how about Apple stop making the same phone year after year come up with a new concept or a new UI They act like we care about faster this and faster that we want a new phone I refused the update I will stay with my X Until I am impressed
Wonderful first post. Except:
“I think your responsibility actually goes further back than that. It starts with the determination not to fall into the trap of just making things different. Because when a product has been highly regarded there is often a desire from people to see it redesigned. I think one of the most important things is that you change something not to make it different but to make it better." –Jony Ive
A smart Manufacturer will adjust production to closely match their anticipated / actual needs, with a little extra if possible. I for one am grateful that Apple has managed to reduce the store lines to almost zero by announcing the product a week before it becomes available for order or pickup. Mobbing a store results in nothing good for anyone. I would never wait in line at a store if I could order the same via the internet and have it delivered to my house or business - my time is valuable and limited. If I made concrete blocks, I would have to adjust production to match distribution facilities - FedEx, UPS, USPS, etc. the supply channels can only handle so much and then they backlog. The holiday season is upon us and Apple is not the only Retailer to clog the supply channels - there is the might Amazon. You can expect the manufacturers to ramp up with something else soon.
The only possible criticism I have is that it is a little on the heavy side, but it's nothing unmanageable.
Yes.
I also really like my XR, after upgrading from a 6s. But it is noticeably heavier. When I place my right pinky-finger under the phone as a brace, the phone presses quite a bit on the finger. This just means I need to change the way I hold my phone!
Going back to the early days of the Mac, Apple has always been something of an overpriced luxury brand. They just didn't have the sales to make money on volume. That changed a bit with the rise of the iPhone and the iPad, as they sold so many that they could make them affordable by Apple standards. But now that sales have plateaued and may decline in the future, Apple seems to have regressed back to what it knows best: making incredible products that are just too expensive for many. They seem to realize that they can't make money selling Chevys, so they are selling only BMW's and Mercedes now. Many will buy them, but many more just won't be able to. I, for one, am sad to see that.
Couldn't agree more. I recall seeing colleagues at work with Apple laptops around 2002 thinking they must have more money than sense. Having since been immersed in the brand I now realise it's a good (best) brand to have products from, but I don't think the concept of jacking prices to compensate for reduced sales is a very good long term strategy. Apple lacks another "must have" device - I see tons of rumors about products in development (smart cars, AR glasses etc.) but nothing ever seems to come to market.
how about Apple stop making the same phone year after year come up with a new concept or a new UI They act like we care about faster this and faster that we want a new phone I refused the update I will stay with my X Until I am impressed
What do you want, a circle-phone? How about you figure out that Apple doesn't do change for change's sake? Ive has commented on this many times. Most recently:
“It starts with the determination not to fall into the trap of just making things different. Because when a product has been highly regarded there is often a desire from people to see it redesigned. I think one of the most important things is that you change something not to make it different but to make it better.”
...and you just bought an X. Nobody *expects* you to upgrade. Normal people don't upgrade their pricey smartphones every year. Meanwhile, the annual updates to the product line will continue, so that when you do update, you get a good device with new features. Apple isn't going to stop annual incremental updates just because you still have a fairly new device and see less gain in upgrading. Dur.
The coral is beautiful, but I refuse to buy a full screen iPhone until they get rid of the notch, like they did wih iPad
Have fun waiting. Meanwhile, over a year in, I never ever notice it during use. The "Safe Area" for primary content is under it. Auxiliary content just fades away.
Do you notice your rear-view mirror in your car windshield? Same thing.
how about Apple stop making the same phone year after year come up with a new concept or a new UI They act like we care about faster this and faster that we want a new phone I refused the update I will stay with my X Until I am impressed
It appears that Apple met your need for a new concept last year as you have an iPhone X.
