As a long term OSX power user and a long term Android power user I feel constantly dissapointed by OSX updates.
I certainly understand Apple efforts to unify their experiences and make them consistent under the same ecosystem. That's good for their business.
Unfortunately I'm on a situation where OSX for me is more a handicap than something I'd like to pay for, and that's something which is reinforced on every single release.
I fear that after 13 years my current MacBook Pro from 2012 will be my last Apple product. I will not use a system which is focused to my grandma and obfuscates all the advanced features under complex bash commands in an effort to make them not available to the users. I will not buy a 2K laptop with soldered RAM and battery, let alone the stupid joke the new iMac is.
I'm sad, because OS X has been my main driver for some many years. But I'm not buying the Apple ecosystem, and apparently that's all that Apple wants to sell now.
Multi monitor is painful, and basically all the controls other than raising/lowering brightess/volume and activating trackpad gestures are taken as "advance" features and completely obfuscated
I'm not afraid of bash in any way. But there are many things that should have a UI purely for convenience. Apple doesn't build that because they treat their consumers as if they were idiots.
"It simply works" ... "and if not, just go find the solution in stackoverflow because we're not providing that info to you"
You're not going to disprove statements like "it simply works" by saying things like "multi monitor is painful". HOW exactly? As with Mavericks some people like it better if they turn off "Displays have separate spaces" in the Mission Control system preference. I personally like the new way better, so I'm wondering where the "pain" is.
You are "bashing" a product you clearly know nothing about so I really doubt you are an experienced user as pretty much everything you said is wrong. Try Windows or Linux. Bye.
When people make vague arguments and are not able to provide specifics, they come off as a troll. I'd like to think this isn't the case, but based on the comments provided, SirPerro is apparently just trolling. That's sad. If there is a specific issue, state your case and others will help you solve your problem. At this point, I doubt there is any such problem to speak of.
Here are some annoyances in OSX versus windows or Linux:
1. Minimal Right-Click Context Menu. More clicking around to do things like simply creating a new folder
2. Wonky max/min window controls. Why cant I just maximize a window with "one" click
3. Far more extensive customization of task bars, toolbars in windows and linux versus the pretty dock and menus in OSX that are mostly "static".
4. Natively having the ability to rename multiple files with ease in windows is pretty handy.
5. Many apps in OSX cant do half screen windows...Why? In the windows/linux world any windowed app can be resized (this was a mistake Microsoft made with windows 8 which they are fixing in Win 10. )
I could go on but this isnt intended to be a bash OSX post. I'm sure we could list things about OSX that cant be done in windows or linux. I just find features I prefer are limited in OSX.
1. Minimal? Apps can enhance right-click just as they do with Windows. Furthermore, what about shortcuts? I find OS X's shortcuts way more intuitive. I rarely use right-click because I can do most things with one click or a shortcut.
2. Wonky? You clearly don't understand the intent of the "maximize" button, nevertheless if it's not for you, I can get that. But I wouldn't call it a con right away.
3. Uhm there are just as many apps that enhance the dock and menubar. I'd argue better ones over Win.
4. Renaming multiple files? Are you kidding me? OS X does this too you know.
I'm just gonna stop, you clearly haven't used the OS enough.
"Apple doesn't build that because they treat their consumers as if they were idiots"
Apple has to sell their computers to masses, and most people are..... idiots. If you're not satisfied with the current OS X, it probably won't get better in future. There's a reason you can still build a custom computer up to your own liking.
But that's part of their business right? Selling support to their customers and having their hardware hot-glued and soldered so that the average joe cannot remove a couple of screws and change the ram for free.
It's so fucking annoying I consider the non retina MBP the last Apple product worth buying. Everthing else is a no-go.
"Selling support to their customers and having their hardware hot-glued and soldered so that the average joe cannot remove a couple of screws and change the ram for free."
That's not why they do it, or why anyone else does it, for that matter. I'm not going to bother enlightening you, because it seems like I'd be wasting my time.
comparing MBP to y50 on hardware spec alone is a quite unfair. i don't think there's any carbon fiber on the y50 and the overall quality does not compare - even though apple's seen better days. is it worth 600$? apparently quite a lot of people think so -- not everybody has a use for a gaming laptop.
Tell me more about the costs you've factored in for malware protection and for OS upgrades. The same goes for office productivity software, etc, etc. Tell me about the battery life (hint - only 4hrs. 10min playing video), etc., etc.
malware protection? free OS upgrades? win 8.1 pre-installed and win 10 is most likely a cheap upgrade if not free for existing win 8 users. battery life? I'm sorry it's just very sad that you can't find a power plug within 4 hours
Yep, rMBP also has Thunderbolt 2 merged with Displayport 1.2 (guaranteed 4K@60hz support for external screen, not sure if HDMI in Lenovo is up to the task, because even HDMI 1.4 supports only 4K@30hz which is .... useless most of the time). I'm actively using Thunderbolt for data connectivity (faster and lower latency than USB3.0, more power (10W) for large external SSDs, universal dock-stations etc.)....
For a lot of people the $600 Best Buy laptop or even, yes, the $400 best buy laptop are good enough for their needs. Yes, at the higher end the prices work out to often being nearly the same for comparable configurations. The thing is that for the person for whom a low end configuration is good enough, there is no "comparable configuration". Apple doesn't even try to play in that market - so those folks are going to go Windows.
Also, why should Apple focus on making OSX and iOS play together more seamlessly? The numbers of iOS users are several orders of magnitude greater than those using a Mac. So what are all those iPad and iPhone users using on their desktop or laptop? The answer for the vast majority is...Windows. So might Apple actually be better off focusing their attentions on making iOS work seamlessly with Windows? There will be vastly more people out there using Windows + iOS than there are using OSX + iOS...just saying...
Can you tell me why they do it other than for profit? I bought a 2013 MBA, and I see no reason why I shouldn't be allowed to replace the RAM, CPU, or whatever else I want to.
1) it saves space (<- no room needed for connectors) 2) easier routing (-> less space on motherboard, lower resistive and capacitive load on IMC) 3) better performance (<- lower latency due to lower RC time constant, which is good in a laptop that usually runs hotter than desktop or DTR-sized laptop) 4) when maxed out to 16GB, there's no need to upgrade (it probably won't be possible to use 2x16gb sticks regardless) 5) repairability is a deliberate compromise 6) extra markup for Apple from "power users", who otherwise would buy 3rd party RAM 7) many ultrabook manufacturers are switching to soldered RAM
There're almost no laptops with replaceable CPU because 1) assembly becomes thicker 2) only oriented on power users (removing heatsink/thermal compound isn't trivial) 3) isn't good for marketing
Apple offers the max RAM the motherboard can support (16GB) at purchase.
The only reason you might want to upgrade RAM yourself is to buy the 8GB RAM model only to tell yourself "I'll upgrade to 16GB down the road when RAM gets cheaper". You might save something like $100 by doing that as opposed to ordering 16GB RAM right away.
So essentially, what you're complaining about is the equivalent of "The 13" rMBP is $100 to expensive for me", correct? Would you not complain if the price dropped $100? Not only would it be equivalent financially, but you'd benefit from 16GB RAM right away and wouldn't have to deal with the RAM upgrade process. Or is this more of a matter of principle?
Enter a coherent argument, not a random series of rants.
Are you upset with every phone vendor because they solder their RAM? Are you angry that you can no longer change the tubes in your TV set? Are you livid that you can't open a Chromecast and change the flash storage?
The fact that people could change their RAM on PCs was a weird temporary anomaly of the PC world; it will go away because of the inevitable laws of physics, just like the ability to change your FPU has gone away and the ability to change your GPU will go away soon. Soldered RAM uses less power (relevant today) and can be run at higher frequencies (relevant tomorrow). What Apple is doing will be done by every vendor in three years because physics demands it.
But soldered components are blatantly anti-consumer. The ability to change units is not just for power users who like to upgrade, it's critical for being able to service units. Things break sometimes, and being able to fix that yourself is pretty important. How would you feel if your car needed you to call a qualified Honda technician to change a flat tire?
And no, the ability switch around components is not just a temporary thing. That is how systems exist and have done literally since the dawn of the personal computer. The first generation of home computers were sold as kits that you physically had to assemble yourself, chip by chip.
Ever since then ever generation of hardware has been built around interoperability and upgrading. The only places where you get soldered on CPUs in the PC market is in embedded systems and similar super-low powered systems like many Atom boards that come with the CPU attached. In every other non-mac system you can swap out parts.
Look at standards like SATA and PCI-Express - They exist specifically so end users can expand a barebones system over time; add a USB 3.0 card or an SSD hard-drive to an aging machine to extend it's life, or add a RAID card and totally repurpose the system into a server. These are important choices. The ability to do more with your hardware than just what it was capable of doing in the box is central to what being a PC user is. You can do more. I still use my ten year old PC as my headless network file server, because I can, because I have the option to do that.
So no, fixing your own PC isn't going anywhere, nor is upgrading. Sorry. Not happening. I cannot imagine why you would think otherwise. Just because Apple does something doesn't make it a good thing, and scrabbling around to find reasons to justify it when in fact what they are doing is flipping consumers the bird and declaring that they don't think you are smart enough to fix something yourself.
Ever since Apple gave up and OSX became just a different operating system running on stock PC hardware they have been trying anything to convince people that they are somehow getting something magically better, even though it's literally the exact same hardware. The fact that they STILL refuse to sell the OS separate to the hardware, even when that hardware is just normal every day PC components that they have assaulted with a soldering iron, is just wrong. It's part of a brand image that still relies on a lot of good will from the days when Macs actually were something different. Well, they aren't. And most users would be radically better of installing OSX onto another manufacturers PC.
The way that Apple handles their desktop and laptop exo system sucks. Don't apologize for them.
Whatever your platform of choice (esp. Apple), itis inadequate and ill-advised. Thus I urge, nay, command you to immediately adopt my preferred platform as the obvious technically and morally superior choice. I'll be watching.
12 years as a computer tech and I left to become a stock broker because I could very clearly see that everything should be soldered onto a single component. It's physically faster, tremendously increases reliability (no ram and cpu to unseat), and makes business sense for Apple or anyone serious about making money selling hardware. The industry is moving away from add on tointegrated components Apple isn't the only one: virtually every major manufacturers hi end ultra books are built exactly this way.
As computers get faster and more integrated, replace and throw away is the only valid model. Upgrading hardware is nothing more than sentimental; replacing hardware is more economical. We live in a throw away culture and computing is the ultimate disposable; mores law necessitates this.
Just ask component manufacturers they'll tell you this is happening; their sales prove it.
phones have soldered ram because of form factor. you really think you can fit a SO-DIMM slot inside a case that's less than a quarter of an inch? where did you get the fact that soldered RAM uses less power and can run at higher frequencies? so you are saying your soldered ram can beat 3000mhz DIMM ram? your "physics" seems very out of place
It's funny because I consider retina MBP one of the first Apple laptops actually worth buying compared to top competitors even regardless of OS X vs. Windows.... I'm totally fine with 16gb of RAM (and I don't care if it's soldered as long as it makes motherboard smaller due to easier routing) or built-in battery (I'd rather have one with higher capacity fit into a smaller and lighter enclosure).
dunno - running an entire heavy graphic oriented system of an 11" air - faster than the old mac pro. Pretty amazing - though I agree regarding difficulty in upgrading -what's acceptable with a laptop is not so much with a desktop.
On the other hand the new macpro is a beast and you can add stuff to it to your heart's delight.
I see you skiping over the soldered ram and battery part. Let me assure you, that matters just as much as forcing things to be command line is equally stupid. That's the opposite of good UX design.
"As a long term OSX power user and a long term Android power user I feel constantly dissapointed by OSX updates." If you say so.
"I certainly understand Apple efforts to unify their experiences and make them consistent under the same ecosystem. That's good for their business." It also provides a benefit to users.
"Unfortunately I'm on a situation where OSX for me is more a handicap than something I'd like to pay for, and that's something which is reinforced on every single release." Handicap? Compared to Linux or Windows? Please expand this thought. Also, you are not directly paying for OS, you pay for the HW.
"I will not use a system which is focused to my grandma and obfuscates all the advanced features under complex bash commands in an effort to make them not available to the users. I will not buy a 2K laptop with soldered RAM and battery, let alone the stupid joke the new iMac is." The purpose of a GUI to simplify user interaction. You can choose Terminal if that is your preference. Also, there are very real technical benefits to soldered RAM and non-replaceable batteries. The new iMac is the best desktop for most users at that price point, i.e., fastest and best display.
"I'm sad, because OS X has been my main driver for some many years. But I'm not buying the Apple ecosystem, and apparently that's all that Apple wants to sell now." I guess Apple should be focused on selling other systems, say Microsoft, Google or Samsung. I can't say if you are paid to post this drivel, but if you are, you're overpaid.
"Unfortunately I'm on a situation where OSX for me is more a handicap than something I'd like to pay for, and that's something which is reinforced on every single release." Handicap? Compared to Linux or Windows? Please expand this thought. Also, you are not directly paying for OS, you pay for the HW.
I am with him on this, since I upgraded my iMac to Mavericks I have found it a pain to use, especially around saving and access commonly/recently used files. Now I am sure that I could spend some time finding out how to do it better, but I use a windows machine at work so have now bought a win 8 laptop with touch screen which is a revelation in useabilty. somethings are just so much easier and more natural with atouchscreen given we spend all days using them on phones and tablets. I haven't touched my iMac in months now.
And off course you are paying for OS, otherwise Apples margins would be 5% and not 30%
LOL! Really, you're having trouble accessing recently used files? Seriously? You must not really have a Mac, because even the most novice users don't struggle with such things. Seriuosly, where do you think the "Recent Items" feature from Windows came from? http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-ways-to-locate-rece...
I very much agree with this sentiment, and for the same reasons. They have green ambitions when building power generation for them selves and when building their product but expect us consumers to buy a completely new product if a component fails or if we wish to upgrade. That's very environmentally wasteful, inefficient and expensive. No way.
"expect us consumers to buy a completely new product if a component fails or if we wish to upgrade."
If a component fails, and you are still on warranty, you get your entire Mac replaced. The one that you exchange gets refurbished and sold as a refurb. That's NOT "environmentally wasteful, inefficient and expensive" at all!!!
If a component fails, and (as in most cases) it is due to a defective component (and not due to misuse) Apple has covered these instances with extended warranties. I had an iMac G5 that had a capacitor burn out in its 4 year of use. This was a known defective component, and Apple replaced it with a current iMac with Intel processor at no cost to me.
