Laptops update: is the reaction usually this bad?

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Ok, so a lot of people are p'd off about the loss of firewire, a lot of people are p'd off about the complete shift to glossy screens, a lot of people don't like the black bezel or the keyboard...



A lot of people are always going to dislike minor things about each release, but I can't remember such a massive condemnation of major features in an update. Usually people seem to love everything Apple does, but this time around a cute metal casing doesn't seem to be enough to sway the tide of negativity.



What I want to know is not whether the complaints are justified or not but whether, in your opinion, this update has attracted more complaints than usual.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by rogue68 View Post


    Ok, so a lot of people are p'd off about the loss of firewire, a lot of people are p'd off about the complete shift to glossy screens, a lot of people don't like the black bezel or the keyboard...



    A lot of people are always going to dislike minor things about each release, but I can't remember such a massive condemnation of major features in an update. Usually people seem to love everything Apple does, but this time around a cute metal casing doesn't seem to be enough to sway the tide of negativity.



    What I want to know is not whether the complaints are justified or not but whether, in your opinion, this update has attracted more complaints than usual.



    All Mac users are whiney hard to please babies. They bitch non stop about every damned product Apple makes. They all think Steve Jobs should personally consult each and every one of them about how many firewire/usb/card slot/memory slot/expansion ports/removeable batteries each and every computer should have, and it better please each and every Mac user.
  • Reply 2 of 16
    Basic comprehension:-



    The question was whether or not there have been more complaints for this release than usual, not whether those complaints are justified.
  • Reply 3 of 16
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by rogue68 View Post


    Basic comprehension:-



    The question was whether or not there have been more complaints for this release than usual, not whether those complaints are justified.



    I answered the question. Mac users bitch about everything in the same proportion. Everything. So no, there has not been more or less bitching than normal. Remember when the floppy was no longer included? My God, you'd have thought the atmosphere was getting ready to evaporate or something.
  • Reply 4 of 16
    batbat Posts: 47member
    Same old same old. And I used the floppy drive analogy on another forum and was nearly drawn and quartered for it. Bottom line: Mac users who visit the forums are prone to whining. Nobody wants to hear from the satisfied users - they're just not entertaining.
  • Reply 5 of 16
    It's not the "same old, same old". Sure, people have complained about changes in the past just like they are complaining now. What's different about most of those other changes is that Apple often replaced a technology with another emerging technology that people hoped would be better. Floppy disks were out of date but if you have to use them then you could just wander on down to CompUSA at the time and buy a USB floppy drive. It set you back a few bucks but it solved your particular issue. This move is much different as Apple hasn't replaced FireWire with something better nor is there any way to compensate for the "loss".



    I don't know of a similar change in the past. If there was, what was it?
  • Reply 6 of 16
    Hee hee, I remember the old floppy drive issue, which reminds me of an old Calvin & Hobbes (At least I think it was C&H).



    Anyhow Hobbes asks Calvin what he is going to be for Halloween, and he replies an iMac.



    Hobbes says "An iMac, what's so scary about an iMac?"



    "No FLOPPY DRIVE!!!"
  • Reply 7 of 16
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    Getting rid of the floppy drive was a much bigger deal. The majority of the computer market still used floppy drives when Apple dropped it.



    Firewire is the exact opposite. The majority of the computer market does not use Firewire. Only Mac users care.
  • Reply 8 of 16
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TenoBell View Post


    Getting rid of the floppy drive was a much bigger deal. The majority of the computer market still used floppy drives when Apple dropped it.



    Firewire is the exact opposite. The majority of the computer market does not use Firewire. Only Mac users care.



    only mac users care ?!



    haha this is a funny statement cause...



    only mac users use macs...



    so anyone who is looking to purchase a mac is either currently a mac user [who cares] or is looking to be a mac user [who then also cares]



    so basically the only people who dont mind that the macbooks are missing firewire are those that dont use or dont even want a macbook....hahaha
  • Reply 9 of 16
    tenobelltenobell Posts: 7,014member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by luke... View Post


    so basically the only people who dont mind that the macbooks are missing firewire are those that dont use or dont even want a macbook....hahaha



    Windows users who are switching to the Mac have mostly never used FireWire. So they don't care.



    They don't begin to care simply because they switch to a Mac.



    The people complaining are a minority of a minority and don't want to believe it.
  • Reply 10 of 16
    macroninmacronin Posts: 1,174member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Bulky Cranium View Post


    Hee hee, I remember the old floppy drive issue, which reminds me of an old Calvin & Hobbes (At least I think it was C&H).



