4 ms·

I think next month's WWDC and the AR goggles/glasses are really going to define how this decade plays out for Apple. There's clearly some kind of unification st

by rcarr 3y ago

I think next month's WWDC and the AR goggles/glasses are really going to define how this decade plays out for Apple. There's clearly some kind of unification strategy going on behind the scenes but whether it's going to be good enough to win out over competitors or not is up in the air. Combos like NReal Air and Samsung Dex/Steam Deck are going to become more and more common and unless they get a move on I can see them falling behind the competition like Intel did. Stuff like this is kind of in the right direction but I do tend to be in agreement now with the people who say that we need an iPad with MacOS, or at least something that's leaning more towards MacOS than iPhone OS, especially on the large screen models.

freedomben 3y ago
IDK, Apple's brand loyalty is absolutely incredible. I know multiple people who will buy everything Apple makes, and if Apple doesn't make it they won't really consider it. Apple's strategy of letting other people validate markets and then coming in with a good product (like they did with the Apple watch for example) would likely not work for most companies, but it works great for Apple. They'd have to lose an insane amount of ground before they'd be at risk of being left behind. They also have enough cash that they could chase tail lights and do their not-original-but-better thing for decades. Fwiw I do hope you're right though. I think competition is badly needed.
- rcarr 3y ago
  I probably fit into the Apple loyalist camp, I've currently got an Apple laptop, phone, tablet, smart speakers and TV and in the past I've also tried the watch, the AirPods and the iMac. I'm probably more tech orientated than the average consumer but, based on the products I've seen released outside of the Apple ecosystem the past year, it's the very first time in over a decade that I've been giving serious thought to switching. I'm thinking I can't be alone in this so I'm interested to see how this plays out.
paulpan 3y ago
100%. Whereas in the prior decade there were hardware limitations to device convergence (e.g. lack of CPU power, RAM), this is a no longer an issue and software is the roadblock is most cases. Ironically Apple threw open the doors when they not only put the M1 chip into the iPad Pro, but also into the iPad Air. One reason for this slow transition is likely due to the legacy software support requirements. Microsoft seems to have vastly overestimated the complexity involved in porting Windows OS to ARM through its many attempts: first with Windows RT, followed by Windows 10S, and most recently tighter developer hardware tie-in with Project Volterra. Apple probably isn't too keen to follow this playbook - opting instead to just keep iOS and macOS separate and gradually drop x86 support entirely from macOS. As an occasional Samsung Dex user, the benefit of having "one device to rule them all" is obvious and overall experience has been good. But to play devil's advocate, Samsung's revenues is heavily hardware-based so they'd much prefer to sell you multiple devices.
- rcarr 3y ago
  What Samsung device are you using? My initial thought when I saw the Fold was that it was a gimmick but I'm looking to do some long term travelling and I'm starting to come round to it, especially with Dex thrown in the mix. The RRP is absolutely eye watering though so if I was going to dip my toes in it would probably be with a second hand device.
  - paulpan 3y ago
    I'm using a Fold 4, but would've preferred on the Flip series given its smaller footprint. But Samsung made the asinine decision to enable Dex on the Flip series (could be due to thermals?). Dex actually works starting with the S20 series I believe, with the same feature parity as the latest devices. So you could pickup a cheap used S20 device to try it out.
gehsty 3y ago
I think we’ve heard the exact same argument about phones with keyboards, large phones, tablets and web apps (that if apple doesn’t do X they will get left behind, or if Apple doesn’t do Y soon enough they will get left behind), apple has not been left behind. I don’t think the goggles or ‘pro iPad’ will be any different. Apple will release when they are ready and likely they’ll do very well.
- rcarr 3y ago
  Maybe. But I've been buying Apple for over a decade and this is the first year I've considered migrating off the ecosystem. I think AR glasses (not goggles) are going to be the defining hardware tech of the decade and I can see them becoming ubiquitous. If they're planning on releasing the goggles at the rumoured price point ($1500 - $3000) I think people might be tempted to jump ship.
  - vuln 3y ago
    > I think people might be tempted to jump ship. Jump ship to where? Oculus?
    - rcarr 3y ago
      The replacements I’m contemplating atm are: MacBook -> steam deck and nreal air glasses iPhone -> any Samsung with Dex iPad -> a Boox Tab (I mostly use my tablet for reading pdfs and writing)
  - gehsty 3y ago
    Just feels like apple has to much going for them: - access to custom silicon and potentially display technology ahead of what is available to competitors - huge amount of money and resources to throw at this (buying up supply chain for key components etc) - initial devices being iPhone / iPad / Mac accessories will give them a route to market & access to developers I just don’t see how anyone else gets a look in.
    - rcarr 3y ago

