I feel like this and the previous editorials really illustrate how the change at AI over the last decade. It's one that I, quite frankly, don't like. I joined AI in early 2000, pre-Pismo Powerbook and pre-2001 blackout. For several years, AI was a place to get great hardware rumors, discussion, and even monumental political debates in Apple Outsider. All that has changed. There are few, if any, good rumors. There are fewer real scoops on what's coming. AO is gone, and the boards are policed heavily. Articles with any political content usually have comments turned off. AI has gone from an insurgent, true "insider" website to another cog in the corporate media machine. We get breathy editorials, a constant barrage of "best price" ads dressed up like news stories, and a site that might as well be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Apple itself. Unfortunate.
So you would rather AI become the cesspool of hatred and negativity that is MacRumors and 9to5Mac? Those two sites are now overrun with trolls and Android fans who spend the day trashing Apple and congratulating each other on how vicious their comments are. Neither of those sites have scoops either. Heavy policing is part of the reason I continue to visit AI.
I stopped reading MacRumors a while back because of the negativity. I think there’s an effort on their part to rein that in but I haven’t been back to see how that’s worked out. The sad part, at least for me, was that I found that I had, in part, joined in and it sucked. I’m hoping it’s left me with a desire to be better at positive commenting :-)
Yeah, so 'wildly' behind that Apple doesn't have anything to compete with Huawei's AI, 5G and wifi silicon.
Actually Huawei believes its chips are behind. Some medium blog isn't an authoratative source. Take a look at Anantech, which just a few months ago reported on how Huawei cheats to get good benchmarks for an inadequate part, and even admitted to it.
" seems quite blatant as to what Huawei and seemingly Honor had been doing: the newer devices come with a benchmark detection mechanism that enables a much higher power limit for the SoC with far more generous thermal headroom. [...] The end result is a single performance number is higher, which is good for marketing, but is unrealistic to any user with the device. "
"Huawei’s new benchmark behavior very much exceeds anything we’ve seen in the past. We use custom editions of our benchmarks (from their respective developers) so we can test with this ‘detection’ on and off, and the massive differences in performance between the publicly available benchmarks and the internal versions that we’re using for testing is absolutely astonishing."
In réponse, Huawei issued a statement from a "Dr. Wang [who] also expresses that in relation to gaming benchmarking that ‘others do the same testing, get high scores, and Huawei cannot stay silent’."
"we just hope that in the future we’ll see more responsible and honest marketing, as this summer’s materials were rather, incredible, in the worst sense of the word."
Anandtech reran the tests with the “cheats” off and concluded that “overall, the graphs are very much self-explanatory. The Kirin 960 and Kirin 970 are lacking in both performance and efficiency compared almost every device in our small test here.”
Huawei's founder stated the company's chips aren't competitive.
I feel like this and the previous editorials really illustrate how the change at AI over the last decade. It's one that I, quite frankly, don't like. I joined AI in early 2000, pre-Pismo Powerbook and pre-2001 blackout. For several years, AI was a place to get great hardware rumors, discussion, and even monumental political debates in Apple Outsider. All that has changed. There are few, if any, good rumors. There are fewer real scoops on what's coming. AO is gone, and the boards are policed heavily. Articles with any political content usually have comments turned off. AI has gone from an insurgent, true "insider" website to another cog in the corporate media machine. We get breathy editorials, a constant barrage of "best price" ads dressed up like news stories, and a site that might as well be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Apple itself. Unfortunate.
So you would rather AI become the cesspool of hatred and negativity that is MacRumors and 9to5Mac? Those two sites are now overrun with trolls and Android fans who spend the day trashing Apple and congratulating each other on how vicious their comments are. Neither of those sites have scoops either. Heavy policing is part of the reason I continue to visit AI.
