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I still think macOS/OSX provides the best user experience for personal computing. It's the lack of substantial hardware updates which is driving users away. If

I still think macOS/OSX provides the best user experience for personal computing. It's the lack of substantial hardware updates which is driving users away. If creatives are going to pay a premium for a Mac, there should be something to differentiate it between the competition besides the privilege to run macOS. Heck, it should have something to differentiate it from the last model! I'll still recommend Macs for my friends and family, but will likely look towards something which is cheaper, has better hardware, and has a fucking escape key for my next purchase. Since I'll be departing from macOS and Messenger.app, I'll be opening the door to Android for my mobile when I make this switch too.

blankenship 10y ago
I’ve never owned a PC. The first computer I ever used was a Macintosh II. The first desktop computer I bought was a Power Mac G3. My first laptop was that adorable little Powerbook G4. And I’ve been using an iPhone since 2007. I’m not frustrated because of the hardware — I’m frustrated because 50% of the software on my phone is made by Google, who seems to actually still care about making useable, stable software that gets how I use multiple devices. The iOS ecosystem just keeps getting worse and worse, and I keep hiding or deleting their software on their hardware.
- kkylin 10y ago
  Ditto! My first machine was an Apple IIe, and my second a Mac SE/30. I've loved almost every Apple machine I've ever owned. The software, on the other hand, seems to get progressively worse. Not so bad to make me ditch Macs, yet, but enough to make me think about it.
- dkonofalski 10y ago
  I don't understand how you can say that when no other ecosystem offers things like Handoff, Airdrop, and Continuity. How do you use multiple devices that Google software understands but that iCloud/iOS/macOS don't? The difference may be that you have to pay for iCloud, but you're saying that the equivalent just isn't capable.
Recurecur 10y ago
Not just lack of hardware updates, but the lack of complete system categories. It's the height of hypocrisy to tout a green approach to things, while not even offering an upgradable machine, e.g. a tower. All-in-ones like the iMac are usually discarded if either the motherboard or the display goes south, whereas a tower is easily fixed. Also, power users are left out in the cold, with the Mac Pro the only system fitting that category - and it's dated and deficient in many ways. Apple should bite the bullet and license macOS for third-party hardware. The Hackintosh community has things working pretty well today, and Apple could charge substantial money per license (notionally at least $200). Pretty good for just selling bits. That move would completely revitalize the Mac landscape, and would be a giant boost to iDevice adoption. Think Different! Sadly, I don't think current Apple management has the vision to do the right thing. Apple will likely continue a slow decline unless that changes. (BTW, "ctrl-[" is an excellent alternative to the regular Escape key...personally I prefer it.)
- nicpottier 10y ago
  This isn't thinking different, this is thinking backwards. They tried that once, didn't with so well and it was the first thing Jobs reverted when he came back. Apple knows bit from iOS and OSX that one of their defining advantages cones from their close ties of hardware and software. They won't give that away again. The drama around the new MBPs is all about price. No idea why they went so high but if they were more in line with with PC pricing there would be very little complaint.
  - Recurecur 10y ago
    "This isn't thinking different, this is thinking backwards. They tried that once, didn't with so well and it was the first thing Jobs reverted when he came back." Times have changed. Macs are down to a pretty small percentage of Apple's revenues - what Apple needs is widespread uptake of macOS to promote the ecosystem of macOS + iOS. "Apple knows bit from iOS and OSX that one of their defining advantages cones from their close ties of hardware and software. They won't give that away again." Apple is using almost completely generic PC hardware at this point. See my other post regarding hardware. "The drama around the new MBPs is all about price. No idea why they went so high but if they were more in line with with PC pricing there would be very little complaint." Not at all. Much of the drama around the new MBPs was how anemic they look compared to other "pro" laptops. They don't even support 32 GB of RAM, much less 64. No ECC. No Xeons. No "pro" level graphics chips. Apple is the largest and arguably richest company in the world. Surely it could do a much better job of serving the many market segments. One size does not fit all!
mtw 10y ago
Agree but software-wise, macOS also begins to show bugs and be annoying. Not at all like Windows but with their lack of focus, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ubuntu or Win10 become better in 2,3 years
- 72deluxe 10y ago
  Let's hope Apple stops changing the expose behaviour every single release. One weird regression with Sierra is that expose/overview requires you to move your cursor to the top of the screen to display the different desktops after showing. It's stupid. I have ctrl-up mapped to show expose and the inability to view the different desktops straight away is insane. Who thought removing this from El Capitan / Mavericks (whatever it was) was a good idea??
grillvogel 10y ago
>I still think macOS/OSX provides the best user experience for personal computing. I don't know anymore. i use a mac for work and im hitting so many more weird bugs than I used to.

