doggone

Parallels was very useful when I needed to run windows to work at home.  Nowadays with a PC laptop for work I do not need it and don't have to pay the Parallels annual tax. 

I probably won't buy another intel Mac because I don't need the compatibility.  Even if I did, my current 2016 MBP could be good for another 4-5 years.  By then the Apple Silicon could run several OSes in parallel without breaking into a sweat.  Intel on the other hand could still be trying to get 4nm fab to work  

My biggest issue is that my old rMBP will not be able to upgrade to Big Sur.  That took over as my media server and so its days are numbered if that functionality is lost in a year or two.

I like the AppleTV.  Have one connected to every TV in the house. 
The current software is generally good but there is still quite a bit of room for improvement.  Integration with the apps and Watch Now is a bit clunky and tends to get stuck on one episode when it should advance to another.  Switching between devices is not straightforward or reliable.
Integration with the TVapp on the Mac is also unreliable.
Subscriptions are not 100% successful.  I spent months trying to get the BritBox app to work reliably on either the TVapp or AppleTV.  Other Apps can refuse to play even when we have subscription with the cable company. 
The remote clearly has issues.  The trackpad is so sensitive (even at the lowest setting) and if you pick it up at the wrong end you can exit or skip back or forward by accident.  The trackpad tries to do too many things (pause, play, skip back / fwd, options, picture in picture).  Managing that in 1 square inch is very tricky and often get the wrong result.

Cost of memory has always been an issue with Apple.  I, for one, will not buy a laptop unless it now has 16GB ram and 512 SSD HD.  
BTO options are never a good value.  The best approach is to look for the best configuration that is available from a vendor.  On the Appleinsider price guide you can either get 8GB/256 SSD for 1225 or 16GB/512 SSD for 1499 from Adorama.  Paying the extra 250 for double ram and double SSD is worth it. 

TSMC would have been a good company for Apple to buy a while ago.  They have been a reliable partner for Apple for many years and has the expertise in chip manufacturing.  The market cap is now around 250BB so probably out of range for Apple even with their cash on hand. 

AirPods were a godsend to me.  I had gone through multiple wireless headsets over the years with either them breaking down or the battery dying.  Even when I found a robust pair (Jaybirds) the sound was never perfect since the fit was always hard to get right.  The sound I get in the standard AP is very close to what I would expect from regular sound systems and very consistent.

The charging case was a brilliant idea and ensures that the AP are always charged.  I don't know how many times I had gone for a run in the past only for the sound to die because I had forgotten to charge the headset.  My original V1 AP are still working though the batteries only last for an hour now.  

I will probably buy the AirPod Pros in the next few months and the noise cancelling feature will be useful when flying.  I currently use Bose headphones when flying but they are bulky.