Does apple deserve such a loyal customer fan base?? YES or NO? POLL

[KevinJS]

The other reason is I've always felt Windows to be a clunky imitation of MacOS.

That could be part of the reason Apple changed their business model. Having been burned by Microsoft and not being able to do anything about it, they have had no choice but to join in with the cutthroat norm of the business world. Hence the lawsuits against those who think R&D means reverse engineering.

The company I work for is in a similar position. A much larger competitor uses underhand methods to attempt to blow us out of the water. A loyal customer base is sometimes the only defense you have.

I think Apple still have their vision, but have just woken up, and grown up.

 

[Dr. Robert]

That could be part of the reason Apple changed their business model. Having been burned by Microsoft and not being able to do anything about it, they have had no choice but to join in with the cutthroat norm of the business world. Hence the lawsuits against those who think R&D means reverse engineering.

The company I work for is in a similar position. A much larger competitor uses underhand methods to attempt to blow us out of the water. A loyal customer base is sometimes the only defense you have.

I think Apple still have their vision, but have just woken up, and grown up.

Perhaps. I still get the feeling that I am being dragged in directions I am not certain I wish to be, and things move so fast now, I find it hard to keep up and to critically analyze how various products can enhance my life or whether they are just a waste of money. I guess that is one aspect of being a grown-up oneself: the ability to critically examine all of the information we are bombarded with, and make choices based upon one's own needs and interests, and not just the 'cool' factor.

This time last year, I never envisaged owning an iPad. The reason I do own one is that I had to replace my 2009 iMac. I then traded that in at an Apple dealership. Since my options were limited, the iPad was chosen. So far, I use it for learning German, and as a remote controller for Logic Pro. I am pleased with these applications, and they do enhance and simplify the way I work.

However: I didn't replace the iMac with a newer model because I got tired of the inevitability of something going wonky, either a HDD or the Superdrive, which cannot be replaced by any easy (or cost-effective) means. I bought a mini, and a 3rd party monitor, for about 1/2 the price I would've paid for a similarly spec'd iMac.

 

[wytey]

Prolly just me, but I think that 'difference' between Apple and Microsoft is becoming blurred, in the sense that Apple is not as innovative as it used to be.

 

[KevinJS]

Prolly just me, but I think that 'difference' between Apple and Microsoft is becoming blurred, in the sense that Apple is not as innovative as it used to be.

It's difficult to appear innovative when your competition is getting to work stealing your ideas within hours of their release. Why are we still waiting for the MS Surface? Because Microsoft are fully aware that if they, of all people, look as though they followed Samsung's example and stole any aspect of Apple's design, they would have a major fight on their hands. They got away with stealing Apple's GUI and called it Windows. This time, Apple has the wherewithal to fight back, and they would do so.

I've been looking at the MBP with retina display. If that is not innovative, I don't know what could be. There is a limit to what today's technology can achieve and I think the MBP is as close to pushing the boundaries as is possible. In comparison, offerings from other companies look clumsy and hit round about the same price point, once they are specced similarly, and they still don't have anything like the retina display.

 

[Dr. Robert]

If I'd had the dinerii for the 17" retina display MBP, I would've jumped on it in a second.... lol. I may be more critical of Apple than I used to be, but I still think they make the best hardware, and very good software to go with it. I am just more conscious of where they intend on taking me. Some things, though, like only being able to buy applications via online download, I am dead set against. I can understand the economics of it, but I am still of a mind that having my own hard copy of a program I purchase is my right. Apple seems to have led this trend, which is, as I've said, not to my liking at all.

 

[f4780y]

Totally agree on the hardware.

Netbook, inspired by Intel?

Utter rubbish. MacBook Air - invented by Apple.

 

[mannyberrios]

Why does it have to be such utterly polarised positions?

Am I a fan? Yes.
Do I agree with everything they do? No.
Are they overpriced? Yes.
Is the Android / Windows tablet landscape any better? No.

Isn't it OK to just enjoy the Apple products I own for what they are... Great gadgets and productivity tools which add value to my life?

Apple not providing IOS6 on the iPad1 and making a bit of a hash of their first version of Maps isn't the end of the world from where I'm sitting. YMMV.

I could not have said it better

 

[ardchoille]

I bought the HTC G1 on release day and was in awe. I loved this new device and quickly became addicted to android. I had previously been addicted to the Sidekick line of phones. I then went on to buy 9 other android devices over the years and became an android developer. I bought the Samsung Vibrant on release day and went on to develop my own ROMs for it. I then got into theming android and my apps and themes were available in the Google App Store.

One day in April of 2012 I became very curious about iOS and bought the iPhone 4S knowing I had 14 days to take it back if I wasn't happy. I figured I would "enhance" my android-is-better repertoire of reasons to stick with android. What I found was the complete opposite.

