Damn, you guys are on some serious negativity drugs or something today. All this crap about not updating the Macs and using "sub standard" hardware while charging too much money. This has been how Apple has done business since the beginning. With Steve and without. Apple is a company that makes money. Lots of it. It did when Steve was at the helm as well. Apple has never been at the forefront of computer hardware specs EXCEPT when it comes to design. Steve specifically chose lesser clocked, lesser sized CPUs, RAM and Hard Drives either to keep costs down, power consumption down or size down to allow for smoother, slicker, smaller, thinner designs. Even the very first Macintosh back in 84 was incredibly underpowered and could barely run the OS just so it could be in an (at the time) small well-designed package that people would look at and go "wow, I need that." (this is documented in many books and documentaries.) But the design was always the selling point. Apple of today is still doing that. Say what you want, but compared to the current crop of Windows 10 based laptops and 2-in-1's and Android tablets and phones, I think Apple is still on top. I love their design philosophy, and the general look and feel of the devices as well as how they generally just work. Also, to contradict myself, I think the A series CPUs in the iPhones and iPads are actually the best performing CPUs out there and there laptop SSD hard drives are the fastest based on many benchmarks.)
Yes, I am an "Apple fanboy" and yes, I have purchased many of their devices over the years--several just in the last year. I specifically love the new MacBook 12" and the new 9.7" iPad Pro with Smart keyboard and Pencil. As a computer consultant, I work with and support a lot of hardware including Windows based, Android based and Apple based devices. In general, Apple stuff usually just works better, has less problems, and my customers love them as well. The phrase "I wish I'd switched a long time ago" is common after using their first-time new Apple products and toys.
Also, I like that Tim Cook and Apple have made things like renewable energy, recycling, and not backing down from the the Apple stance on privacy. It does, in fact, make me want to support them and buy their products. I respect a socially/environmentally conscious corporation. (Although I do not approve of them and other US-baserd Corps using the out-of-country tax loopholes to not pay the proper amount of taxes--Yes they are paying what the legally should, but the US should change the damn laws)
And finally, for all those whining about 16GB base model iPhones and iPads: get the hell over it! They sell other flash drive sizes. If 16GB isn't enough for you or your loved ones, buy the next size model. It's a hundred bucks more. Big deal! If you're buying Apple stuff, you're already paying a premium, so either fork over the extra hundred or switch brands. No one is forcing you to live on 16GB. No one!