I stopped reading MacRumors a while back because of the negativity. I think there’s an effort on their part to rein that in but I haven’t been back to see how that’s worked out. The sad part, at least for me, was that I found that I had, in part, joined in and it sucked. I’m hoping it’s left me with a desire to be better at positive commenting :-)
I left Mac Rumors years ago because I would say something positive about Apple & get totally attacked. I never joined here earlier because many articles at the time wouldn’t have any posts at all and I just figured the site was lame. As it turns out it was just low on trolls. I try to be positive in my posts even though most around here think I’m a bit of a weirdo. Which I probably am.
Yeah, so 'wildly' behind that Apple doesn't have anything to compete with Huawei's AI, 5G and wifi silicon.
Actually Huawei believes its chips are behind. Some medium blog isn't an authoratative source. Take a look at Anantech, which just a few months ago reported on how Huawei cheats to get good benchmarks for an inadequate part, and even admitted to it.
" seems quite blatant as to what Huawei and seemingly Honor had been doing: the newer devices come with a benchmark detection mechanism that enables a much higher power limit for the SoC with far more generous thermal headroom. [...] The end result is a single performance number is higher, which is good for marketing, but is unrealistic to any user with the device. "
"Huawei’s new benchmark behavior very much exceeds anything we’ve seen in the past. We use custom editions of our benchmarks (from their respective developers) so we can test with this ‘detection’ on and off, and the massive differences in performance between the publicly available benchmarks and the internal versions that we’re using for testing is absolutely astonishing."
In réponse, Huawei issued a statement from a "Dr. Wang [who] also expresses that in relation to gaming benchmarking that ‘others do the same testing, get high scores, and Huawei cannot stay silent’."
"we just hope that in the future we’ll see more responsible and honest marketing, as this summer’s materials were rather, incredible, in the worst sense of the word."
Anandtech reran the tests with the “cheats” off and concluded that “overall, the graphs are very much self-explanatory. The Kirin 960 and Kirin 970 are lacking in both performance and efficiency compared almost every device in our small test here.”
Huawei's founder stated the company's chips aren't competitive.
You said Chinese silicon was 'wildly' behind. I pointed out the opposite and gave a few links.
You contest with benchmark controversies? That is a very poor counter.
Anandtech? Yes. They spoke very highly of the Kirin 980. Crystal clear in fact:
"The new Kirin 980 SoC is an outstanding new SoC"
The Kirin 980 SoC has a best in class modem on it. It also had (at the time) the world's fastest wi-fi silicon. Both outstripping Apple's offering, the modem of which isn't on the Apple SoC.
Huawei has subsequently shipped even faster WiFi silicon.
Where is the Apple Balong/Tiangang equivalent?
Where is Apple's Ascend equivalent?
HiSilicon has a wide ranging silicon footprint covering tremendous scope in deployment scenarios. Far, far beyond what Apple offers. And as Huawei establishes a foothold in the CE space, HiSilicon is designing silicon to cover Huawei's needs there too.
It is also using state of the art chip manufacturing processes. The exact same process as Apple and manufacturing at TSMC.
If anyone is truly 'wildly behind' in silicon, it is Apple. So wildly behind in utterly key areas that it even had to drop its multi billion dollar court case against QC just to ensure it would have access to thirdparty silicon down the line!
By all means speak favourably of the Apple designed efforts - where they exist - but there is no point in making false generic claims when the reality is so clear.
I remember Bill Gates getting on stage somewhere (maybe COMDEX) and saying he didn't think it would be too hard to copy the plastic on the iMac. Of course he completely missed the point. The friendly plastic was to emphasize the friendly nature of the Mac and its OS completely opposite of the awful plug-and-pray Windows of the day. The mainstream tech media could not make heads or tails about why Apple was making a comeback. It defied their preconceptions and comments like the one from Gates only compounded their confusion. Years later, Steve Jobs said, "Design isn't how it looks but how it works."
Amen. And someone actually did copy that plastic: not worth the time to look it up, but it was a translucent white all-in-one with not Bondi but Royal! blue and those woefully absent-on-iMac (/s) 3.5" floppy drive & Wintel PC legacy ports -- so innovative! (/s/s/s) (Remember how iMac forced adoption of Intel's USB? Not even a good implementation with horrid 1.0 i/o speeds but the world took notice -- by excoriating Apple's decisions. Until they all went USB.) So the look really is the frosting on the cake, but Apple bakes a really really good cake... that looks damn good too.
