KirbyFitBoston

macgui said:

Interesting. There appears to be no supporting documents required to make a purchase, other than the declaration in the agreement. It opens the doors to misuse. Not that we should were the DD214 on our sleeves like service stripes... Of course, a 214, endorsed drivers license, or Active or Veteran's ID would be a little impractical for online use.

But it's an appreciated gesture on Apple's part, and pays the CA sales tax. It's a deal for states with lower or no sales tax. Thanks, Apple.

mazda 3s said:

lkrupp said:

As for Apple Music and the Echo it’s no surprise at all. The iPod started out exclusive to Apple and iTunes became cross platform later. If Apple wants to grow in the services area then they must go cross platform. Apple’s customer base will still buy Apple products. I bought an Echo just to see what it was all about and it’s not all that superior a product. It’s just relatively cheap and cheap has never doomed Apple in the past even with pundits predicting it would.

Ehh, have to disagree there. I'm all-in for Apple products where they shine (I have an iPhone X, Apple Watch S4 SS, and 11-inch iPad Pro), but I use Amazon Echos for my smart speakers. They are dirt cheap, and they get the job done. I used to have 2nd generation Echo Dots spread throughout the house, but with all the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales (where the Echo Dot 3rd gen was on sale for $24), I replaced three of the Echo Dots with the new generation (I even managed to score one combo with an Echo Dot and a TP-Link smart plug for $29). The audio quality and max volume of the 3rd gen versus the 2nd gen is amazingly better.

I replaced the fourth with an Echo Spot for the kitchen (was $89 - 25% off for trading in one of my Echo Spots), so I can see who's at the front door (I have a Ring 2 Video Doorbell) if I'm cooking (I can't do that with anything Apple offers using just my voice). I can also use the Echo Spot to monitor my cameras outside the house and in our 2-year-old's room.

I may eventually upgrades to the Echo Show (second generation) with the built in smart hub for the kitchen, as its screen is far larger, but I'm not to keen on having that much "screen" in the kitchen. Depends on how low the price goes though

banfacebook said:

Lmao unbiased article from appleinsider 🤣

krreagan2 said:

I think this is great! Companies taking the initiative to be moral and family friendly (high road) without being pressured into it. For so long blood and guts and sex have been a necessary content for successful media content creation. it is nice to see Apple going in the other direction. My fear is that the American public is so accustomed to sex, violence and gore that it will take Apple several seasons to ween enough thoughtful viewers off the SV&G. Some of us can and do watch violent and sex infused media but can also just as easily watch (and prefer to watch) media that makes one think without the visceral violence and sex... (god forbid we actually use our brains during entertainment).
Someone motioned Bones as an example of good TV. I agree with this except that Bones contributed to the "clean ending" phenomena. where all is right and clean at the end. The real world is not like this. Sometimes the good guys get it wrong regardless of their morals or viewpoint and it is never gets cleaned up!