Why gush about the features of the new Apple products at all, if it doesn't impact Apple's decisions about what they include?
I think if you look at the threads in this forum, I'd say the "gushing" threads are very much in the minority.
The entire point of forums like these are to learn and discuss, cheer lead and deride. Both are equally pointless. Both can provide satisfaction to the ones posting.
Learning and discussion is certainly not pointless. Even some cheerleading and derision is fine. But there is a point where an impasse is reached. The OP isn't going to change his viewpoint, and is happy to insist anyone who disagrees is wrong. Okay... so where do we go from here? 5 more pages of us all saying the same thing over and over again to each other?
I think we've discussed it quite well actually. Each viewpoint has been expressed. Unfortunately, no one budged. Tim Cook certainly isn't going to break in and say "we're putting back all those legacy ports in RIGHT NOW." So, what's the logical conclusion? In my mind, it's "sorry OP, maybe Macs just won't serve your needs anymore. It might be time to look for something else."
The TS effectively started this thread asking a question: What will Apple remove from it's latest offerings? His/her view clearly skews towards dissatisfaction, and he/she points out why as well.
Unfortunately, none of us work for Apple. So, none of us know what will be "taken away" next. Nor do we know yet what industry standard will come next in its place.
However, I don't think I saw anyone actually answer the question.
No, the question was answered, it was just an answer that yourself and OP didn't like. Unfortunately, I don't see any other answer.
Let's say I change my answer, and say "you're right OP, Apple and Tim Cook are total bafoons, and Apple is being stupid!" What does this change, exactly? Apple is still going to do what they're doing. The products will continue to evolve, and the ports will continue to change as old standards get older and new standards take their places. The practical answer will continue to be "welp, maybe you need to look for something else that does suit your needs."
They have changed their mind or addressed customer-sided issues before, to what may have been caused by external pressure (iPad Mini, iOS 7, all the *gates PR disasters).
What has changed on iOS7? And what other "gates" have their been aside from "antenngate," where Apple basically said "all phones do this, you're holding it wrong, but here's a cheap plastic and rubber gasket to make you feel better if you're whining."?
Still, you're right in the sense that we vote with our dollars in the end. But this is the right place to vent our frustrations, and to find out we're not alone does soften the blow of our indignation.
Okay, this thread has extended to 7 pages of venting. What in your opinion, is an appropriate length?
We're not trolls. We're long-time Apple users who mourn the loss of features we liked or found useful, etc. Hopefully, that won't happen to anyone else, lest they get to know what we feel like.
The difference, in my opinion, between a user and a troll is what that user does about their predicament. As I said, I was at a crossroads several years ago when the platform I loved...
LOVED... changed drastically, and made it very hard for me to do what I needed to do on it.
What did I do? Well, I vented for a short while. Not very long though. I knew that my energy would be much better expended finding and switching to a platform that DID allow me to move on and do what I want to do, and not have to tinker with it all the time to make basic tasks possible. So I did that. I adapted. I moved on. And I'm very happy with the result.
Griping and bemoaning and finding people to commiserate with is perfectly fine, to a limited point. But there's a point that must be reached when you realize that no, sorry, whoever made that decision that affects you so badly isn't changing their minds. They've moved on... and perhaps so should you. Not moving past that stage doesn't benefit anyone. Staying in that rut raises your blood pressure. It makes you feel miserable. It prevents you from making progress, and getting on with things. It's time wasted on nothing but negative energy. Again, I have to ask: what is gained?
And these things aren't (well, weren't) just toys, they're tools. The impact goes well beyond "recreational use". Apple's decisions can impact someone's livelihood.
I agree, and there are many other things that affect people's livelihoods too. Economies can tank, forcing layoffs. Someone could find a better, cheaper way to do what you do, leaving you at a distinct disadvantage. Laws can be passed making things that were legal not-so-much anymore. Business partners and people can decide they don't want to do business with you anymore, for random reasons.
Again, the way to move past and continue earning your livelihood is to be prepared to adapt to these changes, to find better ways to do what you do, and new people and things to do that thing with. Or, perhaps you need to do something completely new, altogether.
Adaptability defines those who survive such arbitrary changes, and those who perish. Apple alone, and the decisions they make, are not the only factors int he universe that can throw a wrench in someone's plans.
Which is the biggest point of contention: Apple turning into a "consumer-grade" (iAnything) company, and away from being a "professional-grade" (Apple Computer) company.
This is a topic that I'm sure could be its own multi-page thread. I disagree that Apple is no longer a "professional-grade" company. And they've certainly always been about "consumer-grade" products as well; this is nothing new. It just so happens that many professionals are doing things with new tools, and new workflows. They're adapting. Apple is going after that market, rather than choosing to steadfastly stick to old ways of doing things.
Good for Apple. Brilliant, really, but it sucks to be us: those with minor to major infrastructure investments that Apple can and does make obsolete overnight, by killing products or features that integrate into that infrastructure.
"Overnight" is a bit of a dramatic exaggeration, don't you think? Has your existing Mac suddenly decided to stop booting overnight? Do your existing programs no longer run on the same hardware they used to before? Of course not. You can still use those things for quite a while yet.
