Anyone else abandoning ship?

[MimicBunion972]

Yep. What's more, its stupid: you can't squeeze out money of someone who denies purchasing your products in the first place.
And denying to purchase is the natural reaction we see all over the place.
It is almost like they WANTED people to stay away from Macs. Its comical. Paradox. Just crazy

Exactly.
It is 2019 and Apply wants $200 for every 8GB of RAM, $200 for every 256GB of SSD.
I feel like it compromises my dignity and intelligence if I surrender myself to that squeeze. Therefore I needed to use Windows more. When I use Windows more, I find it not that bad, actually it is better in little things such as:

• I like the Windows Photos app better, it is light weight with dynamic refresh, no need to import any photo or worry about versions. The photos are in the folder where you put them.
• Honeyview is a much better app for viewing pictures. In Preview you cannot flip to the next picture. Why?
• In Windows you can control external speaker's volume with keyboard. Can't do that in Mac OS. Why Apple?

Little things like those make me like Windows more. I am not sure I will get another Mac even if they significantly lower the price. Well done Tim Apple!

 

[09872738]

Exactly.
It is 2019 and Apply wants $200 for every 8GB of RAM, $200 for every 256GB of SSD.
I feel like it compromises my dignity and intelligence if I surrender myself to that squeeze. (...) Well done Tim Apple!

Correct. And by soldering everything on Apple conveys: "We do that so we can overcharge by 4x. Live with it or buy elsewhere."
... As a good citizen I listen, of course. And buy elsewhere....

 

[cubbie5150]

Exactly.
It is 2019 and Apply wants $200 for every 8GB of RAM, $200 for every 256GB of SSD.
I feel like it compromises my dignity and intelligence if I surrender myself to that squeeze. Therefore I needed to use Windows more. When I use Windows more, I find it not that bad, actually it is better in little things such as:

• I like the Windows Photos app better, it is light weight with dynamic refresh, no need to import any photo or worry about versions. The photos are in the folder where you put them.
• Honeyview is a much better app for viewing pictures. In Preview you cannot flip to the next picture. Why?
• In Windows you can control external speaker's volume with keyboard. Can't do that in Mac OS. Why Apple?

Little things like those make me like Windows more. I am not sure I will get another Mac even if they significantly lower the price. Well done Tim Apple!

I am not "there" yet, as my migration decision is some ways off, but I get what you're saying. Apple are forcing customers to consider options we would have never entertained in past years. I literally started a couple months ago from ground zero in terms of knowledge of Windows notebooks/laptops. I had paid zero attention to Windows hardware for going on 13 years!

Now, I am learning about various options as quickly as possible. Congrats, Tim Apple, you have forced this customer to educate himself. Kudos for being pro-self-improvement, hahahaha.

 

[Martyimac]

Exactly.
It is 2019 and Apply wants $200 for every 8GB of RAM, $200 for every 256GB of SSD.
I feel like it compromises my dignity and intelligence if I surrender myself to that squeeze. Therefore I needed to use Windows more. When I use Windows more, I find it not that bad, actually it is better in little things such as:

• I like the Windows Photos app better, it is light weight with dynamic refresh, no need to import any photo or worry about versions. The photos are in the folder where you put them.
• Honeyview is a much better app for viewing pictures. In Preview you cannot flip to the next picture. Why?
• In Windows you can control external speaker's volume with keyboard. Can't do that in Mac OS. Why Apple?

Little things like those make me like Windows more. I am not sure I will get another Mac even if they significantly lower the price. Well done Tim Apple!

A comment on just your third bullet. dasKeyboard makes a keyboard for the mac that does allow volume control, as well as muting and sleep, from the keyboard. And it is like the old fashioned keyboards used back in the day like the IBM and Northgate keyboards with full travel keys and "clicky". You can order them with two different click types also. I chose the less "clicky" and am overjoyed with it's sound, and quality.
Edit: The above keyboard is obviously only for the desktops.

 

[MimicBunion972]

A comment on just your third bullet. dasKeyboard makes a keyboard for the mac that does allow volume control, as well as muting and sleep, from the keyboard. And it is like the old fashioned keyboards used back in the day like the IBM and Northgate keyboards with full travel keys and "clicky". You can order them with two different click types also. I chose the less "clicky" and am overjoyed with it's sound, and quality.
Edit: The above keyboard is obviously only for the desktops.

