doggone

Hopefully this won't mean someone will be able to fake transactions and steal money from me.  
I've just returned from the UK and I used Apple Pay successfully for nearly every transaction.  Still easier to use than in the US.

For a while I was getting a new iPhone every year through the Apple upgrade program.  I skipped that in 2022 and then got a new phone in 2023.
The fact is that iPhones don't age that much in performance over a span of 2 years so there isn't much incentive to refresh every year.
Plenty of people hold onto them for years because they last so long.
I would like to see numbers on customer loyalties and how many people switch from iPhone to Android and vice versa.

I have to agree that 512GB SSD and 16GB should be the base for MBPs.  For MB Air, I think there are customers that would be okay with just 256 SSD and 8 RAM, especially those who do mostly web surfing, zoom and Google docs.
The prices for increasing RAM and drive space are ridiculous though.  1TB SSDs can be had for $100.  16GB ram for less than $100 too.  Apple's margins on these are huge.
For that reason, I always buy my Macs online, generally using the AI guide to realize a savings of $200 or more on units with 512GB SSD and 16GB.  That negates Apple's surcharge to some degree.

Half the issue is that the machines for the last 4 years are unbelievable well built.  I am typing this on a 4 year 1st gen rMBP.  It still screams and the only issue is that the battery is beginning to lose its charge ($200 for a replacement that includes new keyboard). The other half of the issue is that Apple really wants to add significant features and that relies on the chipset being capable of USB 3 and the latest lightning.

Apple does need to shift the emphasis and start releasing Mac models more frequently.  I'm sure that power users may not be satisfied with small updates but a refresh every year can help stimulate sales. 

My biggest problem with the Apple Store is how long you have to wait to get an appt.  Point in question, my wife's phone started acting up right before our vacation was due to start.  I went through all the checks and had a diagnosis done by an Apple rep by phone. Essentially all I needed was five minutes at an Apple Store to get her phone swapped out.  Where I live in the Bay Area in CA, there are 3 Apple Stores within 20 miles.  In all 3, there were no appts for 5 days.
Luckily we had an old 5S that we swapped out the SIM card so she could use it during the vacation in Hawaii.  We were able to get a new phone in Honolulu but still the wait was 2 days.

I have had this experience several times now and it is frustrating that you cannot get a replacement phone simply because there are no appts. Apple really needs to fix this issue because it is extremely frustrating not to be able to get a phone replacement within 24 h of when you need it.  My suggestion is to have plenty of dedicated time slots for this so that people do not have to wait for simple fixes.

davidw said:

koop said:

My lord the amount executives get paid in this country is absolutely insane. Even morally bankrupt executives like the Wells Fargo guy might leave with 200 million dollars. 

I tend to look at it another way. Eddy "netted" $59.2M worth of vested stocks but the IRS kept $29M of it for tax purposes. The amount executives has to pay in taxes, on the amount of their salary that is over $425,000, is absolutely insane. Once vested, RSU's are consider part of his annual salary and not long term capital gains.

So you are saying he should not be taxed as earnings.  These are RSUs not options.  Therefore this is a bonus which are always taxed heavily and at time of payment.
I'm sure Cue looked at this as 30M gained, not 29M lost.