Some Macs have user upgradable RAM, and some Macs don't. Those that don't are usually lower end, so it is important to buy one with the RAM you need. Nobody complains because they can't upgrade the RAM in their smartphone or tablet, so you should be used to this, especially in a Mac that costs less than the full price of a smartphone or tablet!
All Macs have upgradeable internal storage, either by the user, or by an Apple Store or certified Apple provider. In addition, all Macs come with USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt connectors for fast external storage. So internal AND external storage is definitely upgradeable!
It's actually hard to overestimate how great it is to have Thunderbolt on non Macs that never had pci slots (mini, iMac, Air). 2 Thunderbolt ports offers more expansion opportunities than ever.
Bullshit they don't. I'm on my second GPU on my 2011 MBP and probably going to have to have a third soon since I have absolutely zero confidence that it'll last very long. A $3000 machine that lasted about 4 months past its warranty and then became 100% useless. Apple's solution despite the rash of failures and repeated petitions to have them recognize a widespread failure? Pay them $700 for an in-house replacement or $300 from a third party. I paid $3000 for a machine that *barely* lasted past its warranty before it became completely useless and Apple REFUSES to recognize they have another serious problem on their hands and REFUSES to extend the warranties of the machines affected.
Your inability to recognize reality makes me question your objectivity. Apple has a huge problem on its hands that they have 1000x the cash to instantly solve by replacing the machines wholesale and they completely refuse to acknowledge the problem exists.
God this is ignorant. What components do you expect to fail which require a "completely new purchase"?
Let's go through my various macs:
I have an HTPC mac mini. Internal HD has failed, so I boot it off an SSD I stuck in a firewire enclosure. I have an old 17" PPC-based Macbook Pro with a sticky keyboard and more or less dead trackpad (belonged to a friend who spilled coffee on it). I use it as a digital clock. I have a friend's old macbook air. He (different friend) spilled diet soda on it. The screen doesn't work, neither does the keyboard. So I plugged it into a (VGA-based) LCD screen that's 10+ years old, connected a USB keyboard, and it works fine for my needs. I had an old Macbook whose fan died. Not ideal, but I directed an external fan at it, and kept it running for about three more years.
etc etc. In my experience Macs last longer than PCs, and they're only getting more reliable. The part that was most likely to fail was the HD, which is gone from portables and on its way out on desktops. The GPU tended to run too hot in desktop machines from around 2006/2007 and so provided a point of failure, but nothing tends to run too hot in a modern mac. etc etc
And when things DO fail, you can generally work around the problem pretty easily to maintain the machine as useful IF YOU WANT TO. If you are such a princess that you refuse to engage in such workarounds, that's your decision, not Apple's.
You spent extra money on an external enclosure, one of your laptops is a clock, another one is anchored in place with a keyboard and display, and the third needs a fan to be function. NONE of the latter are working laptops, in the sense of a portable computing device. And the HTPC required you to spend a non-trivial amount to keep it working.
Significantly reduced functionality is not the same as "working," and expecting an expensive product to last in full working condition without cumbersome hacks is not the same as being a princess. If I have shoes with huge holes in the bottom I don't think "well at least it still covers the top of my foot." I replace it because it no longer fulfills it's primary role of protecting the bottom of my food, regardless of any auxiliary tasks it may still perform (and poorly at that).
Trolling. Not an MBPro owner or a 13 year OSX user. Check this users posts later in the thread. They are nonsensical coming from someone who is a 13 year OS user.
The display is great. Pity that it can only run at 30fps at 5k though. And pity it doesn't have anything like the graphics muscle to actually display anything other than pictures at 5k too. And unlike proper computers, you can't upgrade, so you'll be making a MASSIVE sacrifice to get all those pixels. If you ever want to do anything other than look at digital photos at 5k, then you need to look elsewhere. Congrats to Apple for selling a system around a 5k display that is utterly unsuited to doing anything that requires a 5k display.
Wrong! You are wrong, sir! I cannot list how many ways.
:) Seriously, I'm not a huge fan of iMacs, though I am a huge fan of Apple laptops. Your statement that the only thing the iMacs are good for is viewing pictures is ridiculously wrong. Almost as if it's a sport to you or something. The iMacs have fast processors and decent GPUs. They'd be great for photographers and general computing tasks. How about editing 4k video? They can handle that just fine.
You really think a quad core mobile processor is enough (and that's exactly what it is, a mobile processor thanks to Apple's focus on the thickness of a *desktop*) to drive 4K video editing? 4K video editing is a slow crawl on my 8 thread overclocked desktop.
The iMacs use Desktop class CPUs, always have. The only exception to that is the very lowest model which uses the internals of a macbook air to cut cost.
"The display is great. Pity that it can only run at 30fps at 5k though." Not that facts are important to your rant, but the iMac 5K Retina is confirmed to have a 60hz refresh rate.
I can't make a testament to the software issues on Macs. However, non-replaceable components are par for the course in thin and light laptops, whether they are sold by Apple or another company.
I don't think you will find any laptops nowadays (other than desktop replacements) that have user replaceable RAM, and most of them have internal batteries that require disassembling of the entire laptop to replace.
As a Mac user since 2001, I can assure you there aren't many "software issues." OS X is a powerful, energy efficient OS. I left my unplugged MacBook Pro on overnight with a 70% charge (sleep disabled), expecting it to be dead in the morning. Imagine my surprise when it was still running in the morning.
Hp Folio 9480m....replaceable RAM, HD, battery. Secondary slice battery for a real use 14 plus hour runtime. 3 yr. bumper to bumper warranty included. Magnesium and aluminum. Docking station accessory. Typing this on one. Thin and light ultrabook built to military spec with matte 1600x900 display. Killer device and shocking to my MacBook owner acquaintances. FYI 8GB RAM, 256 Sammy 840 Pro SSD, and top wireless components as well.
Agree with the Apple criticism here. OSX REALLY overrated and lots of documented Apple hardware issues in the forums. As far as references go...if no SD slot or replaceable battery in a cell phone I will not purchase it. Ewaste will be the legacy of Apple.
Ahh another young generation learning about the eventual limits in the pretty Apple ecosphere. As you are realizing if you want customization and control to the max.. Apple is not the way to go.
Yes, it is titled "a look at os x yosemite and ios 8.1" ... I dont think anyone was expecting Linux or Windows... It just seems to cover all the positives and ignore all the negatives.
I think the main point of this article is to present an overview of what's new in Yosemite compared to its predecessor Mavericks.
The negatives you would like to see mentioned are not new to Yosemite, they're limitations of the whole OS X platform when you put it next to other OSes.
It seems this article did not aim to analyze the whole OS X platform and whether it's a good OS choice, but rather tell existing OS X users what are the new features they'll get by upgrading to Yosemite.
I understand that may not be the kind of article you would have preferred, but the fact people make a big deal out of this to the point of attacking Anandtech makes the the complains hard to take seriously IMO. I feel some of the people calling Anandtech biased are not very objective themselves, and would rather see an article pointing the downsides of OS X just to validate their own decision of sticking with another OS, even though it would deviate from the original point of the article.
It's you. Apple is THE premiere ecosystem provider, with smart phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. There simply is no other manufacturer that comes close to the breadth of devices they sell...with the software that ties them all together....and a breadth of applications to make the experience worthwhile. If Anandtech didn't cover topics like this...I would remove my bookmark to their site.
You've piqued my interest. If saying that Apple's OSes are the best for a unified ecosystem between disparate device categories has you pull out a Kool-Aid comment then what is inarguably better?
I personally know of nothing and with Yosemite and iOS 8 ones ability to make a smooth transition between devices from one moment to the next without altering your workflow has been vastly improved. So, please, elucidate as to what combinations of desktop and mobile OSes are even more user friendly and efficient to setup and use?
Well, Apple is certainly step ahead of everyone else in terms of integrating together devices made by Apple. The trouble comes when you try to plug in something else. Or plug an idevice to non-Mac (/waves to worst application on Windows, i.e. iTunes). And this OS X update apparently does little to nothing to improve in this direction. So going Apple is basically all or nothing decision.
Good now you can leave since apparently anything positive about Apple is a corruption in journalism. Doesn't matter if it's any good or not because it is crapple and must be horrible and the only way they can have any fair coverage is if the site says it was made by the devil and should be destroyed for it's pretentiousness. Since you and people like you say the same things about every site on the internet that has positive apple coverage in it, I can only assume you are an apple hater for no reason other than the fact that they are annoying in their locking down on stuff or you hate steve jobs.
It's just you. It's written by a Mac user, so it will be biased towards other Mac users. If you don't particularly care about iOS and Macs then this review will be like reading about the new Mustang when you happen to not care about cars.
Generally speaking tech articles will list the good and bad and diplay it for the user to determine what fits best. I honestly cannot recall the last time I saw anything at Anandtech on the neg. 1/2 of that equation with regards to Apple products... And there has been quite of that alot lately... Anandtech? Amazingly quiet.
But, drink on kool aid man. Your name says it all.
OR MAybe I see all of the negative reports of the heinous slowness IOS8 has caused and the various other problems and bugs that go along with it... My once nice iPad 4 is now slower scrolling through web pages than my old Droid3 w/OMAP CPU on Gingerbread FFS. Then I read an article at a once great tech site that has been my home page for over 15 years and see "Its a little bluebird on my shoulder".
I am not calling that a conspiracy, but it is a very one sided take on things... Which as I said is par for the course at Anandtech for the past several years. If you cant see that then you are far too biased to even talk about it... Oh wait... n/m
Let's be fair here this is right from Brandon's iOS8 review: "Given that the iPad 3 I have for testing falls into both the Apple A5(X) camp and the iPad camp, I won't be updating it to iOS 8. While the new features like SMS Relay will be nice, the missing features and issues like keyboard lag outweigh the benefits of updating."
The iPad Air was my first one. It runs everything great in iOS 8, totally fast and smooth.
I can't speak for your two year old hardware. I know my GS3 from the same year was choppy and slow right when I bought it, wifi was bugged after an update, and so on. Brainwashed apologists deflect that but whatever.
Nothing is perfect, even your precious, but try and keep your head together.
By the way, I just Googled for "bent iPhone" to see how big it is. The stories run from September 25th to October 1st, then nothing.
Only a couple dozen out of tens of millions of units have bent. If this was actually a problem then it would still be a part of the news cycle, maybe even a recall.
I changed my mind. Middle aged fanboys desperately grasping at dead news stories from a month ago are what's actually funny.
Oh, well good. You have one that isn't slow or crashing, well, sorry others have them that are. And no, not all iPhones are bending, the point is its so thin that it is structurally weak and is susceptible to be bent. http://www.oneofthenine.com/ - You going to defend that?
Anyhow, you have mentioned that fact that I am in my early 40's like 4-5 times now. You mentioned you have been coming to Anandtech as long as I have, so unless you were here as a toddler , you must be gettting pretty close too... Not that age matters, but you keep mentioning it and keep coming back to reply, so as much of a loser as I must be to post here, you are more of one as you are here at the same site, defending a company AND tracking my age and post count on another related site.
It's not about the age, it's about you with over 10000 posts on DT and hundreds on Disqus devoted to almost entirely to defending Android and bashing iOS. I expect that from a teenage console warrior, not a grown man.
Otherwise, most people have no problems with iOS. Almost nobody has bent iPhones, literally dozens out of tens of millions. Even if it was hundreds it would be statistically insignificant.
Stretching credibility in the name of fanboy desperation is sad for anyone, especially someone that is supposed to be "mature".
And to be clear, yes, 1000 bent iPhones (let's throw out a big number) out of tens of millions is bad.
That percentage is TINY. Its nothing like actual tech disasters like the RROD or even laptop battery recalls. Get bent out of shape if you want though, your life seems to revolve around phone drama.
And obviously there are negative things to be said for Apple, same as any other company. For example, the Mac Mini and iPad Mini 3 updates are awful.
The problem is that its hard to take anything he seriously when everything he says is negative, a conspiracy, and self-victimizing. He goes so far as to say Anand is a shill for Apple and that his current employment is proof of that.
Nothing he says can be taken seriously because it is constant. At least he doesn't seem bigoted, racist, or homophobic like some of his DT friends.
How is it stalking? You are tracking my post count, your last umpteen posts at DT were all about me. You posted on this article, only to me, and to others about me. You seem to be caught up with my age and occupation. Why dont you go troll someone else? why are you fixated on me? Or is it becasue I keep calling you on your 100% one sided biased ass, and shutting you down like I did again here and you are pissed? http://www.dailytech.com/Article.aspx?newsid=36545...
Too bad trollboy. But back on topic, my 10000 posts at DT is over the entire history since day 1. FFS, most of it has nothing to do with Apple. Especially any OP's. Often you asshat Apple nutjobs that just cant STAND when anyone doesn't like anything about Apple get all butt hurt and go on and on, so that makes it seem like alot of posts, but its really just a few asshats, yourself included.
FYI, I also say alot of good things about Apple. They moved the whole industry forward in 2007, I love the hardware on iPad Air and Air 2. I love the hw quality in general until it got so thin its structurally weak... And on that subject, it IS weak. There my be only a few thousand people with the issue, but its a young product. the fact its that it is too weak to take much abuse.... All in the name of form over function.
Whatever. You are so stuck on stupid with Apple I cant even relate. Its a company, and you defnd it like its your mother being insulted. Get a grip.
Author said: "..... If you own a Samsung smartphone, you may be more inclined to buy a Samsung tablet due to the similar hardware design and user interface. But apart from any brand loyalty you feel, you don't really have any incentive to buy a Samsung laptop which runs Windows and doesn't integrate with your other device..."
Yeah but have you used sidesync? It's crap. I had it on a laptop awhile back and with my GS3 it was next to worthless.
That said, we have this thing called the cloud. Why the hell do we need so much damn connectivity between the phone and computer? I don't need to start writing an email from my phone and move over to a laptop most of the time. And the few times I do, the draft is saved in the cloud somewhere.
Hell, most of the Apple apps are garbage anyways on OS X. I have no problem with Yosemite, and certainly don't like Windows 8 whatsoever (love Win7 though), but handoff is a waste.
Thing is, using google services you have the same sync capabilities as iCloud. It's just you don't need OS X at all.
Being attached to Apple acosystem, with their latest soldered-ram/batteries and other anticonsumer practices seem a really really bad idea.