The iPhone was faster, smoother and more aesthetically pleasing than any android device I had owned. I found that iOS devices had no bloat ware and were supported longer than android devices. Everything worked perfectly, no rooting needed. I also learned that iOS executes almost all of its code natively while android executes almost everything in a virtual machine. Regardless of what anyone says, apps running in a VM will never be as fast or as smooth as apps that run natively, nature of the beast.

As I researched other Apple products I found android severely lacking by comparison. A week after purchasing the iPhone 4S I sold off my android devices and am now building my life around iOS and OS X.

So, I've gone from an android developer and themer to an iOS user after experiencing Apple products first-hand.

It's amazing what you can learn when you stop repeating the hyperbole and research things for yourself.

Does Apple deserve my loyalty? Absolutely.

 

[KevinJS]

I bought the HTC G1 on release day and was in awe. I loved this new device and quickly became addicted to android. I had previously been addicted to the Sidekick line of phones. I then went on to buy 9 other android devices over the years and became an android developer. I bought the Samsung Vibrant on release day and went on to develop my own ROMs for it. I then got into theming android and my apps and themes were available in the Google App Store.

One day in April of 2012 I became very curious about iOS and bought the iPhone 4S knowing I had 14 days to take it back if I wasn't happy. I figured I would "enhance" my android-is-better repertoire of reasons to stick with android. What I found was the complete opposite.

The iPhone was faster, smoother and more aesthetically pleasing than any android device I had owned. I found that iOS devices had no bloat ware and were supported longer than android devices. Everything worked perfectly, no rooting needed. I also learned that iOS executes almost all of its code natively while android executes almost everything in a virtual machine. Regardless of what anyone says, apps running in a VM will never be as fast or as smooth as apps that run natively, nature of the beast.

As I researched other Apple products I found android severely lacking by comparison. A week after purchasing the iPhone 4S I sold off my android devices and am now building my life around iOS and OS X.

So, I've gone from an android developer and themer to an iOS user after experiencing Apple products first-hand.

It's amazing what you can learn when you stop repeating the hyperbole and research things for yourself.

Does Apple deserve my loyalty? Absolutely.

That's a well reasoned point of view, if I ever heard one.

Nothing like personal experience to enable one argue from a solid foundation.

Sent from my iPad using iPF

 

[ardchoille]

If I'd had the dinerii for the 17" retina display MBP, I would've jumped on it in a second.... lol. I may be more critical of Apple than I used to be, but I still think they make the best hardware, and very good software to go with it..

Speaking as a person who has been writing software since 2001, one of the reasons iOS runs so fast and smooth is that Apple controls the hardware. It's very easy to get software to run well when you know exactly which hardware configuration will be supporting the software.

It's very difficult, however, to get software to run well when you know nothing about the hardware on which it will be installed. Each change in hardware typically requires new/different drivers, and that contributes to delays and bugs with regard to system updates. I seriously doubt Google is in possession of all of the drivers for every piece of hardware in the android landscape. This is one reason Google cannot push android updates directly to every android user.

Apple's execution is much more sane.

 

[tlbaker]

Why does it have to be such utterly polarised positions?

Am I a fan? Yes.
Do I agree with everything they do? No.
Are they overpriced? Yes.
Is the Android / Windows tablet landscape any better? No.

Isn't it OK to just enjoy the Apple products I own for what they are... Great gadgets and productivity tools which add value to my life?

Apple not providing IOS6 on the iPad1 and making a bit of a hash of their first version of Maps isn't the end of the world from where I'm sitting. YMMV.

I agree, who would agree with everything any company or person does? I love my iOS devices and, NO, I am not going to buy every Apple product / upgrade that comes out. Unless, I win lotto of course lol.



Sent from my Wi-Fi Black 64FB iPad with Retina Display using Tapatalk HD

 

[Otto8888]

I pref windows and I won't buy anything from them again they are ok but it all costs too much

 

[tlbaker]

I pref windows and I won't buy anything from them again they are ok but it all costs too much

I think windows / PCs cost about the same as a Mac. For example, Dell or HP will advertise a laptop priced at 500.00; however, by the time you add the software, memory, etc., it is more than double the advertised price.


Sent from my Wi-Fi Black 64GB iPad with Retina Display using Tapatalk HD

 

[Otto8888]

I think windows / PCs cost about the same as a Mac. For example, Dell or HP will advertise a laptop priced at 500.00; however, by the time you add the software, memory, etc., it is more than double the advertised price.

Sent from my Wi-Fi Black 64GB iPad with Retina Display using Tapatalk HD

Well if you want a good apple they are like £2000 and for windows they are like £500 for a good one well depends what u need

 

[Shadow Catcher]

The inability to use, for example a conventional jump drive, or connect with things like a GPS through blue tooth with out jail breaking... and yes over priced.