Going back to the early days of the Mac, Apple has always been something of an overpriced luxury brand. They just didn't have the sales to make money on volume. That changed a bit with the rise of the iPhone and the iPad, as they sold so many that they could make them affordable by Apple standards. But now that sales have plateaued and may decline in the future, Apple seems to have regressed back to what it knows best: making incredible products that are just too expensive for many. They seem to realize that they can't make money selling Chevys, so they are selling only BMW's and Mercedes now. Many will buy them, but many more just won't be able to. I, for one, am sad to see that.
Couldn't agree more. I recall seeing colleagues at work with Apple laptops around 2002 thinking they must have more money than sense. Having since been immersed in the brand I now realise it's a good (best) brand to have products from, but I don't think the concept of jacking prices to compensate for reduced sales is a very good long term strategy. Apple lacks another "must have" device - I see tons of rumors about products in development (smart cars, AR glasses etc.) but nothing ever seems to come to market.
You guys must be new to Apple, as they've never been the "Chevy" brand and have always been the nice-car brand. Commodity PCs have always been cheaper at the register. (Possible exception being iPods eventually got down to like 50 bucks.) But factor in TCO and Macs showed a lower price overall.
Apple isn't "jacking up prices". The new MBA is +200, but is way, way less than old MBAs when factoring inflation. The original MBA+SSD HD was $3300 in today's dollars. $1200 is significantly less, and it offers and does more.
Likewise the Mac mini is only $150 more with inflation, but ditched all the laptop components for desktop components -- so again, it does more (as people clamored and whined for it to do).
And while the iPad Pro went up, the non-pro base model went way down -- to $329, which is damn cheap.
how about Apple stop making the same phone year after year come up with a new concept or a new UI They act like we care about faster this and faster that we want a new phone I refused the update I will stay with my X Until I am impressed
What do you want, a circle-phone? How about you figure out that Apple doesn't do change for change's sake? Ive has commented on this many times. Most recently:
“It starts with the determination not to fall into the trap of just making things different. Because when a product has been highly regarded there is often a desire from people to see it redesigned. I think one of the most important things is that you change something not to make it different but to make it better.”
There's a beautiful English word that comes to mind whenever people speak from a corporate mindset but want to send a 'message': BOLLOCKS!!
That quote struck a nerve because it is bollocks in the purest form.
Did the injection moulded (18 months of work!) Flower Power and Dalmatian iMacs make them better? Nope!
Was the sunflower iMac such a better design hit that it was repeated? Was the hockey puck mouse (with one button) better than those that came before it? Were spring loaded CD trays better than motorised trays?
Is Jony Ive better to listen to when he looks away from the camera into nothingness on a white background and speaks like he's spaced out? LOL!
How did iluminating the Apple logo on laptops make them 'better'. How did taking that away make them 'better'? Did eliminating battery status leds make things better. Magsafe was born to resolve a common problem. Given the design of USB-C ports and where the expensive consequences of a damaged connector are, was removing magsafe really better?
There are many reasons for change! Budget constrictions, industry trends, marketing, doing what your boss tells you do and of course making them better but in any case you need to define 'better' because one man's 'better' can be another man's 'worse'. I'm looking at you, butterfly keyboard!
Typical bear-market FUD, hopefully it only lasts this week and not the next 2 years while they try and push the stocks as low as they can.
Typical Nikkie ... manipulatiin... just in time like clock work.
Dont people learn from repeated patterns of FUD creating behavior from the same Apple bashing source .
I concur with IndiekidUK, this report from Nikkei is straight-up market manipulation. I appreciate that AI included a mild disclaimer about the source’s track record, but that really should be put up front to catch the “skimmer” people and give them vitally-important context to such reports.
how about Apple stop making the same phone year after year come up with a new concept or a new UI They act like we care about faster this and faster that we want a new phone I refused the update I will stay with my X Until I am impressed
What do you want, a circle-phone? How about you figure out that Apple doesn't do change for change's sake? Ive has commented on this many times. Most recently:
“It starts with the determination not to fall into the trap of just making things different. Because when a product has been highly regarded there is often a desire from people to see it redesigned. I think one of the most important things is that you change something not to make it different but to make it better.”