If you don't like google services, you zip all your data into your computer, and kiss google goodbye. If you don't like Apple services you have to buy a plethora of new $1K devices in the first place.
> If you don't like google services, you zip all your data into your computer, and kiss google goodbye. If you don't like Apple services you have to buy a plethora of new $1K devices in the first place. <
If you don't like Apple's cloud, you can leave it just as easily as Google's. There's absolutely no reason to rebuy all your devices, Apple's devices work fine without iCloud.
An undeniable truth is that you can enjoy google services in all the devices, but you can only enjoy apple services on apple devices.
That for me is a showstopper on apple ecosystem. With iOS being a niche out of the US, and enterprise market completely neglecting OS X worldwide, binding your life to iCloud looks rather ackward.
If OS X had the type of hardware variety Windows/Linux have, I'd be less hessitant. But again, jumping into iCloud and be forced to pay for very expensive device replacements is very dangerous in my opinion.
I understand the love though. Thank god we're free to ignore ecosystems we don't want.
That said, you can also use google services on iOS and OSX devices. I bought my iPhone because I liked the look, and at the time the android podcast apps I tried were bad. And I got a macbook for my birthday when I started at university. But on both most of the cloud stuff is either on feedly or through some google service or another. I since use both linux at work and windows at home. And who knows, my next phone might be run ubuntu or android.
So yes, you can have apple product without using the ecosystem. And you can easily switch even if you dont (there are programs for that). But that said, I would not buy into apple FOR the connectivity.
Are you trolling? Your first post is oh I hate OSX now and my macbook pro will be the last after being an Apple customer for 13 years. Now you're talking about vendor lockin. It took you 13 years to realize that there is a degree of vendor lockin in Apple's ecosystem? And you can leave iCloud just as easily as Google drive, even though iCloud is on fewer devices.
Cool links. I completely forgot Samsung even had this. It would be nice if it was at least mentioned in the article.
That said, Samsung's solution is the cheap hacky thing you do when you don't control the software on both platforms. It's mostly just shared input (keyboard/mouse) and copy+paste support. For example, using your phone as a second screen to respond to an SMS while cool is not at all the same as responding seamlessly from the OSX Messages app. Better than nothing and still would have been nice to see a mention in the review.
Also, I read the links you posted and they had nothing to do with the actual point made by Brandon in the article. His point was that there was no incentive to purchase a SAMSUNG laptop. As far as I can tell, Samsung SideSync works with any Windows PC. And frankly that makes sense because Samsung doesn't sell that many PCs.
Frankly, that looks retarded. My Atrix had a laptop dock with some full desktop Linux apps like Firefox, that doesn't mean it was a good experience. And that's the key here. Features for the sake of features that aren't worth using vs. things that will make your life easier.
I'm predominately a Windows and Android user (Apple for work), but the integration with iOS 8.1 and Yosemite has some nice features which I hope Microsoft rips off for Windows 10.
* SMS Relay: don't have to check my work phone for texts, just respond from my laptop * Answer calls directly from my laptop without fumbling for my phone * Instant hotspot: don't have to grab phone, unlock, turn on tethering when I need to get online remotely
Even ignoring Handoff, those are nice features that can make your day-to-day life easier. I think Apple has actually been doing a _terrible_ job of integration across their products until now. They are unique in this space as controlling all of their hardware and software. This stuff should have been here 2 years ago.
In my dream world, Microsoft and Google make APIs to do these same things that work between their devices. Chrome OS doesn't fit my needs. Windows Phone app ecosystem still sucks. So unless they work through this together, just one of them building this functionality in a closed manner for _their_ systems won't do me any good.
There's literally dozens of apps on Play that accomplish the same thing as SMS Relay... I am jealous of call forwarding tho (then again I don't really talk much on the phone) and super jealous of instant hotspot. I'm gonna have to work on a Tasker shortcut to at least activate the hotspot on my phone from my smartwatch.
typical of apple. new features limited to small subset of hardware. why would you ever need applepay for a desktop or laptop is beyond me. and transparent windows and flatter presentation...um windows aero anyone? apple has totally lost their innovation, they are just copying what their competitors have already done.
thats a horrible paypal alternative. Apparently you forgot why people like paypal, which is that you don't need to make a new account for every website and the website don't get your credit card information.
1) Pay coming to Mac OS X would mean a secure element on the device, tokens being stored for each card, and perhaps a convenient biometric to help prove your identity, just like Pay on the iPhone 6 series.
All that is inherently more secure than storing your actual card numbers on your OS. That said, I think that would be a flawed setup because, currently, Pay rightly only works with direct payments and within apps, neither of which is feasible on a laptop or desktop.
What Apple would have to do is grow their Pay concept into having the financial institutions issue a unique token for each website/company that you have an account with so that if any one of those server's gets compromised it can't be used to make payments -or- create a service that is closer to PayPal so that no website will ever store your personal card data again, but that will mean Apple will be a middle man, which I don't think they want to do.
Regardless of how they proceed the current Pay system isn't complete if purchases on websites are weak point in terms of security.
2) Calling iOS "niche" or simply not including it with a comment about Mac OS X in a discussion about a service to service an ecosystem is ridiculous. Are you going to say that Pay will be useless on Watch that runs WatchOS simply because it will be a new OS when it launches? The multination and financial institutions are already backing Pay. It was a success before it ever launched. This is the future of mobile banking. Now that the path is being paved and the backend rejiggered there is no reason for others (save for contracts) to jump on board with a similar secure end-to-end system.
You can turn on tethering on your Windows Phone from Windows on your laptop? You can answer calls on your Windows laptop from your Windows phone? You can send/receive texts from your Windows laptop through your Windows phone?
Bottom line is that Microsoft is just as guilty as Apple at doing a crap job of integration across their devices.
You can actually tether to a Windows Phone from the laptop without touching the phone - just like the Apple method it connects to the phone over Bluetooth and then turns on the hotspot. So yes to that one.
But no to everything else they need to do more work on integrating the experiences of phone and desktop.
well microsoft tablets run windows, so they basically have the same capabilities. They do have smartglass for the xbox which allows browser transitions between tablet and xbox (works with an ipad as well). I don't have a windows phone.
I know the playto feature to play movies and stuff to the xbox one and 360 (and other dlna players) works great.
SkyDrive sync's your windows profile/files etc across tablet and pc.
It's not perfect by any stretch, but there's definitely integration. I use the same billing account for my microsoft azure cloud services as I do for my xbox, it's all tied to my microsoft account. As was a purchase from the microsoft online store.
The sms and call transferring stuff is cool though, hopefully they grab that as well. Windows media center integration with the xbox 360 was great, but unfortunately that product is gone.
Ah cool! One feature down. I really hope they put an emphasis on tying all of their big offerings together (desktop/phone/tablet/Xbox/etc.) in meaningful ways like that.
1) Yes. 2) Theres a standard bluetooth profile for that; started doing it in the feature phone era. This is old even on Apple's side. 3) Yes again. See point number two. Feature phones sometimes required their 'Suite' software for this to work fully.
Does the Bluetooth profile actually pair the phone via Wi-Fi tho? Tethering over Bluetooth itself would be kind of a bottleneck if you have a particularly good LTE connection... I remember tethering over just BT back on the day with my netbook and Sony Ericsson phone, didn't have to turn anything on in the phone either, but this was back before 3G!
I think Apple's incentivizing of staying in their ecosystem is interesting for the user who will do that or has the money to do it. That said, I think Google started the ball rolling and Microsoft has joined now too with a lot more emphasis than even Google at making broad compatibility across lots of platforms, which I think is probably the better way forward.
Apple is a devices company. It's obvious. Google is a marketing company and so they emphasize their services as a way to get more info to use for marketing. Microsoft wants to be both Apple and Google, but Nadella seems keen to focus Microsoft on the Services part of that equation, which is wise because their devices just won't sell very well save for some high end Surface tablets to some ultra niche customers.
I think Microsoft's approach of making their services envelop other platforms so if you have an Android phone and a Windows PC and an iPad, you can use all your platforms to see OneDrive or Office 365 is the most convenient one for the typical consumer with the typical budget.
I think Apple's way is the most convenient one for Apple and the few people who have the budget to afford all Apple devices and the Apple Tax that goes with them.
"You can only use the whole apple ecosystem if you have apple hardware/software" Take full advantage of the ecosystem, yes! but that's the apple way. They control every aspect of the ecosystem to guarantee a better than average experience and I think they've succeed.
"OS X Yosemite not innovative" That may be so, but it is damn good even if it's not innovative. At this point in time the improvements or new features might not be ground breaking but when you used them regularly you can really understand the advantage of them. This also is true for windows 8.1, some people hate it and some people love it and in my own experience, I like what win 8.1 brings to the table the way I use it.
"Apple is expensive" Yes it is, is it worth it? I guess that's personal. I do have a 2009 13" macbook pro and it's still working fine with OS X Yosemite (I did upgrade my HDD to an SDD an the memory from 4GB to 8GB almost since I bought it). And I also have an awesome watercooled pc with win 8.1 which I built myself, I use it for programming and gaming and it is awesome!. I really like both machines however I do have an iphone and an ipad and I like what the apple ecosystem brings to the table, would I like it to have more features? yes, of course but that will come with future iOS and OS X releases just as it will happen with Microsoft and Google and all the other players out there.
maybe quicksilver was his choice :D. Quicksilver is an awesome launcher but I stopped using it after Yosemite was released. I never used the power features of Quicksilver.
Before it was in the upper-right corner. Even if you pressed ⌘-Space Bar it was still a tiny text field. The current design pulls from 3rd-party launchers to integrate a lot more services that are now possible with it being in the center of the screen and very large.
My guess is he probably had apps in the Dock that were always running like most Mac users.
I'd say the Yosemite thing is... like a live beta. I've updated my girlfrined's MBP retina (late 2013) and everything feels just more laggy and a lot of things just lack polish and looks kinda meh. The login screen sometimes presents itself as it suppossed to do and sometimes it's just a blank page , totally random. I still can login but the password you type in is not visible as the background isn't. The way the search field in spolight comes on in the middle of the screen - horrible looking and annoying.
The rest of it is just the same as usual - not bad, not particularly good either. Finder still stays lightyears behind windows explorer. Copying/moving/deleting stuff in OSX is still a pain. Also when you go with finder full screen there is a visual bug as well the open enlarge dots get strangely squashed under the top bar as it comes down when highlighted. I wonder when will they drop the file system overall ;-)
HackerNews had an interesting ref about the new 'insecurity model'. All your stuff that you are working on (email drafts, unsaved textedit docs, etc) is now stored in iCloud (silently).
No! the Icloud is to retrain the newcomers to the process of the mainframe mentality with all software eventually on the Icloud(mainframe) with remote administrators. With hardware locked down (soldered in) we are now back in the 1960s. With no local abilities we only get what the manufacturers want to give us at their price. IBM's apps used to cost 10-20 thousand each.
That's notification center, it was already in Mavericks. And iOS for that matter. It's not exactly like the gadget sidebar but there is some overlap now that you can put custom widgets there.
Suggestion for 8.1.1: Recalibrate "Motion Calibration" so that it isn't constantly running location services and destroying my battery life, forcing me to simply turn off the functionality. There's no way that it's working as intended when it basically runs location services all the time to the extent that my phone is always warm and my battery only lasts half a day. Obviously everyone isn't having this problem, only people who have apps that tie into "Motion Activity," but it's a legit problem with plenty of discussion on the support forums.
Yeah seriously, I turned it off because it runs almost constantly. I don't even know what it's doing but it hasn't impacted my device by not having it.
You know what I'd love is some performance tests with it, especially on older hardware, like Core 2 Duo/320M era, and on spinny hard drives. I've held back on upgrading the macbook in the family due to some mixed messages about it, some say it's the same as Mavericks (which I find a dog, tbh, Windows 7 is so much faster on the same system), some say it's a bit slicker in some areas, while others say it tanked performance.
I've gotten the feeling that OSX has become less optimized for HDDs as they optimized more for SSDs. I wonder if it still even does things like hot file clustering?
This will sound like a cop out, but I can't recommend strongly enough just getting a cheap SSD for the older core2 iMacs and macbooks. Even without a ram upgrade (stock 2GB), the difference is astounding.
I would agree with that, though it's not my own system so explaining and getting someone else to invest in a SSD is a bit of an uphill battle, and besides that I think they'd rather be putting that towards saving for a new system eventually too.
Maybe I'll give them the Momentus XT hybrid from my dying Dell Studio 1555, that adds a bit of peppiness.
Trim works perfectly in OSX with SSDs that support it (meaning all current SSDs). I encourage anyone who cares to lobby Apple to change its policy in this regard: stop locking out Trim for third party SSDs.
Regarding design, I don't think old users will be shocked. The dock looks essentially the same as in OS X Tiger (10.4 or reminiscence of Ceetah – Tiger 10.0 - 10.4).
Translucency or semi-transparency has been done for so many years in different Window Managers and shells for *NIX system or Windows Vista–7. While they drop some skeuomorphism they at the same time introduce transparency, new animations and other stuff that Microsoft sacrificed in order to run on low-end devices. They even keep rounded of corners. Though I don't think it's much of a shift, it's more back to the roots of earlier OS X releases and still builds on NeXTSTEP looks in some ways. A simpler cleaner look doesn't go against that. Of course technology and hardware makes some things more natural today than 15 years ago. The roots isn't really on machines capable of translucency or of 16.7+ million colors, or accelerated animations.
I have SMS synced with my Outlook for a year already (and nobody knows how long our IT witheld that one) Call handoff ... I am not sure I would want it, but as optional feature, why not.
Too bad everyone in my house has one side of the equation too old. I have an iPhone 5C (good!) with an old 2008 iMac (nope.) My daughter has an iPad Air (good!) and an iPhone 4 (nope, not even iOS 8,) with a 2008 MacBook Pro (nope.) My wife has an iPhone 4S (nope - just "call on your Mac",) and a brand new MacBook Air (good!)
So the only person in my family that can make *ANY* use of Continuity/Handoff is my wife, and then only for "call on your Mac" - AKA " Use your Mac as a bluetooth Speakerphone.)
There seems to be a lot of talk about soldered RAM in Mac products. The main reason why you can't upgrade RAM in phones is because the form factor would not be nearly as thin and it wouldn't exactly be an SoC anymore.. form factor is crucial to a handheld device. You have to consider things holistically if you're going to try and compare different fruit here. Very seldom do I observe this amongst convo.
