The few iPhone users I know that moved to Android went to Pixel, not Samsung.
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Apple Focusing on These Eight New Low-Cost Devices in 2025
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I really, REALLY wish I could make my Pixel 8/9 my main phones. But I can't. I'm hostage in the truest sense to iMessage/Facetime.
I long for the day Google & Microsoft finally put their differences aside in this particular instance and push for an iMessage / Facetime / H2-ish clone that actually works. Those alone would free me from Apple.
But of course, we know the chances of that are very low 🫤
Hardware without services is useless. So, again, you are wrong. Apple actually makes money from both.
Regulation probably needs to solve it
None of us should be locked in by a simple text/video communication system
Those should be fully interoperable
My wife is a loyal pixel user, so I'm not tied to the iMessage/facetime system like most iPhone users. Thought about switching myself but it's a lot of effort, and we have RCS now..
"...so I'm not tied to the iMessage/facetime system like most USA iPhone users."
"...so I'm not tied to the iMessage/facetime system like most USA iPhone users."
and Canada! 🇨🇦 ..at least according to my sister in Ontario.
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Easier in EU, where WhatsApp is mostly used"...so I'm not tied to the iMessage/facetime system like most USA iPhone users."
Besides the privacy question there's this: We've three active TVs in the home. There will eventually be five. I install an app and move it to where I want on one ATV, and it's installed and located in the same place on all of them.
I replace a TV and nothing changes.
Re: The iPhone SE:
And for my wife and I. We neither need nor want phablets.
Google... oh how I hate thee. For me it's a close race between Google, Meta, and Microsoft.
Mark Zuckerberg is in no position to be criticizing anybody else in the tech space, IMO.
And I am not fooled by his recently "having seen the light and become libertarian."
I find that more than a little surprising. I would go so far as to say astonishing. "More stable than MS-Windows" is a pretty damn low bar.
I may have to re-evaluate my thoughts on replacing our Linux desktops with Mac Minis if this is true.
That's probably where I'd go were I to switch back to Android. I'll tell you this: Samsung would be my last refuge if I left Apple.
Google and Meta are on the same (low) board for me.
Microsoft I trust them a little bit more
Exactly.
Same here. But I wouldn’t be happy about that. There are a lot of inconsistencies in their products
An A17 Pro or higher iPad will be a day one purchase for me. I want one as a Logic Pro device but really want the stem-splitting ability too.
It's the whole thing really. I'm not even talking about my family members, peers or other such (who are all Apple users in some to complete forms).
Most people only have one laptop and a phone and maybe one true wireless earbud, and they may not even own connected devices such as fully smart homes, multiple cars, etc. I am the extreme opposite of that case.
Simply put, the more stuff you have from Apple that is applicable to how you live, the more convenient living with it gets compared to anyone else trying to attempt an ecosystem. It's just frustrating that every single one of those devices, if you take away that joinedupness and look at them purely on their own merits, are somewhat to hugely inferior to anywhere near best-of-class from other vendors. But again, I'm sufficiently hostage to the ecosystem efforts of Apple that I tolerate the inferiority.
How would the ATV camera work? My ATV sits inside a console under the TV with the rest of my AV gear. Between that kneecap height and the glass door, I'm not sure what the camera could see effectively. I'm probably not the only person with that kind of setup, which is necessitated partly by cats.
My bet, if this happens, and I think it’s a big if (they already allow phones as cameras, I think they’ll keep leaning into that for atvs) is a bluetooth accessory. Apple with a first party one and a couple third party ones (like from logitech).
The logical thing would really be usb and wide comparability with any standard webcam, just as macs and ios devices can use, not bluetooth, and that’s possible, but Apple likes using bt and they tend to try and remove wires from the equation when possible so I’m leaning towards wireless.
Another possibility might be partnering with tv makers that have tvs with cameras and sending that to the atv via usb over hdmi, but I also think that’s unlikely
According to Gurman the command center is being delayed as is a refresh to the AVP.
Entry level iPad might get the A17 chip.
9to5mac.com
Entry level iPad might get the A17 chip.
Apple's new smart home hub might launch later than anticipated - 9to5Mac
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the new Apple smart home hub, which some refer to as ‘Apple command center’ or...
9to5mac.com
On the other hand, you had to spend a whole weekend doing this.
Which is absolutely awesome, and I hope you enjoy it.
But there is something that has to be said for pure simplicity.
Don’t even think you could spend a weekend setting up an Apple TV because there’s just not that much to do
Or maybe the camera is added to the remote right above the touch wheel, so all you have to do is pick up the remote.
Interesting idea actually, they already have a mic on the remote, but ergonomics would be hell without a way to stand it up or mount it somewhere
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
If a camera is going to be installed in the remote, why not use the superior camera in an iDevice (which some use as their AppleTV remote too)? Both involve picking something up to use a camera.
If a camera is built into the box, only a small subset is going to be able to have good FaceTime experiences that way. Why? Because that only works if AppleTV with built-in camera is positioned right above or right below, CENTER of TV. Drift from either of those positions and it's like drifting an iDevice away from facing you during FaceTime: the party on the other end won't be seeing you looking back at them but looking left or right of them.
If your AppleTV is already left or right of your TV, fake this if you want to see for yourself by using your iPhone to start a selfie video between your TV seating position and your TV. Now, keep looking at your TV like you are looking at the other FaceTime party but move your phone to be positioned between you and where you AppleTV is current located. Fake a conversation with someone on your TV (keep your eyes on that TV). Then play the video back and you'll see what they would be seeing if an AppleTV box camera was "over there." You looking at your "them" on your TV to see them will have you looking far left or right of them in their view of you.