Just to clarify: The use case I mentioned is when you connect Macbook Pro to TV or external display with speakers, the volume control in Mac OS is disabled. The Mac OS assumes you will use TV remote or whatever button on external display or speaker to control volume. Even if you have volume keys on external keyboard, they won't work.

 

[Mendota]

..

Exactly.
It is 2019 and Apply wants $200 for every 8GB of RAM, $200 for every 256GB of SSD.
I feel like it compromises my dignity and intelligence if I surrender myself to that squeeze. Therefore I needed to use Windows more. When I use Windows more, I find it not that bad, actually it is better in little things such as:

• I like the Windows Photos app better, it is light weight with dynamic refresh, no need to import any photo or worry about versions. The photos are in the folder where you put them.
• Honeyview is a much better app for viewing pictures. In Preview you cannot flip to the next picture. Why?
• In Windows you can control external speaker's volume with keyboard. Can't do that in Mac OS. Why Apple?

Little things like those make me like Windows more. I am not sure I will get another Mac even if they significantly lower the price. Well done Tim Apple!

This is just all so sad because we need different platforms and systems to keep everyone honest. Apple is a supported version of Unix - Linux. That has value. I don't understand why Tim Cook seems so willing to just throw that away. IOS is fine for what it is, and I am happy about the new iPads coming, and the pricing is fairly reasonable, but it is still a mobile OS... And I don't know how much faith I have in ARM.

 

[rutrack]

Apple is a supported version of Unix - Linux. That has value.

What do you mean ? Apple has nothing to do with Linux.

 

[Mendota]

What do you mean ? Apple has nothing to do with Linux.

MacOS is based on Unix. A lot of developers like it for that reason.

 

[idonthatethemac]

What do you mean ? Apple has nothing to do with Linux.

Seriously? Check out the history of macos. They all come from the same source

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...Vaw1V3xkQJQxUHERyMyK61qcN&cshid=1553187981746

 

[09872738]

Not correct. Linux is Unix-like, an attempt of a re-implementation of Unix.
macOS on the other hand is a true descendant of Unix (via NeXTStep/BSD)

Unix/Linux do NOT share the same source nor do they share history

 

[rutrack]

Seriously? Check out the history of macos. They all come from the same source

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...Vaw1V3xkQJQxUHERyMyK61qcN&cshid=1553187981746

Actually, they are not. I won't bore you with technical details, but if you have any interest in this topic please check the "SCO vs Linux" case In your link it says that NextStep is based on Mach kernel, that partly derived from BSD, which is true, still nothing to do with Linux though It is very different from BSD today as well
[doublepost=1553189895][/doublepost]For all you non technical guys, just to get some perspective on choices made back then. The difference to business is the distribution license. The BSD license allows you to distribute derived work in any form, open or closed source and make money on it as you wish. Linux is released under GPL license, which forces you to open source any code based on it. So if NextStep used that instead of BSD, Apple would have to open source any derived code, which would make it significantly harder to lock users to their overpriced hardware.

 

[jerryk]

Exactly.
It is 2019 and Apply wants $200 for every 8GB of RAM, $200 for every 256GB of SSD.
I feel like it compromises my dignity and intelligence if I surrender myself to that squeeze. Therefore I needed to use Windows more. When I use Windows more, I find it not that bad, actually it is better in little things such as:

• I like the Windows Photos app better, it is light weight with dynamic refresh, no need to import any photo or worry about versions. The photos are in the folder where you put them.
• Honeyview is a much better app for viewing pictures. In Preview you cannot flip to the next picture. Why?
• In Windows you can control external speaker's volume with keyboard. Can't do that in Mac OS. Why Apple?

Little things like those make me like Windows more. I am not sure I will get another Mac even if they significantly lower the price. Well done Tim Apple!

I would add I much prefer the way Windows handles multiple windows sharing the screen.

It is very nice to drag a window to the left or right and have it automatically dock and resize to 1/2 the screen And when you click on another window it automatically docks to the other side and resizes to the remaining 1/2 screen resulting in the 2 windows displayed side by side.