There's a beautiful English word that comes to mind whenever people speak from a corporate mindset but want to send a 'message': BOLLOCKS!!
That quote struck a nerve because it is bollocks in the purest form.
Did the injection moulded (18 months of work!) Flower Power and Dalmatian iMacs make them better? Nope!
Was the sunflower iMac such a better design hit that it was repeated? Was the hockey puck mouse (with one button) better than those that came before it? Were spring loaded CD trays better than motorised trays?
Is Jony Ive better to listen to when he looks away from the camera into nothingness on a white background and speaks like he's spaced out? LOL!
How did iluminating the Apple logo on laptops make them 'better'. How did taking that away make them 'better'? Did eliminating battery status leds make things better. Magsafe was born to resolve a common problem. Given the design of USB-C ports and where the expensive consequences of a damaged connector are, was removing magsafe really better?
There are many reasons for change! Budget constrictions, industry trends, marketing, doing what your boss tells you do and of course making them better but in any case you need to define 'better' because one man's 'better' can be another man's 'worse'. I'm looking at you, butterfly keyboard!
Does Huawei even consider Industrial design of its products, and if they do, do they just contract it out like they do camera design? Most everything Huawei looks derivative, like the mini chin, with as many features packed in as possible, and given that Apple and Jony Ive are behind the original designs that these copy, you might want to stop mocking him.
Yeah, the butterfly switch keyboards have had problems for a small number of the overall users, an engineering and manufacturing problem, and it has certainly evolved in its now third generation, all in the name of cutting the keystroke by 40% over the design from 2015, because thinner Mac's is what the public wants. The biggest issue that Apple has yet to resolve is keystroke noise.
$750 is still expensive. Flagship prices only 2 years ago for the mid range phone option if you consider the XS and XS Max the flagships now.
Broadly speaking , Apple might be finding that less people than expected are willing to shell out top money when cheaper options are available (iPhone 8)
The XR’s biggest problem is its size. I know people who have said they no longer have an upgrade path from either a 6/6S/7 etc as they don’t want a bigger phone and the XS is too expensive. The 8 is the only option for them and it’s not much of an upgrade. My wife is one of them. She would (and is) buying nothing instead which is a lost sale for Apple as she really wanted to upgrade.
Agree with most of what you say but to say that the 8 is not much of an upgrade I have to disagree. The 8 has the same A11 chip used in the X phone which is faster than nearly everything on the market except the newest iPhones. It has wireless charging which I love. It has much better speakers than previous 6/6s/7 phones. It also is smaller and lighter than the new "flagship" XS and XR phones.
Agreed. The iPhone 8 is an excellent phone. It also has Touch ID which many people, including myself, prefer over Face ID.
how about Apple stop making the same phone year after year come up with a new concept or a new UI They act like we care about faster this and faster that we want a new phone I refused the update I will stay with my X Until I am impressed
What do you want, a circle-phone? How about you figure out that Apple doesn't do change for change's sake? Ive has commented on this many times. Most recently:
“It starts with the determination not to fall into the trap of just making things different. Because when a product has been highly regarded there is often a desire from people to see it redesigned. I think one of the most important things is that you change something not to make it different but to make it better.”
There's a beautiful English word that comes to mind whenever people speak from a corporate mindset but want to send a 'message': BOLLOCKS!!
That quote struck a nerve because it is bollocks in the purest form.
Did the injection moulded (18 months of work!) Flower Power and Dalmatian iMacs make them better? Nope!
Was the sunflower iMac such a better design hit that it was repeated? Was the hockey puck mouse (with one button) better than those that came before it? Were spring loaded CD trays better than motorised trays?
Is Jony Ive better to listen to when he looks away from the camera into nothingness on a white background and speaks like he's spaced out? LOL!
How did iluminating the Apple logo on laptops make them 'better'. How did taking that away make them 'better'? Did eliminating battery status leds make things better. Magsafe was born to resolve a common problem. Given the design of USB-C ports and where the expensive consequences of a damaged connector are, was removing magsafe really better?