    Anyhow Hobbes asks Calvin what he is going to be for Halloween, and he replies an iMac.



    Hobbes says "An iMac, what's so scary about an iMac?"



    "No FLOPPY DRIVE!!!"



    That was Foxtrot...
  • Reply 11 of 16
    The answer is yes.
  • Reply 12 of 16
    thttht Posts: 5,421member
    The answer is indeed yes. Sometimes not so bad, especially when all Apple does is a press release update. If it is a Steve Jobs RDF or executive dog-n-pony show update oh yes.
  • Reply 13 of 16
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    I think it could have been worse as there could have been no significant improvements.



    There were big improvements and big problems introduced in almost equal measure.



    Big problems:

    - No firewire

    - No matte displays

    - prices went up



    Big improvements:

    - vastly improved graphics

    - much better build quality

    - easy upgrades in both models (HD, Ram)



    I would say that the problems outweigh the improvements but the improvements dampen the effect. It's as if someone slapped you in the face but then handed you a piece of chocolate. Some people don't like chocolate so it really doesn't help. Others love chocolate and have no sensation in their face (this is where the analogy wears thin) so they'll be fine with it.



    I think that as time goes on and people find solutions to overcome the losses, the complaints will die down until Apple find something else to piss people off about next year. One day I can see them ditching the keyboard and going with touch only and we'll have a whole group of people who can't use a laptop without a keyboard. I can see 10.6 annoying people by breaking drivers and some software packages.



    Assuming that no suitable solutions arise for the current problems introduced, we will see that Apple's sales will have faltered and they will rethink their strategy next time. If the sales are strong then those of us who aren't happy with what they offer will simply have to look elsewhere or for older Mac models that work better for us.



    It's difficult being faced with the idea of moving elsewhere because there's a lot to give up when it seems like it would be so easy for Apple to just listen to what everyone wants rather than just what most people want (according to them anyway). There's no need to pander to every whim but if 80% of people like glossy, why force 20% to like it too when they don't? If 80% don't use firewire on a Macbook, why force 20% to live without it? That 20% could very well be some of their highest profile clients.



    Until Apple start catering for more users than just people who fit their image of perfection, there will always be complaints and there always have been. I don't see this particular move with the Macbooks as being the worst. The move away from SCSI, the floppy, the Intel switch, the OS X switch - they all had good and bad points. In the end, they all turned out to be for the best.



    It's hard to see what good can come of the choices Apple made recently but I can see it encouraging users to move away from real-time capturing methods, I can see it improving USB support/performance on Macs. Time will tell. I don't see any benefit to removing matte but there's nothing that can be done now except not buy them and give them feedback about it.
  • Reply 14 of 16
    great post Marvin,



    the great improvements to the new macs only make the downfalls even worse.

    if the improvements weren't great then I wouldn't care that I am now looking for a used last gen version, [that doesnt have the improvements, but also doesn't have the new mistakes]



    usually the Pro-Cons question that is weighed when making an apple purchase has been:

    what do I want, what can I afford.

    now it has become what can I live without or what can I live with.

    either way there is now harsh compromises to be made with such a large purchase.



    there goes the excitement of my 4 year wait to upgrade.

    [needed to upgrade at the 3 year mark, but financially couldn't swing it]

    sigh...
  • Reply 15 of 16
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TenoBell View Post


    Windows users who are switching to the Mac have mostly never used FireWire. So they don't care.



    They don't begin to care simply because they switch to a Mac.



    The people complaining are a minority of a minority and don't want to believe it.



    Bang on. Count me as one of those. Firewire? Never used it. I understand what it does but it doesn't affect me at all. Doesn't affect my decision to get a mac one iota.



    Which makes me a happy Apple customer
  • Reply 16 of 16
    pbg4 dudepbg4 dude Posts: 1,611member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by TenoBell View Post


    Windows users who are switching to the Mac have mostly never used FireWire. So they don't care.



    They don't begin to care simply because they switch to a Mac.



    The people complaining are a minority of a minority and don't want to believe it.



    I'm pretty sure even PC users who want to get good quality A/V into/out of their computers have heard of Firewire.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Gateway Model FX6710-01 Webpage


    IEEE 1394 FireWire

    Thanks to its real-world speed specs and wide high-end device deployment, IEEE 1394 FireWire is a favorite for transferring large media files from DV camcorders, digital audio/video devices, external hard drives and high-performance DVD burners.



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