The Finder hasn't changed and I don't find it to be a poor UI at all.
A Finder that does not allow one to find information because it obscures long file names by a default that cannot be changed is a poor UI in my view.
The error messages could be improved, true.
I would like to see Apple add more information, such as whether the error is due to a specific program or occurred in a system software library, the functional domain of the error (e.g., graphics, hard disk, memory etc.), whether it is likely to be a hardware fault, and most importantly, how the problem might be remedied. Going to Apple's user support forums is a pain, because Apple actually does not provide answers for most problems - one has to ask other users. And frankly, most of the time the other users have experimented and don't know why exactly they got some problem fixed.
Bad OS X updates are rare - I'd say that's a problem with your comp rather than the software itself.
Nope. The computer is fine. The last two updates choked because of directory and file ownership issues. A less amateurish installer would have one dialogue box for allowing a global repair. Instead, the installer asks for
each file and directory. That's hundreds, if not thousands, of dialogue boxes requiring manual input of the relevant password, and it can't be pasted in.
iTunes failing to back up the iPhone if it's disconnected makes sense, unless you mean that it's not actually disconnected. Again, that's either a cable or port problem.
This occurs when the iPhone is connected no matter what cable I use. And the phone continues to exchange information with iTunes after this error message. It just doesn't back up. Google it - you'll see that this problem is hardly unique to me and that nobody seems to know why this happens. In any case, is iTunes so dumb it cannot try to re-establish a connection? How primitive must the error-checking routines be to crash out of the backup entirely?
...Low phone memory? If you mean RAM, that's getting corrected this year and I rarely get it badly jittery.
I mean that the iOS installer spasms because there is not enough iPhone memory to download the upgrade over WiFi. The problem is that after the first attempt, the partially downloaded file is not purged, sitting there taking up all available memory, making an update when directly connected to iTunes problematical. Again, this is hardly a user-friendly, graceful recovery from an error.
...The security holes in OS X are being patched and Windows has more; but this is an OS X discussion, so all I'll say is that like all the other companies, Apple is patching OS X.
Not quickly enough in my opinion.
Reduction in reliability of laptops? How so? If you mean failure of hardware, I haven't seen any broad scale analysis concluding that. Indeed, Apple has changed its AppleCare terms to include more repairs than before.
I have a grey scale
Powerbook 180 that still boots and is still functional. It's over 20 years old. My kid's new MacBook failed in less than a year, due to a faulty cable. She was not able to book a genius appointment in London (look up how few Apple stores there are in London if you doubt me). It took Apple's business partners more than a week to pick up the laptop and another week to return it.
...So from my POV, none of your specifics are objectively true, except for the error messages.
I have been using Apple products for more than two decades (like I said before, I started with the Lisa). I have always marvelled at Apple's quality control and it usually bulletproof hardware and software. However, lately I have encountered the problems listed above and I do think it represents a change. Thus, as I said before, I would prefer Apple spend its cash on obtaining higher reliability than producing entertainment.