I think that with a Macbook Air there is legitimate reasoning for soldering the RAM in place. You and Apple want that device as thin as possible. The thinner you can get it, the lighter too.
With Macbook Pros the argument is a lot weaker. Until those bitches get razer thin (which we're an iteration or two from) removable RAM is easy to pull off. Under a generous, PRIVATE Apple, I believe that they would throw that in.
However when you consider the demographic of Macbook Pro purchasers, it's quite an easy money grab for Apple.
"Higher reliability, better performance, and a more compact design" some will say.
Reliable is in, I put the RAM in wrong? Very rarely do I reset someone's RAM to fix there problem. Performance: I've seen how fast 16GB @ 2133 MHz goes. I'm not buying it. Compactness? Refer to the above.
You didn't make a valid argument to support your comments that the MBP isn't think enough at this point, you just said it would have to be "razor thin" and eluded to the MBA being thinner.
How much space is available right now for removable RAM when you consider the size of the sticks, the channel they sit it, how much much further it will sit below the main board, will that interfere with the bottom casing if it's pressed upon in that area, and will there be enough room for thermals.
I suppose it's possible they could have, but it does come with a cost, which you didn't address at all except to say there is zero benefit.
It's inevitable that they will get thinner. How thin? Who knows. But apparently thin is a big deal to Apple, that was their opening feature to the Air 2 announcement. We will see.
I think that the first MBPr could have physically included removable RAM, even if it has to be 1mm thicker. Ultimately, that's Apple decision and they could have included it, I feel.
I didn't say anything about the MBA except that there is a valid reason for soldering the memory into place. The MBP are thin enough IMO
Soldered RAM alone doesn't mean anything. The real issue is that the device will cost more up front. If you won't/can't pay more just buy something else.
When will One Drive or Google Drive copycat the photo features of iCloud Drive? I'm a One Drive user and would love this feature. I'm not willing to pay Apple's prices for cloud storage when I have 1TB free with One Drive with Office 360, but I would like to get my photos off my HDD on my Macbook Air.
The iMac starts at $2500..... starts! And yet no touchscreen! That's the most asinine thing I've ever heard. I'm sure it looks gorgeous but for that price it should do more and so should the previous models for that matter.
The iPad can't form its own network, cant have multiple user accounts and doesn't have its own file structure and cost between $500 to $800.... pffffttt !!! I just spit my beer all over my desk :/
I don't see anything different about OS X(
Thanks iCloud for pics of Scarlett Joe... I'm sure you'll keep my credit card safe with Apple Pay?!
You fear after 13 years, you should be glad after 13 years your moving on!
$2500 is very cheap. I can buy as many as I want. Soorrry for you, poor guy. I don't understand why you are so upset with Apple. If you think it didn't worth your money, don't buy it. I don't see anyone threaten you to but Apple product. Post your comment like grown up people please.
I think people who buy apple products don't really care where their money is going, because all of their products are overpriced. they are not bad at all, but they are never as good as their price suggest.
<<<Users who are familiar with computers no longer need a distinct outline and heavy shading to recognize that a button is something they click or tap.>>>
This is just plain false. It's not that we don't understand that something doesn't have to physically look like a button to be clickable-the outline or shading or 3D look or whatever is so that it's easily readable AS an interface element.
Mostly the "flat" look is just a stylistic thing, but it does have some drawbacks in areas where it's no longer immediately clear if you can interact with something.
Mostly in both iOS 7 and Windows 8 I don't find it to be a big deal, but an example where it's clearly inferior is the "show desktop" button on Windows 8. In 7, it's not offensive, it just looks raised and is clearly an interface element. In 8, it's still there, but there's no visual way to know that it's there. 8's lack of a start button is another great example. There was no way to know that was clickable and would bring up the start screen unless you already know that it's clickable and brings up the start screen. 8.1 thankfully fixes that, and I think it's an improvement regardless of whether you know what it does.
<<<They don't want their Calendar and Reminders applications to have leather borders, stitching, and paper like their calendar and date book in the real world, because doing so confines them to the limitations of those physical objects. >>>
Neither part of that is true either. The first part is a stylistic choice, and frankly I think it's a fun one. Knowing that a notepad doesn't have to look like a notepad doesn't mean that you won't prefer a fun visual design that looks like one over a plain flat white area to type in (or whatever). that's just personal preference. And making it look like something physical doesn't really restrict any function either. These programs can do all sorts of things physical objects can't, and that's true whether they have a fun real world texture or not.
At any rate I'm 100% in the camp that buttons should look like buttons. Whether flat looking, or 3D looking (once our designer overlords come back around and claim flat is so yesterday and 3D is the big hot new thing again), either way artistic design should NEVER get in the way of usability design. You should be able to at least tell what things you can interact with even if you've never used a program or OS before.
Reading some of these comments are comical and mostly bias. First, the complaint about cost between Mac vs Windows laptops are hysterical. The parts utilized in the Mac are all top notch parts. They are not poorly fabricated nor statistically vulnerable to technical aspects. How many windows laptops have solid state drives, let alone at a reasonable price? I mean, windows runs faster loaded on a mac than a PC manufacturer at the same price point. Second, able to upgrade. Seriously, what would a person need with more than 16gb of ram or a higher CPU (higher than an i5) unless you are cracking the genetic code. These are mindless arguments to the uniformed. Buy a Mac laptop today it will run flawless with any apps for many years. Buy a windows laptop and pray it last more than a couple years with their outdated parts.
"How many windows laptops have solid state drives, let alone at a reasonable price?"
Umm, there's plenty, and you can usually get a larger drive for the same price. Apple has charged a larger than usual premium for drive/RAM upgrades since time immemorium. What does "statistically vulnerable to technical aspects" even mean?
There are things that can justify an Apple price premium (Apple Care, resale value, preference for OS X, display quality)... Somehow you fail to mention even one relevant reason, bravo.
P.S. Every content creator under the sun would smack you for asking who needs more RAM or a faster CPU, for video and photo editing both those things often pay for themselves in no time flat within a professional environment.
What nonsense. Sure, you can get a Windows laptop with some of the same features as a Macbook. It'll sometimes be cheaper too, just like you can find a Hyundai with a V6 engine for less than you'd pay for a BMW with a V6.
But the two can't compare in neither quality, experience nor resale value, just like the cheap Windows laptop can't compare with a Macbook. (And usually will cost more in the end. Its nice to save a couple of hundred dollars. But a two year old Macbook will easily sell for 50% of what you paid for it, whereas the "inexpensive" Windows laptop will typically be close to worthless, and will cost you more in the end.)
Sorry buddy, if you want a quality laptop, you can find one running Windows. They're just pretty rare, and cost as much or more than an Apple product.
BTW: Your comment about content creators doesn't make any sense.
The Macbook and Mac Mini both max out at 16GB RAM. Since time is money for these people, why would they try to save, what amounts to a couple hours overtime pay for them, on installing 3rd party RAM themselves?!?
If they'll really need it eventually, they might as well splurge on the 16GB machine from the get go. Hence they don't really need expandable RAM.
As for regular consumers, they strictly speaking don't really need it anymore either. Upgradable RAM had a purpose when 1gb or 2gb ram was the standard, but not today. A 4gb Macbook will still be plenty fast 5 or 6 years from now. This isn't Windows machines we're talking about, that seem to degrade exponentially for every year.
Which you'd know if you'd ever tried a Macbook. A 4 year old Mac with 2gb ram is fine for everyday use even today.
Not sure why you're so gung ho about replying to my comment, specially when you don't even seem to have read it. I was only refuting that there aren't plenty of Windows laptops with SSD, which the comment I replied to stated.
I quoted many of the same reasons you did why a MBP can justify it's price premium (MBA has a tougher case IMO), or did you miss that?
Regarding RAM, the argument wasn't about third party upgrades, but about the fact that "maxing out" at 16GB ISN'T enough for content creators. That would be the bare minimum for many, some would prefer 32GB+ and it has nothing to do with the OS.
It's a lot of useful features for sure, but personally I'll wait with upgrading.
I really dislike the new design, but hopefully there'll be some third party software options to bring back the Mavericks look. If not, I guess I'll have to wait for 10.11, and the inevitable paring down of the flatness...
Want to know what is the simplest Apple’s piece of Internet? Well, it is iCloud Drive, providing the cloud-based storage for the iPad. The benefit of this Apple’s feature is to back up the iPad and also restoring the device from the backup. Apart from it, the feature is far beyond backing up. The user can easily store the photos, documents, and videos from applications like Pages and Numbers. As it provides a global storage option, the user can access the same document from several apps. http://customerhelplineaustralia.com/icloud-suppor...
Want to know what is a simplest Apple’s piece of Internet? Well, it is iCloud Drive, providing the cloud based storage for the iPad. The benefit of this Apple’s feature is to back up the iPad and also restoring the device from the backup. Apart from it, the feature is far beyond backing up. The user can easily store the photos, documents, and videos from applications like Pages and Numbers. As it provides a global storage option, the user can access the same document from several apps. https://customerhelplineaustralia.com/icloud-suppo...
We’ve updated our terms. By continuing to use the site and/or by logging into your account, you agree to the Site’s updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
173 Comments
Back to Article
SirPerro - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
As a long term OSX power user and a long term Android power user I feel constantly dissapointed by OSX updates.I certainly understand Apple efforts to unify their experiences and make them consistent under the same ecosystem. That's good for their business.
Unfortunately I'm on a situation where OSX for me is more a handicap than something I'd like to pay for, and that's something which is reinforced on every single release.
I fear that after 13 years my current MacBook Pro from 2012 will be my last Apple product. I will not use a system which is focused to my grandma and obfuscates all the advanced features under complex bash commands in an effort to make them not available to the users. I will not buy a 2K laptop with soldered RAM and battery, let alone the stupid joke the new iMac is.
I'm sad, because OS X has been my main driver for some many years. But I'm not buying the Apple ecosystem, and apparently that's all that Apple wants to sell now.
tim851 - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
What advanced features are obfuscated in 10.10 that weren't in 10.8?And what kind of power user is afraid of bash?
SirPerro - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Multi monitor is painful, and basically all the controls other than raising/lowering brightess/volume and activating trackpad gestures are taken as "advance" features and completely obfuscatedI'm not afraid of bash in any way. But there are many things that should have a UI purely for convenience. Apple doesn't build that because they treat their consumers as if they were idiots.
"It simply works" ... "and if not, just go find the solution in stackoverflow because we're not providing that info to you"
blackcrayon - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
You're not going to disprove statements like "it simply works" by saying things like "multi monitor is painful". HOW exactly? As with Mavericks some people like it better if they turn off "Displays have separate spaces" in the Mission Control system preference. I personally like the new way better, so I'm wondering where the "pain" is.darwinosx - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
You are "bashing" a product you clearly know nothing about so I really doubt you are an experienced user as pretty much everything you said is wrong. Try Windows or Linux. Bye.techconc - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
When people make vague arguments and are not able to provide specifics, they come off as a troll. I'd like to think this isn't the case, but based on the comments provided, SirPerro is apparently just trolling. That's sad.If there is a specific issue, state your case and others will help you solve your problem. At this point, I doubt there is any such problem to speak of.
JimK85 - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
Here are some annoyances in OSX versus windows or Linux:1. Minimal Right-Click Context Menu. More clicking around to do things like simply creating a new folder
2. Wonky max/min window controls. Why cant I just maximize a window with "one" click
3. Far more extensive customization of task bars, toolbars in windows and linux versus the pretty dock and menus in OSX that are mostly "static".
4. Natively having the ability to rename multiple files with ease in windows is pretty handy.
5. Many apps in OSX cant do half screen windows...Why? In the windows/linux world any windowed app can be resized (this was a mistake Microsoft made with windows 8 which they are fixing in Win 10. )
I could go on but this isnt intended to be a bash OSX post. I'm sure we could list things about OSX that cant be done in windows or linux. I just find features I prefer are limited in OSX.
EnzoFX - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
1. Minimal? Apps can enhance right-click just as they do with Windows. Furthermore, what about shortcuts? I find OS X's shortcuts way more intuitive. I rarely use right-click because I can do most things with one click or a shortcut.2. Wonky? You clearly don't understand the intent of the "maximize" button, nevertheless if it's not for you, I can get that. But I wouldn't call it a con right away.
3. Uhm there are just as many apps that enhance the dock and menubar. I'd argue better ones over Win.
4. Renaming multiple files? Are you kidding me? OS X does this too you know.
I'm just gonna stop, you clearly haven't used the OS enough.
JimK85 - Sunday, November 2, 2014 - link
Some of these things are not native in OSX. You have to do it with a batch file or get an add on.osxandwindows - Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - link
I had all of this things sense OS X 10.6monopodman - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
"Apple doesn't build that because they treat their consumers as if they were idiots"Apple has to sell their computers to masses, and most people are..... idiots. If you're not satisfied with the current OS X, it probably won't get better in future. There's a reason you can still build a custom computer up to your own liking.
SirPerro - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
But that's part of their business right? Selling support to their customers and having their hardware hot-glued and soldered so that the average joe cannot remove a couple of screws and change the ram for free.It's so fucking annoying I consider the non retina MBP the last Apple product worth buying. Everthing else is a no-go.
