My M1 is fine. Super stable. No issues with Rosetta either. Upgraded from a 9 year old iMac.
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Apple Ups DTK Mac Mini Return Credit to $500 After Developer Complaints
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Now I see. My point was that if Apple wanted the developers to support their new M1 macs they should help them as much as possible and lure them in, that was my point of view.
Developers👏🏼 Developers👏🏼 Developers👏🏼
Joke aside, I think this is the one part that making Linux not pickup as a real alternative for Windows/MacOS. The apps are just not there.
Shouldn’t they? Let’s see who benefits the most from apple silicon apps ready on launch day.
Say you’re apple. You switch processor architecture and are eager to show the world how capable your new silicon is. You need to give developers something to test their apps, hence the transition program. So you put together the dtk as well as a version of xcode. Every enthusiast would love to try the new dtk, just to get a taste of where things are going, so you set an admission fee, 500$. That’s not aimed at covering the costs of the units, which I don’t have a clue if it’s higher or lower, but anyway should be considered R&D cost. So you get the computers on the hands of the right people to have a shiny video of companies like serif touting the wonders of M1 chip on launch day.
Now say you’re a developer. What percentage of the mac user base do you think will have moved to m1 on launch day? It’s not that big. Even adobe or microsoft didn’t bother to have their apps ready on day 1. You might as well for the thing to be released and start your conversion then. It’s not like your app won’t work with m1 macs, thanks to rosetta. So you pay the 500$, have the app ready on launch day, apple gets to brag about hundreds of apps already available on m1, and then you’re asked to return the unit. So you basically just rented a prototype for a few months for 500$. Next time you would surely wait for the finished version, and you get to keep it.
Unless apple isn’t completely miopic, and give developers their money back in credit towards a new M1 mac. In most cases apple will still make some money out of the sale (or sell it at a cost, roughly), and the next time there’s a processor shift (there will be more), developers will remember you were decent enough, so they will feel motivated to participate in the transition program. Those crybabies, as you called them, might as well decide they’re better writing code for windows instead, if they feel they’re being screwed.
Sure, and they’ve got tons of freely available documentation, WWDC videos & transcripts online, the developer tools and full-blown IDE are free with the OS, the developer subscription is a trivial $100 a year and the App Store makes it easy for small developers to reach a large, international audience, with all the distribution, billing and payment handling taken care of, along with some promotion (and if we’re talking Mac you can still sell direct if you want - with iOS there are some conflict of interest concerns).
If they were to offer free Macs and lollipops to developer, they’d have to raise the bar for becoming a developer, or they’d have millions of people saying “I‘m a developer (and so‘s my spouse)!”
Funny when there’s a whole other thread about Homebrew, which helps you install all those must-have Linux/Unix apps on MacOS...
No, the main problem with GNU/Linux (and the related Un*x Open source projects) is that the developers are either working for free or for their own/employers‘ “enlightened self-interest“. There is no shortage of good software, but it works the way the programmer thinks it should work, which tends to scare off less technical users. There’s also a bunch of issues with the lack of a single, consistent GUI, proprietary hardware drivers, proprietary software services etc.
For Linux to take off, someone would have to commercialise it, plough a lot of investment into smoothing out the rough edges and plugging the gaps, schmooze key service providers into supporting it, make some nice, fully compatible hardware and, in the process, annoy the hell out of the free/open source community who maintain the Linux infrastructure and end up with something that isn’t Linux any more - see: Android, ChromeOS, MacOS (BSD/Mach rather than GNU/Linux) and, in many ways, the whole controversy around things like systemd and snap packages (that are needed for a modern desktop user experience, but also violate the whole Un*x ethos...)
The amount of boot looking that occurs around here is too damn high.
Good on Apple for course correcting.
Good on Apple for course correcting.
I was reading this at first trying to figure out how you were disagreeing with me.
The squeaky wheel gets the grease. I wonder if Microsoft, Adobe or Google complained. My guess would be no.
Most people call that "the cost of doing business". Now a developer gets nothing to deduct on their taxes but a 1099.
Apple's initial deal would have been $500 for a year, or $42/mo. DTKs were received in late June/early July. With the DTK's A12Z lacking support for some features implemented in hardware in the M1, Apple could have implemented those features in software. Apple didn't (quite reasonably), so the DTK Macs became pretty useless for software development in November. Let's say they had 5 months of usefulness.
The net effect is Apple developers paid $100/mo instead of the expected $42/mo.
If Apple had just asked for the DTKs back in November, I'm sure developers would have been annoyed. But they didn't just do this: they offered a $200 credit that the most dedicated developers would not qualify for, partly because of the delay and partly because of the lack of communication. If Apple had announced this deal when the first M1 Macs came out, but said it was starting in February many developers who purchased M1 Macs would still have done so but at least they'd have known.
Developers were not wrong.
You could argue that Apple wasn't necessarily wrong, either. But they were uncommunicative and tone-deaf with their developers, who they value, so Apple was wrong. They had better options, which they didn't take. Undoubtably the updated deal is better than anyone had the right to expect, but they're doing that to try to regain lost good will.
You didn’t the agreement. Apple wasn’t obligated to provide a working Mac mini at all. This was a classic case of buyers not reading to fine print before purchasing. Quite literally the terms said:
“APPLE DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE UNIVERSAL APP QUICK START PROGRAM OR DEVELOPER TRANSITION KIT WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, THAT THE OPERATION OF THE DEVELOPER TRANSITION KIT WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE, THAT DEFECTS IN THE DEVELOPER TRANSITION KIT WILL BE CORRECTED, OR THAT THE DEVELOPER TRANSITION KIT WILL BE COMPATIBLE WITH ANY APPLE PRODUCTS, SOFTWARE OR SERVICES OR ANY THIRD- PARTY SOFTWARE, APPLICATIONS, OR SERVICES.”
and it concludes with:
“Apple is not obligated to provide any maintenance, technical or other support for the Developer Transition Kit, or any Updates.”