There are many reasons for change! Budget constrictions, industry trends, marketing, doing what your boss tells you do and of course making them better but in any case you need to define 'better' because one man's 'better' can be another man's 'worse'. I'm looking at you, butterfly keyboard!
Does Huawei even consider Industrial design of its products, and if they do, do they just contract it out like they do camera design? Most everything Huawei looks derivative, like the mini chin, with as many features packed in as possible, and given that Apple and Jony Ive are behind the original designs that these copy, you might want to stop mocking him.
Yeah, the butterfly switch keyboards have had problems for a small number of the overall users, an engineering and manufacturing problem, and it has certainly evolved in its now third generation, all in the name of cutting the keystroke by 40% over the design from 2015, because thinner Mac's is what the public wants. The biggest issue that Apple has yet to resolve is keystroke noise.
Forget it, he's rolling.
The iMac design was beloved, it was one of the things that gave the market confidence that Apple wasn't going to die. I seem to recall the Flower Power iMac selling well. Also recall Magsafe didn't exactly have great luck with fire if I recall correctly. Apple's industrial design is one of the reasons it is the richest companies on Planet Earth. I'd take what Ive has to say on design over the Internet commenter crowd any day of the week. Not all design decisions they have made have been perfect but that's one of the consequences of innovation, it's silly to point out the wrong without pointing out the massive amount of things they have got right.
I am not the biggest fan of the butterfly keyboard but to be honest it is an improvement over the weak, flimsy design of the keyboard I typed this message on, which would be the keyboard on the 2012 MacBook Air.
how about Apple stop making the same phone year after year come up with a new concept or a new UI They act like we care about faster this and faster that we want a new phone I refused the update I will stay with my X Until I am impressed
What do you want, a circle-phone? How about you figure out that Apple doesn't do change for change's sake? Ive has commented on this many times. Most recently:
“It starts with the determination not to fall into the trap of just making things different. Because when a product has been highly regarded there is often a desire from people to see it redesigned. I think one of the most important things is that you change something not to make it different but to make it better.”
There's a beautiful English word that comes to mind whenever people speak from a corporate mindset but want to send a 'message': BOLLOCKS!!
That quote struck a nerve because it is bollocks in the purest form.
Did the injection moulded (18 months of work!) Flower Power and Dalmatian iMacs make them better? Nope!
Was the sunflower iMac such a better design hit that it was repeated? Was the hockey puck mouse (with one button) better than those that came before it? Were spring loaded CD trays better than motorised trays?
Is Jony Ive better to listen to when he looks away from the camera into nothingness on a white background and speaks like he's spaced out? LOL!
How did iluminating the Apple logo on laptops make them 'better'. How did taking that away make them 'better'? Did eliminating battery status leds make things better. Magsafe was born to resolve a common problem. Given the design of USB-C ports and where the expensive consequences of a damaged connector are, was removing magsafe really better?
There are many reasons for change! Budget constrictions, industry trends, marketing, doing what your boss tells you do and of course making them better but in any case you need to define 'better' because one man's 'better' can be another man's 'worse'. I'm looking at you, butterfly keyboard!
You haven't listened to enough Ive, then -- he's stated he believes hardware is like software and you can experiment and make corrections. Nothing about the quote I presented says otherwise.
- I wasn't a fan of the puck mouse (tho I know people who were) and am glad they went in a different direction. The Magic Mouse with touch is amazing and I'm surprised nobody else has copied it.
- The illuminating Apple logo was better because it raised awareness about the product. Removing it was better because the display was too thin to support doing so any longer, and their need was less.
- Removing MagSafe was better because the machines get all-day battery now, USB-C supports charging, charing can be done on either side, and dedicating one entire port to only charging and only on one side was less useful.
...You seem confused about compromises. There is always compromise...if Apple's compromises don't sit well with you, buy a Dell and be happy. Or stick to your crappy chinese ripoffs of whatever Apple is doing.