III-V - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
"Selling support to their customers and having their hardware hot-glued and soldered so that the average joe cannot remove a couple of screws and change the ram for free."That's not why they do it, or why anyone else does it, for that matter. I'm not going to bother enlightening you, because it seems like I'd be wasting my time.
sjprg2 - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
You can enlighten both of us. Apple is a greedy XXX.darwinosx - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Unfortunately for you Apple's products aren't any more expensive than their counterparts unless you count $600 Best Buy laptops.wetwareinterface - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
$1999 macbook pro retina 15"iris graphics, 16GB ram, 256 solid state, 2.2 quad i7, aluminum shell, retina display
$1399 lenovo y50
nvidia gtx 860m, 16Gb ram, 256 solid state, 2.4 quad i7, carbon fiber shell, 4k display
$1499 toshiba Satellite P55T-B5262
radeon 265x, 12Gb ram, 1Tb hard drive, 2.4 quad i7, aluminum shell, blu ray burner, 4k display
apple's products are more expensive, and they give you less for that higher price
malarc - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
comparing MBP to y50 on hardware spec alone is a quite unfair. i don't think there's any carbon fiber on the y50 and the overall quality does not compare - even though apple's seen better days. is it worth 600$? apparently quite a lot of people think so -- not everybody has a use for a gaming laptop.Buk Lau - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
mind defining overall quality please?techconc - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
Tell me more about the costs you've factored in for malware protection and for OS upgrades. The same goes for office productivity software, etc, etc. Tell me about the battery life (hint - only 4hrs. 10min playing video), etc., etc.Buk Lau - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
malware protection? freeOS upgrades? win 8.1 pre-installed and win 10 is most likely a cheap upgrade if not free for existing win 8 users. battery life? I'm sorry it's just very sad that you can't find a power plug within 4 hours
ant1pathy - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
> $1399 lenovo y50Form factor and battery life. Compare the two:
Y504k: 15.24" x 10.37" x 0.94" 5.29lbs | Up to 4 hour(s) battery
rMBP: 14.13" x 9.73" x 0.71" 4.46lbs | Up to 8 hours wireless web 95watthour
monopodman - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
Yep, rMBP also has Thunderbolt 2 merged with Displayport 1.2 (guaranteed 4K@60hz support for external screen, not sure if HDMI in Lenovo is up to the task, because even HDMI 1.4 supports only 4K@30hz which is .... useless most of the time). I'm actively using Thunderbolt for data connectivity (faster and lower latency than USB3.0, more power (10W) for large external SSDs, universal dock-stations etc.)....Morawka - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
how many people are going to drive a 4k display off their laptop? not manyzogus - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
Considering the internal display of the laptop in question is 4K, the answer is "more than you seem to think."Ratman6161 - Monday, November 3, 2014 - link
For a lot of people the $600 Best Buy laptop or even, yes, the $400 best buy laptop are good enough for their needs. Yes, at the higher end the prices work out to often being nearly the same for comparable configurations. The thing is that for the person for whom a low end configuration is good enough, there is no "comparable configuration". Apple doesn't even try to play in that market - so those folks are going to go Windows.Also, why should Apple focus on making OSX and iOS play together more seamlessly? The numbers of iOS users are several orders of magnitude greater than those using a Mac. So what are all those iPad and iPhone users using on their desktop or laptop? The answer for the vast majority is...Windows. So might Apple actually be better off focusing their attentions on making iOS work seamlessly with Windows? There will be vastly more people out there using Windows + iOS than there are using OSX + iOS...just saying...
sbuk - Sunday, March 22, 2015 - link
That's some pretty advanced stupid right there...Anangrypotato1 - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Can you tell me why they do it other than for profit? I bought a 2013 MBA, and I see no reason why I shouldn't be allowed to replace the RAM, CPU, or whatever else I want to.Kristian Vättö - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
Soldering the parts onto the logic board saves space, which is crucial for a laptop like MBA.ant1pathy - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
The 2013 MBA isn't possible while also providing easy user accessibility. Form factor has consequences.monopodman - Thursday, October 30, 2014 - link
Here's why Apple use soldered RAM:1) it saves space (<- no room needed for connectors)
2) easier routing (-> less space on motherboard, lower resistive and capacitive load on IMC)
3) better performance (<- lower latency due to lower RC time constant, which is good in a laptop that usually runs hotter than desktop or DTR-sized laptop)
4) when maxed out to 16GB, there's no need to upgrade (it probably won't be possible to use 2x16gb sticks regardless)
5) repairability is a deliberate compromise
6) extra markup for Apple from "power users", who otherwise would buy 3rd party RAM
7) many ultrabook manufacturers are switching to soldered RAM
There're almost no laptops with replaceable CPU because
1) assembly becomes thicker
2) only oriented on power users (removing heatsink/thermal compound isn't trivial)
3) isn't good for marketing
p_giguere1 - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Apple offers the max RAM the motherboard can support (16GB) at purchase.The only reason you might want to upgrade RAM yourself is to buy the 8GB RAM model only to tell yourself "I'll upgrade to 16GB down the road when RAM gets cheaper". You might save something like $100 by doing that as opposed to ordering 16GB RAM right away.
So essentially, what you're complaining about is the equivalent of "The 13" rMBP is $100 to expensive for me", correct? Would you not complain if the price dropped $100? Not only would it be equivalent financially, but you'd benefit from 16GB RAM right away and wouldn't have to deal with the RAM upgrade process. Or is this more of a matter of principle?
Cheesetogo - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Apple does not charge market value for RAM.ant1pathy - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
Nor do they for the raw aluminum that the frame is made of. No company charges market value for their materials, that's what makes them a company.name99 - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Enter a coherent argument, not a random series of rants.Are you upset with every phone vendor because they solder their RAM? Are you angry that you can no longer change the tubes in your TV set? Are you livid that you can't open a Chromecast and change the flash storage?
The fact that people could change their RAM on PCs was a weird temporary anomaly of the PC world; it will go away because of the inevitable laws of physics, just like the ability to change your FPU has gone away and the ability to change your GPU will go away soon. Soldered RAM uses less power (relevant today) and can be run at higher frequencies (relevant tomorrow). What Apple is doing will be done by every vendor in three years because physics demands it.
LostAlone - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
But soldered components are blatantly anti-consumer. The ability to change units is not just for power users who like to upgrade, it's critical for being able to service units. Things break sometimes, and being able to fix that yourself is pretty important. How would you feel if your car needed you to call a qualified Honda technician to change a flat tire?And no, the ability switch around components is not just a temporary thing. That is how systems exist and have done literally since the dawn of the personal computer. The first generation of home computers were sold as kits that you physically had to assemble yourself, chip by chip.
Ever since then ever generation of hardware has been built around interoperability and upgrading. The only places where you get soldered on CPUs in the PC market is in embedded systems and similar super-low powered systems like many Atom boards that come with the CPU attached. In every other non-mac system you can swap out parts.
Look at standards like SATA and PCI-Express - They exist specifically so end users can expand a barebones system over time; add a USB 3.0 card or an SSD hard-drive to an aging machine to extend it's life, or add a RAID card and totally repurpose the system into a server. These are important choices. The ability to do more with your hardware than just what it was capable of doing in the box is central to what being a PC user is. You can do more. I still use my ten year old PC as my headless network file server, because I can, because I have the option to do that.
So no, fixing your own PC isn't going anywhere, nor is upgrading. Sorry. Not happening. I cannot imagine why you would think otherwise. Just because Apple does something doesn't make it a good thing, and scrabbling around to find reasons to justify it when in fact what they are doing is flipping consumers the bird and declaring that they don't think you are smart enough to fix something yourself.
Ever since Apple gave up and OSX became just a different operating system running on stock PC hardware they have been trying anything to convince people that they are somehow getting something magically better, even though it's literally the exact same hardware. The fact that they STILL refuse to sell the OS separate to the hardware, even when that hardware is just normal every day PC components that they have assaulted with a soldering iron, is just wrong. It's part of a brand image that still relies on a lot of good will from the days when Macs actually were something different. Well, they aren't. And most users would be radically better of installing OSX onto another manufacturers PC.
The way that Apple handles their desktop and laptop exo system sucks. Don't apologize for them.
ex2bot - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
Whatever your platform of choice (esp. Apple), itis inadequate and ill-advised. Thus I urge, nay, command you to immediately adopt my preferred platform as the obvious technically and morally superior choice. I'll be watching.You have been warned.
sunnohh - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
12 years as a computer tech and I left to become a stock broker because I could very clearly see that everything should be soldered onto a single component. It's physically faster, tremendously increases reliability (no ram and cpu to unseat), and makes business sense for Apple or anyone serious about making money selling hardware. The industry is moving away from add on tointegrated components Apple isn't the only one: virtually every major manufacturers hi end ultra books are built exactly this way.As computers get faster and more integrated, replace and throw away is the only valid model. Upgrading hardware is nothing more than sentimental; replacing hardware is more economical.
We live in a throw away culture and computing is the ultimate disposable; mores law necessitates this.
Just ask component manufacturers they'll tell you this is happening; their sales prove it.
Buk Lau - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
phones have soldered ram because of form factor. you really think you can fit a SO-DIMM slot inside a case that's less than a quarter of an inch? where did you get the fact that soldered RAM uses less power and can run at higher frequencies? so you are saying your soldered ram can beat 3000mhz DIMM ram? your "physics" seems very out of placemonopodman - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
It's funny because I consider retina MBP one of the first Apple laptops actually worth buying compared to top competitors even regardless of OS X vs. Windows.... I'm totally fine with 16gb of RAM (and I don't care if it's soldered as long as it makes motherboard smaller due to easier routing) or built-in battery (I'd rather have one with higher capacity fit into a smaller and lighter enclosure).appliance5000 - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
dunno - running an entire heavy graphic oriented system of an 11" air - faster than the old mac pro. Pretty amazing - though I agree regarding difficulty in upgrading -what's acceptable with a laptop is not so much with a desktop.On the other hand the new macpro is a beast and you can add stuff to it to your heart's delight.
EnzoFX - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
Do you really think the average joe is removing screws and changing ram? loldesignerfx - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
I see you skiping over the soldered ram and battery part. Let me assure you, that matters just as much as forcing things to be command line is equally stupid. That's the opposite of good UX design.cgpublic - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
"As a long term OSX power user and a long term Android power user I feel constantly dissapointed by OSX updates." If you say so."I certainly understand Apple efforts to unify their experiences and make them consistent under the same ecosystem. That's good for their business." It also provides a benefit to users.
"Unfortunately I'm on a situation where OSX for me is more a handicap than something I'd like to pay for, and that's something which is reinforced on every single release." Handicap? Compared to Linux or Windows? Please expand this thought. Also, you are not directly paying for OS, you pay for the HW.
"I will not use a system which is focused to my grandma and obfuscates all the advanced features under complex bash commands in an effort to make them not available to the users. I will not buy a 2K laptop with soldered RAM and battery, let alone the stupid joke the new iMac is." The purpose of a GUI to simplify user interaction. You can choose Terminal if that is your preference. Also, there are very real technical benefits to soldered RAM and non-replaceable batteries. The new iMac is the best desktop for most users at that price point, i.e., fastest and best display.
"I'm sad, because OS X has been my main driver for some many years. But I'm not buying the Apple ecosystem, and apparently that's all that Apple wants to sell now." I guess Apple should be focused on selling other systems, say Microsoft, Google or Samsung. I can't say if you are paid to post this drivel, but if you are, you're overpaid.
Speedfriend - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
"Unfortunately I'm on a situation where OSX for me is more a handicap than something I'd like to pay for, and that's something which is reinforced on every single release." Handicap? Compared to Linux or Windows? Please expand this thought. Also, you are not directly paying for OS, you pay for the HW.I am with him on this, since I upgraded my iMac to Mavericks I have found it a pain to use, especially around saving and access commonly/recently used files. Now I am sure that I could spend some time finding out how to do it better, but I use a windows machine at work so have now bought a win 8 laptop with touch screen which is a revelation in useabilty. somethings are just so much easier and more natural with atouchscreen given we spend all days using them on phones and tablets. I haven't touched my iMac in months now.
And off course you are paying for OS, otherwise Apples margins would be 5% and not 30%
techconc - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
LOL! Really, you're having trouble accessing recently used files? Seriously? You must not really have a Mac, because even the most novice users don't struggle with such things. Seriuosly, where do you think the "Recent Items" feature from Windows came from?http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/6-ways-to-locate-rece...
serons - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
I very much agree with this sentiment, and for the same reasons. They have green ambitions when building power generation for them selves and when building their product but expect us consumers to buy a completely new product if a component fails or if we wish to upgrade. That's very environmentally wasteful, inefficient and expensive. No way.ViewRoyal - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
"expect us consumers to buy a completely new product if a component fails or if we wish to upgrade."If a component fails, and you are still on warranty, you get your entire Mac replaced. The one that you exchange gets refurbished and sold as a refurb. That's NOT "environmentally wasteful, inefficient and expensive" at all!!!
If a component fails, and (as in most cases) it is due to a defective component (and not due to misuse) Apple has covered these instances with extended warranties. I had an iMac G5 that had a capacitor burn out in its 4 year of use. This was a known defective component, and Apple replaced it with a current iMac with Intel processor at no cost to me.
Some Macs have user upgradable RAM, and some Macs don't. Those that don't are usually lower end, so it is important to buy one with the RAM you need. Nobody complains because they can't upgrade the RAM in their smartphone or tablet, so you should be used to this, especially in a Mac that costs less than the full price of a smartphone or tablet!
All Macs have upgradeable internal storage, either by the user, or by an Apple Store or certified Apple provider. In addition, all Macs come with USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt connectors for fast external storage. So internal AND external storage is definitely upgradeable!
Your complaints really have no merit.
blackcrayon - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
It's actually hard to overestimate how great it is to have Thunderbolt on non Macs that never had pci slots (mini, iMac, Air). 2 Thunderbolt ports offers more expansion opportunities than ever.HKZ - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
"Your complaints really have no merit."Bullshit they don't. I'm on my second GPU on my 2011 MBP and probably going to have to have a third soon since I have absolutely zero confidence that it'll last very long. A $3000 machine that lasted about 4 months past its warranty and then became 100% useless. Apple's solution despite the rash of failures and repeated petitions to have them recognize a widespread failure? Pay them $700 for an in-house replacement or $300 from a third party. I paid $3000 for a machine that *barely* lasted past its warranty before it became completely useless and Apple REFUSES to recognize they have another serious problem on their hands and REFUSES to extend the warranties of the machines affected.
Your inability to recognize reality makes me question your objectivity. Apple has a huge problem on its hands that they have 1000x the cash to instantly solve by replacing the machines wholesale and they completely refuse to acknowledge the problem exists.
mrd0 - Thursday, October 30, 2014 - link
I agree. I went through two MBP's and the third just crapped out. I'm done.sunnohh - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
Why on earth do you expect a pc to work after warranty? Actually it sounds like it was engineered perfectly.name99 - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
God this is ignorant.What components do you expect to fail which require a "completely new purchase"?
Let's go through my various macs:
I have an HTPC mac mini. Internal HD has failed, so I boot it off an SSD I stuck in a firewire enclosure.
I have an old 17" PPC-based Macbook Pro with a sticky keyboard and more or less dead trackpad (belonged to a friend who spilled coffee on it). I use it as a digital clock.
I have a friend's old macbook air. He (different friend) spilled diet soda on it. The screen doesn't work, neither does the keyboard. So I plugged it into a (VGA-based) LCD screen that's 10+ years old, connected a USB keyboard, and it works fine for my needs.