 

[Heelpir8]

I would add I much prefer the way Windows handles multiple windows sharing the screen.

It is very nice to drag a window to the left or right and have it automatically dock and resize to 1/2 the screen And when you click on another window it automatically docks to the other side and resizes to the remaining 1/2 screen resulting in the 2 windows displayed side by side.

Check out the Magnet app. I missed that functionality from Windows and it provides it for 99 cents on the Mac App Store.

 

[Pared3s]

Debating this as my return period is almost up on a MacBook Pro I got. I feel like the unreliability of these systems essentially makes buying Apple Care a necessity which makes the cost even higher over a competing PC. I’ve been taking a long look at my workflow and ways to convert things over to Windows. The laptops there have come a long way and it’s hard to justify staying on Mac these days. When I bought a MBP in 2012 I knew I was paying a premium price but I knew I was getting quality I could rely on. This laptop doesn’t feel like that and repair options are even steeper now. Ive had a couple of Bridge OS crashes and trying to find a hub that isn’t buggy sucks. I’ve had to pony up another couple hundred to get a reliable one.

It’s a tough decision but I feel like Apple is giving me no choice but to leave them. The Dell XPS is pretty nice and seems comparable in quality in every way to the MBP. I think the redesign will probably be nice but I’m positive you can add another 1K to the current price tag given how they’ve been doing things.

It’s just hard to leave this OS though.

Decisions. Decisions.

 

[SDColorado]

Debating this as my return period is almost up on a MacBook Pro I got. I feel like the unreliability of these systems essentially makes buying Apple Care a necessity which makes the cost even higher over a competing PC. I’ve been taking a long look at my workflow and ways to convert things over to Windows. The laptops there have come a long way and it’s hard to justify staying on Mac these days. When I bought a MBP in 2012 I knew I was paying a premium price but I knew I was getting quality I could rely on. This laptop doesn’t feel like that and repair options are even steeper now. Ive had a couple of Bridge OS crashes and trying to find a hub that isn’t buggy sucks. I’ve had to pony up another couple hundred to get a reliable one.

It’s a tough decision but I feel like Apple is giving me no choice but to leave them. The Dell XPS is pretty nice and seems comparable in quality in every way to the MBP. I think the redesign will probably be nice but I’m positive you can add another 1K to the current price tag given how they’ve been doing things.

It’s just hard to leave this OS though.

Decisions. Decisions.

With my experiences with these 2018’s, on #5 and still have some occasional issues. I wouldn’t think about owning one without Apple Care. The out of warranty costs for things like keyboard replacement is insane, due to the fact that they have to replace the entire top case. No sub-$100 keyboard replacements here.

 

[willed]

Just writing this on new company-issued 15" MBP with touch bar and... it's a disappointing machine.

Obviously it's powerful and can run programs faster than anything else I've used. But every other design decision seems to be intended to annoy.

Ports? Removed - I have to permanently carry around an inelegant adapter for USB and, more importantly, SD cards.

Magsafe? Removed.

Even the arms on the power adapter to spool the power cable? Removed. Why??

Backlit keyboard? Removed.

And what is there in return? A useless touchbar so I can select emojis slightly more quickly.

Thank God that Apple's current 'strategy' on ports is so messed up that they forgot to have the 'courage' on this one to remove the headphone jack, otherwise I'd be stuck having to pay $199 or whatever they charge now for AirPods in case I wanted to listen to something.

I've been using Macs since the Macintosh Classic and this is the first time I haven't felt excited to get a new machine. It's a sad day.

 

[09872738]

Backlit keyboard? Removed.

I believe you're incorrect here. Keyboard still is backlit.

 

[Pared3s]

With my experiences with these 2018’s, on #5 and still have some occasional issues. I wouldn’t think about owning one without Apple Care. The out of warranty costs for things like keyboard replacement is insane, due to the fact that they have to replace the entire top case. No sub-$100 keyboard replacements here.

#5 already! That’s insane!

It’s sad that there’s no recognition from Apple that their product is flawed. They have so much power that they could just bury this issue or just say that it’s a small percentage of users with issues. We will never know the truth because they of course will never release that data.

