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I remember those IKEA kitchen drawer stands where a small robot was constantly open and closing it while IKEA advertised that drawers were tested for 100 thousand operations (or whatever)
Perhaps Apple should get one of those nifty robots to test Macbooks before launch?
I think that’s the job Timmy and Ive are doing all day when they get bored of counting money. What else should they do, there is hardly coming any hardware from Apple.
 
Can someone tell me what the attraction is to being super thin? It’s not just Apple, everybody seems to be trying to out-thin each other. I’m all in favor of a lightweight machine that’s easy to carry and doesn’t burn grooves into your shoulder from their weight and carrying straps, but if I’m losing battery life and durability and ports then I’ll take 3/8 inch thicker and 1 lb heavier to have a machine that I can rely on.

What’s the attraction for customers with the flimsy equipment? And again, it’s not only Apple that is putting thinness ahead of all other considerations. I just don’t get it.
The problem is that other companies continue to imitate Apple, even their mistakes. That's because Apple has been so successful and has such a (at least up to recently) loyal customer base, the other companies just assume Apple decisions must be all for the good. So Apple goes thin, Apple drops the phone jack, Apple doesn't incorporate user removable batteries, Apple drops ports on laptops, etc., and others start doing the same (thankfully, not all of them). It's a real irritant.
 
This is what the relentless pursuit of "thin" gets you.

This is what the relentless pursuit of profit gets you.

There, fixed your post for you.


why not both?

is the relentless persuit of "thin" bad? I don't think so. I would love to have a laptop that's the thickness of the MacBook, but the power of the highest end gaming desktop. I don't think this desire is foolish at all.

What IS foolish is attempting to do it, when the technology isn't capable of doing it, but pushing forwards with it anyways. This is where the anecdotes of Steve Jobs makes a lot of people wish for a return to days when someone had the power to tell the designers and engineers "Get the **** out of my office and fix it". Tim Cook, while a fantatic "bean counter", doesn't seem to have this power over the company. He doesn't seem to be able to tell the Designers "This isn't working, stop and be reasonable". This is how you wind up with a "pro" laptop, that has such poor thermals that it runs slower than cheaper laptops in it's own product line.

is it possible that future tech might be able to provide those super thin devices at highest end performance? maybe? as we have seen better and more power go into smaller form factors as miniaturization matures. The problem is, until the design spec meats what's actually possible, these types of things are going to keep happening with Apple.

At the same time as above, trying to do things that aren't technologically probable right now, they are also trying to do it at the cheapest possible cost to themselves as possible. cutting costs and corners, in order to maximize the profitability of every single unit sold, instead of ensuring that the units are built to quality standards they were once known for.

it's this combination of cost cutting cheapness, and designing themselves into corners that technology can't provide that has led us here. Laptops and computers that are prone to failure. Further exasperated by price points that should NOT be making these compromises.

you expect these sort of failures in < 5 year old computers from computers that cost 599 (or other dirt cheap windows laptops). Not $2000+ Apple computers.
 
I just had my 2016 13” MacBook Pro display assembly replaced because of gfx gitches a few days ago.

When the apple store opened the MacBook the display flex cable was kinked.

I had it fixed free as it is still within Australian Consumer Law.

CDD009C3-81C2-4D3C-B878-80C648B07F43.jpeg
 
Pretty sad to see some people defend design flaws and rationalize it because "that's what Apple Care+ is for"...
Totally agree, what also sad is that you have AppleCare and AppleCare+. Three years total warranty most manufacturers give you in Europe. Apple is only giving one year. Tells me they don’t trust their own products.
 
This is why I recently bought a 27-inch 2017 iMac and maxed out the ssd and ram myself. I came to the thinking that this may be the last great consumer level desktop apple makes before they go and **** that up as well. :)
Me too! I bought a very similar iMac in 2017, and like you, it may be my last if Apple continues with its recent hardware issues.
 
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I've bought AppleCare for every iPhone, Mac & iPad I have purchased for the past 20 years and it has been used on every device except for my iPad 9.7 Pro. Even in the Steve Jobs era, my Macs would have some hardware issue. However, they were usually random issues and not due to poor engineering.

All that being said, I love my MBP 2017. I love the weight, the speed, the looks. But I think Apple can still make these machines without sacrificing quality. Ive runs rampant with his design visions and there is no one to reign him in OR push the engineers to build a quality product off those designs.

And I thought electronics and computers became very reliable after 1980s. In the last 20+ years the only device that failed for me was a Sony TV set but this happened after 9 years of use. Ironically this was the only device for which I did buy extended warranty (5 years).
 
I've bought AppleCare for every iPhone, Mac & iPad I have purchased for the past 20 years and it has been used on every device except for my iPad 9.7 Pro. Even in the Steve Jobs era, my Macs would have some hardware issue. However, they were usually random issues and not due to poor engineering.

All that being said, I love my MBP 2017. I love the weight, the speed, the looks. But I think Apple can still make these machines without sacrificing quality. Ive runs rampant with his design visions and there is no one to reign him in OR push the engineers to build a quality product off those designs.
if I had to use my warranty to replace something broken on every single device I bought from a company, I would be looking fast at a new provider.


