When was Gruber a reputable journalist?
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Gruber: Apple TV is Sold at Cost, HomePod at Slight Loss
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When was Gruber a reputable journalist?
So the stereo pairing working well? I’m thinking of adding a 2nd.
I can tell who listens to his podcasts and who doesn’t. Gruber takes Apple to task often. Almost every episode of his podcast especially if the Mac keyboard is involved. For example, he recently argued that the pay to play model for game apps is unethical. Don’t think Apple PR would green light those talking points.
Suspiciously timed release when Apple has been getting a lot of bad press lately on Privacy, Quality Control, Sales decreases, Ignorant/Bullheaded company statements. I smell BS here.
Having Apple install RAM has always been expensive. But yeah. Having more RAM is better. I sure don't regret having them put more in my Air a few years back.
Look, businesses exist to make money. If Apple didn't make a solid profit, they would not put out anything. I'm happy with the gear I've bought from them over the years, and I don't mind paying more to get good gear, that I enjoy using. If you feel differently, Dell and Samsung are just up the road. But slamming a business for making money is just backwards.
I don't understand the withdrawl from the home router business at all, from an "ecosystem" point of view. I get that the last generation of AirPort devices was pretty outdated but they did work well and there's clearly a lot Apple could've brought to the table in the next generation of router.
Then how come Apple’s gross margins are consistently around 38%? And this is with a higher percentage of revenues coming from services which have a 62% gross margin. If Apple’s hardware was overpriced wouldn’t its gross margins be going up ?
I dont see how a Apple TV 4K can cost that much to make when Google has a 4K Chromecast for 80$
Most people use the router supplied by their internet provider. I think they all probably include WiFi capability now, which wasn’t the case 20 years ago when Apple debuted AirPort. The demand is just not there anymore.
Very difficult to believe unless Apple has changed its costing and accounting with new innovative methods
If this is really indeed true then Apple has to worry more because they are the most expensive among others in terms of pricing HomePod and Apple TV. None this work beyond Apple ecosystem yet they are expensive. Chromecast does almost everything by Apple TV costs way less...
If this is really indeed true then Apple has to worry more because they are the most expensive among others in terms of pricing HomePod and Apple TV. None this work beyond Apple ecosystem yet they are expensive. Chromecast does almost everything by Apple TV costs way less...
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I hear you on both counts. Usually some Apple fanboys come on here saying Siri is just as good as Google Now but forget to mention the search results are garbage and Siri can do almost nothing.
As for a selling at a loss the Apple TV, that is the biggest lie ever! The device can hardly do anything and Ruko and chrome casts are much better than Apple TVs. Not to mention the cheap Apple TV remote, which is a perfect example of form or functionality (looks nice, sucks crap).
Apple homepod is a fantastic speaker, if only they added 15 dollars of hardware (bluetooth and an audio in), their sales would be wildly more. BUT APPLE decided to be greedy and only work well with Apple devices. Could be so much more if Tim Cook was a real leader.
Yes, but apparently branding costs too. And that's Apple's problem today. You're paying for the Apple logo on the front, just like people overpay for designer clothing.
Apple has lost its way, counting on its "street cred" to keep sales up when it offers mediocre products.
Honestly, there was a long streak there where I'd try to buy just about any new product Apple released. Every time I initially questioned if it was worth the price, I quickly decided it was somehow "more than the sum of its parts" when I got my hands on it and actually used it. That's what the company has historically been really good at. The UI and the whole product look and feel, plus the vision to address so many little things that you'd learn to appreciate as you used said product for a while was really rewarding. Just listing the hardware specs vs. competitor X and their specs wasn't so meaningful.
These days, it's just not like that anymore. I looked at the HomePod and said, "This just isn't doing it for me.... Gotta take a pass on it." I wound up buying a pair of Amazon Echo Dot 3rd. gen." units over the holidays and got SO much more utility out of them for only $50. I mean, sure a HomePod sounds pretty good .... but I wouldn't say it sounds much better than the latest UE Boom bluetooth speakers, which cost less, are waterproof, and now have Alexa built in. And in my case? I can plug external speakers into an Echo Dot or output it to any bluetooth speaker destination too.
These types of integrated wireless speakers (optionally with a voice assistant added) are a pretty crowded market segment and Apple didn't bring anything to the game that really changed anything.
When I got my first Apple watch, it was the same way. I wouldn't have paid that much for one, except it was an anniversary gift from my wife. That's what forced me to wear it and keep it, really, more than because the product was so good. I could justify wearing it and found a few things it was handy for.... but it was pretty "ho hum" to me. I skipped 2 generations of them after that, and finally upgraded. It's gotten incrementally better with each version, which is fine. That's what ANY electronics gadget maker should be doing. I'd say I even "like" it at this point. But I don't think it was nearly the big deal Apple tried to sell it as. It was the best of a category of "smart watches" that paired to cellphones that was struggling and doing slow sales already. Not a high bar for Apple to beat.