Here's your favorite ripoff company touting their skills:
how about Apple stop making the same phone year after year come up with a new concept or a new UI They act like we care about faster this and faster that we want a new phone I refused the update I will stay with my X Until I am impressed
What do you want, a circle-phone? How about you figure out that Apple doesn't do change for change's sake? Ive has commented on this many times. Most recently:
“It starts with the determination not to fall into the trap of just making things different. Because when a product has been highly regarded there is often a desire from people to see it redesigned. I think one of the most important things is that you change something not to make it different but to make it better.”
There's a beautiful English word that comes to mind whenever people speak from a corporate mindset but want to send a 'message': BOLLOCKS!!
That quote struck a nerve because it is bollocks in the purest form.
Did the injection moulded (18 months of work!) Flower Power and Dalmatian iMacs make them better? Nope!
Was the sunflower iMac such a better design hit that it was repeated? Was the hockey puck mouse (with one button) better than those that came before it? Were spring loaded CD trays better than motorised trays?
Is Jony Ive better to listen to when he looks away from the camera into nothingness on a white background and speaks like he's spaced out? LOL!
How did iluminating the Apple logo on laptops make them 'better'. How did taking that away make them 'better'? Did eliminating battery status leds make things better. Magsafe was born to resolve a common problem. Given the design of USB-C ports and where the expensive consequences of a damaged connector are, was removing magsafe really better?
There are many reasons for change! Budget constrictions, industry trends, marketing, doing what your boss tells you do and of course making them better but in any case you need to define 'better' because one man's 'better' can be another man's 'worse'. I'm looking at you, butterfly keyboard!
Does Huawei even consider Industrial design of its products, and if they do, do they just contract it out like they do camera design? Most everything Huawei looks derivative, like the mini chin, with as many features packed in as possible, and given that Apple and Jony Ive are behind the original designs that these copy, you might want to stop mocking him.
Yeah, the butterfly switch keyboards have had problems for a small number of the overall users, an engineering and manufacturing problem, and it has certainly evolved in its now third generation, all in the name of cutting the keystroke by 40% over the design from 2015, because thinner Mac's is what the public wants. The biggest issue that Apple has yet to resolve is keystroke noise.
Industrial design? Huawei has an aesthetic research center in Paris where all the recent designs have come from:
Try searching for adjectives like 'stunning', 'gorgeous', 'beautiful' plus Huawei.
Camera design is not contracted out. It is co-engineered with Leica. Huawei has its own Imaging and Video Technology R&D Centre in Tampere (the Silicon Valley of Imaging), employing some of the biggest names in the business:
how about Apple stop making the same phone year after year come up with a new concept or a new UI They act like we care about faster this and faster that we want a new phone I refused the update I will stay with my X Until I am impressed
What do you want, a circle-phone? How about you figure out that Apple doesn't do change for change's sake? Ive has commented on this many times. Most recently:
“It starts with the determination not to fall into the trap of just making things different. Because when a product has been highly regarded there is often a desire from people to see it redesigned. I think one of the most important things is that you change something not to make it different but to make it better.”
There's a beautiful English word that comes to mind whenever people speak from a corporate mindset but want to send a 'message': BOLLOCKS!!
That quote struck a nerve because it is bollocks in the purest form.
Did the injection moulded (18 months of work!) Flower Power and Dalmatian iMacs make them better? Nope!
Was the sunflower iMac such a better design hit that it was repeated? Was the hockey puck mouse (with one button) better than those that came before it? Were spring loaded CD trays better than motorised trays?
Is Jony Ive better to listen to when he looks away from the camera into nothingness on a white background and speaks like he's spaced out? LOL!
How did iluminating the Apple logo on laptops make them 'better'. How did taking that away make them 'better'? Did eliminating battery status leds make things better. Magsafe was born to resolve a common problem. Given the design of USB-C ports and where the expensive consequences of a damaged connector are, was removing magsafe really better?
There are many reasons for change! Budget constrictions, industry trends, marketing, doing what your boss tells you do and of course making them better but in any case you need to define 'better' because one man's 'better' can be another man's 'worse'. I'm looking at you, butterfly keyboard!
Does Huawei even consider Industrial design of its products, and if they do, do they just contract it out like they do camera design? Most everything Huawei looks derivative, like the mini chin, with as many features packed in as possible, and given that Apple and Jony Ive are behind the original designs that these copy, you might want to stop mocking him.
Yeah, the butterfly switch keyboards have had problems for a small number of the overall users, an engineering and manufacturing problem, and it has certainly evolved in its now third generation, all in the name of cutting the keystroke by 40% over the design from 2015, because thinner Mac's is what the public wants. The biggest issue that Apple has yet to resolve is keystroke noise.
Industrial design? Huawei has an aesthetic research center in Paris where all the recent designs have come from:
Try searching for adjectives like 'stunning', 'gorgeous', 'beautiful' plus Huawei.
Camera design is not contracted out. It is co-engineered with Leica. It has its own Imaging and Video Technology R&D Centre in Tampere, employing some of the biggest names in the business:
They have spillproof keyboards on laptops too. ;-)
You haven't made your case, and as for "aesthetic research center in Paris", i'm guessing that they gave the okay to the FlyPod's, which obviously stole Apple's AirPod design language.
Jony and Apple's ID team are already credited with a number of original designs that Huawei, and just about every other consumer electronics company, have used as reference designs for their own products, not to mention the manufacturing processes that Apple has originated. Oh, and the Leica Camera that he designed, and of course, Apple Headquarters that he was instrumental in.
In fairness to Huawei, they really haven't been around that long in consumer electronics, and they don't actually make very many product lines.
Were Huawei to create a new product with original design, then I would certainly acknowledge that, but so far, everything that they have done is either derivative, or derivative with some evolution, aka the camera system on the Mate Pro.
how about Apple stop making the same phone year after year come up with a new concept or a new UI They act like we care about faster this and faster that we want a new phone I refused the update I will stay with my X Until I am impressed
What do you want, a circle-phone? How about you figure out that Apple doesn't do change for change's sake? Ive has commented on this many times. Most recently:
“It starts with the determination not to fall into the trap of just making things different. Because when a product has been highly regarded there is often a desire from people to see it redesigned. I think one of the most important things is that you change something not to make it different but to make it better.”
There's a beautiful English word that comes to mind whenever people speak from a corporate mindset but want to send a 'message': BOLLOCKS!!
That quote struck a nerve because it is bollocks in the purest form.
Did the injection moulded (18 months of work!) Flower Power and Dalmatian iMacs make them better? Nope!
Was the sunflower iMac such a better design hit that it was repeated? Was the hockey puck mouse (with one button) better than those that came before it? Were spring loaded CD trays better than motorised trays?
Is Jony Ive better to listen to when he looks away from the camera into nothingness on a white background and speaks like he's spaced out? LOL!
How did iluminating the Apple logo on laptops make them 'better'. How did taking that away make them 'better'? Did eliminating battery status leds make things better. Magsafe was born to resolve a common problem. Given the design of USB-C ports and where the expensive consequences of a damaged connector are, was removing magsafe really better?
There are many reasons for change! Budget constrictions, industry trends, marketing, doing what your boss tells you do and of course making them better but in any case you need to define 'better' because one man's 'better' can be another man's 'worse'. I'm looking at you, butterfly keyboard!
Does Huawei even consider Industrial design of its products, and if they do, do they just contract it out like they do camera design? Most everything Huawei looks derivative, like the mini chin, with as many features packed in as possible, and given that Apple and Jony Ive are behind the original designs that these copy, you might want to stop mocking him.
Yeah, the butterfly switch keyboards have had problems for a small number of the overall users, an engineering and manufacturing problem, and it has certainly evolved in its now third generation, all in the name of cutting the keystroke by 40% over the design from 2015, because thinner Mac's is what the public wants. The biggest issue that Apple has yet to resolve is keystroke noise.