It seems that the article starts from the assumption that Apple has always operated independently and outside the influence of other factors. But, from its earliest days, that has never been -- particularly in its earliest days:
Basically, the colored transluscent skinned Macs of the 2000's were a response to the somber, business like cream and black boxes being manufactured by IBM. Apple had a knee jerk to that grey sameness and went in the opposite direction.
Now, lately, they have focused on sleek, barebones, minimalmist designs -- which have become almost synonymous with the company. But, as that design is increasingly being copied in multiple products as well as even their packaging, it will be interesting to see how Apple responds.
But, their history is that they have never wanted to just be another boring, nondescript part of the pack. Their problem now though is that everybody else has copied them -- so to go-theri-own-way and set themselves apart, they will need to abandon their own design philosophy.
That's true, and the article charts out how apple has abandoned its own styles to arrive at new ones. And beyond that, how it has shifted from making computers to building a range of devices that feature fashion elements like Apple Watch. Nobody else is selling smartwatches in meaningful volumes, let alone building a market for bands.
A few years ago Android Enthusiasts were saying Apple's iPhone design wasn't unique or original, and that it simply represents the only way to build a phone, as an explanation for the copies in Android land.
Then Apple introduced a totally new design with iPhone X, and sure enough after criticizing it all the Android copiers came out with iPhone X clones--most shamelessly Google. But the thing is, iPhone X remans unique and nobody is buying Pixels. So Apple doesn't need to radically jump to a new design just because its being copied.
Another thing unique to Apple is that it is the only major maker developing both hardware and software. Samsung is dependent upon Google's software ideas, and can only offer its own alternative (leaving two sets of apps on every Galaxy). Same with PC cloners: they're dependent on Microsoft for Windows, and can only differentiate so much in hardware. Google and Microsoft have proven for a solid decade that they can't sell any meaningful volume of hardware themselves despite pretty strident efforts.
Yes, I agree....
But I wasn't trying to suggest that Apple ever simply tried to be unique simply to be unique. But, in the case of the transluscent case Macs for instance, it was a gut, knee jerk reaction to the square beige & black boxes from IBM that were dominating the market at that time. A symbol of being different, independent thinkers.
But, lately, their sleek, minimalist designs have become so pervasive that they risk becoming the IBM that they revolted from with their transluscent case Macs.
The brilliant and successful design of the translucent Macs was anything but “knee jerk”. It was a well reasoned and nuanced design. It only seems obvious after the fact. That’s the hallmark of good design.
Sleek and minimal is on brand. If others copy it they’re not going to do fat and excessive just be different.
Well reasoned instead of a knee jerk reaction?
To be honest, I saw it as not only a knee jerk reaction but a dumb one -- and still do.
And even Steve admitted it was done in response to the boring white boxes of the time. It was a teenage expression of independence from the boring parents. And, Apple continues to do silly things trying to show it's independence -- such as the TrashCan Mac. Dumb!
Fortunately, most of its designs are both beautiful and functional. But, every once in a while, they show their teenage spirit and do something dumb.
The latest reports from Vodafone and the UK detailing that Huawei is simply incompetent at security and refuses to fix massive problems and leaves open security backdoors above and beyond the security lapses in Android itself. And yet we are supposed to keep believing that China’s defeating Apple in pure cheapness when all its got is distantly third rate products that are wildly behind in both silicon hardware and software usability.
Yes, 'latest reports'. No time to wait for an official view I suppose. And the story was reported by Bloomberg first! Oh, the irony!
I have always been a fan of DED articles. “They’re wrong, here’s why” has been his tried and true trademark. And I loved it!