Apple has lost its way, counting on its "street cred" to keep sales up when it offers mediocre products.
Honestly, there was a long streak there where I'd try to buy just about any new product Apple released. Every time I initially questioned if it was worth the price, I quickly decided it was somehow "more than the sum of its parts" when I got my hands on it and actually used it. That's what the company has historically been really good at. The UI and the whole product look and feel, plus the vision to address so many little things that you'd learn to appreciate as you used said product for a while was really rewarding. Just listing the hardware specs vs. competitor X and their specs wasn't so meaningful.
These days, it's just not like that anymore. I looked at the HomePod and said, "This just isn't doing it for me.... Gotta take a pass on it." I wound up buying a pair of Amazon Echo Dot 3rd. gen." units over the holidays and got SO much more utility out of them for only $50. I mean, sure a HomePod sounds pretty good .... but I wouldn't say it sounds much better than the latest UE Boom bluetooth speakers, which cost less, are waterproof, and now have Alexa built in. And in my case? I can plug external speakers into an Echo Dot or output it to any bluetooth speaker destination too.
These types of integrated wireless speakers (optionally with a voice assistant added) are a pretty crowded market segment and Apple didn't bring anything to the game that really changed anything.
When I got my first Apple watch, it was the same way. I wouldn't have paid that much for one, except it was an anniversary gift from my wife. That's what forced me to wear it and keep it, really, more than because the product was so good. I could justify wearing it and found a few things it was handy for.... but it was pretty "ho hum" to me. I skipped 2 generations of them after that, and finally upgraded. It's gotten incrementally better with each version, which is fine. That's what ANY electronics gadget maker should be doing. I'd say I even "like" it at this point. But I don't think it was nearly the big deal Apple tried to sell it as. It was the best of a category of "smart watches" that paired to cellphones that was struggling and doing slow sales already. Not a high bar for Apple to beat.
Haha. Apple will sell it at loss? No way. Apple gets at least 30% profit.
That's been his MO for years. No, I'm not a fan.
At least not intentionally. They aren’t making much on the iPhone SEs on clearance. But they wouldn’t introduce a product at cost or a loss. AppleTV and HomePod aren’t razors. You aren’t required to buy anything else to keep an AppleTV or HomePod functional. Sure, they want you to buy movies or subscribe to Apple Music but both are perfectly functional on their own.
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He’s delusional. I like his insight when he isn’t delving into politics, but this post sounds like something even Rene Ritchie would be reluctant to make.
There’s no way the Apple TV is at cost. If it is, then Apple’s best investment with their wads of cash would be in building tracts of affordable housing so they can flatten their design engineers salaries with housing options. That’s an absurd statement that’s being made.
Apple isn’t perfect by any means. But if you want a computer, cellphone, watch and tablet, what manufacturer offers a better option? Keep in mind, in no way am I saying any of those products don’t have issues, or couldn’t be improved.
But what I am saying is that for me, I’d rather have a Mac than any Windows or Linux PC. I’d rather have an iPhone than any Android phone (even if it were given to me free.) I’d rather have a Series 4 Apple Watch than any other smart watch. And I’d rather have an iPad than any other tablet. I could throw AirPods and HomePod in there as well.
But by all means, I’d like a “better” iPhone, Mac, Watch, etc. And by better I mean more reliable, faster, longer lasting, etc. And sure, cheaper would be great too
Seems very hard to believe given the main cost of the Apple TV is presumably the A10X. That only costs around $35. Probably less now it's older.
I wonder if they mean they are getting rid of them at cost using backchannel promotions. Like selling HomePads cheap on eBay or giving Apple TVs away with DirectTV subscriptions. That I could believe. I got my Apple TV 4K for free effectively. Doubt they made much of a profit on that.
I wonder if they mean they are getting rid of them at cost using backchannel promotions. Like selling HomePads cheap on eBay or giving Apple TVs away with DirectTV subscriptions. That I could believe. I got my Apple TV 4K for free effectively. Doubt they made much of a profit on that.
Apple isn’t perfect by any means. But if you want a computer, cellphone, watch and tablet, what manufacturer offers a better option? Keep in mind, in no way am I saying any of those products don’t have issues, or couldn’t be improved.
But what I am saying is that for me, I’d rather have a Mac than any Windows or Linux PC. I’d rather have an iPhone than any Android phone (even if it were given to me free.) I’d rather have a Series 4 Apple Watch than any other smart watch. And I’d rather have an iPad than any other tablet. I could throw AirPods and HomePod in there as well.
But by all means, I’d like a “better” iPhone, Mac, Watch, etc. And by better I mean more reliable, faster, longer lasting, etc. And sure, cheaper would be great too
I appreciate what is better for you, but I don’t think Apple makes the best of anything these days. In every category you mention, there are better products, often cheaper (not always). Is there another single brand other than Apple that makes all of those items you mention as well as Apple, overall, probably not, but if people could see pass the brand, they would see there are plenty of very good (better) alternatives.