Industrial design? Huawei has an aesthetic research center in Paris where all the recent designs have come from:
Try searching for adjectives like 'stunning', 'gorgeous', 'beautiful' plus Huawei.
Camera design is not contracted out. It is co-engineered with Leica. It has its own Imaging and Video Technology R&D Centre in Tampere, employing some of the biggest names in the business:
They have spillproof keyboards on laptops too. ;-)
You haven't made your case, and as for "aesthetic research center in Paris", i'm guessing that they gave the okay to the FlyPod's, which obviously stole Apple's AirPod design language.
Jony and Apple's ID team are already credited with a number of original designs that Huawei, and just about every other consumer electronics company, have used as reference designs for their own products, not to mention the manufacturing processes that Apple has originated. Oh, and the Leica Camera that he designed, and of course, Apple Headquarters that he was instrumental in.
In fairness to Huawei, they really haven't been around that long in consumer electronics, and they don't actually make very many product lines.
Were Huawei to create a new product with original design, then I would certainly acknowledge that, but so far, everything that they have done is either derivative, or derivative with some evolution, aka the camera system on the Mate Pro.
BFD
Try imagining Air Pods with cables. That is what came before. Removing the cables wasn't really an exercise in industrial design.
The secret is on the inside, not the outside, and in fact they are actually different.
In that regard Huawei/Honor has also added something new on the pro version. Bone ID.
Going back to the early days of the Mac, Apple has always been something of an overpriced luxury brand. They just didn't have the sales to make money on volume. That changed a bit with the rise of the iPhone and the iPad, as they sold so many that they could make them affordable by Apple standards. But now that sales have plateaued and may decline in the future, Apple seems to have regressed back to what it knows best: making incredible products that are just too expensive for many. They seem to realize that they can't make money selling Chevys, so they are selling only BMW's and Mercedes now. Many will buy them, but many more just won't be able to. I, for one, am sad to see that.
Comments
“I think your responsibility actually goes further back than that. It starts with the determination not to fall into the trap of just making things different. Because when a product has been highly regarded there is often a desire from people to see it redesigned. I think one of the most important things is that you change something not to make it different but to make it better." –Jony Ive
I for one am grateful that Apple has managed to reduce the store lines to almost zero by announcing the product a week before it becomes available for order or pickup. Mobbing a store results in nothing good for anyone. I would never wait in line at a store if I could order the same via the internet and have it delivered to my house or business - my time is valuable and limited.
If I made concrete blocks, I would have to adjust production to match distribution facilities - FedEx, UPS, USPS, etc. the supply channels can only handle so much and then they backlog.
The holiday season is upon us and Apple is not the only Retailer to clog the supply channels - there is the might Amazon.
You can expect the manufacturers to ramp up with something else soon.
I also really like my XR, after upgrading from a 6s. But it is noticeably heavier. When I place my right pinky-finger under the phone as a brace, the phone presses quite a bit on the finger. This just means I need to change the way I hold my phone!
“It starts with the determination not to fall into the trap of just making things different. Because when a product has been highly regarded there is often a desire from people to see it redesigned. I think one of the most important things is that you change something not to make it different but to make it better.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/jony-ive-interview-apple-ipad-new-macbook-air-mac-tim-cook-event-a8614421.html
...and you just bought an X. Nobody *expects* you to upgrade. Normal people don't upgrade their pricey smartphones every year. Meanwhile, the annual updates to the product line will continue, so that when you do update, you get a good device with new features. Apple isn't going to stop annual incremental updates just because you still have a fairly new device and see less gain in upgrading. Dur.
Do you notice your rear-view mirror in your car windshield? Same thing.
Apple isn't "jacking up prices". The new MBA is +200, but is way, way less than old MBAs when factoring inflation. The original MBA+SSD HD was $3300 in today's dollars. $1200 is significantly less, and it offers and does more.
Likewise the Mac mini is only $150 more with inflation, but ditched all the laptop components for desktop components -- so again, it does more (as people clamored and whined for it to do).
