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I would like a UI where I can turn off functionality. I want Apple Music to play the songs I choose and that's it. I do not want my music in the cloud. Because Apple are so in love with themselves, they never QC the app when the customer doesn't put their music in the cloud.

Constant UI lock-ups asking me to give in.

So now they want to extend it with culture?
 
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I would like a UI where I can turn off functionality. I want Apple Music to play the songs I choose and that's it. I do not want my music in the cloud. Because Apple are so in love with themselves, they never QC the app when the customer doesn't put their music in the cloud.

Constant UI lock-ups asking me to give in.

So now they want to extend it with culture?
You've got me curious. Screenshot?
 
Sounds kind of like a cable TV model.

I dont want all my eggs in one basket, and I want the freedom to cancel or elect in to services at will, and not be anchored to one ecosystem because there's always something better out there.
 
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Do you also stay away from other streaming services just because you dislike a part of their content? I can see myself subscribing to something if I get the content I like and just ignore offerings that are not relevant to me.

Not typically (but in some cases yes). In this particular instance though because Apple Music is almost entirely mobile and my music app is already constantly hounding me to join Apple Music I just imagine that the new TV content will be shoved down my throat if I am subscribed. Because its primarily on mobile I am envisioning this advertisement being front and center on my screen about every time I launch the music app and it's just going to be annoying. Like all of the Apple Music advertising was when it was released. Maybe they won't do it this way it's just the scenario that keeps popping into my mind. Like another commenter mentioned though I could just cancel it at that point if they do so that's probably the direction I'll go. Apple just doesn't seem like they understand that industry and the ideas I have heard thus far for their content sounds very bad to me. Hope I am wrong though!
 
...but then Apple came up with a game-changing phone design. It may not have been the first smartphone but it dragged smartphones out of a niche and into the mainstream. Apple at the time were really, really good at UI design.

This time, what game are you gonna change? Netflix and Amazon are already doing well, with a growing catalog of "original*" content, so Apple are gonna be Johnny-come-lately. What are they going to bring to the party? A better UI? Maybe - Amazon's and Netflix's UIs are nothing to be proud of, especially on my FireTV, but what have Apple done in the last 5 years to show that they've still "got it" when it comes to UI design? Maps? Apple Music? iCloud?

Also, Netflix's original content is really, really good and they've developed a reputation for not interfering creatively. Yet to dive in to Amazon's "own" stuff but it looks like similar quality. Main problem is the poor/patchy coverage of movies and other series (e.g. "watch Big Movie Franchise III for free on Prime, parts I and II not available..." or "whoops, that series you were half-way through just got pulled for licensing reasons") I guess this is because of the traditional studios being silly with licensing & is probably why they're concentrating on original stuff.

(*where "original" is a mixture of actually commissioned by Netflix/Amazon and "exclusive to Netflix in your region")

Those are all good questions. My point is that someone hearing a little more than a decade ago that Apple was developing a phone could've asked a similar set of questions, because they're all based on an assumption that there are no more new ways to do any of the things that the others are already doing. In the case of the iPhone, it really wasn't even until after the first phone was out and the app store was introduced that the real potential of the device took off. Yes, previous devices had apps, but they were scattered around as to where to get them and whether to trust them, they could often be quite costly, and the user interfaces were so variable, that it was generally a given that an application should come with an instruction book. All that changed after the app store opened. iOS was also the vanguard for ongoing free OS upgrades, a thing that later followed for OSX and then totally gut-punched Microsoft in the profit center as they were forced to follow suit. That's really bad for a company in business to sell operating systems at a couple hundred bucks a pop. As Steve Ballmer was scoffing at the initial iPhone release, there is no way he would have ever imagined that it would lead to that eventuality.

So I say again, who knows exactly what Apple has in mind with in-house content development? It could be a total blunder, or there could be a paradigm shift afoot. Looking at all the things as they are currently and declaring that everything that can be done has been done already is not a wise method for assessing Apple's future strategies.
 
How about Apple cannot expand into new software/media fields until 99.999% of the products they currently sell have a very high user satisfaction rating AND are generally acknowledged as being at or near the top for their purpose? Isn't going to happen ( and won't happen with any other company either ) but I miss things working reliably on Apple products. And not having to search the Internet to find out why some previously stable Apple product isn't working because of some cat-fight between Apple and another piece of software with Apple quietly disabling that software through an update when there aren't many working alternatives.
 
While I'm desperately hoping I'm just not patient enough and great things are on their way down that famous pipeline, I'm getting just a little uneasy about Apple exclusively following the money trail lately under Cook et al. Or are they slowly becoming a rudderless entity floating in a sea of confusion and indecision?

While they appear to be striving to be number One in innovation in all of their pursued areas of interest, the reality currently has them trailing in certain areas. What happened to the mantra of doing a select few things really well?

All I want is a great computer with the latest components and connectivity options, that just works without too many hiccups with the integrated software and applications, but I feel that at the rate Apple is innovating in that arena lately (or even merely updating current lines like the MacPro, Mini or even their Airport routers), sometime in the future I may have to sadly look for my computing needs elsewhere.

Letting the above mentioned lines languish, literally for years, reinforces my belief that great computing experiences are no longer at the top of Apple's priorities, or even in their mission statement, but have given way to maximizing ROI for the shareholders ahead of all else, which is a definite departure from the 'Steve' years, and without doubt a recipe for long-term decline.

That would be a sad future for a once great company.

If Apple were pursuing short-term ROI for shareholders, they'd be pumping out new macs with every bell and whistle possible, and chasing down maxed-out specs with every quarterly release. That would really be "without doubt a recipe for long-term decline." In truth, the 'Steve' years were never about pushing out hardware updates just to keep up with the Joneses. Quite the opposite. It's specifically because Apple (then and now) pursues the 'it just works' goal that they've never released hardware that's just a jumble of the screaming-fastest, cutting-edgiest components that can be soldered together. That's what their competition does, because it's the only way to differentiate one Windows machine from the next.
 
What happened to the mantra of doing a select few things really well?

Amen. And let's not forget Apple's other boast: It just works. Neither mantras are true any longer. Perhaps it a symptom of being their size. I read somewhere that thousands of staff were involved in a single development task that would have been accomplished with a dozen persons decades before.

Many Mac veterans and loyalists are concerned that Apple has abandoned its desktop products. In fairness, PC sales have been on a steady decline for years now. I suspect that's only true for consumers as businesses still rely on PC's for their work. Families don't need a PC now that everyone has his own mobile device. Still, it's possible that Apple's neglect of the iMac is perpetuating the lackluster sales.
 
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Amen. And let's not forget Apple's other boast: It just works. Neither mantras are true any longer. Perhaps it a symptom of being their size. I read somewhere that thousands of staff were involved in a single development task that would have been accomplished with a dozen persons decades before.

Many Mac veterans and loyalists are concerned that Apple has abandoned its desktop products. In fairness, PC sales have been on a steady decline for years now. I suspect that's only true for consumers as businesses still rely on PC's for their work. