tundraboy

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tundraboy
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  • Apple debuts $549 AirPods Max over-ear headphones

    tundraboytundraboy
    22july2013 said:
    sdw2001 said:
    22july2013 said:
    No mic? I can't use it to talk with my iPhone? The fact that it has active noise cancellation proves it has some sort of mic in it, but not one I can speak into?

    It's labelled with L and R for the Left and Right sides. How are they going to market that in countries where English isn't known or spoken widely?
    Dude, please try reading the article. It has multiple mics.  And I'm pretty sure people can figure out what L and R mean.  🙄
    Dude, it's illegal to sell products in some countries that are English Only, regardless of whether they can figure it out.
    And also despite being the most successful tech company in the world, Apple is too stupid to figure that out, eh?
    muthuk_vanalingampmhfastasleepwilliamlondonronnMplsPAlex1Nkiltedgreenspock1234watto_cobra

  • Colorado 'right to repair' bill dies despite public testimony

    tundraboytundraboy
    Right to repair in compact consumer electronics is a lost cause.  The products are evolving towards more and more integrated components.  The industry is already at SOCs.  Eventually, smartphones will just be a solid block of circuitry, a screen, and a battery.  The screen might even become just part of the circuit block.  This is the direction that product economics and technology dictate for smartphones to continue getting more powerful while maintaining their compact size.

    bloggerblogwilliamlondonmaximarafastasleepwatto_cobra

  • New iPhone 16e offers Apple Intelligence at a low price point

    tundraboytundraboy
    netrox said:
    The last SE was $429. Now it's $599. That's a $259 increase!
    Last time I checked, 599 - 429 = 170.  Innumeracy in America.
    williamlondondewmeStrangeDaysappleinsideruserAlex_Vwatto_cobra

  • UK secretly orders Apple to let it spy on iPhone users worldwide

    tundraboytundraboy
    The UK demanding access to all iPhone users' data worldwide.   How hilarious.  Does Parliament think it's still the 19th century and we're all living under Pax Britannica?  No wonder they do stupid things like Brexit.
    JFC_PAstarof80jeffharrisronnAlex1Nolswatto_cobrajbdragonentropys

  • Apple's repair programs have more to do to satisfy New York Right to Repair law

    tundraboytundraboy
    avon b7 said:
    tundraboy said:
    Right to repair laws can get really dumb. I can understand its benefit when it comes to cars*, but for compact electronic devices, it just benefits a handful of people at a cost that is charged to all buyers of the device.  The worst effect of such a law is when it starts to interfere with product design, forcing the company to make design compromises that sacrifice cost, quality, and performance.

    *And even with cars, nobody insists that the electronic modules be repairable down to the level that is demanded of iPhones.  When a volume control knob on your car stereo breaks, are auto manufacturers required to make that replaceable, or is just offering a replacement stereo good enough?  I've had that happen to me and a replacement knob is not available, the only solution offered is to replace the whole unit.  An electronic device should be repairable to the same standard as that car stereo, not to the standard applied to the whole car.
    The opposite argument applies too because the goals don't have to coincide. 

    Cost? At what price?  ;)
    Design? What sacrifices against what benefits? 
    Performance? What performance metrics?

    Companies should be designing for repair.

    If they think their products truly last (and are built to last) why do companies like Apple offer such poor warranties out of the gate?

    Often requiring external legislation to set minimum warranty periods. The Answer is that 'price' or 'cost' falls squarely on the consumer (both in and out of warranty). 'In warranty' via Applecare or similar systems and 'out of warranty' through poor design decisions that actually impede or dissuade repair due to complexity and/or price and parts availability (lack of, that is to say). 

    Tradeoffs abound in any situation but things need to be re-thought to put the paying consumer centre stage. 

    If you think IP68 protection is necessary - then back it up under warranty. Simple. Don't say 'you should be fine if it ever happens but your on your own if it fails'. The point here is that it almost always does not happen. I think I've only ever known of two cases of water immersion personally. 

    IP68 ratings are questionable design choices at best. Water resistance is a better solution along with things like nano coatings which have been around for years. 

    User replaceable batteries should not require a special suitcase full of tools and instructions.