I had an old Macbook whose fan died. Not ideal, but I directed an external fan at it, and kept it running for about three more years.
etc etc. In my experience Macs last longer than PCs, and they're only getting more reliable. The part that was most likely to fail was the HD, which is gone from portables and on its way out on desktops. The GPU tended to run too hot in desktop machines from around 2006/2007 and so provided a point of failure, but nothing tends to run too hot in a modern mac. etc etc
And when things DO fail, you can generally work around the problem pretty easily to maintain the machine as useful IF YOU WANT TO. If you are such a princess that you refuse to engage in such workarounds, that's your decision, not Apple's.
Sleepingforest - Thursday, October 30, 2014 - link
You spent extra money on an external enclosure, one of your laptops is a clock, another one is anchored in place with a keyboard and display, and the third needs a fan to be function. NONE of the latter are working laptops, in the sense of a portable computing device. And the HTPC required you to spend a non-trivial amount to keep it working.Significantly reduced functionality is not the same as "working," and expecting an expensive product to last in full working condition without cumbersome hacks is not the same as being a princess. If I have shoes with huge holes in the bottom I don't think "well at least it still covers the top of my foot." I replace it because it no longer fulfills it's primary role of protecting the bottom of my food, regardless of any auxiliary tasks it may still perform (and poorly at that).
FATCamaro - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Trolling. Not an MBPro owner or a 13 year OSX user. Check this users posts later in the thread. They are nonsensical coming from someone who is a 13 year OS user.ViewRoyal - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Good one! (͡° ͜ʖ°)You are right. We come across too many of these dishonest trolls, who are just out to be a nuisance to REAL users in the comments section..
KPOM - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
What's wrong with the new iMac? I was impressed that they pulled off a 5K display on a $2499 computer.LostAlone - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
The display is great. Pity that it can only run at 30fps at 5k though. And pity it doesn't have anything like the graphics muscle to actually display anything other than pictures at 5k too. And unlike proper computers, you can't upgrade, so you'll be making a MASSIVE sacrifice to get all those pixels. If you ever want to do anything other than look at digital photos at 5k, then you need to look elsewhere. Congrats to Apple for selling a system around a 5k display that is utterly unsuited to doing anything that requires a 5k display.ex2bot - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
Wrong! You are wrong, sir! I cannot list how many ways.:) Seriously, I'm not a huge fan of iMacs, though I am a huge fan of Apple laptops. Your statement that the only thing the iMacs are good for is viewing pictures is ridiculously wrong. Almost as if it's a sport to you or something. The iMacs have fast processors and decent GPUs. They'd be great for photographers and general computing tasks. How about editing 4k video? They can handle that just fine.
To recap: WRONG!
Sleepingforest - Thursday, October 30, 2014 - link
You really think a quad core mobile processor is enough (and that's exactly what it is, a mobile processor thanks to Apple's focus on the thickness of a *desktop*) to drive 4K video editing? 4K video editing is a slow crawl on my 8 thread overclocked desktop.x3n0n1c - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
The iMacs use Desktop class CPUs, always have. The only exception to that is the very lowest model which uses the internals of a macbook air to cut cost.The GPUs are mobile class.
techconc - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
"The display is great. Pity that it can only run at 30fps at 5k though."Not that facts are important to your rant, but the iMac 5K Retina is confirmed to have a 60hz refresh rate.
Sleepingforest - Thursday, October 30, 2014 - link
The refresh rate doesn't matter when the GPU is incapable of pushing updated frames at the same speed.The Von Matrices - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
I can't make a testament to the software issues on Macs. However, non-replaceable components are par for the course in thin and light laptops, whether they are sold by Apple or another company.I don't think you will find any laptops nowadays (other than desktop replacements) that have user replaceable RAM, and most of them have internal batteries that require disassembling of the entire laptop to replace.
ex2bot - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
As a Mac user since 2001, I can assure you there aren't many "software issues." OS X is a powerful, energy efficient OS. I left my unplugged MacBook Pro on overnight with a 70% charge (sleep disabled), expecting it to be dead in the morning. Imagine my surprise when it was still running in the morning.mdvision - Thursday, October 30, 2014 - link
Hp Folio 9480m....replaceable RAM, HD, battery. Secondary slice battery for a real use 14 plus hour runtime. 3 yr. bumper to bumper warranty included. Magnesium and aluminum. Docking station accessory. Typing this on one. Thin and light ultrabook built to military spec with matte 1600x900 display. Killer device and shocking to my MacBook owner acquaintances. FYI 8GB RAM, 256 Sammy 840 Pro SSD, and top wireless components as well.Agree with the Apple criticism here. OSX REALLY overrated and lots of documented Apple hardware issues in the forums. As far as references go...if no SD slot or replaceable battery in a cell phone I will not purchase it. Ewaste will be the legacy of Apple.
JimK85 - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
Ahh another young generation learning about the eventual limits in the pretty Apple ecosphere. As you are realizing if you want customization and control to the max.. Apple is not the way to go.retrospooty - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Is it me or did this entire article seem like another Apple arse kissing extravaganza? I just don't know about this site anymore.at80eighty - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
sort of lean on this as well, however in brandon's defence; it is labelled as a look at the OS's, and not a standard AT reviewmudman - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
The article is named "a look at os x yosemite and ios 8.1".I don't expect to read about linux or windows in this article anyway.
retrospooty - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Yes, it is titled "a look at os x yosemite and ios 8.1" ... I dont think anyone was expecting Linux or Windows... It just seems to cover all the positives and ignore all the negatives.p_giguere1 - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
I think the main point of this article is to present an overview of what's new in Yosemite compared to its predecessor Mavericks.The negatives you would like to see mentioned are not new to Yosemite, they're limitations of the whole OS X platform when you put it next to other OSes.
It seems this article did not aim to analyze the whole OS X platform and whether it's a good OS choice, but rather tell existing OS X users what are the new features they'll get by upgrading to Yosemite.
I understand that may not be the kind of article you would have preferred, but the fact people make a big deal out of this to the point of attacking Anandtech makes the the complains hard to take seriously IMO. I feel some of the people calling Anandtech biased are not very objective themselves, and would rather see an article pointing the downsides of OS X just to validate their own decision of sticking with another OS, even though it would deviate from the original point of the article.
TEAMSWITCHER - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
It's you. Apple is THE premiere ecosystem provider, with smart phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. There simply is no other manufacturer that comes close to the breadth of devices they sell...with the software that ties them all together....and a breadth of applications to make the experience worthwhile.If Anandtech didn't cover topics like this...I would remove my bookmark to their site.
at80eighty - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
mmm. tasty tasty kool-aidsolipsism - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
You've piqued my interest. If saying that Apple's OSes are the best for a unified ecosystem between disparate device categories has you pull out a Kool-Aid comment then what is inarguably better?I personally know of nothing and with Yosemite and iOS 8 ones ability to make a smooth transition between devices from one moment to the next without altering your workflow has been vastly improved. So, please, elucidate as to what combinations of desktop and mobile OSes are even more user friendly and efficient to setup and use?
ppi - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
Well, Apple is certainly step ahead of everyone else in terms of integrating together devices made by Apple.The trouble comes when you try to plug in something else. Or plug an idevice to non-Mac (/waves to worst application on Windows, i.e. iTunes). And this OS X update apparently does little to nothing to improve in this direction.
So going Apple is basically all or nothing decision.
retrospooty - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
LOL. Now THAT is funny.invinciblegod - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Good now you can leave since apparently anything positive about Apple is a corruption in journalism. Doesn't matter if it's any good or not because it is crapple and must be horrible and the only way they can have any fair coverage is if the site says it was made by the devil and should be destroyed for it's pretentiousness. Since you and people like you say the same things about every site on the internet that has positive apple coverage in it, I can only assume you are an apple hater for no reason other than the fact that they are annoying in their locking down on stuff or you hate steve jobs.sjprg2 - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
BOTH!michael2k - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
It's just you. It's written by a Mac user, so it will be biased towards other Mac users. If you don't particularly care about iOS and Macs then this review will be like reading about the new Mustang when you happen to not care about cars.Brandon Chester - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
For the record I don't own a MacImpulses - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
Clearly that just means you're a shill, doing it for the money rather than the love of all things out of Cupertino.jk
KoolAidMan1 - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Its all because not enough negative things were said, right?Middle aged fanboys and their unfulfilled negativity quotas, how sad...
retrospooty - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Generally speaking tech articles will list the good and bad and diplay it for the user to determine what fits best. I honestly cannot recall the last time I saw anything at Anandtech on the neg. 1/2 of that equation with regards to Apple products... And there has been quite of that alot lately... Anandtech? Amazingly quiet.But, drink on kool aid man. Your name says it all.
KoolAidMan1 - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
Or maybe all the positive reviews you see on the internet are because its actually good?Your love of conspiracies rivals 9/11 truthers
retrospooty - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
OR MAybe I see all of the negative reports of the heinous slowness IOS8 has caused and the various other problems and bugs that go along with it... My once nice iPad 4 is now slower scrolling through web pages than my old Droid3 w/OMAP CPU on Gingerbread FFS. Then I read an article at a once great tech site that has been my home page for over 15 years and see "Its a little bluebird on my shoulder".I am not calling that a conspiracy, but it is a very one sided take on things... Which as I said is par for the course at Anandtech for the past several years. If you cant see that then you are far too biased to even talk about it... Oh wait... n/m
Brett Howse - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
Let's be fair here this is right from Brandon's iOS8 review: "Given that the iPad 3 I have for testing falls into both the Apple A5(X) camp and the iPad camp, I won't be updating it to iOS 8. While the new features like SMS Relay will be nice, the missing features and issues like keyboard lag outweigh the benefits of updating."KoolAidMan1 - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
The iPad Air was my first one. It runs everything great in iOS 8, totally fast and smooth.I can't speak for your two year old hardware. I know my GS3 from the same year was choppy and slow right when I bought it, wifi was bugged after an update, and so on. Brainwashed apologists deflect that but whatever.
Nothing is perfect, even your precious, but try and keep your head together.
retrospooty - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
It doesn't require you to "speak to" it. It's all over the place. The slowness, the apps crashing, even on the pliant 6 and 6 plus.KoolAidMan1 - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
iPhone 6 here, solid. No slowness, no stutters, no crashing. Oh, right, I must be lying...And you're still going with the bendgate thing when only dozens out of tens of millions of units have bent?
Suckers that feed on news cycles are funny.
KoolAidMan1 - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
By the way, I just Googled for "bent iPhone" to see how big it is. The stories run from September 25th to October 1st, then nothing.Only a couple dozen out of tens of millions of units have bent. If this was actually a problem then it would still be a part of the news cycle, maybe even a recall.
I changed my mind. Middle aged fanboys desperately grasping at dead news stories from a month ago are what's actually funny.
retrospooty - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
Oh, well good. You have one that isn't slow or crashing, well, sorry others have them that are. And no, not all iPhones are bending, the point is its so thin that it is structurally weak and is susceptible to be bent. http://www.oneofthenine.com/ - You going to defend that?Anyhow, you have mentioned that fact that I am in my early 40's like 4-5 times now. You mentioned you have been coming to Anandtech as long as I have, so unless you were here as a toddler , you must be gettting pretty close too... Not that age matters, but you keep mentioning it and keep coming back to reply, so as much of a loser as I must be to post here, you are more of one as you are here at the same site, defending a company AND tracking my age and post count on another related site.
KoolAidMan1 - Thursday, October 30, 2014 - link
It's not about the age, it's about you with over 10000 posts on DT and hundreds on Disqus devoted to almost entirely to defending Android and bashing iOS. I expect that from a teenage console warrior, not a grown man.Otherwise, most people have no problems with iOS. Almost nobody has bent iPhones, literally dozens out of tens of millions. Even if it was hundreds it would be statistically insignificant.
Stretching credibility in the name of fanboy desperation is sad for anyone, especially someone that is supposed to be "mature".
KoolAidMan1 - Thursday, October 30, 2014 - link
And to be clear, yes, 1000 bent iPhones (let's throw out a big number) out of tens of millions is bad.That percentage is TINY. Its nothing like actual tech disasters like the RROD or even laptop battery recalls. Get bent out of shape if you want though, your life seems to revolve around phone drama.
HKZ - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
It's you. Your reading skills aren't very good given the title of this article.KoolAidMan1 - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
He's a fanboy with over 10000 posts between DT and Disqus devoted to talking negatively about Apple.Reading comprehension isn't a factor with zealots like him, just spin
KoolAidMan1 - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
And obviously there are negative things to be said for Apple, same as any other company. For example, the Mac Mini and iPad Mini 3 updates are awful.The problem is that its hard to take anything he seriously when everything he says is negative, a conspiracy, and self-victimizing. He goes so far as to say Anand is a shill for Apple and that his current employment is proof of that.
Nothing he says can be taken seriously because it is constant. At least he doesn't seem bigoted, racist, or homophobic like some of his DT friends.
retrospooty - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
What is funny is the guy that is stalking that guy and hanging off his every word (and yet still gets it so wrong).LOL. What a doof.
KoolAidMan1 - Thursday, October 30, 2014 - link
How is it stalking? You are impossible to miss on DT. As for Disqus, it was the first return from Google.Two clicks to see that profile is "stalking", good one!
retrospooty - Thursday, October 30, 2014 - link
How is it stalking? You are tracking my post count, your last umpteen posts at DT were all about me. You posted on this article, only to me, and to others about me. You seem to be caught up with my age and occupation. Why dont you go troll someone else? why are you fixated on me? Or is it becasue I keep calling you on your 100% one sided biased ass, and shutting you down like I did again here and you are pissed? http://www.dailytech.com/Article.aspx?newsid=36545...Too bad trollboy. But back on topic, my 10000 posts at DT is over the entire history since day 1. FFS, most of it has nothing to do with Apple. Especially any OP's. Often you asshat Apple nutjobs that just cant STAND when anyone doesn't like anything about Apple get all butt hurt and go on and on, so that makes it seem like alot of posts, but its really just a few asshats, yourself included.
FYI, I also say alot of good things about Apple. They moved the whole industry forward in 2007, I love the hardware on iPad Air and Air 2. I love the hw quality in general until it got so thin its structurally weak... And on that subject, it IS weak. There my be only a few thousand people with the issue, but its a young product. the fact its that it is too weak to take much abuse.... All in the name of form over function.
