knowitall

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  • Steve Jobs predicted the Mac's move from Intel to ARM processors

    samrod said:
    I hope Apple doesn't transition Macs to ARM chips. The benefit of having a POSIX *n*x running on the same hardware as the rest of the world is hard to overstate. The thinking with the transition is that since ARM chips are so powerful sipping such little energy on iOS devices, imagine the workhorses they'd be on desktops? Sure? Maybe? But this would only be a short-lived advantage until the same physical obstacles affecting Intel come up. The reason to transition is that progression on the Intel architecture has decelerated. But this is universal and will affect the ARM architecture as well. The laws of physics won't give Apple's ARM engineers any advantages over Intel engineers. ARM may have a head start, but it WILL hit the same limits at 4nm process with yield problems, etc.
    POSIX is a software standard and so has nothing to do with the hardware. macOS is POSIX compliant but - as I found out myself - this is a very liberal statement. Some parts of libraries can be omitted for example (only the headers must exist but its implementation can be nill) which makes porting of (for example) multithreading POSIX code to the Mac a very difficult exercise.
    Benchmarks show that Apples A(RM) chips are extremely powerful, its no gamble ‘no sure, maybe’.
    Every advantage is short-lived, but the advantage is exactly the point.
    If we wait 1000 years non of it matters, but a two or three year advantage makes the difference selling things or not.
    Sure the laws of physics apply for A chips, but Intel chips have an inherent disadvantage running a RISC layer in hardware. This means that they will never be as power efficient or fast as the the ultimate ARM chip.
    tenthousandthings
  • Editorial: After disrupting iTunes, Spotify demands a free ride from Apple's App Store

    Okay, now to keep with the “shopping mall” analogy: it would ask Apple a 30 percent cut of everything Apple sells. I dont think Apple will stay one second in such a rip off place.
    By the way, Apple has lots of shops outside a shopping mall or a place which controlls multiple tenants and the added value of such a place is non existent.
    Now this leads to the second point:  Apples added value is marginal, to find someting in Apples store a Google search is often more effective, so Apple can only charge for hosting the App.
    Apple does this for €100 (or so) per year (this means your app disapears if you doesn't pay!) which is fairly costly.
    Its reasonable to be able to host your apps yourself (for a way lower cost) and to skip Apple tax of 30% which we just concluded Apple wouldn't pay itself.
    Before anyone comments “security, impossible, etc etc”, I say hash codes, bitcoin and git as technology analogies needed to implement such a system, of course Apple - and in the future maybe a separate company AppleApp - must still validate the submitted apps, for which they can ask a few cents per approval.

    gatorguy
  • Apple's rumored gaming subscription could be a big change for mobile gaming

    Maybe someone has the statistics (other than Apple), but I suspect almost all money is earned by two or three game developers.
    williamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Editorial: Apple note sends media pundits into a fit of histrionic gibberish

    “It wasn't pundits who thought up the potential of iPhone, or the App Store, or iPads, or Machine Learning, or Augmented Reality, or any of the wildly innovative, technological underpinning features in silicon firmware, in software, in mass production assembly and in every other discipline that non-technical people simply take for granted. It was individuals at Apple who came up with this stuff while being ceaselessly derided for being "devoid of innovation," as if that phrase is inherently clever to scribble out into words or call in to CNBC on a "why Apple is doomed" expert interview.”

    No, as I recall the App Store was the result of user requests for native programs which Steve Jobs didn’t envision for his web app based iPhone and the need to control the platform.
    iPad and iPhone sans the name were pictured in SF and a clear follow up of the Palm pda’s much earlier.
    Machine Learning (even similar to the current implementations) was common stuff at the University’s (studied that in 1985) and Augmented reality is from not much later.
    Apple deserves credit for getting the actual implementation right and launching it to the mainstream, not for the ideas in itself. 
    muthuk_vanalingam
  • Benchmarked: Razer Blade Stealth versus 13-inch MacBook Pro with function keys

    saarek said:
    Has apple insider gone mental? This is the worse matchup, one is brand new and one is a whole generation ago. 7th gen cpu vs 8th gen’s latest? When comparing cpu’s This is like putting a 2019 corvette up against a 1999. You can justify this with cost all you want, it is still ludicrous.
    Apple Insider is doing what every other consumer does.  I.e. At a certain price point: What is the best value?

    This focus on value what allowed Dell to surpass almost everyone in the PC business.  They single handily killed off Gateway, and sent companies like IBM running for the hills (selling PCs).

    When you buy a MacBook, the expectations is you get value from the quality of components and longevity of the machine.  The reality for many is they’re better off buying a Windows machine now, with the full knowledge that they’ll probably need to replace it with another while the MacBook is still going strong.

    When you buy a premium car is it worth it? What about a premium washing machine?  All these comparisons are worth discussing.  There is no universal right answer...

    My biggest complaint about Apple is their pricing.  I find value in the iPhone & iPad product lines, but I don’t own a Mac.  As much as I dislike Windows 10, I don’t own a Mac.  I’m not sure I’ll ever own a Mac... because of price/value.

    The business case (enterprise) for MacBooks (as I see it) is stronger than for “personal” machines.  We’re talking about the cost for IT support factored in.  Personally, I can do everything myself so there is no cost saving.

    Would I recommend a MacBook to others? Sure.  In the right situation.  I can see value in a computer noob taking a MacBook to college, where Apple Stores are located everywhere for support. 
    You don't buy a Mac for the hardware.   You buy it for the OS and the ecosystem -- which is why they cost more.    Those things cost Apple money that they pass on to you in the selling price.
    I've never minded paying 30-35% more for a comparable Mac. For that 30-35% you get a much nicer design, reliability, premium build materials, Mac OS, long software support cycle of 6 years+ and good resale value that usually ends up recovering most of the additional outlay.

    But the new MacBook family design traits remove a lot of those advantages. You no longer get a long term reliable machine, resale value will certainly take a hit as people understandably will be nervous of buying these machines out of warranty due to the many issues that they have. From keyboards to speakers, logic board failures to port issues, the problems of the generation are everywhere, and in large reported numbers.

    I love Apple, I've been an avid apple user for 13 years since I bought my first Mac mini and fell in love with Mac OS X, but these new MacBooks have really shook my faith in Apple and their quality control. I'm not sure if I should sell my MacBook Pro now whilst it is in warranty and seek out a model from 2015 or not, or get the extended warranty and hold on until they release a new design that is actually fit for purpose.

    https://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/mac/macbook-pro-keyboard-problems-3653458/
    Mac hardware has mastered sleek design (mostly thin & light).   But, unless you compare it to junk like HP, it has never been top of the line for "reliability or premium build materials" - and "nicer design" depends on what your objectives are.

    For "reliability or premium build materials" - and (arguably) "nicer design" Lenovo has walked all over them. 
    But, it doesn't have either MacOS or the Apple ecosystem.

    Mac hardware only shines if you compare it against junk from HP, Dell, Gateway, etc....

    I'll stick to what I said:  Nobody buys Macs for the hardware -- it's all about the software (OS) and Apple's ecosystem.
    Seems like a “broodje aap” (utter nonsense).
    Apples build quality is superb, look at the motherboards and integration of all components. Also, Apple designs almost everything from the super alu casing to the motherboards and fan system. I don’t think a “dozenschuiver” (don’t know the English equivalent) has the incentive or the motivation (let alone the money) to produce something equally good as Apple. Maybe they have some nice designs from IBM somewhere on the shelve, that could be the case.
    watto_cobraelijahg