radarthekat

Soli said:

On the one hand I see this as an amazing milestone, but I also can’t help but wonder if there are caveats to this sort of press release. Can Apple do better outside of just, say, being able to add more anything over 100% of their renewable back to the grid to help reduce costs for others over time? How much more would they have to do to get Foxconn, Pegatron, Corning, LG, Samsung, and all their other major suppliers (for their specific component assembly) to get folded into this mix? How does this translate for all the ground and air transportation fuel expenditures, if that's even possible to convert in a reasonable manner? And does this only account for energy used by one facility once another facility is suppling power, or do they take into consider the resources needed into to create these renewable energy facilities?

There’s even more to consider.  The energy used by its employees’ daily commutes, for example.  But Apple has made a significant start and won’t soon stop in their efforts.  

One area where I think Apple deserves some credit in in making their products more compute efficient.  Control of the entire technology stack allows an iPhone, for example, to perform the same task as a competitor’s smartphone using less energy.  It’s the reason you see larger batteries in many Android phones but holding the same useful time between charges.  You use more energy from your wall outlet to recharge those other phones.  While it might not seem significant to most users, since its only a few watts per charge cycle, there are billions of such devices in use around the world, and so saving a few hundred milliwatts per device per charge would potentially offset the output of a number of power plants.  Apple thinks about such things.   

larrya said:

This long, rambling article turns out to be just another rationalization for headphone jack removal?  Thanks for wasting my time promoting an excuse (reliability) that even Apple didn’t use (they mentioned it was a dinosaur, space, and waterproofing) in a debate that ended a year ago. It seems DED also thinks the bending problem is still debatable even with the hindsight that Apple strengthened the case for the 6s.  

A lot of what Daniel writes about the marketplace, tech journalism, and paid studies seem right on the money, but his inability to see any flaws in Apple whatsoever destroys his credibility. 

Daniel often comes back around on a subject a couple years later to provide historical perspective.  As for not seeing Apple’s flaws, I’d say this article provides ample examples that illustrate that many others (Verge, et al) often see too many flaws; flaws that aren’t there.  I can sympathize with Daniel; in my own 26 year career in the software business in every role from tech support up to designer to VP Prod Dev and company cofounder, it became a tired refrain, “I hate being correct about something two years before everyone agrees.”  Those of us who design the stuff often grok it long before the pundits and prognosticators.  

DavidAlGregory said:

I am an Apple shareholder since about the time of the OS X Public Beta- well before the bandwagon- and would not shell out $1,000 for a cell phone if Steve Jobs arose from the grave and hand delivered it to me.

It is a phone, people. A nice phone, but not worth $1,000. Back when I was buying my first Apple stock that would buy you an iMac.

Not trying to be a troll, but I consider a $1,000 phone to be an IQ test. If you buy it, you lose.

How is it a $1000 phone?  That would be the price if it we’re an Android. You’d pay out $1000, use it for two years and it’d be worth nothing.  But this is an iPhone.  You shell out $1000, use it for three years and then sell it for maybe $400.  Total cost of ownership: $600, $200/year for a great user experience versus constantly futzing with a finicky Android.  

Apple is a platform building monster.  They treat everything as a platform, initially closed for internal use but eventually opened in intelligent and controlled ways to leverage their developer community, which ultimately cements the platform as an integral part of an interconnected and growing ecosystem.

MacOS

iOS

iOS+ (on iPad)

CarPlay

Siri

ApplePay

Watch OS

TVOS

Apple Music

Maps

HomeKit

HealthKit

Metal

Airplay

Machine Learning

AFS (Apple File System)

ARKit

NFC

Soli said:

analogjack said:

Kuo says Apple is aiming to deliver a product that boasts the convenience of AirPods but with better acoustic qualities.

Considering the above is referencing big ass over the ear headphones, the quote is idiotic.

I wouldn't go that far. Convenience comes in many forms, like the W1 chip for pairing and switching sources. Then if it's wireless with inductive charging with a battery that exceeds AirPods between placing them back in their case for charging or especially if they exceed the total time of the charging case time (which is very doubtful) plus higher quality audio and better comfort that would be more convenient. I'd love to have AirPods but the discomfort from that type of earbud is inconvenient to my usability.

I’m with you.  My tragus (that part of the ear in front of the ear canal) is stiff and offers a straight inner wall to Apple’s earbud designs (mirrored in the AirPods).  So I can insert Apple’s earbuds or AirPods straight into my ear, but cannot turn them forward to get them to lock as they are designed to be worn.  I’ve never been able to keep earbuds in my ears for more than one slight head turn. Out they pop.

Most people have a soft tragus that folds back, offering a little catch in which the earbuds/AirPods nicely seat.  I wonder how many of us have my issue. I bet it’s less than the 10% of us lefties, and totally unrelated.  For reference, I also have inherited tight skin, such that the third knuckle on each finger doesn’t bend as I close my fist.  I can manually bend those knuckles, but the skin over them is so tight as to be smooth (zero wrinkles) and so prevents them from being pulled in by the opposing muscles as I close my fist.  This genetic aberration, I think, is a cousin of webbing, but I and my relatives exhibit none of that.  But I do have tight skin and tendons and so I imagine this is what causes my ear to have the shape it does.