The Apple Thread

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Fighting Mongooses
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The Apple Thread

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Reuters wrote:Apple packs iPad Pros with faster chips, slims iMacs and jumps into tracking tags

Apple Inc (AAPL.O) announced on Tuesday a range of new computers, a paid podcasting service and devices for finding lost items, signaling the continued expansion of its once-simple product line into more and more corners of customers’ lives.

The new $30 AirTags, tiny devices that can be attached to items such as keys and wallets to locate them when they are lost, were applauded by analysts as a likely hot-seller that would also keep the company's more than 1 billion customers locked into its products.

A new iPad Pro tablet, featuring the same Apple-designed processor that powers the company's more recent Mac computers, has keyboard and trackpad options that help make it a full-blown alternative to traditional laptops and desktops.

And a refresh of the Mac desktop line boasts seven color options, harkening back to the famous candy-colored Macs that helped Steve Jobs revive the company in the 1990s.

The announcements show how the iPhone maker is accelerating the expansion of its product portfolio and working to keep customers committed to its family of devices even as government scrutiny of the power and reach of major technology firms intensifies.

Most of the product introductions had been telegraphed before the presentation, which had no major surprises. Shares of Apple were down 1.3%, slightly more than the 1% drop in the Nasdaq index.

The new iMacs, which start at $1,299, feature a higher quality front-facing camera and microphone, responding to complaints from consumers during the pandemic that the computer's cameras had not kept pace with iPhones and iPads during an era of pervasive video calls.

"Apple cameras in their computers have been terrible, frankly. They finally have a reasonable camera in the iMac," said Bob O'Donnell, head of TECHnalysis Research, who added that the new colors were likely to stand out in a market dominated by black, white and silver machines. "For right now, it feels fresh and new."

The new iPad Pros, starting at $799, use the same M1 chip as Apple's other computers, rather than the beefed-up version of iPhone chips found in previous models. The tablets also have additional ports for connecting monitors and 5G connectivity, while featuring a higher-quality display than the company's laptops.

Analysts said that when combined with Apple's keyboard and trackpad accessories, the new iPad Pro models could be a compelling replacement for a laptop, especially for content creators or business travelers. But those accessories also push the price to nearly $1,100 - more than Apple's cheapest laptop, the $1,000 MacBook Air.

Ben Bajarin, principal analyst for consumer market intelligence at Creative Strategies, said the devices are not likely to be volume sellers but will target the niche of consumers who value versatility.

"If you want to go the gamut from mobile production, content consumption and or creativity, that’s the device that does it,” he said.

Apple also announced podcast subscription services that will compete with rival Spotify Technology SA (SPOT.N), a move to regain ground in a market it popularized years ago but never made money from.

Apple shares have risen nearly 95% over the past year, faster than the 63% rise in the Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC), thanks to a record $274.5 billion in sales for fiscal 2020 as consumers stocked up on electronics during the pandemic.

The AirTags announcement could result in a new round of complaints to lawmakers that Apple is hurting smaller rivals. Tile, a private company that has sold a competing tracker for nearly a decade, last year testified before the U.S. House of Representatives that Apple’s App Store rules had made it harder to use Tile’s products and will be called before the U.S. Senate to testify on Wednesday.

Apple has said it subjects all apps, including its own, to the same App Store review rules, and recently allowed third-party developers to access the same systems as its AirTags.

In a research note, Raymond James analysts Chris Caso and Melissa Fairbanks said AirTags "could grow to become a $10 billion opportunity, similar to AirPods."

But Bajarin of Creative Strategies said that iPhone owners who come to rely the tags to help them keep track of everyday items are likely to stick with Apple's brand over a longer time.

"The more you buy into just one hardware product, the less likely it is you’ll ever leave," Bajarin said.