by rcarr 3y ago

freedomben 3y ago

IDK, Apple's brand loyalty is absolutely incredible. I know multiple people who will buy everything Apple makes, and if Apple doesn't make it they won't really consider it. Apple's strategy of letting other people validate markets and then coming in with a good product (like they did with the Apple watch for example) would likely not work for most companies, but it works great for Apple. They'd have to lose an insane amount of ground before they'd be at risk of being left behind. They also have enough cash that they could chase tail lights and do their not-original-but-better thing for decades. Fwiw I do hope you're right though. I think competition is badly needed.

rcarr 3y ago
I probably fit into the Apple loyalist camp, I've currently got an Apple laptop, phone, tablet, smart speakers and TV and in the past I've also tried the watch, the AirPods and the iMac. I'm probably more tech orientated than the average consumer but, based on the products I've seen released outside of the Apple ecosystem the past year, it's the very first time in over a decade that I've been giving serious thought to switching. I'm thinking I can't be alone in this so I'm interested to see how this plays out.

paulpan 3y ago

100%. Whereas in the prior decade there were hardware limitations to device convergence (e.g. lack of CPU power, RAM), this is a no longer an issue and software is the roadblock is most cases. Ironically Apple threw open the doors when they not only put the M1 chip into the iPad Pro, but also into the iPad Air. One reason for this slow transition is likely due to the legacy software support requirements. Microsoft seems to have vastly overestimated the complexity involved in porting Windows OS to ARM through its many attempts: first with Windows RT, followed by Windows 10S, and most recently tighter developer hardware tie-in with Project Volterra. Apple probably isn't too keen to follow this playbook - opting instead to just keep iOS and macOS separate and gradually drop x86 support entirely from macOS. As an occasional Samsung Dex user, the benefit of having "one device to rule them all" is obvious and overall experience has been good. But to play devil's advocate, Samsung's revenues is heavily hardware-based so they'd much prefer to sell you multiple devices.

rcarr 3y ago
What Samsung device are you using? My initial thought when I saw the Fold was that it was a gimmick but I'm looking to do some long term travelling and I'm starting to come round to it, especially with Dex thrown in the mix. The RRP is absolutely eye watering though so if I was going to dip my toes in it would probably be with a second hand device.
- paulpan 3y ago
  I'm using a Fold 4, but would've preferred on the Flip series given its smaller footprint. But Samsung made the asinine decision to enable Dex on the Flip series (could be due to thermals?). Dex actually works starting with the S20 series I believe, with the same feature parity as the latest devices. So you could pickup a cheap used S20 device to try it out.

gehsty 3y ago

I think we’ve heard the exact same argument about phones with keyboards, large phones, tablets and web apps (that if apple doesn’t do X they will get left behind, or if Apple doesn’t do Y soon enough they will get left behind), apple has not been left behind. I don’t think the goggles or ‘pro iPad’ will be any different. Apple will release when they are ready and likely they’ll do very well.

rcarr 3y ago
Maybe. But I've been buying Apple for over a decade and this is the first year I've considered migrating off the ecosystem. I think AR glasses (not goggles) are going to be the defining hardware tech of the decade and I can see them becoming ubiquitous. If they're planning on releasing the goggles at the rumoured price point ($1500 - $3000) I think people might be tempted to jump ship.
- vuln 3y ago
  > I think people might be tempted to jump ship. Jump ship to where? Oculus?
  - rcarr 3y ago
    The replacements I’m contemplating atm are: MacBook -> steam deck and nreal air glasses iPhone -> any Samsung with Dex iPad -> a Boox Tab (I mostly use my tablet for reading pdfs and writing)
- gehsty 3y ago
  Just feels like apple has to much going for them: - access to custom silicon and potentially display technology ahead of what is available to competitors - huge amount of money and resources to throw at this (buying up supply chain for key components etc) - initial devices being iPhone / iPad / Mac accessories will give them a route to market & access to developers I just don’t see how anyone else gets a look in.
  - rcarr 3y ago