But his work lampooning the established tech press was probably easier 15 years ago when Apple’s growth was nascent and the company was still relatively small. The ‘know-nothings’ of the tech press had become used to Apple’s ‘beleaguered’ monicker of the ‘90s. At that time only those with eyeballs and a brain could see that Apple was doing something really really right. It was easy for DED to pounce on the inadequacies of the tech press conventional wisdom (and I use the word loosely).
But with a trillion dollar valuation, even a buffoon can tell that maybe Apple hasn’t completely screwed up over the past couple of decades. Snarky attacks on Apple are going to be a bit more nuanced. So DED will need to transform with that.
Read the Macalope and you may change your mind... Still lots of dumb, dumb media opinions. Especially from the Forbes Contributor Network.
I agree completely. Forbes is the absolute worst. Their tech “reporting” is so blatantly biased that I can’t take anything they say, about anything, seriously.
Comments
https://www.anandtech.com/show/13318/huawei-benchmark-cheating-headache
" seems quite blatant as to what Huawei and seemingly Honor had been doing: the newer devices come with a benchmark detection mechanism that enables a much higher power limit for the SoC with far more generous thermal headroom. [...] The end result is a single performance number is higher, which is good for marketing, but is unrealistic to any user with the device. "
"Huawei’s new benchmark behavior very much exceeds anything we’ve seen in the past. We use custom editions of our benchmarks (from their respective developers) so we can test with this ‘detection’ on and off, and the massive differences in performance between the publicly available benchmarks and the internal versions that we’re using for testing is absolutely astonishing."
In réponse, Huawei issued a statement from a "Dr. Wang [who] also expresses that in relation to gaming benchmarking that ‘others do the same testing, get high scores, and Huawei cannot stay silent’."
"we just hope that in the future we’ll see more responsible and honest marketing, as this summer’s materials were rather, incredible, in the worst sense of the word."
Anandtech reran the tests with the “cheats” off and concluded that “overall, the graphs are very much self-explanatory. The Kirin 960 and Kirin 970 are lacking in both performance and efficiency compared almost every device in our small test here.”
Huawei's founder stated the company's chips aren't competitive.
You contest with benchmark controversies? That is a very poor counter.
Anandtech? Yes. They spoke very highly of the Kirin 980. Crystal clear in fact:
"The new Kirin 980 SoC is an outstanding new SoC"
The Kirin 980 SoC has a best in class modem on it. It also had (at the time) the world's fastest wi-fi silicon. Both outstripping Apple's offering, the modem of which isn't on the Apple SoC.
Huawei has subsequently shipped even faster WiFi silicon.
Where is the Apple Balong/Tiangang equivalent?
Where is Apple's Ascend equivalent?
HiSilicon has a wide ranging silicon footprint covering tremendous scope in deployment scenarios. Far, far beyond what Apple offers. And as Huawei establishes a foothold in the CE space, HiSilicon is designing silicon to cover Huawei's needs there too.
It is also using state of the art chip manufacturing processes. The exact same process as Apple and manufacturing at TSMC.
If anyone is truly 'wildly behind' in silicon, it is Apple. So wildly behind in utterly key areas that it even had to drop its multi billion dollar court case against QC just to ensure it would have access to third party silicon down the line!
By all means speak favourably of the Apple designed efforts - where they exist - but there is no point in making false generic claims when the reality is so clear.
And someone actually did copy that plastic: not worth the time to look it up, but it was a translucent white all-in-one with not Bondi but Royal! blue and those woefully absent-on-iMac (/s) 3.5" floppy drive & Wintel PC legacy ports -- so innovative! (/s/s/s) (Remember how iMac forced adoption of Intel's USB? Not even a good implementation with horrid 1.0 i/o speeds but the world took notice -- by excoriating Apple's decisions. Until they all went USB.) So the look really is the frosting on the cake, but Apple bakes a really really good cake... that looks damn good too.
Fortunately, most of its designs are both beautiful and functional. But, every once in a while, they show their teenage spirit and do something dumb.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2019/05/01/huawei-rides-out-backdoor-story-and-looks-set-to-overtake-samsung-and-apple-this-year/#5015178714e4