If an ebay listing says “SELLING MAC MINI, MAY NOT BE WORKING”, would you buy it? I wouldn’t. If I did, I wouldn’t be complaining it’s not working.
$200 was more than enough for Apple say to those developers “Well because you guys failed to read the terms, I’ll throw you a bone”.
I have to agree with those who point out that according to the agreement all Apple actually promised to do was take $500 off developers.
And you didn't read what I wrote before replying. Bye.
Funny when there’s a whole other thread about Homebrew, which helps you install all those must-have Linux/Unix apps on MacOS...
No, the main problem with GNU/Linux (and the related Un*x Open source projects) is that the developers are either working for free or for their own/employers‘ “enlightened self-interest“. There is no shortage of good software, but it works the way the programmer thinks it should work, which tends to scare off less technical users. There’s also a bunch of issues with the lack of a single, consistent GUI, proprietary hardware drivers, proprietary software services etc.
For Linux to take off, someone would have to commercialise it, plough a lot of investment into smoothing out the rough edges and plugging the gaps, schmooze key service providers into supporting it, make some nice, fully compatible hardware and, in the process, annoy the hell out of the free/open source community who maintain the Linux infrastructure and end up with something that isn’t Linux any more - see: Android, ChromeOS, MacOS (BSD/Mach rather than GNU/Linux) and, in many ways, the whole controversy around things like systemd and snap packages (that are needed for a modern desktop user experience, but also violate the whole Un*x ethos...)
I don't know what you mean by good software, but there is yet to be 1 app/software on Linux that is not also available on Windows/MacOS or better. I understand why the software can be underdeveloped because the programmer has work in the morning and life after that but my idea is that if the nice free giving programmer puts 30min in a day, and it is world wide FOSS, there will be another 1000 nice free giving programmers around the world adding up to 500hrs of work put into the app development per day.
My problem with the FOSS community is that each seems to think he will create his own version of a software, reach the state of being "working" , then leave it at that.
Well, duh! I even mentioned Homebrew which is basically a tool for installing "Linux" software (more accurately: free/open-source software for Unix-like operating systems) on MacOS. That's not the same as saying there's no software for Linux. Point of Linux is that you don't have to pay for a Windows license or buy a Mac to run it. Anyway, this is totally off-topic for this thread, so I'll shut up.
PS: Docker - only the tools are on Mac/Windows - Docker itself only runs on Linux and the Mac/Windows "ports" actually fire up a Linux virtual machine.
They get to deduct the difference in cost between the M1 mac they buy and the $500 gift card apple gave them.
Most people were unhappy with the limited use time on the $200 because they wanted to purchase whatever future released mac that will come out around WWDC time.
Apple's slap in the face was about saying they appreciate developers but we're going to make you feel bad for not using our $200 voucher right before the $1500 developer event where we release the mac you've really been waiting for. Now devs can wait until July and order a M1X 16" MBP or iMac instead of another M1 mac since they already bought one to continue development since the DTK must be returned.
I am sure there are clauses in the contract that developers signed addressing this very sort of thing. And these are ultimately developers who rely on access to Apple’s platform to make a living.
One should not mistake Apple’s willingness to listen to their user and developer base as an j did stir that they are a pushover somehow.
Good question. Don’t know yet. I have access to a 2013 MBA with 4GB ram and it’s not a good option to work with. clean build of my app on Air is 5m20, on DTK it’s 11 seconds. SwiftUI preview on Air takes 24 seconds to update after code change, DTak instant
If Mac Stadium or Scaleway have stock I’ll likely rent a box for up to a month.
would really rather keep the DTK up into June when the possible 14” MBP might be out. Will I’m grateful for the 500$ back, I’d really rather have the DTK for the year I expected / hoped for (I was aware of the small print about them being able to end contract early. Was the gamble I made)
Anyone got a $1 or more credit yet ? Been months
Prior to the release of the M1 Macs, Apple offered developers a $500 Developer Transition Kit (DTK) that included a Mac mini equipped with an A12Z Bionic chip first used in the iPad Pro, 16GB RAM, a 512GB SSD, two USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, and an HDMI 2.0 port.
The DTKs were available on a temporary basis, and earlier this week, Apple said that it would soon begin asking developers to return the Mac minis in exchange for a $200 credit.
Since developers shelled out $500, many were unhappy with the credit amount, which also required the funds to be used by the end of May. Many developers complained about Apple's credit amount and the time limit on spending, as the end of May would not allow the credit to be used toward a product released later in 2021.
Apple has now reversed course and upped the credit, and will now be providing developers with $500 to put toward an M1 Mac or any other Apple product. The time limit to spend the credit has also been increased, with Apple giving developers until the end of the year to use it. Apple first sent out Developer Transition Kits at the end of June, so developers were able to use them for seven months. Developers were meant to have a year with the DTK for app development purposes, but other benefits that include a private discussion forum and technical support will continue to be available for the full 12 month period.
As noted in Apple's emails to developers, the $500 credit can be used toward any Apple product, including M1 Macs or other devices.
Article Link: Apple Ups DTK Mac Mini Return Credit to $500 After Developer Complaints