blankenship 10y ago

I’ve never owned a PC. The first computer I ever used was a Macintosh II. The first desktop computer I bought was a Power Mac G3. My first laptop was that adorable little Powerbook G4. And I’ve been using an iPhone since 2007. I’m not frustrated because of the hardware — I’m frustrated because 50% of the software on my phone is made by Google, who seems to actually still care about making useable, stable software that gets how I use multiple devices. The iOS ecosystem just keeps getting worse and worse, and I keep hiding or deleting their software on their hardware.

kkylin 10y ago
Ditto! My first machine was an Apple IIe, and my second a Mac SE/30. I've loved almost every Apple machine I've ever owned. The software, on the other hand, seems to get progressively worse. Not so bad to make me ditch Macs, yet, but enough to make me think about it.
dkonofalski 10y ago
I don't understand how you can say that when no other ecosystem offers things like Handoff, Airdrop, and Continuity. How do you use multiple devices that Google software understands but that iCloud/iOS/macOS don't? The difference may be that you have to pay for iCloud, but you're saying that the equivalent just isn't capable.

Recurecur 10y ago

Not just lack of hardware updates, but the lack of complete system categories. It's the height of hypocrisy to tout a green approach to things, while not even offering an upgradable machine, e.g. a tower. All-in-ones like the iMac are usually discarded if either the motherboard or the display goes south, whereas a tower is easily fixed. Also, power users are left out in the cold, with the Mac Pro the only system fitting that category - and it's dated and deficient in many ways. Apple should bite the bullet and license macOS for third-party hardware. The Hackintosh community has things working pretty well today, and Apple could charge substantial money per license (notionally at least $200). Pretty good for just selling bits. That move would completely revitalize the Mac landscape, and would be a giant boost to iDevice adoption. Think Different! Sadly, I don't think current Apple management has the vision to do the right thing. Apple will likely continue a slow decline unless that changes. (BTW, "ctrl-[" is an excellent alternative to the regular Escape key...personally I prefer it.)

nicpottier 10y ago
This isn't thinking different, this is thinking backwards. They tried that once, didn't with so well and it was the first thing Jobs reverted when he came back. Apple knows bit from iOS and OSX that one of their defining advantages cones from their close ties of hardware and software. They won't give that away again. The drama around the new MBPs is all about price. No idea why they went so high but if they were more in line with with PC pricing there would be very little complaint.
- Recurecur 10y ago
  "This isn't thinking different, this is thinking backwards. They tried that once, didn't with so well and it was the first thing Jobs reverted when he came back." Times have changed. Macs are down to a pretty small percentage of Apple's revenues - what Apple needs is widespread uptake of macOS to promote the ecosystem of macOS + iOS. "Apple knows bit from iOS and OSX that one of their defining advantages cones from their close ties of hardware and software. They won't give that away again." Apple is using almost completely generic PC hardware at this point. See my other post regarding hardware. "The drama around the new MBPs is all about price. No idea why they went so high but if they were more in line with with PC pricing there would be very little complaint." Not at all. Much of the drama around the new MBPs was how anemic they look compared to other "pro" laptops. They don't even support 32 GB of RAM, much less 64. No ECC. No Xeons. No "pro" level graphics chips. Apple is the largest and arguably richest company in the world. Surely it could do a much better job of serving the many market segments. One size does not fit all!

mtw 10y ago

Agree but software-wise, macOS also begins to show bugs and be annoying. Not at all like Windows but with their lack of focus, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ubuntu or Win10 become better in 2,3 years

72deluxe 10y ago
Let's hope Apple stops changing the expose behaviour every single release. One weird regression with Sierra is that expose/overview requires you to move your cursor to the top of the screen to display the different desktops after showing. It's stupid. I have ctrl-up mapped to show expose and the inability to view the different desktops straight away is insane. Who thought removing this from El Capitan / Mavericks (whatever it was) was a good idea??

grillvogel 10y ago

>I still think macOS/OSX provides the best user experience for personal computing. I don't know anymore. i use a mac for work and im hitting so many more weird bugs than I used to.