StudioSoup
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Apple's 'Crush' iPad Pro ad sparks intense backlash from creatives
I find the fact that some people seem to be so triggered by this to be much more of a reflection of something going on inside them than on Apple. I honestly kind of fear for our future if people have become so highly sensitized that they can’t even watch something like this without getting their feelings hurt. Lighten up, people!It’s a creative ad showing a bunch of inanimate objects being crushed down into an “impossibly thin” iPad! It immediately reminded me of some of the hydraulic press videos on social media and I found it to be playful, creative, and fun.
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Three things Apple got wrong with the Vision Pro launch
While I get why they feature the "cool" looking strap which only goes around the back of your head in their marketing campaign, as if to say hey, this isn't your typical VR headset, it simply isn't comfortable. Yes, it's perfectly fine around the back of your head and very pleasant to touch, but it causes you to carry the bulk of the AVP's weight smooshed to the front of your face and this just doesn't work well for any extended period of time. The other included strap, while far less exciting looking since it's like a harness which goes over the top of your head, makes wearing the device orders of magnitude more comfortable. The difference is truly night and day and I can comfortably wear the AVP for hours at a time with the more traditional "VR style" strap.
When I had my initial fit at the Apple Store they used the mono-strap and I was immediately like, whoa, this thing is super heavy and uncomfortable to wear! It wasn't until I got home and tinkered that I discovered the relief provided by the other strap. I think so many of the reviews complaining about weight and comfort have to do with the fact that Apple pushed the mono-strap for demos and review evaluations. I believe this was also a big mistake.
Sure, show the cool strap in all official Apple ads and marketing materials, but the more functional strap is the one which should come attached to the device in the box, be used for in-store test fits, and be prioritized for demos/reviews. Comfort is key when it comes to wanting to truly use this product on a regular basis, no matter how wow the tech is. I truly think Apple is doing themselves a disservice by not giving more priority to this simple/obvious concept. The mono-strap is aspirational as nothing more. Perhaps it'll actually be practical for long-term use when we're on AVP version 4 or 5 (or higher) and the device weighs far less, but we're nowhere near that point today.
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Apple Intelligence will come to an M5-powered Apple Vision Pro
As an owner of a Vision Pro, I think this is a ridiculous concept for a gen 2 device. First of all, can they really not bring a decent level of Apple intelligence to the fairly newly released M2 powered device? I mean, an iPhone 15 with an A series chip can handle Apple Intelligence and not an M2 powered Vision Pro which has 16 GB of RAM? Give me a break!
Also, the software/user interface isn't the issue. It's truly an incredible piece of hardware, but the focus needs to be on cost cutting, weight reduction, increasing the field of view, and battery life, all while maintaining the current high resolution which makes the experience so special. Personally, the first thing I'd axe would be the external displays. They're so unnecessary and I'm sure they add a lot to the weight and price, while also draining system/battery resources.
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You can now update your Apple TV to tvOS 18.1
tvOS 18 broke the connection with my 3rd party smart home remotes (Savant). Here’s hoping 18.1 fixes that! -
Siri may only get minor Apple Intelligence improvements before iOS 19
ApplePoor said:Not a surprise really that Apple got caught with their pants down. Too much time and money wasted on the "never saw the light of day" car. The "googles" have consumed untold resources, too and have not been a runaway success in terms of sales. Frankly, usable Apple's AI is years away and could become a serious concern financially as investors loose confidence.
Apple has morphed from a small and fast Navy Destroyer to a more than cumbersome Battleship. The latter finally gets up to speed and requires vast space to change course or turn around let alone stop.
The incremental changes or improvements in their "core" revenue source, the iPhone, are an embarrassment when one sees what the competitors are pushing out.
The comments here in the peanut gallery should be a five alarm file in the Board of Directors meetings such as the lack of more and more folks upgrading annually as there is just not enough change to justify a $2,000 expenditure for the top model with full memory - their most profitable model.
The incremental change of their most popular laptop (MacBook Air) is a chip change from the M3 to the M4. Wow! ???????
Just observations of an Apple user since1990 into computers since the early 1970s.
