larrya

Headline should read, "Blackberry Leadership Continues to Miss the Boat - Irrelevancy Fully Intact"

lkrupp said:

Wait till the DED haters start arriving in this thread. The accusations of spin will be flying like tennis balls at the U.S. Open. But the mighty Microsoft is in great shape. It’s only Apple that is doomed to failure and irrelevance don’t you know.

Well, I wouldn't call myself a "DED Hater", but as much as Microsoft has it coming, there are problems with this article that temper my enthusiasm.  First, it seems a bit disingenuous to compare all iPad sales to Surface, just as it would be to compare iPhone sales to all Android or low-end Samsung sales, but this is what the table does in the linked article.  Only iPad Pro to Surface comparisons make the tiniest bit of sense when considering cost, capability, and expandability. Second, the linked article doesn't offer a breakdown of the 4.9 million detachable tablets, so where is the substantiation of the claim of Apple sales superiority?  Did I miss it?  I do agree that MS completely misses the boat on how a tablet should work, and as is typical, put a new front end on the same old junk.  Finally, it's "based on", not "based off".

ireland said:

Honestly this design wouldn't surprise me. Looks quite Apple. I also think a better design is to put the DAC near the lighting port and away from the in-line controls and the buds. Costs will go up too. Expect a minimum of $39 for Lightning EarPods. Bundled free with the new iPhone (6x) of course.

Me, I must be old-school as I still choose wired headphones (earbuds) over Bluetooth due to high cost, bulk, charging requirements and battery life limitations. Wired means immediate, no pairing, no dead battery ever and no need to think about charging—plug and play. Both have pluses and minuses. Wired are my preference.

Based on earlier information on the Lightning port, there is no need for an external DAC, and I doubt Apple would waste the money to include one unless it's absolutely necessary. Apparently the pins are reassignable to be analog audio. I think this is why the article mentions the possibility of an "authenticator" chip rather than a DAC.  

NO comments?  0?  I just saw 4 pages of them at MR. For the record, these scores are so tight as to make them almost meaningless. 

I don't even want to think about what I might buy if my mid-2011 iMac dies. I won't buy an "all in one" that requires an external DVD drive, and I'll want upgradable RAM. There doesn't appear to be a product for me anymore.