Whatever. You are so stuck on stupid with Apple I cant even relate. Its a company, and you defnd it like its your mother being insulted. Get a grip.
Osamede - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Author said:"..... If you own a Samsung smartphone, you may be more inclined to buy a Samsung tablet due to the similar hardware design and user interface. But apart from any brand loyalty you feel, you don't really have any incentive to buy a Samsung laptop which runs Windows and doesn't integrate with your other device..."
Reality is:
http://www.samsung.com/uk/support/convergence/side...
http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/samsung-galaxy-tab-s-s...
I am shocked that standards of journalism and market insight are slipping so low, so fast
How long before this becomes yet another fanboy blog?
Jamezrp - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Yeah but have you used sidesync? It's crap. I had it on a laptop awhile back and with my GS3 it was next to worthless.That said, we have this thing called the cloud. Why the hell do we need so much damn connectivity between the phone and computer? I don't need to start writing an email from my phone and move over to a laptop most of the time. And the few times I do, the draft is saved in the cloud somewhere.
Hell, most of the Apple apps are garbage anyways on OS X. I have no problem with Yosemite, and certainly don't like Windows 8 whatsoever (love Win7 though), but handoff is a waste.
SirPerro - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Thing is, using google services you have the same sync capabilities as iCloud. It's just you don't need OS X at all.Being attached to Apple acosystem, with their latest soldered-ram/batteries and other anticonsumer practices seem a really really bad idea.
If you don't like google services, you zip all your data into your computer, and kiss google goodbye. If you don't like Apple services you have to buy a plethora of new $1K devices in the first place.
tim851 - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
> If you don't like google services, you zip all your data into your computer, and kiss google goodbye. If you don't like Apple services you have to buy a plethora of new $1K devices in the first place. <If you don't like Apple's cloud, you can leave it just as easily as Google's.
There's absolutely no reason to rebuy all your devices, Apple's devices work fine without iCloud.
SirPerro - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
An undeniable truth is that you can enjoy google services in all the devices, but you can only enjoy apple services on apple devices.That for me is a showstopper on apple ecosystem. With iOS being a niche out of the US, and enterprise market completely neglecting OS X worldwide, binding your life to iCloud looks rather ackward.
If OS X had the type of hardware variety Windows/Linux have, I'd be less hessitant. But again, jumping into iCloud and be forced to pay for very expensive device replacements is very dangerous in my opinion.
I understand the love though. Thank god we're free to ignore ecosystems we don't want.
stranger-in-the-dark - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
That said, you can also use google services on iOS and OSX devices. I bought my iPhone because I liked the look, and at the time the android podcast apps I tried were bad. And I got a macbook for my birthday when I started at university. But on both most of the cloud stuff is either on feedly or through some google service or another. I since use both linux at work and windows at home. And who knows, my next phone might be run ubuntu or android.So yes, you can have apple product without using the ecosystem. And you can easily switch even if you dont (there are programs for that). But that said, I would not buy into apple FOR the connectivity.
stranger-in-the-dark - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
*even if you do*FATCamaro - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Are you trolling? Your first post is oh I hate OSX now and my macbook pro will be the last after being an Apple customer for 13 years. Now you're talking about vendor lockin. It took you 13 years to realize that there is a degree of vendor lockin in Apple's ecosystem?And you can leave iCloud just as easily as Google drive, even though iCloud is on fewer devices.
retrospooty - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
"I am shocked that standards of journalism and market insight are slipping so low, so fast How long before this becomes yet another fanboy blog?"It's been that way for several years already. Anand now works at Apple and his disciples are now clamoring for Apple's teet... For whatever reason.
anactoraaron - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
It's only a matter of time before this site has a name change to 'AppleTech'austinsguitar - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
^ lvl up!KoolAidMan1 - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Maybe its because the products are actually good?Nope, its collusion and misinformation, says the fanboy.
mabellon - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Cool links. I completely forgot Samsung even had this. It would be nice if it was at least mentioned in the article.That said, Samsung's solution is the cheap hacky thing you do when you don't control the software on both platforms. It's mostly just shared input (keyboard/mouse) and copy+paste support. For example, using your phone as a second screen to respond to an SMS while cool is not at all the same as responding seamlessly from the OSX Messages app. Better than nothing and still would have been nice to see a mention in the review.
Also, I read the links you posted and they had nothing to do with the actual point made by Brandon in the article. His point was that there was no incentive to purchase a SAMSUNG laptop. As far as I can tell, Samsung SideSync works with any Windows PC. And frankly that makes sense because Samsung doesn't sell that many PCs.
Bob Todd - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Frankly, that looks retarded. My Atrix had a laptop dock with some full desktop Linux apps like Firefox, that doesn't mean it was a good experience. And that's the key here. Features for the sake of features that aren't worth using vs. things that will make your life easier.I'm predominately a Windows and Android user (Apple for work), but the integration with iOS 8.1 and Yosemite has some nice features which I hope Microsoft rips off for Windows 10.
* SMS Relay: don't have to check my work phone for texts, just respond from my laptop
* Answer calls directly from my laptop without fumbling for my phone
* Instant hotspot: don't have to grab phone, unlock, turn on tethering when I need to get online remotely
Even ignoring Handoff, those are nice features that can make your day-to-day life easier. I think Apple has actually been doing a _terrible_ job of integration across their products until now. They are unique in this space as controlling all of their hardware and software. This stuff should have been here 2 years ago.
In my dream world, Microsoft and Google make APIs to do these same things that work between their devices. Chrome OS doesn't fit my needs. Windows Phone app ecosystem still sucks. So unless they work through this together, just one of them building this functionality in a closed manner for _their_ systems won't do me any good.
Impulses - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
There's literally dozens of apps on Play that accomplish the same thing as SMS Relay... I am jealous of call forwarding tho (then again I don't really talk much on the phone) and super jealous of instant hotspot. I'm gonna have to work on a Tasker shortcut to at least activate the hotspot on my phone from my smartwatch.gudomlig - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
typical of apple. new features limited to small subset of hardware. why would you ever need applepay for a desktop or laptop is beyond me. and transparent windows and flatter presentation...um windows aero anyone? apple has totally lost their innovation, they are just copying what their competitors have already done.tim851 - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
> why would you ever need applepay for a desktop or laptop is beyond meProbably as a PayPal alternative.
SirPerro - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
I know a good paypal alternative. It's called credit card.Apart from NFC/Simplicity for the act of paying in a store, what does apple pay offer in a laptop which paypal/credit cards haven't offered for years?
Furthermore. How is ApplePay supposed to success on a niche operating system anyway?
invinciblegod - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
thats a horrible paypal alternative. Apparently you forgot why people like paypal, which is that you don't need to make a new account for every website and the website don't get your credit card information.solipsism - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
1) Pay coming to Mac OS X would mean a secure element on the device, tokens being stored for each card, and perhaps a convenient biometric to help prove your identity, just like Pay on the iPhone 6 series.All that is inherently more secure than storing your actual card numbers on your OS. That said, I think that would be a flawed setup because, currently, Pay rightly only works with direct payments and within apps, neither of which is feasible on a laptop or desktop.
What Apple would have to do is grow their Pay concept into having the financial institutions issue a unique token for each website/company that you have an account with so that if any one of those server's gets compromised it can't be used to make payments -or- create a service that is closer to PayPal so that no website will ever store your personal card data again, but that will mean Apple will be a middle man, which I don't think they want to do.
Regardless of how they proceed the current Pay system isn't complete if purchases on websites are weak point in terms of security.
2) Calling iOS "niche" or simply not including it with a comment about Mac OS X in a discussion about a service to service an ecosystem is ridiculous. Are you going to say that Pay will be useless on Watch that runs WatchOS simply because it will be a new OS when it launches? The multination and financial institutions are already backing Pay. It was a success before it ever launched. This is the future of mobile banking. Now that the path is being paved and the backend rejiggered there is no reason for others (save for contracts) to jump on board with a similar secure end-to-end system.
Bob Todd - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
You can turn on tethering on your Windows Phone from Windows on your laptop? You can answer calls on your Windows laptop from your Windows phone? You can send/receive texts from your Windows laptop through your Windows phone?Bottom line is that Microsoft is just as guilty as Apple at doing a crap job of integration across their devices.
Brett Howse - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
You can actually tether to a Windows Phone from the laptop without touching the phone - just like the Apple method it connects to the phone over Bluetooth and then turns on the hotspot. So yes to that one.But no to everything else they need to do more work on integrating the experiences of phone and desktop.
andrewaggb - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
well microsoft tablets run windows, so they basically have the same capabilities. They do have smartglass for the xbox which allows browser transitions between tablet and xbox (works with an ipad as well). I don't have a windows phone.I know the playto feature to play movies and stuff to the xbox one and 360 (and other dlna players) works great.
SkyDrive sync's your windows profile/files etc across tablet and pc.
It's not perfect by any stretch, but there's definitely integration. I use the same billing account for my microsoft azure cloud services as I do for my xbox, it's all tied to my microsoft account. As was a purchase from the microsoft online store.
The sms and call transferring stuff is cool though, hopefully they grab that as well. Windows media center integration with the xbox 360 was great, but unfortunately that product is gone.
Bob Todd - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Ah cool! One feature down. I really hope they put an emphasis on tying all of their big offerings together (desktop/phone/tablet/Xbox/etc.) in meaningful ways like that.DarkXale - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
1) Yes.2) Theres a standard bluetooth profile for that; started doing it in the feature phone era. This is old even on Apple's side.
3) Yes again. See point number two. Feature phones sometimes required their 'Suite' software for this to work fully.
Impulses - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
Does the Bluetooth profile actually pair the phone via Wi-Fi tho? Tethering over Bluetooth itself would be kind of a bottleneck if you have a particularly good LTE connection... I remember tethering over just BT back on the day with my netbook and Sony Ericsson phone, didn't have to turn anything on in the phone either, but this was back before 3G!HisDivineOrder - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
I think Apple's incentivizing of staying in their ecosystem is interesting for the user who will do that or has the money to do it. That said, I think Google started the ball rolling and Microsoft has joined now too with a lot more emphasis than even Google at making broad compatibility across lots of platforms, which I think is probably the better way forward.Apple is a devices company. It's obvious. Google is a marketing company and so they emphasize their services as a way to get more info to use for marketing. Microsoft wants to be both Apple and Google, but Nadella seems keen to focus Microsoft on the Services part of that equation, which is wise because their devices just won't sell very well save for some high end Surface tablets to some ultra niche customers.
I think Microsoft's approach of making their services envelop other platforms so if you have an Android phone and a Windows PC and an iPad, you can use all your platforms to see OneDrive or Office 365 is the most convenient one for the typical consumer with the typical budget.
I think Apple's way is the most convenient one for Apple and the few people who have the budget to afford all Apple devices and the Apple Tax that goes with them.
odedia - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Guys, when is the iMac retina 5k due to appear? It's the one thing keeping me from ordering it.Ryan Smith - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Next week.Anandrian - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
I think the article is spot on."You can only use the whole apple ecosystem if you have apple hardware/software"
Take full advantage of the ecosystem, yes! but that's the apple way. They control every aspect of the ecosystem to guarantee a better than average experience and I think they've succeed.
"OS X Yosemite not innovative"
That may be so, but it is damn good even if it's not innovative. At this point in time the improvements or new features might not be ground breaking but when you used them regularly you can really understand the advantage of them. This also is true for windows 8.1, some people hate it and some people love it and in my own experience, I like what win 8.1 brings to the table the way I use it.
"Apple is expensive"
Yes it is, is it worth it? I guess that's personal. I do have a 2009 13" macbook pro and it's still working fine with OS X Yosemite (I did upgrade my HDD to an SDD an the memory from 4GB to 8GB almost since I bought it). And I also have an awesome watercooled pc with win 8.1 which I built myself, I use it for programming and gaming and it is awesome!. I really like both machines however I do have an iphone and an ipad and I like what the apple ecosystem brings to the table, would I like it to have more features? yes, of course but that will come with future iOS and OS X releases just as it will happen with Microsoft and Google and all the other players out there.
Don't hate guys! just enjoy :D
mfenn - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
"I had never used it until Yosemite rolled out with the new capabilities that Apple had built in."What??? How did you launch applications before?
Anandrian - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
maybe quicksilver was his choice :D. Quicksilver is an awesome launcher but I stopped using it after Yosemite was released. I never used the power features of Quicksilver.solipsism - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Before it was in the upper-right corner. Even if you pressed ⌘-Space Bar it was still a tiny text field. The current design pulls from 3rd-party launchers to integrate a lot more services that are now possible with it being in the center of the screen and very large.My guess is he probably had apps in the Dock that were always running like most Mac users.
Brandon Chester - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
I have my most often used apps in the Dock and I also use launchpad and Finder when I happen to be in it.slatanek - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
I'd say the Yosemite thing is... like a live beta. I've updated my girlfrined's MBP retina (late 2013) and everything feels just more laggy and a lot of things just lack polish and looks kinda meh. The login screen sometimes presents itself as it suppossed to do and sometimes it's just a blank page , totally random. I still can login but the password you type in is not visible as the background isn't. The way the search field in spolight comes on in the middle of the screen - horrible looking and annoying.The rest of it is just the same as usual - not bad, not particularly good either. Finder still stays lightyears behind windows explorer. Copying/moving/deleting stuff in OSX is still a pain. Also when you go with finder full screen there is a visual bug as well the open enlarge dots get strangely squashed under the top bar as it comes down when highlighted. I wonder when will they drop the file system overall ;-)
Messy Apple, this time it's messy...
bwanaaa - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
HackerNews had an interesting ref about the new 'insecurity model'. All your stuff that you are working on (email drafts, unsaved textedit docs, etc) is now stored in iCloud (silently).xxsk8er101xx - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
No it doesn't. You can choose to not do that. It's not done as a conspiracy it's done to improve the user experience.Take the tin foil hat off!
sjprg2 - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
No! the Icloud is to retrain the newcomers to the process of the mainframe mentality with all software eventually on the Icloud(mainframe) with remote administrators. With hardware locked down (soldered in) we are now back in the 1960s. With no local abilities we only get what the manufacturers want to give us at their price. IBM's apps used to cost 10-20 thousand each.name99 - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Oh for crying out loud...Grow up. The Matrix is NOT a documentary, you know.