I'm not sure what you're doing is considered "sane" by the old addage "
Insanity Is Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Expecting Different Results"
 
why not both?

is the relentless persuit of "thin" bad? I don't think so. I would love to have a laptop that's the thickness of the MacBook, but the power of the highest end gaming desktop. I don't think this desire is foolish at all.

What IS foolish is attempting to do it, when the technology isn't capable of doing it, but pushing forwards with it anyways. This is where the anecdotes of Steve Jobs makes a lot of people wish for a return to days when someone had the power to tell the designers and engineers "Get the **** out of my office and fix it". Tim Cook, while a fantatic "bean counter", doesn't seem to have this power over the company. He doesn't seem to be able to tell the Designers "This isn't working, stop and be reasonable". This is how you wind up with a "pro" laptop, that has such poor thermals that it runs slower than cheaper laptops in it's own product line.

is it possible that future tech might be able to provide those super thin devices at highest end performance? maybe? as we have seen better and more power go into smaller form factors as miniaturization matures. The problem is, until the design spec meats what's actually possible, these types of things are going to keep happening with Apple.

At the same time as above, trying to do things that aren't technologically probable right now, they are also trying to do it at the cheapest possible cost to themselves as possible. cutting costs and corners, in order to maximize the profitability of every single unit sold, instead of ensuring that the units are built to quality standards they were once known for.

it's this combination of cost cutting cheapness, and designing themselves into corners that technology can't provide that has led us here. Laptops and computers that are prone to failure. Further exasperated by price points that should NOT be making these compromises.

you expect these sort of failures in < 5 year old computers from computers that cost 599 (or other dirt cheap windows laptops). Not $2000+ Apple computers.

I think the fundamental problem is this:

At first, like back in the original MacBook Air days, most of us consumers were totally 'wowed' by thin devices. At one time, a device that was unusually thin was pretty cool to most of us, and therefore, we bought them in droves.

But as the years have worn on and the pursuit of thinness has become subject to the law of diminishing returns, few people are blown away by the next iPhone or laptop that's a 'little' bit thinner. UNFORTUNATELY, Apple still seems to be in the mindset that "thinness SELLS".

Almost NO one is impressed by a little more thinness in products anymore ... but Apple doesn't seem to have any other ideas ... so all they got it 'lets make this one thinner'.

It's tired, and it isn't working. And it's becoming bad for their product lines.
 
This is what the relentless pursuit of profit gets you.

There, fixed your post for you.
You didn't fix anything for me. You are making a rather obvious point that Apple has traded on thinness as a distinguishing factor in its designs and has charged a premium accordingly.

Has it worked in the short term? Maybe. Will it blow up in Apple's face if it loses its long-standing reputation for quality and drives away customers who've paid these premium prices? Most definitely.
 
There are so many issues with so many products nowadays. Makes AC+ a necessity.

Or maybe move on to other products. I don't understand the logic that says, "since the company is lowering the quality of their products I'm going to give them MORE of my money." :eek:

Poor MrGimper has had hellfire rain on him for this post, but I think your response is the most succinct and painfully true one of them all.
 
I’ve been a Genius since 2016 and to date have seen zero of the reported symptoms described in this article. I’ve worked in three NYC stores & in Seattle while at Apple.

Obviously some people are having this issue, but if there was going to be a quality program I would’ve seen at least one of these. Not only have I not taken an appointment for this issue, but I’ve never seen any of my peers take one for this issue either.
 
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I’ve been a Genius since 2016 and to date have seen zero of the reported symptoms described in this article. I’ve worked in three NYC stores & in Seattle while at Apple.

Obviously some people are having this issue, but if there was going to be a quality program I would’ve seen at least one of these. Not only have I not taken an appointment for this issue, but I’ve never seen any of my peers take one for this issue either.

Give it time, my friend.

This is a long term wear and tear issue. You're not going to see a lot of this in the first couple years.
But years 4 and 5? Get back to us on how things are looking at that point.

Same thing with the 2011 MacBook Pro video card issue (for which apple eventually established an extended warranty for).
That didn't really start to bubble up to the surface big time until about 2015 or so.
 
and what happens when the cable fails after 2 years ?

Coverage is not the solution to a poor design on Apple's part.
Just saying, it’s often said by Apple that you have a 1 year guarantee. Which isn’t true in EU countries. You are covered for two years against faulty design, thanks to EU regulations. Of course, the UK right wing press don’t want to talk about good things that the EU does for us.
 
Both models fit in my back pack perfectly. 2015 model has ports that I use and a keyboard that doesn't freak out for no reason.

Yes, the thin models look really cool, and I am always impressed by the design and what Apple can pull off.

However we are left with a more expensive and less durable product that I am totally not into.
Yes you can. Because when you need to rely on your working tool, you would never switch to this awful keyboard, the annoying touchbar, the missing ports and now breaking display connections.
 
In this case I believe it to be true.
People opening and closing the lid too often and with too much force will eventually cause the problem. It's nothing to do with Apple cutting corners, it is people using the product improperly.

^^^ This! Why in the world don’t people use a laptop like they’re supposed to: Propped open and left on the desktop??? All these business people talking portable with them to meetings and on trips and everywhere they go, and those ridiculous students who insist on always closing the clamshell after each class in order to take their computers back to their dorms. Idiots, each and every one of them!

mathews_tongue.gif
 
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