avon b7

VictorMortimer said:

And I confirm that I'm not ever going to buy a BMW car.

(Wasn't anyway, they're maintenance nightmares.  But CarPlay Ultra looks MUCH nicer than anything I've seen out of a car manufacturer.)

Apple's problem was falling between two worlds. 

Infotainment connections from an iPhone and deep integration within the car's onboard compute systems.

The latter could well mean the 'tail wagging the dog' for many auto makers as things got evermore digital.

The potential solution for that was for Apple to move to providing different levels of car platforms that included hardware and software on different levels.

That never happened. 

CarPlay was way behind even in 2021. It's just that US owners never got to see the best of the best solutions. 

Even back in 2021 HarmonyOS was far, far ahead of CarPlay. So much so that even CarPlay Ultra can't touch it today. 

And for years now (in the 'self driving' space) cars have needed mini data centers onboard, with 5G communications, sensing capabilities etc

And anyone providing digital car platforms would be even better positioned if they also provided powertrains, LiDAR, batteries and charging infrastructure.

Apple was never going to be able to move all those pieces at the same time.

Many of the major EU brands are signing up for Huawei's solutions in China and all the real advances are there.

The German brands are really having a hard time competing. 

This is a very good and balanced view on the current state of play on folding phones. 

I think most of the comments are a fair reflection on reality. 

My main qualm perhaps is about putting the iPad Fold plans on pause. 

After following the launch of the Huawei MatePad Fold it was far more compelling than I imagined (at least what I've seen so far) and think an iPad Fold would equally compelling. Especially as only Huawei is really doing the modern folding tablet right now. There are very few fish in that pond (unlike folding phones) and demand would be lower and therefore easier to meet. 

This is a video (in Chinese) that gives a decent overview of what is out there right now. Obviously there are a lot of use case options that don't exist with folding phones and this product is running one OS (the same one that runs on laptops) so moving from a 'tablet' style use to a 'laptop' style use is seamless. 



If Apple has put the project on hold I wonder if it's because resources are being diverted elsewhere or the development is simply not moving as fast as it could due to other pressing issues. 

If the MatePad Fold takes off (it's very expensive) Huawei will have yet another win in the ultra premium segment and Apple will lose more premium customers as a result. 

A folding phone would fill one hole where customers are potentially being lost but cars and tablets/folding tablets is another. 

lesterkrimbaugh said:

I feel that's gonna do it for me.

I've been using HomeKit exclusively for some years now. But there are too many capabilities and too many devices which escape HomeKit and Siri.

I'm going to have to begin shifting away from HomeKit and toward Alexa just to be able to fully utilize many of the capabilities of the devices I already own.

I use Alexa and overall the experience is 'good' but far from 'great'. Maybe Alexa + (or whatever it's called) will improve things.

Because of the shape of my living room I have two TVs in it. Both have Fire sticks connected to them.

Sometimes I have this situation. 

"Alexa. Turn on the Samsung in the living room."

Sometimes I get this reply:

"There is no Samsung in the living room. Would you like me to turn on the Samsung in the living or the Samsung in the living room?"

So it could be better but these issues don't happen regularly so I'm satisfied but think those kinds of strange replies should not happen. 

ericthehalfbee said:

Seen a few comments on ASML.

If the EU regulated ASML and their monopoly like they do Apple then ASML would be forced to give competitors and startups access to their proprietary technology so ASML doesn’t have an unfair advantage.


avonb7 is still an idiot, I see. To bad blocking losers doesn’t also block you from seeing them when they’re quoted. How pathetic to find you still here after all these years doing the same old shtick.

It's worth pointing out that my opinion, while only being my opinion, is actually shared by authorities across the globe. It isn't 'shtick'. 

Unfortunately, you never actually read the rulings on the investigations carried out on Apple (and others) nor do you read the legislation that is created as a result of Big Tech control of the digital space. 

If you did, you would have a better understanding of what is going on and why it is going on. 

You might not like those decisions and that's fine, but at least try to accept that we're talking about subjects that have, in many cases, been through years of investigations and the resulting fines and regulations have been well reasoned and laid out. 

And you could be well unaware of this, but there are plenty of Apple users (and let's not forget that I am a long time Apple user) who share my opinion. Not all MEPs are scurrying around with Android handsets in there pockets. 