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Fighting Mongooses
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Re: The Apple Thread

Post by pixel »

If there's one thing about Apple that will always impress me, it's how they pare down their machines to the minimum needed. Seeing the four ports on the back is one of those "I live in the future" type moments, not to say that I'd prefer that to the standard I/O panel on a generic PC. But it makes me wonder: How many more generations of PC motherboards will there be until USB-C takes over all of the I/O form factor?

It's even crazier to consider buying a desktop machine that doesn't have Ethernet support. But then again, I've done some research in home wifi tech and know lots people that will never notice a difference between a wired connection to a wireless one.

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ian
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Re: The Apple Thread

Post by ian »

Is this the thread where I can bitch about my iPhone?
Any good apple product should fit in an iPod sock... my gen 1 SE fits in an iPod sock.

The 12 mini does not fit into an iPod sock, so it is completely worthless.

My se is 3 years old and completely fucked... but there’s not a single phone on the market that can replace it. (100% usable with one hand)

If I could get a new iPhone same size as my SE, with no notches and non buggered, I would probably pay quite a bit of money.
If I should Die Hard Arcade before I Alan Wake.
PREY the Lords of Lore my Soul Calibur to Take
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Skynet
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Re: The Apple Thread

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ian wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 8:35 am My se is 3 years old and completely fucked... but there’s not a single phone on the market that can replace it. (100% usable with one hand)
1 week after it launched I bought a brand new Samsung S21 Ultra 256GB for 50% off through work. I have big hands, the phone is ridiculously huge! :rofl2:

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Re: The Apple Thread

Post by pixel »

Skynet wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 10:06 am
ian wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 8:35 am My se is 3 years old and completely fucked... but there’s not a single phone on the market that can replace it. (100% usable with one hand)
Samsung S21 Ultra 256GB


Except it's painful for me to use my phone one-handed because I've got hands riddled with stubbiness

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Skynet
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Re: The Apple Thread

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Even non stubby hands it's still giant and ridiculous to use :olol:

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ian
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Re: The Apple Thread

Post by ian »

Yeah when I signed up to my current phone plan the guy at Jb was trying to sell me the tablets that are phones these days.

I flat out said I just want the latest specs, no bigger than my SE.

Not a single phone met that criteria.
So when this thing finally dies (it has a battery life of between 1-100,000 minutes when I take it off charge and can’t be predicted and is bent backwards so all the pocket lint gets to the screen, and loses mobile signal about 40 times an hour) I will probably just go to literally the cheapest android phone I can find.
If I should Die Hard Arcade before I Alan Wake.
PREY the Lords of Lore my Soul Calibur to Take
-Two Interactive.


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Fighting Mongooses
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Re: The Apple Thread

Post by pixel »

Finally, a followup to the Pippin! Can we also get an sequel to Shufflepuck Cafe?


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Skynet
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Re: The Apple Thread

Post by Skynet »

Oh man, I remember playing the hell out of that on Amiga

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Dr. Zoidberg
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Re: The Apple Thread

Post by Dr. Zoidberg »

I got it for free with one of the Amiga mags.


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Re: The Apple Thread

Post by pixel »

Skynet wrote: Fri May 14, 2021 6:07 pm Oh man, I remember playing the hell out of that on Amiga
My dad worked at an office that had Macs, and we got to play whenever we visited him at work. That and later access to a T1 line were nice treats back in the day :)
Dr. Zoidberg wrote: Fri May 14, 2021 6:27 pm I got it for free with one of the Amiga mags.

Wow, not sure if I ever saw the color version before :whoa:

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Re: The Apple Thread

Post by pixel »

The other game that they at my dad's office was Barney Carnage :olol:


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Skynet
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Re: The Apple Thread

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The Amiga version (therefore colour) is the only version I know :olol:

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Dr. Zoidberg
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Re: The Apple Thread

Post by Dr. Zoidberg »

It came out on the NES.


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Fighting Mongooses
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Re: The Apple Thread

Post by pixel »

I'm not sure if I was ready to think that consumer-grade phones could start communicating directly with satellites



Sat phones have existed for a long time, but those always struck me as a niche product for hikers and archeologists.

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