And of course, AppleTVs hidden behind the TV or inside of cabinets would be hiding this camera in those places too. There's no way to make such popular places to put AppleTV work with a built-in camera. If you doubt it, again, start a selfie video and position your phone where you have your AppleTV with the selfie camera pointing in the same direction from the box. Give it a minute to capture what it sees and then play the video back to see what the other party would see. In my case, an AppleTV hidden behind the TV would likely be shooting images of a ceiling with maybe a bit of the back of the TV. To make this concept work, EVERYONE would have to move this AppleTV to above or below, center of their TV screen, pointing at prime seating location.
The very best option for this concept- IMO- is to put a "normalized" USB port back on this new AppleTV to which a SEPARATE camera can be connected and work with AppleTV wherever it is connected. This option could also scratch a LOT of other niche itches such as reviving the first generation ability to sync media to big storage that could be optionally attached to that USB port too... AND an easy way to feed ZONE 2 receivers Analog audio (that they generally need) when someone might want to use AppleTV as a music jukebox.
OR, build on Continuity Camera functionality with a dedicated TV camera product that gets attached to the top of any TV and basically exists as a permanently-available Continuity Camera. Perhaps it can be powered by USB if the TV has a USB port? If not, it needs some method of power which might be rechargeable battery if Apple couldn't bear to give it a simple power cable.
All these ideas of building a camera into the box only work for a small group... and that includes the other idea of Apple building a Soundbar that includes an AppleTV and this camera too. Not everyone uses- nor wants to use- a soundbar. Besides, the speaker portion of a soundbar could far outlast the tech guts of an AppleTV... making this "Frankenstein" an audio iMac (in which some parts could go on to serve owner for many years if only other parts didn't age out and the whole thing depends on those other parts).
If a camera is built into the box, only a small subset is going to be able to have good FaceTime experiences that way. Why? Because that only works if AppleTV with built-in camera is positioned right above or right below, CENTER of TV. Drift from either of those positions and it's like drifting an iDevice away from facing you during FaceTime: the party on the other end won't be seeing you looking back at them but looking left or right of them.
If your AppleTV is already left or right of your TV, fake this if you want to see for yourself by using your iPhone to start a selfie video between your TV seating position and your TV. Now, keep looking at your TV like you are looking at the other FaceTime party but move your phone to be positioned between you and where you AppleTV is current located. Fake a conversation with someone on your TV (keep your eyes on that TV). Then play the video back and you'll see what they would be seeing if an AppleTV box camera was "over there." You looking at your "them" on your TV to see them will have you looking far left or right of them in their view of you.
And of course, AppleTVs hidden behind the TV or inside of cabinets would be hiding this camera in those places too. There's no way to make such popular places to put AppleTV work with a built-in camera. If you doubt it, again, start a selfie video and position your phone where you have your AppleTV with the selfie camera pointing in the same direction from the box. Give it a minute to capture what it sees and then play the video back to see what the other party would see. In my case, an AppleTV hidden behind the TV would likely be shooting images of a ceiling with maybe a bit of the back of the TV. To make this concept work, EVERYONE would have to move this AppleTV to above or below, center of their TV screen, pointing at prime seating location.
The very best option for this concept- IMO- is to put a "normalized" USB port back on this new AppleTV to which a SEPARATE camera can be connected and work with AppleTV wherever it is connected. This option could also scratch a LOT of other niche itches such as reviving the first generation ability to sync media to big storage that could be optionally attached to that USB port too... AND an easy way to feed ZONE 2 receivers Analog audio (that they generally need) when someone might want to use AppleTV as a music jukebox.
OR, build on Continuity Camera functionality with a dedicated TV camera product that gets attached to the top of any TV and basically exists as a permanently-available Continuity Camera. Perhaps it can be powered by USB if the TV has a USB port? If not, it needs some method of power which might be rechargeable battery if Apple couldn't bear to give it a simple power cable.
All these ideas of building a camera into the box only work for a small group... and that includes the other idea of Apple building a Soundbar that includes an AppleTV and this camera too. Not everyone uses- nor wants to use- a soundbar. Besides, the speaker portion of a soundbar could far outlast the tech guts of an AppleTV... making this "Frankenstein" an audio iMac (in which some parts could go on to serve owner for many years if only other parts didn't age out and the whole thing depends on those other parts).
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Sorry but at some point there has to be a version of the Command Center that reacts to any chosen spoken command to activate from a distance, figure out where you stand, and already turn and level the screen for you when you arrive, like the old iMac G4! If there was ever a time when it’s possible, it’s now, and it would be the coolest throwback ever!
Yeah, the only thing that is pretty low cost is the basic Mac mini, while the Iphone Se may be lower priced than the normal Iphones, it is still far more than I would pay for a phone, sorry Apple, I don't see phones as something that should cost a load. I dread going over £150 to be honest.“Low cost”, from Apple? Where, where … ?
This must be some new definition of the phrase “low cost” that I was previously unaware of.
The only reason I have a mobile phone is that it is a thing to have these days, also, I don't have a home phone any more, so need some way of being contacted
If that requires making the remote Roku size, I'm all for it. Currently I use my iPhone to control my ATV most of the time because I hate the remote.
The only thing I’m considering is the base Mac Mini as a secondary device, but I’m hesitating because I’m contemplating a Studio in the fullness of time. Once upon a time I would have considered an Air but, when my income was low I couldn’t justify its high price. Today, when my income is healthier, I went for a Pro instead. It’s not “low cost”, it’s just “slightly more affordable than the expensive stuff”.