    Thickness you say? Take a look at this folding phone (it will be released next week) and imagine how 'thick' things would be if applied to some like an iPhone:

    https://www.fonearena.com/blog/427645/honor-magic-v3-launch-date-magic-vs3-magicpad-2-magicbook-art-14.html

    Performance is moot. Some would argue that a repairable phone 'performs' better because it can last longer between upgrades. 

    And parts pairing should be authorised by the owner, not limited to Apple. 

    The only reasonable way to reach these goals is through 'right to repair' legislation and that is what we are seeing. 

    The EU directive is already making waves and surely being taken into consideration by manufacturers. Expect a lot of handwringing (and fines) if DMA compliance is anything to go by. Especially as the EU approach is actually part of a bigger initiative. 




    Looks like your beef is not really about repairability but Apple's design choices not being the ones you would have made.  Battery replaceability, water proofing, thickness -- you laid out your preference about these things.  Unfortunately companies cannot cater to all consumers' preferences; Apple chose features that it deemed would appeal to the most number of potential customers.

    Now the usual consumer response to a product that he doesn't like is to buy something else.  Your response is to demand that government pass a law that forces a company to deliver what you want.

    I on the other hand believe that aside from safety considerations, governments should not be in the product design business.
    iOS_Guy80williamlondonrezwitsdewme13485meterestnz

  • iPhone 17 Air could be Apple's thinnest iPhone yet, with a thickness of just 6mm

    tundraboytundraboy
    6mm is a bogus number if it doesn't include the camera lens island.

    williamlondon

  • Siri in iOS 18.4 is getting worse before it gets better

    tundraboytundraboy

    I believe Apple is seeking to allow eventual transitioning and integration to R-AI—AI with reasoning, not just trillions of predictive tests on language. 

    I read a book by some tech researcher who said "if you can replace a neuron with a man-made nano-device that did everything a neuron did, then would that brain function any differently?" (Or words to that effect.) He then added that logically then, you should be able to replace every neuron in the human brain with the same nano-device and have an artificial brain and AI that is indistinguishable from the human variety.  That is his argument for why AI will eventually instantiate human intelligence.

    Of course the main stumbling block in his argument is that he assumed that a man-made nano-device that does EVERYTHING that a neuron does is unquestionably attainable.  We don't even know how neurons work.  We don't even know if we will ever know enough to truly understand how a neuron works.  This is the fallacy of assuming infinite future knowledge that a lot of futurists including AI advocates unwittingly commit.

    Yes R-AI, AI with Reasoning, would solve a lot of the criticisms leveled on AI.  Only problem is, no one really knows how to get a machine to truly reason the way the smarter segment of the human population does.  We don't even know if that is achievable, but some just power through with  their arguments by treating it as a given.   (Reasoning like the other, much larger, segment of humanity, on the other hand, --well, AI has already achieved that.)
    muthuk_vanalingamScot1watto_cobraAlex1N

  • Siri in iOS 18.4 is getting worse before it gets better

    tundraboytundraboy
    If AI is even 95% correct with its answer to queries,  it's still useless because at that accuracy level I'll have to check every answer against more reliable sources.  I actually think AI should be virtually 100% correct to be useful, and for those rare occasions that it makes a mistake, it should come up with the correct 2nd answer if the user says "Are you sure?" after the first attempt.

    If AI is being trained on the vast ocean of garbage that resides in cyberspace, how exactly will it be able to attain near-perfect accuracy?  In fact, what is AI's method for determining whether a piece of information is true or false?  No, the most common or popular answer or opinion doesn't work in a country where the stupid and ignorant vastly outnumber the wise and learned.

    AI is by far the most vast and pervasive instantiation of the Dunning-Kruger effect that humanity has ever seen.  With the possible exceptions of Trump and Musk.
    Oferwatto_cobraAlex1N

  • Trump demands 25% tariff on any iPhone not made in the US

    tundraboytundraboy
    I don't believe the constitution allows anyone to level a tariff on one company alone (unless it happens to be a monopoly).  Satan is supposed to be devilishly cunning and smart.  American Satan, on the other hand, is incredibly ignorant and stupid.  When all this is over and he has gone back to the nether world, I hope there are enough pieces left lying around to fix the country.  I fear there won't be.
    williamlondonwatto_cobra

  • Apple robots are coming - what the rumor mill thinks is coming, and when

    tundraboytundraboy
    Apple also didn't have a core competency in chip design.  Until they did.
    watto_cobra