ASML is where it is today because US companies (and companies from other parts of the world), faced with multi-billion dollar R&D investments (to get where ASML is today), pulled back (many years ago) as there were no guarantees of overcoming the challenges involved.

Ditto 5G. The US should have seen the strategic importance of that 15 years ago, but it didn't. 

ASML moved ahead and has reaped the rewards. 

On the chip manufacturing side Intel took a whole list of wrong decisions and TSMC came to lead. 

ASML has a de-facto monopoly of sorts but where is the problem with that? Have they acted to stifle competition? Nope. The US government (of either colour) has done that through pressure on the Dutch government combined with extra territorial export restrictions. 

ASML would like to sell to whoever is willing to buy. 

Are they open to competition? Yep! And they are probably going to get it some time next year if rumours prove true. 

Also ASML is not even in the same business category of Apple and as such is not even covered by the DSA/DMA. 

jeff fields said:

avon b7 said:

rob53 said:

Apple owns its products not the EU. The EU has no right to dictate to Apple how its products operate. As I’ve said before, the EU has every right to build their own platforms but it’s obvious they don’t have the ability or talent to design and manufacture anything people, including those in EU countries, want. It’s time to boycott everything made in the EU but I’m not so sure there’s actually anything they make I really want. 

The EU has every right to level playing fields and counter consumer harm and the stifling of innovation.

That has long been the case. 

In the 'digital' world, the same ideas are applicable but new laws were needed specifically for the kind of cases explained here. 

Do you remember the world pre-pdf?

Interoperability is key to the points mentioned above and for progress. 

Mechanisms will have to be created and perfected but technology has the tendency to outpace legislation so these situations will persist until things get settled. 

This isn't an Apple thing. 

It's a EU thing! ICT carriers were forced to open up their technologies years ago and share their resources to a degree. 

This isn't like the US where for as long as I can remember (and for all I know, may still be the case) your place of residence was a limiting factor to which carriers you could choose from.

I can opt for a virtual carrier which will use the infrastructure of one of the bigger players. That allows for competition to exist. 

Left to its own devices, Apple does not allow for competition to exist. We know this and this is precisely why it is being forced to open up in certain areas (and not only the EU). 

Of course, Apple is free to pull out of the EU. So is Google and Meta et al. Will they? Nope because, as you seem unwilling to contemplate, any pull-out would be met with very swift movements to fill any gaps. 

You personally, may well be able to get by without EU products, but what would Apple's current supply chain do without ASML? 

1. PDF sucks. Yes, I remember the world pre-PDF. We had text files. Which didn't suck. And which weren't proprietary.
2. "Interoperability" already exists and doesn't require letting Meta steal Apple users' private data. That's not going to happen, btw. Apple will pull out of the EU before letting it dictate user privacy rules to it.
3. "Apple does not allow for competition to exist" is vague mealy-mouthed idiocy. There's plenty of competition.
4. Without ASML? Make my day. Please. That's laughable. ASML isn't going to stop selling its stuff. Don't make stupid empty threats that you can't back up. I also note that you're forced to use TWO qualifiers here rather than talking directly about Apple.
5. The EU's overreach here is as shocking as its lack of cluefulness. 

'Text' files absolutely did suck. If they didn't, and proprietary formats hadn't been used as yet another lock-in mechanism, pdf (even with its issues) would never have been a success.

'interoperability' clearly has not existed, and once again, 'proprietary' systems were used to lock users in. iMessage is a classic example with court documents revealing Apple's internal communication on the matter. 

Apple has not allowed competition to exist. It has not ever communicated the limitations it imposes on users to those same users. It did not allow third parties to use their own wallet systems. It did not allow alternative App Stores. It actively prohibited developers from steering users to alternative payment systems. It deliberately withheld access to iPhone NFC options to many institutions. Where have you been? It did not allow browsers to use anything except WebKit. There are court cases open across the world (including the US) tackling this very issue.

ASML? We aren't talking about who it will sell or won't sell to. The point was what would happen to Apple's supply chain without ASML technology. The irony is that Trump is actually deciding who ASML can't sell to. Extraterritorial overreach of the highest order.