPS, with AppleCare and tax is now $2,070.. and that doesn’t include any accessories.. and that’s the 11” version.

After I ordered mine, I also noticed that the 1TB and 2TB models have 16GBof RAM, whereas the other models have 8GB. I was surprised that they didn’t make this more clear in the marketing, because some people certainly would have upgraded the storage just to get the extra RAM. 

Yes, they are always quiet on RAM in iOS devices for some reason. They probably want to avoid comparisons with competitors; as Apple can do more via unified memory and software optimisation they are stingy with it, on paper Android tablets look better but in reality that isn't necessarily the case.

saarek said:

M4, that’s an interesting move. Especially considering the M3 isn’t even fully out yet with the Ultra chips (and hopefully the Extreme variant which the Mac Pro desperately needs to justify its existence).

Wonder why they’ve jumped so far forwards, it will simply put people off buying M3 Apple Macs, no one wants to buy last years tech at this years pricing.

Yeah, I just bought a fully loaded M3 MacBook Air 8 weeks ago. It makes no difference to the performance or longevity of this machine, but I still feel just a smidgen of irrational resentment 🤣