YMMV
For what it’s worth, as an Apple fan/user since the 1980s and investor since the 1990s, I 100% agree with this assessment. It’s honestly sad to see. I keep thinking maybe this’ll be the year they break out of the incremental rut, only to be disappointed once again.Vision Pro seemed like something of a return to form (a bold new product with a lot of buzz), but has seemingly been treated as an afterthought following the launch and I no longer have faith Apple will aggressively refine its form factor and push further development of the spacial platform. Also, although it’s an impressive product, the hardware launched with some design tradeoffs not typical of Apple, such as its weight and external battery situation. And the fact that Apple pursued VR style googles instead of AR style glasses out of the gate is also something of a questionable strategic decision. AR glasses done well clearly have a much larger market opportunity than bulky VR goggles.And they are riding the iPhone similarly to how Microsoft rode Windows in the 1990s. Complacent in their success and seemingly too scared or bloated to take risks while the world innovates around them. Let me guess, the next iPhone will feature better cameras, a more powerful processor, and perhaps be thinner or feature a new button or something? Whoop dee do.
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AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max: What to expect from Apple in 2024
I mean, are these rumored 2024 updates really “set to inspire” as the headline suggests? Sounds like a decent update to the base models, but not super compelling given the existing features of the Pros and the fact that they can often be bought for under $190.But other than the base AirPods, it sounds like there’s basically no update coming to the Pros or the Max. The rumors about the Max, if true, are disgraceful. Apple, just kill your flagship cans instead of waiting 4+ years to simply update the colors and charging standard! It’s such a bad look to continue selling something so pricey (compared to the market), with technology that’s long been outdated by your own less expensive product!
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Siri may only get minor Apple Intelligence improvements before iOS 19
All the more reason for Apple to have either waited to release glasses until the tech was mature enough, or to aggressively support vision os and push development of the AVP product line in the meantime. I get it that it’s generally supposed to be a developer kit and something of a test case, but they’re not doing a good job pursuing unique content for it, innovating the OS, or convincing developers it’s worth paying attention to. Don’t get me wrong, it’s super cool (I’ve owned one since day one!) but I fear Apple is going to treat it similar to other expensive niche launches, such as the AirPods Max or original HomePod.canukstorm said:
"AR glasses done well clearly have a much larger market opportunity than bulky VR goggles" => I agree with this but the issue with doing AR glasses well, is that the technology has to miniaturize to the point where AR glasses don't look too bulky or dorky. They have to look fashionable, in addition to being functional. The technology to do this is still a few years away.StudioSoup said:ApplePoor said:Not a surprise really that Apple got caught with their pants down. Too much time and money wasted on the "never saw the light of day" car. The "googles" have consumed untold resources, too and have not been a runaway success in terms of sales. Frankly, usable Apple's AI is years away and could become a serious concern financially as investors loose confidence.
Apple has morphed from a small and fast Navy Destroyer to a more than cumbersome Battleship. The latter finally gets up to speed and requires vast space to change course or turn around let alone stop.
The incremental changes or improvements in their "core" revenue source, the iPhone, are an embarrassment when one sees what the competitors are pushing out.
The comments here in the peanut gallery should be a five alarm file in the Board of Directors meetings such as the lack of more and more folks upgrading annually as there is just not enough change to justify a $2,000 expenditure for the top model with full memory - their most profitable model.
The incremental change of their most popular laptop (MacBook Air) is a chip change from the M3 to the M4. Wow! ???????
Just observations of an Apple user since1990 into computers since the early 1970s.