And while the iPad Pro went up, the non-pro base model went way down -- to $329, which is damn cheap.
That quote struck a nerve because it is bollocks in the purest form.
Did the injection moulded (18 months of work!) Flower Power and Dalmatian iMacs make them better? Nope!
Was the sunflower iMac such a better design hit that it was repeated? Was the hockey puck mouse (with one button) better than those that came before it? Were spring loaded CD trays better than motorised trays?
Is Jony Ive better to listen to when he looks away from the camera into nothingness on a white background and speaks like he's spaced out? LOL!
How did iluminating the Apple logo on laptops make them 'better'. How did taking that away make them 'better'? Did eliminating battery status leds make things better. Magsafe was born to resolve a common problem. Given the design of USB-C ports and where the expensive consequences of a damaged connector are, was removing magsafe really better?
There are many reasons for change! Budget constrictions, industry trends, marketing, doing what your boss tells you do and of course making them better but in any case you need to define 'better' because one man's 'better' can be another man's 'worse'. I'm looking at you, butterfly keyboard!
waste of space.
Yeah, the butterfly switch keyboards have had problems for a small number of the overall users, an engineering and manufacturing problem, and it has certainly evolved in its now third generation, all in the name of cutting the keystroke by 40% over the design from 2015, because thinner Mac's is what the public wants. The biggest issue that Apple has yet to resolve is keystroke noise.
The iMac design was beloved, it was one of the things that gave the market confidence that Apple wasn't going to die. I seem to recall the Flower Power iMac selling well. Also recall Magsafe didn't exactly have great luck with fire if I recall correctly. Apple's industrial design is one of the reasons it is the richest companies on Planet Earth. I'd take what Ive has to say on design over the Internet commenter crowd any day of the week. Not all design decisions they have made have been perfect but that's one of the consequences of innovation, it's silly to point out the wrong without pointing out the massive amount of things they have got right.
I am not the biggest fan of the butterfly keyboard but to be honest it is an improvement over the weak, flimsy design of the keyboard I typed this message on, which would be the keyboard on the 2012 MacBook Air.
- I wasn't a fan of the puck mouse (tho I know people who were) and am glad they went in a different direction. The Magic Mouse with touch is amazing and I'm surprised nobody else has copied it.
- The illuminating Apple logo was better because it raised awareness about the product. Removing it was better because the display was too thin to support doing so any longer, and their need was less.
- Removing MagSafe was better because the machines get all-day battery now, USB-C supports charging, charing can be done on either side, and dedicating one entire port to only charging and only on one side was less useful.
...You seem confused about compromises. There is always compromise...if Apple's compromises don't sit well with you, buy a Dell and be happy. Or stick to your crappy chinese ripoffs of whatever Apple is doing.
Here's your favorite ripoff company touting their skills:
Try searching for adjectives like 'stunning', 'gorgeous', 'beautiful' plus Huawei.
Camera design is not contracted out. It is co-engineered with Leica. Huawei has its own Imaging and Video Technology R&D Centre in Tampere (the Silicon Valley of Imaging), employing some of the biggest names in the business:
https://businesstampere.com/business-environment/business-ecosystems/imaging/huawei/
They have spillproof keyboards on laptops too. ;-)
Jony and Apple's ID team are already credited with a number of original designs that Huawei, and just about every other consumer electronics company, have used as reference designs for their own products, not to mention the manufacturing processes that Apple has originated. Oh, and the Leica Camera that he designed, and of course, Apple Headquarters that he was instrumental in.
In fairness to Huawei, they really haven't been around that long in consumer electronics, and they don't actually make very many product lines.
Were Huawei to create a new product with original design, then I would certainly acknowledge that, but so far, everything that they have done is either derivative, or derivative with some evolution, aka the camera system on the Mate Pro.
BFD
The secret is on the inside, not the outside, and in fact they are actually different.
In that regard Huawei/Honor has also added something new on the pro version. Bone ID.
Used ones.
I also only buy iPhones.
Used ones.