gregg thurman

deepinsider said:

Ugh... the notch. Of all the iPhone features that the Android universe could copy, why that one?

Oh dear, what are the nattering nabobs of negativity going to complain about now, now that Android has copied yet another Apple "feature".  It would seem that the notch was a legitimate and most viable solution to front facing sensor/camera placement.  Can you imagine that.

Folio said:

Not sure what oft-cited "mother of AI projects" means. Certainly by maturity, it's probably most impressive. But that also shows it's hardly the most challenging. Not as tough e.g. as a desirable Siri companion, nor as creative reasoning derived from scraping global databases.

How about the “mother of all AI projects” being the playground where Apple develops an industry leading and  proprietary AI engine for future projects. 

The goal isnt isn’t self driving transportation, it is the AI technology itself. 

Madrajin said:

Much as a love Apple’s products, this type of tax avoidance is morally repugnant. A move to tax on revenue will fix this shenanigans. Large multinationals have got away with paying almost no corporation tax in the same markets that domestic companies have to pay full dues for years.

It’s only morally repugnant because the tax system was developed by politicians, each of which hopes to include an element that benefits their respective constituents. 

The only real real solution is to tax the transaction (sales tax) at a rate that satisfies government revenue requirements, and cease trying to tax profits. This is the difference between taxing consumption vs taxing production. Taxing production increases production costs and sets the stage for tax law manipulation, while taxing consumption provides tax revenue in the jurisdiction where the transaction takes place. 

In order to tax foreign imports and lower the cost of domestic production many countries have established value added taxes (an overly complex sales tax). 

The biggest problem with with tax compliance is the creators, all of which are constituent motivated. Understand that not all constituents are equal (think “Animal Farm”) with the more equal bearing the most political motivation. 

haywood said:

I'm extremely impressed with sound quality of mine.  Especially compared to the Echo.  Can't wait for the additional capabilities in Airplay2.

Think of the AppleTV 4K, 4K Apple created content, HomePod speakers, iTunes 4K, Apple Music with the content and speakers able to distribute sound in multi "channels".  You get the best picture quality, the best content and the best sound, all on Apple devices.

To me this is the purpose of the HomePod and SIRI controlled devices: bring a galaxy of Apple branded devices, incredibly well integrated with each other, to create the ultimate "home theater".

Apple isn't attacking the living room with one product, Apple is attacking the living room with a host of incredibly well integrated products that act as one.

I got my HomePod on day one and can't wait for "stereo" networking.  At that time i'll get a second HomePod.

saltyzip said:

coolfactor said:
Android loyalists can shout as loud as the want from the mountaintops. At the end of the day, it's just a good-enough operating system

A good enough operating system that runs  on nearly 90% smartphones worldwide. I think you are underestimating how good android really is. I remember the day when apple never discounted iphones, but since last year discounts are getting bigger and bigger meaning competition is tuff which is good for us consumers.

If you read the article below apple have issues in the core markets, that's the real story:

http://uk.businessinsider.com/apple-ios-market-share-us-europe-japan-2018-1

Ehhh, no.  The cost to produce the average iPhone (even with Apple’s extreme buying power) is more (~$350) than the average selling price (ASP) ($250) of an Android handset. But hardware isn’t the key to iPhone success, it is the means that make possible iOS functionality. Design of the OS (ease of use, stability and intuitiveness) is a bigger reason for iPhone’s pricing power. It’s one thing to put a nice looking skin on Android, but that’s just putting lipstick on a pig. 

Android apologists all respond with the same trite answers, Android has greater market share (it does in the sub $400 space where there are no profits), Android hardware specs are better (doesn’t make the user experience better), etc.  My response is that Android users, by and large, are feature phone buyers that appreciate larger screens.  Period. The vast majority of Android users have no use for “smartphone” functionality, hence the very low numbers (compared to iOS users) of app or online purchasing. There’s nothing wrong with glorified feature phones, but don’t confuse them with a true smartphone that people are willing to pay twice as much for. 

If Androids could be upgraded without having to buy new it’s unit sales numbers would plummet. The proof in that is that Android installed base is about 2.7 billion units, compared to 1.3 billion iOS units.   Remove churn caused by the inability to upgrade an Android handset, and instead of 17% iOS quarterly market share, iOS would be about 42%.