Toroidal

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Toroidal
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  • Only the base iPhone 17 may escape a $50 price hike

    ToroidalToroidal
    Since Apple insists that apps provide a sort of 'nutrition' type privacy label (which I support), seems reasonable that Apple should provide a price transparency label. Include shipping costs, tariffs, etc. I really do not want to see Apple raise prices worldwide to mitigate tariffs on US customers. (I am a US customer.) 
    themindjibronnwillett

  • Bipartisan 'Open App Markets Act' resurrected to challenge Apple's App Store control

    ToroidalToroidal
    I could support some of this. I do not support turning iOS into some kind of public utility, where every new feature must have a stable supported interface for 3rd parties to compete the instant it is introduced. Whether it is LIDAR or UWB or whatever, the reason to spend the capital to bring it to market is to have Apple's product differentiated from the competition. The incentive to invest, the flexibility to make radical changes after introducing it, or the ability to remove a new feature if it does not work out, have to be maintained. (requiring access to all "consumer device features" opens the door for 3rd party lawsuits for changing or deleting some novel feature) 
    9secondkox2beowulfschmidtNagra178AiOS_Guy80

  • Apple execs explain Apple's position in the AI race & how it isn't necessarily 'behind'

    ToroidalToroidal
    Wesley_Hilliard said:
    ihatescreennames said:

    Joz even scoffed at the idea of it being "demo ware," in what seemed to be a pointed comment at Daring Fireball's John Gruber.

    Sure, now that it’s a year later. We still aren’t seeing the semantic index stuff that was touted at WWDC 2024. What is Joz scoffing at?
    At the suggestion that what was shown during WWDC 2024 was faked or not actually running.
    Apple implied a general ability with their demo - without the necessary caveats, context, limitations explicitly stated. I think calling it vaporware or demo ware is perfectly appropriate. Apple execs may be technically accurate to say Siri did that one thing unfaked, but it was seriously misleading and they had to know that at the time. It's not the same level of fakery as Tesla's FSD video, but Apple hurt their reputation/credibility with their promises. 
    williamlondonAlex1Ncflcardsfan80

  • Apple doesn't appear to have plans to revive the iPhone mini

    ToroidalToroidal
    charlesn said:
    Toroidal said:
    As noted above, nobody else is addressing that market, which Apple could have to itself - and do it at a premium. Apple is no stranger to high margin low volume markets. 
    Apple DID have the "mini" market to itself and at a premium price to boot. So what's your theory about why they abandoned it? Do you think the meeting in Cupertino went something like this:

    TIM: Hey, guys, this Mini is selling pretty well for us, the margins at its selling price are great, so tell you what: let's just cancel it so we can piss off the buyers who love the Mini. Show of hands for that idea? Great, it's unanimous. Let's cancel after the 13 Mini. Yeah, I know that means we won't even make back our R&D, tooling and marketing costs for that model, but it's worth it to piss off Mini buyers!" 

    Listen: I get why people who want a smaller form factor phone are really upset that one is no longer available. I tried a Pro Max for a year and hated it, couldn't wait to get back to the smaller form factor of the regular Pro. What I don't get are the wild explanations and conspiracy theories about why the Mini was cancelled when the obvious and only sensible answer is that a Mini form factor wasn't a good enough business for Apple to stay in it, even when it had that whole market of buyers to itself. 
    You ignored the fact that Apple has continued to update the iPad mini despite far smaller overall sales. I'm pointing out the incongruity. Given the existence of the iPad mini, it's far more likely that the upsell argument has greater validity than poor sales. Total dollars made > customer satisfaction. I waited 10 years to upgrade my 11" MacBook Air (hoping for an Apple Silicon version), I'll wait as long as possible before replacing my 13 mini. Sales deferral is something Apple may not have factored into their equation. 
    henrybaywatto_cobra

  • Apple doesn't appear to have plans to revive the iPhone mini

    ToroidalToroidal
    The reasoning presented here for abandoning the iPhone Mini applies perfectly well to the iPad Mini which is a very small slice of iPads (~10%). Given that the phone market for Apple is much much larger than the tablet market, the iPad Mini should have been given the axe long before the Mini phone. Hence the angst of modestly sized phone lovers is well justified given Apple's inconsistent approach. Add to that, Apple Silicon is uniquely suited to small powerful devices, and Apple could offer what no other OEM could for truly mobile pocketable phones. As noted above, nobody else is addressing that market, which Apple could have to itself - and do it at a premium. Apple is no stranger to high margin low volume markets. 
    watto_cobra