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Why should Apple be obligated to support these machines indefinitely? I think a 7 year lifespan for a computer is actually pretty decent from the original manu
by _mlbt 2y ago
Why should Apple be obligated to support these machines indefinitely? I think a 7 year lifespan for a computer is actually pretty decent from the original manufacturer. Much better than the most of the competition.
Additionally these machines do not cease to work once Apple declares them obsolete and there is nothing stopping someone from installing Linux on them and continuing to use them with a supported operating system that way.
- metadat 2y agoWhat obligations does Apple have after designing, manufacturing, distributing, and wildly profiting from what they are now arbitrarily classifying as e-waste? Currently Apple is reaping all the financial rewards and taking responsibility for very few of the externalities. Does this mean it's what's best? It might seem like a stretch today, but in the medium to long-term, true sustainability is important. Apple could at least (1) not cripple the devices software and (2) coordinate with a generic manufacturer or supplier to provide replacement parts and competent service and/or updates. Apple could surely dig around the couch for some spare change and locate the resources to make this happen.
- dsv3099i 2y agoPutting aside whatever "true sustainability" means, it's unlikely that it's a money thing. It's probably more related to the efficiency of individuals in organizations as they grow, and Apple is already quite large.
- talldayo 2y agoIt is absolutely a money thing. If Apple didn't have to worry about the commercialization of MacOS, then they could publish the driver code so Windows and Linux clients could offer support theoretically "forever". They do not publish the drivers though, which means groups like Asahi have to waste their life-hours reverse-engineering for sustainability purposes.
- electronbeam 2y agoIts like asking how long a car can last. Apple makes it difficult to continue using them
- _mlbt 2y agoWe're not talking about cars, we're talking about computers. What computer manufacturer provides Apple's level of support for 7 year old hardware? Apple just has the decency to communicate what hardware it considers to be officially obsolete.
- metadat 2y agoThe relevant difference between cars and computers in this case is what, exactly? They are both high-tech, require a lot of resources to manufacture, and can remain useful over a long period of time.
- _mlbt 2y agoThey are dramatically different industries. Let me reiterate, what computer manufacturer provides Apple’s level of support for more than 7 years?
- pjmlp 2y agoPlenty, when you pay enterprise support contracts, but Apple doesn't do enterprise actually.
- joshstrange 2y agoPlease provide some examples, because the few programs I’ve found (enterprise-level and not cheap, example: Dell ProSupport Plus) all end at a max of 5 years after purchase date.
- pjmlp 2y agoThat would be breaking NDAs.
- josephcsible 2y agoThe problem is that Apple doesn't open-source their drivers and firmware, so those things won't get security updates even if you're using a third-party OS that otherwise does. If I were in charge, companies would be obligated to keep providing security updates for all hardware they sold until they either did open-source everything, or provided full refunds to everyone who ever bought one.