cgWerks

StrangeDays said:
Do you likewise complain about Samsung, Amazon, and basically every single CEO? Jobs was unique in that he was a product manager, probably more so than an actual CEO, as he didnt do much the typical CEO job description and left that to Cook and others. CEOs are rarely "product visionaries". There's absolutely nothing troubling, concerning, yada yada about Cook being a normal CEO. He happens to be one of the greatest ones in modern history.

I don't really follow those companies. And, I don't want Apple to be a normal tech company. They didn't get to where they are by being one. And, while they now have so much cash it would be hard to fail, they'll eventually pull it off if they make too many bad decisions.

StrangeDays said:

entropys said:

Great Tim, where is my next iMac?

Wait, I thought the chief whine was "Yeah but where's the new Mac mini!" lol...folks will just keep rotating it based on what's not out yet

Isn't the complaint that all the product lines should be able to get something like an annual refresh so you're buying current tech and keeping up with the competition?

ivanh said:

Mind blowing? What about an AI Codingbot? So, everyone can code without writing a line in SWIFT? Is it what Swift 5.0 going to do?

No doubt!!! If there were anything to this AI-baloney, we certainly shouldn't be pushing people to learn coding. LOL

jumpingcoco said:

Apple is the only tech brand that can be trusted, quietly waiting to be surprised...

At the moment, kinda sorta. But if you're ultimately placing your trust there, I think your surprise might end up being rather disappointing.

avon b7 said:

AppleExposed said:
You're whining about a product you're not going to buy. I know it.

You can't possibly know it and you also avoid tackling the point.

Years waiting for a Mini update and over those years, not a single price adjustment.

Yeah, and that's what they said about me, too. '18 Mac mini i7 sitting on my desk with a Blackmagic eGPU.

It's funny how so many fan-boys hang around these forums complaining about those of us who complain about Apple, when those of us legitimately doing so are probably the biggest long-time Apple true fans. I want to see them do well, not just cheer them on (when I think they are screwing up).

ireland said:

... Thinness, unreliabile keyboards and needing dongles for many things is not innovation that helps me, the user. ...

Yep, that's the point people like Andy Ihnatko, Marco Arment, etc. (as well as so many here) have been making. It doesn't matter how 'innovative' it is if it isn't useful for a lot of the user-base. Super-slim keyboards, or even virtual ones (or foldable phones) are cool as heck from a technological innovation geek kind of perspective, but don't help much if you're a journalist, programmer, student, or someone trying to get real work done.

spice-boy said:

Apple as well as most (Western) mega corporations need to stop enabling oppressors by giving them the tools treat half of those counties population as property. We are all humans, we are born with rights and they should all be the same no matter your gender, race....etc.

Unfortunately, Western society has tossed out the foundations of a consistent ethic... and we're now heading post-truth and emotive for a sense of direction. Apple seems to take more of an, 'when in Saudi Arabia, do as the Saudis do' (or China, etc.). This will clash with some other's priorities of what rights who should get. They will fight it out in terms of PR and the one who can muster the most power will win.  I guess it's called, progress or something like that.

corrections said:
MBP "least exciting and least anticipated" ... well you are older now. everything is less exciting! Remember the excitement of MacBooks ten years ago being 15% faster and regressing to 32 bit CPUs and having an SD Card slot you maybe used 3 times across ten years--and Mini DisplayPort and FW800...  Those were the days!

Well of course, they don't seem so advanced now! But, back then, I actually looked forward to them, and was pretty happy (sans GPU issues in MBPs) with most every Apple product I ever bought in the past. Not so with the current MBPs.

corrections said:
... When RDM imagined Apple integrating an iOS touch screen into Macbooks several years ago (guessed it would replace the touchpad, vs the function keys) it was presented as mostly a way to make Apple's notebooks look advanced/different in marketing. I think that was pretty right on. It's a major differentiator from basic PC notebooks or cheaper Macs for users looing for something new and exciting (maybe as exciting at inertial scrolling on the touch pad of MBPs ten years ago when things were amazing, as opposed to having a horrible digital display that causes you soo much grief on a daily basis. 

Well, I think you got it right there. They wanted to add some bling. I guess they succeeded in that regard, but I'd rather my laptop is actually advanced, not just looking advanced.

corrections said:
I also don't get the allure of MagSafe. You can get a quick-connect USB-C cable. MagSafe doesn't stop you from tripping over a USB cable and pulling your machine off the table.