Slaanesh - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Translucency was already in Vista, right?And is that a gadget sidebar in the screenshot on p2?
blackcrayon - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Translucency was in Mac OS X 10.0 in 2001.blackcrayon - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
That's notification center, it was already in Mavericks. And iOS for that matter. It's not exactly like the gadget sidebar but there is some overlap now that you can put custom widgets there.Colin1497 - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Suggestion for 8.1.1: Recalibrate "Motion Calibration" so that it isn't constantly running location services and destroying my battery life, forcing me to simply turn off the functionality. There's no way that it's working as intended when it basically runs location services all the time to the extent that my phone is always warm and my battery only lasts half a day. Obviously everyone isn't having this problem, only people who have apps that tie into "Motion Activity," but it's a legit problem with plenty of discussion on the support forums.Brandon Chester - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Yeah seriously, I turned it off because it runs almost constantly. I don't even know what it's doing but it hasn't impacted my device by not having it.tipoo - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
You know what I'd love is some performance tests with it, especially on older hardware, like Core 2 Duo/320M era, and on spinny hard drives. I've held back on upgrading the macbook in the family due to some mixed messages about it, some say it's the same as Mavericks (which I find a dog, tbh, Windows 7 is so much faster on the same system), some say it's a bit slicker in some areas, while others say it tanked performance.I've gotten the feeling that OSX has become less optimized for HDDs as they optimized more for SSDs. I wonder if it still even does things like hot file clustering?
xrror - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
This will sound like a cop out, but I can't recommend strongly enough just getting a cheap SSD for the older core2 iMacs and macbooks. Even without a ram upgrade (stock 2GB), the difference is astounding.tipoo - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
I would agree with that, though it's not my own system so explaining and getting someone else to invest in a SSD is a bit of an uphill battle, and besides that I think they'd rather be putting that towards saving for a new system eventually too.Maybe I'll give them the Momentus XT hybrid from my dying Dell Studio 1555, that adds a bit of peppiness.
DPUser - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
Only problem is Apple has really put the screws to enabling Trim for third party SSDs in Yosemite.http://www.cindori.org/trim-enabler-and-yosemite
tipoo - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
That sucks, but wasn't TRIM killing SSDs in OSX for some reason? It only worked well on Apple certified SSDs.DPUser - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
Trim works perfectly in OSX with SSDs that support it (meaning all current SSDs). I encourage anyone who cares to lobby Apple to change its policy in this regard: stop locking out Trim for third party SSDs.Penti - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Regarding design, I don't think old users will be shocked. The dock looks essentially the same as in OS X Tiger (10.4 or reminiscence of Ceetah – Tiger 10.0 - 10.4).Translucency or semi-transparency has been done for so many years in different Window Managers and shells for *NIX system or Windows Vista–7. While they drop some skeuomorphism they at the same time introduce transparency, new animations and other stuff that Microsoft sacrificed in order to run on low-end devices. They even keep rounded of corners. Though I don't think it's much of a shift, it's more back to the roots of earlier OS X releases and still builds on NeXTSTEP looks in some ways. A simpler cleaner look doesn't go against that. Of course technology and hardware makes some things more natural today than 15 years ago. The roots isn't really on machines capable of translucency or of 16.7+ million colors, or accelerated animations.
piroroadkill - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Call and SMS handoff to other devices! Woah, we're going back in time to Palm Pre. Still a pretty solid set of ideas around that device...ppi - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
I have SMS synced with my Outlook for a year already (and nobody knows how long our IT witheld that one)Call handoff ... I am not sure I would want it, but as optional feature, why not.
CharonPDX - Monday, October 27, 2014 - link
Continuity looks great!Too bad everyone in my house has one side of the equation too old.
I have an iPhone 5C (good!) with an old 2008 iMac (nope.)
My daughter has an iPad Air (good!) and an iPhone 4 (nope, not even iOS 8,) with a 2008 MacBook Pro (nope.)
My wife has an iPhone 4S (nope - just "call on your Mac",) and a brand new MacBook Air (good!)
So the only person in my family that can make *ANY* use of Continuity/Handoff is my wife, and then only for "call on your Mac" - AKA " Use your Mac as a bluetooth Speakerphone.)
Highhbrid - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
There seems to be a lot of talk about soldered RAM in Mac products. The main reason why you can't upgrade RAM in phones is because the form factor would not be nearly as thin and it wouldn't exactly be an SoC anymore.. form factor is crucial to a handheld device. You have to consider things holistically if you're going to try and compare different fruit here. Very seldom do I observe this amongst convo.I think that with a Macbook Air there is legitimate reasoning for soldering the RAM in place. You and Apple want that device as thin as possible. The thinner you can get it, the lighter too.
With Macbook Pros the argument is a lot weaker. Until those bitches get razer thin (which we're an iteration or two from) removable RAM is easy to pull off. Under a generous, PRIVATE Apple, I believe that they would throw that in.
However when you consider the demographic of Macbook Pro purchasers, it's quite an easy money grab for Apple.
"Higher reliability, better performance, and a more compact design" some will say.
Reliable is in, I put the RAM in wrong? Very rarely do I reset someone's RAM to fix there problem.
Performance: I've seen how fast 16GB @ 2133 MHz goes. I'm not buying it.
Compactness? Refer to the above.
Soldered RAM in a Mac Mini? lol Apple
solipsism - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
You didn't make a valid argument to support your comments that the MBP isn't think enough at this point, you just said it would have to be "razor thin" and eluded to the MBA being thinner.How much space is available right now for removable RAM when you consider the size of the sticks, the channel they sit it, how much much further it will sit below the main board, will that interfere with the bottom casing if it's pressed upon in that area, and will there be enough room for thermals.
I suppose it's possible they could have, but it does come with a cost, which you didn't address at all except to say there is zero benefit.
Highhbrid - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
It's inevitable that they will get thinner. How thin? Who knows. But apparently thin is a big deal to Apple, that was their opening feature to the Air 2 announcement. We will see.I think that the first MBPr could have physically included removable RAM, even if it has to be 1mm thicker. Ultimately, that's Apple decision and they could have included it, I feel.
I didn't say anything about the MBA except that there is a valid reason for soldering the memory into place. The MBP are thin enough IMO
blackcrayon - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
Soldered RAM alone doesn't mean anything. The real issue is that the device will cost more up front. If you won't/can't pay more just buy something else.KoolAidMan1 - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
Soldered RAM on the Mac Mini is terrible. It makes sense if they made it REALLY small like an AppleTV but its the same chassis as before.There's an excuse with the MBA and MBP. This is just stupid.
jaymond - Tuesday, October 28, 2014 - link
When will One Drive or Google Drive copycat the photo features of iCloud Drive? I'm a One Drive user and would love this feature. I'm not willing to pay Apple's prices for cloud storage when I have 1TB free with One Drive with Office 360, but I would like to get my photos off my HDD on my Macbook Air.RichieTech - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
The iMac starts at $2500..... starts! And yet no touchscreen! That's the most asinine thing I've ever heard. I'm sure it looks gorgeous but for that price it should do more and so should the previous models for that matter.The iPad can't form its own network, cant have multiple user accounts and doesn't have its own file structure and cost between $500 to $800.... pffffttt !!! I just spit my beer all over my desk :/
I don't see anything different about OS X(
Thanks iCloud for pics of Scarlett Joe... I'm sure you'll keep my credit card safe with Apple Pay?!
You fear after 13 years, you should be glad after 13 years your moving on!
Nope
DPUser - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
I'm not gonna buy an iMac, but who wants a touchscreen on their desktop? I, for one, do not like fingerprints on my monitors. Or beer for that matter.annah_souls - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
$2500 is very cheap. I can buy as many as I want. Soorrry for you, poor guy.I don't understand why you are so upset with Apple. If you think it didn't worth your money, don't buy it. I don't see anyone threaten you to but Apple product. Post your comment like grown up people please.
shahrooz - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
I think people who buy apple products don't really care where their money is going, because all of their products are overpriced. they are not bad at all, but they are never as good as their price suggest.Wolfpup - Wednesday, October 29, 2014 - link
<<<Users who are familiar with computers no longer need a distinct outline and heavy shading to recognize that a button is something they click or tap.>>>This is just plain false. It's not that we don't understand that something doesn't have to physically look like a button to be clickable-the outline or shading or 3D look or whatever is so that it's easily readable AS an interface element.
Mostly the "flat" look is just a stylistic thing, but it does have some drawbacks in areas where it's no longer immediately clear if you can interact with something.
Mostly in both iOS 7 and Windows 8 I don't find it to be a big deal, but an example where it's clearly inferior is the "show desktop" button on Windows 8. In 7, it's not offensive, it just looks raised and is clearly an interface element. In 8, it's still there, but there's no visual way to know that it's there. 8's lack of a start button is another great example. There was no way to know that was clickable and would bring up the start screen unless you already know that it's clickable and brings up the start screen. 8.1 thankfully fixes that, and I think it's an improvement regardless of whether you know what it does.
<<<They don't want their Calendar and Reminders applications to have leather borders, stitching, and paper like their calendar and date book in the real world, because doing so confines them to the limitations of those physical objects. >>>
Neither part of that is true either. The first part is a stylistic choice, and frankly I think it's a fun one. Knowing that a notepad doesn't have to look like a notepad doesn't mean that you won't prefer a fun visual design that looks like one over a plain flat white area to type in (or whatever). that's just personal preference. And making it look like something physical doesn't really restrict any function either. These programs can do all sorts of things physical objects can't, and that's true whether they have a fun real world texture or not.
At any rate I'm 100% in the camp that buttons should look like buttons. Whether flat looking, or 3D looking (once our designer overlords come back around and claim flat is so yesterday and 3D is the big hot new thing again), either way artistic design should NEVER get in the way of usability design. You should be able to at least tell what things you can interact with even if you've never used a program or OS before.
jdshewman - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
Reading some of these comments are comical and mostly bias. First, the complaint about cost between Mac vs Windows laptops are hysterical. The parts utilized in the Mac are all top notch parts. They are not poorly fabricated nor statistically vulnerable to technical aspects. How many windows laptops have solid state drives, let alone at a reasonable price? I mean, windows runs faster loaded on a mac than a PC manufacturer at the same price point. Second, able to upgrade. Seriously, what would a person need with more than 16gb of ram or a higher CPU (higher than an i5) unless you are cracking the genetic code. These are mindless arguments to the uniformed. Buy a Mac laptop today it will run flawless with any apps for many years. Buy a windows laptop and pray it last more than a couple years with their outdated parts.Impulses - Friday, October 31, 2014 - link
"How many windows laptops have solid state drives, let alone at a reasonable price?"Umm, there's plenty, and you can usually get a larger drive for the same price. Apple has charged a larger than usual premium for drive/RAM upgrades since time immemorium. What does "statistically vulnerable to technical aspects" even mean?
There are things that can justify an Apple price premium (Apple Care, resale value, preference for OS X, display quality)... Somehow you fail to mention even one relevant reason, bravo.
P.S. Every content creator under the sun would smack you for asking who needs more RAM or a faster CPU, for video and photo editing both those things often pay for themselves in no time flat within a professional environment.
V900 - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
"Umm, there's plenty"What nonsense. Sure, you can get a Windows laptop with some of the same features as a Macbook. It'll sometimes be cheaper too, just like you can find a Hyundai with a V6 engine for less than you'd pay for a BMW with a V6.
But the two can't compare in neither quality, experience nor resale value, just like the cheap Windows laptop can't compare with a Macbook.
(And usually will cost more in the end. Its nice to save a couple of hundred dollars. But a two year old Macbook will easily sell for 50% of what you paid for it, whereas the "inexpensive" Windows laptop will typically be close to worthless, and will cost you more in the end.)
Sorry buddy, if you want a quality laptop, you can find one running Windows. They're just pretty rare, and cost as much or more than an Apple product.
V900 - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
BTW: Your comment about content creators doesn't make any sense.The Macbook and Mac Mini both max out at 16GB RAM. Since time is money for these people, why would they try to save, what amounts to a couple hours overtime pay for them, on installing 3rd party RAM themselves?!?
If they'll really need it eventually, they might as well splurge on the 16GB machine from the get go. Hence they don't really need expandable RAM.
As for regular consumers, they strictly speaking don't really need it anymore either. Upgradable RAM had a purpose when 1gb or 2gb ram was the standard, but not today. A 4gb Macbook will still be plenty fast 5 or 6 years from now. This isn't Windows machines we're talking about, that seem to degrade exponentially for every year.
Which you'd know if you'd ever tried a Macbook. A 4 year old Mac with 2gb ram is fine for everyday use even today.
Impulses - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
Not sure why you're so gung ho about replying to my comment, specially when you don't even seem to have read it. I was only refuting that there aren't plenty of Windows laptops with SSD, which the comment I replied to stated.I quoted many of the same reasons you did why a MBP can justify it's price premium (MBA has a tougher case IMO), or did you miss that?
Regarding RAM, the argument wasn't about third party upgrades, but about the fact that "maxing out" at 16GB ISN'T enough for content creators. That would be the bare minimum for many, some would prefer 32GB+ and it has nothing to do with the OS.
V900 - Saturday, November 1, 2014 - link
It's a lot of useful features for sure, but personally I'll wait with upgrading.I really dislike the new design, but hopefully there'll be some third party software options to bring back the Mavericks look. If not, I guess I'll have to wait for 10.11, and the inevitable paring down of the flatness...
metasecdev - Saturday, November 8, 2014 - link
I hate the new look and feel of os x 10.10 and ios 7-8.1. My 15 years with mac will soon be ending.alicebuss21 - Saturday, November 24, 2018 - link
Want to know what is the simplest Apple’s piece of Internet? Well, it is iCloud Drive, providing the cloud-based storage for the iPad. The benefit of this Apple’s feature is to back up the iPad and also restoring the device from the backup. Apart from it, the feature is far beyond backing up. The user can easily store the photos, documents, and videos from applications like Pages and Numbers. As it provides a global storage option, the user can access the same document from several apps.http://customerhelplineaustralia.com/icloud-suppor...
alicebuss21 - Saturday, November 24, 2018 - link
Want to know what is a simplest Apple’s piece of Internet? Well, it is iCloud Drive, providing the cloud based storage for the iPad. The benefit of this Apple’s feature is to back up the iPad and also restoring the device from the backup. Apart from it, the feature is far beyond backing up. The user can easily store the photos, documents, and videos from applications like Pages and Numbers. As it provides a global storage option, the user can access the same document from several apps.https://customerhelplineaustralia.com/icloud-suppo...