YMMV
For what it’s worth, as an Apple fan/user since the 1980s and investor since the 1990s, I 100% agree with this assessment. It’s honestly sad to see. I keep thinking maybe this’ll be the year they break out of the incremental rut, only to be disappointed once again.Vision Pro seemed like something of a return to form (a bold new product with a lot of buzz), but has seemingly been treated as an afterthought following the launch and I no longer have faith Apple will aggressively refine its form factor and push further development of the spacial platform. Also, although it’s an impressive product, the hardware launched with some design tradeoffs not typical of Apple, such as its weight and external battery situation. And the fact that Apple pursued VR style googles instead of AR style glasses out of the gate is also something of a questionable strategic decision. AR glasses done well clearly have a much larger market opportunity than bulky VR goggles.And they are riding the iPhone similarly to how Microsoft rode Windows in the 1990s. Complacent in their success and seemingly too scared or bloated to take risks while the world innovates around them. Let me guess, the next iPhone will feature better cameras, a more powerful processor, and perhaps be thinner or feature a new button or something? Whoop dee do. -
Siri may only get minor Apple Intelligence improvements before iOS 19
charlesn said:
Another Apple vet here, using Macs at work and home since the Macintosh Classic in 1991. It's not that I disagree, per se, with this assessment, but it's a reminder that perceptions in the tech press and by commenters on tech message boards like this one are often completely disconnected from the reality of how Apple is actually doing as a company. In three words: "Better than ever" by any of the usual metrics by which the performance of companies is measured. Something astonishing, almost unthinkable a short time ago just happened when Apple reported earnings for the holiday quarter: its iPhone numbers were a little soft, which would have normally tanked the stock, but this time, it didn't matter. Why? Because its insanely profitable Services business is growing so rapidly and is essentially a license to print money. Under Tim Cook, Apple has transitioned from a one-legged company whose fortunes rose and fell with iPhone, to a company with three sturdy legs: iPhone, Services (which will surpass iPhone in profit and revenues sooner than later) and Hardware, including Macs, iPads and wearables. Fun fact: even with numbers that were a little soft, iPhone 16 is the best-selling smartphone in the world, while Pro Max, Pro and Plus occupy 3 more spots in the top ten rankings in that order. So you might ask yourself how a phone that is supposedly "an embarrassment" compared to competitors becomes the best-selling smartphone on the planet, especially at a relatively high price point.ApplePoor said:Not a surprise really that Apple got caught with their pants down. Too much time and money wasted on the "never saw the light of day" car. The "googles" have consumed untold resources, too and have not been a runaway success in terms of sales. Frankly, usable Apple's AI is years away and could become a serious concern financially as investors loose confidence.
Apple has morphed from a small and fast Navy Destroyer to a more than cumbersome Battleship. The latter finally gets up to speed and requires vast space to change course or turn around let alone stop.
The incremental changes or improvements in their "core" revenue source, the iPhone, are an embarrassment when one sees what the competitors are pushing out.
The comments here in the peanut gallery should be a five alarm file in the Board of Directors meetings such as the lack of more and more folks upgrading annually as there is just not enough change to justify a $2,000 expenditure for the top model with full memory - their most profitable model.
The incremental change of their most popular laptop (MacBook Air) is a chip change from the M3 to the M4. Wow! ???????
Just observations of an Apple user since1990 into computers since the early 1970s.
YMMV
Did I mention that this past holiday quarter was yet another all-time record? Kind of a yawn, for Apple, I know, because it keeps setting new records like this, but: this only happens because buyers are voting with their wallets to choose Apple products. Here in the technosphere echo chamber, it's the constant sound of doom and complaints about the glacial pace of Apple evolving its products. But the real world of mass market buyers keeps disagreeing.
Apple does face the problem of being more cumbersome battleship than nimble destroyer--that is the inevitable challenge all companies face when they grow to the enormous size of Apple. Even more difficult: Wall Street continues to price Apple stock like a growth company, so even as it keeps breaking records for revenue and profit, the challenge of continuing to grow those huge numbers just gets exponentially harder... but Apple keeps doing it thus far. Tech message boards have been predicting doom just around the corner for Apple for as long as the company has been in business. It has weirdly become the always-present background noise to Apple's continued success. Just how much more successful does Apple have to be before the doom-saying gets a rest?I think you’re confusing how Apple is doing vs how Apple stock is doing. Yes, the stock has continued to perform admirably, benefitting from the heavy inflows to the S&P 500 and being viewed as a less volatile safe haven in tech. But revenues have stalled out and plateaued since 2022.Its current share price is in fact being buoyed by a p/e of nearly 40! Though off its peak, that’s still historically high for Apple and too rich for a mature company with stalled revenue growth. And I say this as a shareholder. The stock will get hammered when the market corrects and their p/e descends to the low 20s or even high teens where it belongs. Nothing will likely change regarding how they’re conducting business but the company will be worth far less due to this aberration of a multiple coming back down to earth.If the underlying company was doing great you’d see more signs of overall revenue growth. One segment (services) growing to try and make up for another, much more profitable segment (iPhones) shrinking is not a good long-term recipe for success.
