True, but sometimes the problem is Apple:
2013 Mac Pro—overall a misread of the market and the customer base. Poor product management, took too long to recognize the problem, and took too long to fix. But they got it right imo.
1-port MacBook—not a problem for the target market, road warriors who need a machine that’ll fit on an airplane tray table, and typically plug in nothing. With a USB-C hub at home and/or office, not a particular problem.
Soldered storage and RAM—done for good reasons, like LPDDR3 isn’t available in a socketed package; it must be soldered. RAM is socketed on desktops.
re:storage, again done for reasons. It’s much lower profile for laptops (customers, not Jony, wanted thinner, lighter) and security via onboard T2 encrypting controller. Desktops can use inexpensive USB or even TB3 external drives very easily.
HIGH upgrade prices—better than the alternative: high base model prices, but cheaper upgrades.
Device slowdown—if you mean the so-called battery gate, Apple should have been more transparent and said exactly how it worked when it was added, but it’s the right strategy (slowing down instead of shutting down with deteriorated batteries
hockey puck mouse—very unergonomic and just horrible overall. (Jobs loved it—what was he thinking? Form over function I guess.) But I worked for Logitech at the time and it worked out well for us lol
Magic Mouse—not sure of the issue. If that’s the one with the charging connector on the bottom, it’s not a great implementation but it doesn’t seem to be a dealbreaker for most.
iOS stagnation/limitations—it is what it is, not a whole lot to say. It’s a difference in UX philosophy mostly.
small screen sizes (or now too big)—maybe Apple took too long to offer bigger displays, but 2013 was a long time ago. 3.5” is dead, 4” is dead, and 4.7” will be dead in 3-4 years, when the SE 3 will probably be a derivative of the 6.1” 11, available in 2023/2024. Most people want larger displays 🤷♂️ It’s a pocket computer, not a phone. For quite a few, their only computer
dongle hell—overblown for the most part, many simply bought new cables and/or an adapter or two. Some went USB-C or TB3 dock at home and/or work, which is probably the best approach imo
keyboards—yeah the butterfly didn’t work out and they took too long to fix it. They thought they could iterate it—and by most accounts the 2019 version is not especially problematic—but the damage was done. They’ve probably been working and testing the scissor since 2017.
Etc.
It's not unreasonable for customers that rely on certain tools to become indignant when Apple suddenly doesn't fill the needs they did previously. It's hard for people to unfreeze and let go, and in some situations it'll cost money to do so.
I agree, though, Apple's lineup TODAY is the best it's been in almost 10 years, because they've either addressed the above, or the industry/technology has caught up (Apple loves to jump the gun).
For me, it was easy to leave iOS in the dust after iOS 7 came out and Apple would not let me revert back to my device's original OS (iPhone 4s). Samsung has been taking my money ever since, although NOW I'm looking to come back. Maybe. I
still find iOS harder/less intuitive to use.
On the other hand, going Windows for me was NOT happening, however I had to wait for Apple to fix the issues I mentioned (I'm still on 2011/2012 hardware).
So I could see how others said "the hell with waiting". But yes, it's me who says yay or nay to what Apple puts out. Apple in no way, shape, or form, is REQUIRED to cater to my needs or tastes.
The Tim Cook era taught me to NOT EXPECT what I want from Apple. I guess I was more in tune with Steve's tastes.
EDIT: I guess not, some of the things on the list were under Steve
It was actually a good thing, because now I can appreciate the devices for what they are/can do without (so much) passion.