larrya

racerhomie3 said:

This does it. I am selling my MacBook & changing to iPad Pro or 5 with a BT keyboard.

magman1979 said:

Just finished reading the letter, and the linked info about Lithium-Ion batteries and how things work, and I think Apple handled that beautifully.

I also think 99% of consumers won't even bother finishing the letter, much less read the information about batteries, because consumers these days are mostly dumb, short-sighted, short-attention-spanned, bafoons who only know now about "Apple being bad and being sued" as fed to them by mainstream media.

And I can GUARANTEE that mainstream media won't even mention a whisper of this explanation or battery tech background, as it won't jive with their pitchfork narrative against Apple, which means the BS stupidity against Apple will continue unabated.

jungmark said:

So much for the lackluster response to the X. 

williamh said:

eightzero said:

karmadave said:

Corporations are not benevolent organizations dedicated to the welfare of their employees. They are profit-seeking enterprises that will take whatever steps necessary (usually within the law) to maximize revenues, profits, and shareholder value. Yeah. The timing of this sucks, especially for those affected, but the reality is that AT&T is managing in it's own self-interest. Tax cuts have very little influence since most large corporations already employ various techniques to minimize taxes. Apple being one of the most creative tax avoiders...

What evidence do you have that Apple does not pay all the tax it owes? I agree there are pending legal disputes, but do you expect Apple to refuse to pay once a legal determination is made? And I'm curious: are you a "tax avoider" by paying only what you legally owe? Or do you put a few extra dollars in to try to help out?

I didn't get from Karmadave the idea that Apple wasn't paying what it legally owes.There's nothing wrong with tax avoidance.  Businesses and individuals do it all the time and there's nothing wrong with it.  Flexible savings accounts, 529 plans, IRAs etc are all perfectly legal ways to minimize your taxes.

As for the biotching  about Trump and Republicans (not from you 80), I hardly see how they're responsible for slack demand for "legacy services" like copper landlines and horrible satellite tv.   AT&T might find uses for these people with advanced obsolete skills, but there's just not the demand for saddle makers or buggy whip fabricators anymore.  (And it can happen to you (and me) too.)

Roger_Fingas said:

StrangeDays said:

Roger_Fingas said:

lkrupp said:

Oh look! Another pundit telling Apple it must go after the low end market to survive and compete. It’s all about going cheap isn’t it. Cheaper is better by definition, right? So along with a $150 iPhone, a $149 iPad, a $399 Mac with slots, now Apple must come up with a $180 digital assistant to compete with the Echo Dot, a $30 gadget. I’m truly sorry to be responding with extreme sarcasm but we’ve been listening to this go cheap drumbeat every tine a new product category becomes popular. Apple can’t survive without eventually going cheap.

1. Apple is not the largest manufacturer of PCs.

2. Apple is not the largest manufacturer of smartphones.

3. Apple is not the largest manufacturer of tablets.

4. Apple does not have the largest music and video streaming service.

5. Apple is not the largest manufacturer of digital assistants.

Yet Apple has managed to amass a $250 Billion pile of cash, and Apple has managed to rise to a market capitalization of around $900 Billion, all without competing at the low end of any of the markets it is in. And it did this by sticking to its principles of making high quality products that people love to use. So tell me again why Apple must go low to survive?

I wouldn't say they need to go cheap, just cheaper. 

Or what, if they don't go cheaper? His list shows that Apple has been very, very successful not chasing the lower-end, and instead sticking to premium tier. What's different about this market? (honestly asking as I don't know myself)

A smartspeaker, arguably, is a very different beast than a PC or smartphone. The important thing isn't the hardware - though there are certain minimum standards - so much as the AI assistant attached to it, and how useful it is. If an Echo is cheaper to install, offers more functionality, and can still produce high-end audio if you connect to external speakers, that poses an obstacle.