I think people mainly miss the elegance. Once you've had something like that, it's kind of hard to go back.

h0arder said:
i won't pay $2000 for a phone just because it has an apple logo on it if that logo doesn't also mean it's the best in terms of quality and stability.

But, fashion people will. I guess we have to ask whether Apple's new breed of consumers are more into quality or fashion. I'm not sure I'm going to like the answer.

k2kw said:
But it won't happen anytime soon because Apple is trying to destroy Qualcomm.   I don't see an Intel 5G chip till 2020 at earliest.   

You're not going to see 5G until well after 2020 anyway, so it doesn't matter much who makes or doesn't make the chips.
I half wonder if 5G is the next 3D TV. I'm sure we'll eventually get some next-gen thing, but the hype (and desperation) around 5G is getting to lunacy level.

brucemc said:

I quite like the USB-C connector (which is just the connector, the port of course supports T-Bolt 3, audio/video, power, etc).  I purchased a USB-C hub for $40 on Amazon which connects to all my peripherals at work, including the power cable.  One single attachment point, and you are done.  I did have to spend about $100 for all the peripherals, but I needed some for my last 2011 MBP as well.

Always funny to read the comments - you get the people that complain about Apple protecting legacy markets (I guess that is to imply trying to maintain the iPhone user base), and then the same ones turnaround and moan that the Mac doesn't have enough legacy ports.  Oh well, that is humanity I guess...

Oh, yeah, it's fine on desks with docking units (not hubs, there are no USB-C hubs yet, really) and such. The problem (and hence complaints) is more when you just have that USB-C port, and then have to connect pretty much anything to it while out and about... and pretty much nothing else in the world is USB-C. So, you have to dig for dongles or docks that you have to bring along with you.

I don't think anyone here is opposed to USB-C... just that some are opposed to USB-C only until USB-C starts getting used for actual stuff you'd be plugging in.

BTW, legacy ports are ports that are no longer widely in use. USB-A isn't legacy, as about the only thing that does have USB-C currently are docks and dongles to adapt all the USB-A stuff to USB-C devices.

I'll love USB-C someday when I have some USB-C stuff to plug into all those ports on my machine.

re: what I said previously... "I can hear it when it is running hard (and I think only then), but it's it's kind of a low lower-pitch white/pink noise type sound that isn't overly annoying. (My wife has a PC tablet/laptop that is incredibly annoying when the fan comes on.) The Blackmagic, I can hear as well, but it is more a 'woosh' airflow type sound that is barely detectable and super-un-annoying. So, I'm pretty happy in the sound department."

Just an update...

I guess I just hadn't been pushing it that much in a sustained way, as now that I am, it's a bit louder than I like. But, it is less annoying 'tone/pitch' than laptops I've owned or been around. Even at 100% (ie: 1/12th load, equivalent of 1 of 2 threads on 1 core), it starts to come in and out of being audible in the environment I'm in (which isn't totally quiet... urban apartment/condo, not quiet countryside).

At 200% it ratchets up some and I can clearly hear it, but it isn't too annoying yet. If I'm not recording audio, I think I could run it at that level without bothering me too much while I work.

It's interesting, in that it doesn't keep at a constant level, but seems to cycle louder/quieter every couple minutes. Maybe it would eventually stabilize if I leave it long enough?

At only 300% (1/4 of the power of the machine), it starts to get annoying (to me). The tone still isn't as harsh as some systems, but the noise level is more than I like. Interestingly (and a bit unexpectedly), it doesn't seem to get any worse than that. When I crank it up to 400%, 500%, etc up to maxed out, it stays roughly the same volume of noise.

The good news, is that when I'm just working (so far) I must not be sustaining 300% yet, as I've never heard it get that loud unless I'm purposely pushing it. The bad news, is that doing stuff like compressing a longer video (which I haven't done yet) will certainly push it there, as that usually maxes it a machine out while it's running. I suppose there is a way I could limit those apps to use less threads?

Workable, but a bit of a bummer for me given how darn quiet the eGPU is. I suppose that would have been the advantage of a Mac Pro like the 'trash can.' I guess I can't have it all for the, IMO, bargain in terms of price that I paid for this much power.

Fair point, I think, though I don't know about a lawsuit or any kind of loss anyone is suffering over it. I think Apple should just be forced to measure the screen diagonally from a line even with the bottom of the notch and inside the 'safe area' for their screen size spec. But, then I'm guessing they wouldn't have gone with the notch and rounded corners in the first place... the whole point was a higher screen-size spec.

I suppose a lawsuit is about the only way to get Apple not to cheat on specs.