javacowboy

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javacowboy
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  • Editorial: Does Apple have the mettle to fight for Mac success in the Pro market?

    javacowboyjavacowboy
    I still have the feeling that Apple would rather that all Mac users just switch to using iPads.

    In some ways it makes sense. Marketing/release planning is still vulnerable to Intel's stumbles. With the A-series chips, Apple is in complete control of the release cycle and the company's marketing objectives. If Apple made its own widget, that's in the company's best interests. There are also manufacturing efficiencies such as shipping a product with a single glass panel as opposed to regional variations in physical keyboard layouts (ex US English vs. UK English vs. AZERTY, vs. French Canadian, etc).

    On the other hand, there are those of us that simply don't view iOS as a desktop replacement.

    Obvious professions are:
    * Software developers (developing both for Apple products and for other platforms)
    * Anybody who types a lot (developers, transcriptionists, journalists, technical writers, self publishers, etc)

    Then there's weirdness like the touchbar and the low-travel keyboard of the late 2016 MacBook Pro models. Both moves sharply contradict overall PC industry standards and have caused much controversy (personally, I hate them both [neither is defective] and they're both major reasons I'm shopping for a Linux friendly laptop).

    I think Apple's stuck between a rock and a hard place and I'm not sure if they've figured out what they want to do.
    entropysmike54

  • Mac shipments grow slightly, but Apple's PC market share shrinks [u]

    javacowboyjavacowboy
    rob53 said:
    I wonder how much of this excess inventory of non-Apple PCs will actually be sold. I understand the desire to bring in as much equipment as possible before the crazy tariffs are levied but I also wonder how much of an excess inventory these companies will have to pay business taxes on. 
    If what you say is true, which it probably is, then these numbers are useless.  Apple could be kicking it or its competitors could be running away with the PC market, but we wouldn't know either way due to everybody stocking up before the tariffs are implemented.
    watto_cobra

  • Review: macOS Catalina 10.15 is what Apple promised the Mac could be, and is a crucial upg...

    javacowboyjavacowboy
    Not sure which is more detailed, DED's thorough Catalina review here, or Ars Technica's:



    watto_cobra

  • Editorial: Are Apple's incremental iOS 13 & macOS Catalina updates enough?

    javacowboyjavacowboy
    With DED editorials, you always get one of two things:

    • A detailed, accurate, informative and fascinating historical account of some aspect of IT history, usually with Apple as a central actor.
    • A long, drawn out, highly partisan fluff piece taking potshots at historical Apple enemies, usually Microsoft, Samsung, and Google, containing many tired tropes and setting up various strawmen (ex "Apple gets criticized for not doing enough with X but competitors are praised for doing X - Y")

    Unfortunately, this editorial is firmly in the latter category.

    Still DED is right that Apple is still firmly ahead of competitors in the mobile space.  iPhones are iPads are moving forward with diverse product lines with quality at all points.  Although there are awkward missteps such as the new Reminders app as well as the Catalina release being out of step with iOS 13.

    Where Apple is failing behind is the desktop/laptop space.   I believe this is due to a lack of interest and a sincere wish for desktop users to start using iPads.  This is not an option for those of us who depend on the openness of macOS and the rich system of 3rd party apps, as well as command line environments such as Homebrew.  iOS and even iPadOS are simply not up to the task.  One example is that even with iPadOS, I still can't spell check using only the keyboard, as I can with first party text editing apps on macOS.  The shallow travel keyboard and touch bar are turning off professional users.

    macOS's appeal was as a solid desktop operating system with a Unix command line.  The Windows Linux subsystem brings this functionality to Microsoft's desktop OS.  What's more, Linux distributions keep getting more stable and user friendly.

    Hardware-wise, Dell and Lenovo offer gorgeous laptops that support Linux as well as Windows.  They include pleasant deep travel keyboards with function keys and fingerprint readers.  While the trackpads don't match MacBooks', they're getting better all the time.  They include retina screens.  There's a healthy number of Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports as well.
    muthuk_vanalingambaconstangflyingdpphilboogie

  • Apple is evaluating new keyboard mechanisms to make thinner MacBooks

    javacowboyjavacowboy
    voenixrising said:
    Some companies never learn. Hubris will be the downfall of this company. How many millions has Apple lost because of the butterfly debacle? I know, it's walking around change in Tim Cook's pocket, but it still can't be insignificant.
    Maybe things will change with Jony Ive's departure?
    AI_lias