 

[dstraigh]

I've got a mid 2015 MacBook Pro - that I love using. Hopefully I won't need to abandon ship any time soon. But, for all of the above reasons that everyone has talked about for many years now (and especially that rubbish keyboard!) I have zero interest in a 2016, 2017 or 2018 MBP. I'm not expecting much of anything to change in 2019. If I have to replace my 2015 MBP and I can't find a used or refurbished 2015 MPB then I might just go back to Windows - not before giving Linux a good run first.

 

[SDColorado]

I believe you're incorrect here. Keyboard still is backlit.

Yeah, the keyboard is still backlit. But the extension cable from the power brick gone. Luckily I still have a few of them around and I would guess most anyone who has previously owned a Mac does. But for first-time buyers, well Apple is happy to sell you one for $19.00. Ridiculous that it wasn't included for the price of these things. Yes, I do use them. Stupid brick will unplug itself from the wall under its own weight if you don't.

 

[Queen6]

Yeah, the keyboard is still backlit. But the extension cable from the power brick gone. Luckily I still have a few of them around and I would guess most anyone who has previously owned a Mac does. But for first-time buyers, well Apple is happy to sell you one for $19.00. Ridiculous that it wasn't included for the price of these things. Yes, I do use them. Stupid brick will unplug itself from the wall under its own weight if you don't.

Why put it in the Box when you can foist yet another up-sale on the customer same as RAM, SSD's, endless dongles and adapters. Personally I think it's plain insulting the intelligence of the customer, given the allegedly premium nature of the MBP.

Given the price Apple is demanding it's notebooks should at a minimum come complete with a multiport dongle and power extension cord in the box. This propensity to nickel & dime the customer at every possible opportunity is really getting old and simply comes across as Apple being little more than cheap.

Q-6

 

[SDColorado]

Why put it in the Box when you can foist yet another up-sale on the customer same as RAM, SSD's, endless dongles and adapters. Personally I think it's plain insulting the intelligence of the customer, given the allegedly premium nature of the MBP.

Given the price Apple is demanding it's notebooks should at a minimum come complete with a multiport dongle and power extension cord in the box. This propensity to nickel & dime the customer at every possible opportunity is really getting old and simply comes across as Apple being little more than cheap.

Q-6

Perhaps the biggest evidence of that is when they stopped including the Apple stickers. What did those cost Apple? A couple of pennies?

I have purchased things costing a whole lot less that have come packed with stickers and chocolates, m&m’s and the like.

Do I *need* a sticker? Of course not. But for what these machines cost, they should have included all you mentioned and a freakin sticker or two.

 

[Easttime]

I would add I much prefer the way Windows handles multiple windows sharing the screen. It is very nice to drag a window to the left or right and have it automatically dock and resize to 1/2 the screen And when you click on another window it automatically docks to the other side and resizes to the remaining 1/2 screen resulting in the 2 windows displayed side by side.

I hate that about Windows. Much prefer being able to place a window where I want without one snapping to full screen. Moom works great for me in Mac Os.

 

[willed]

I believe you're incorrect here. Keyboard still is backlit.

Ah that’s some good news at least - thanks!

 

[TechRunner]

I've read every comment in this thread over the last couple months because, like so many here, I've agonized over the decision to abandon the Mac. I'm still hanging on with my trusty 2015 MBA, but I typically upgrade my Mac every four years, and that time has come.

I'm not a Windows basher; I use my wife's new Lenovo X1 Carbon on occasion and use Windows at work and find Windows 10 to be much better than any version before it. I even went so far as to spec out a Lenovo P52s, and it came in about $450 less than a comparable MBP. Sure, the design is much more utilitarian (even boring), but the biggest gripe about the new MBP is the best thing about using my wife's X1 Carbon: the keyboard. Man, that keyboard!

Still, I'm finding it difficult to make the jump away from MacOS after thirteen good years. And like so many here, I used to be an enthusiastic Mac guy, recommending them to anyone who would listen. Fast forward to January, when my wife expressed interest in ordering her Lenovo. Having used a T450s at work and begrudgingly finding it to be quite capable, I actually encouraged her to do so, something I couldn't have imagined doing even five years ago.

I used to snicker at colleagues who bought Windows systems as I listened to them complain about their hardware issues while I forged ahead on my bulletproof Mac. I'm not snickering anymore...