kiwimachead

Home automation makes me gag. Would be happy if Apple could improve AppleTV 4K functionality with decent hardware and a smoother UI experience for music & TV, support for gaming and AI that is actually helpful. It’s at the stage where any old smart TV with Android works way better and more reliably, so Apple definitely need to upp their game or they’ll soon lose me. Bought the wife and I AirPods Pro 2’s last year and we occasionally watch TV or a movie together after the kids are in bed. The sound is great (much better than our paired HomePods) and simultaneous listening on AirPods is one of Apple TV 4k’s cooler features, but man have I had some major hassles keeping a glitchy 4K working…

Happy with my 14 pro for another year. That said, next iphone will be a 17 pro max as the screen, camera, AI tools and larger battery will be appreciated. Will say, whether or not Apple planned it, battery life in iOS 18 and 18.1 still sucks for my 14 pro - compared with iOS 17 my phone battery is down an extra 30% by 5pm despite running through all the usual battery saving OS hacks. Guess it’s to be expected after a couple of years based on my prev iPhones and Apple OS’…

Far too expensive and clunky at this early stage unfortunately, but fingers crossed they keep at it. I’d definitely buy a more consumer oriented Apple Vision if it came down to the price of a MacBook/iPhone and particularly if it could be readily adjusted for use by more than one family member. Gaming / photos / TV / movie / concert / music are big the drawcards for my household of three, but the other application based use cases they’ve built into AVP software from the get go look pretty handy. An AppleTV 4K stereo paired with two HomePods is our only TV and it is used daily as a family hub for music, film/tv, workouts & photos. A MacBook Air and an iPad with AirPod Pro II’s for my wife and I (and wired AirPods for our daughter) plus a PS5 controller are the supplementary device set ups if someone is using the TV. We do read books and watch stuff together but the reality is that in an everyday working family like ours, someone always wants a bit of ‘me time’ to zone out and game (daughter), watch a TV series or movie that no one else wants to watch, is too noisy or scary/adult for kids, etc, and so they grumble and shuffle off with a MacBook/iPad and AirPods for a second rate small screen experience. Considering their huge investment into film and TV series’, it has frustrated me for years how Apple doesn’t put more resources into their larger AppleTV ecosystem as well as the gaming community which now absolutely dwarves the film industry by many billions of dollars. How awesome could it be if they mastered Apple Vision and the Apple TV ecosystem including gaming (not to mention finally improving the ram and graphics functionality in Macs for gamers). Who knows but it’s definitely in the realm of possibility… 

Xed said:

jdw said:

Finally!  And I hope I never hear about that ridiculous "Apple Car" again.  It never made any sense for a computer and mobile phone maker to get into the car space.  It's a completely different sort of thing altogether, and that would have made the company "too diverse."  I think it would have harmed Apple in the end, so good riddance.  No doubt they'll glean money off all the patents they filed in the years to come.  That's enough.

1) That's the same argument I heard when Apple started making MP3 players, and then again when it was rumored they were making a cellphone.

2) You really don't see how a tech company could make a vehicle like a Tesla or Rivian?

I’d never want a Tesla or a Rivian. Drive by wire, sketchy reliability, cobalt mining, a-hole CEO, etc. New vehicles are just an expensive extension of our fragile egos - give me a reliable second hand Toyota hybrid any day.

No idea why anyone would want a non pro iPhone at the present time. The pro models are excellent devices, albeit way too expensive compared with other brands which offer similar or superior features for similar or less outlay than a standard iPhone. I hang on to my Apple gear for a number of years, they are paid for by my small business and have a stupid sentimental attachment to the Mac and Apple’s ecosystem, so grudgingly accept the extra cost for the time being, but there are plenty of other great personal computing device options.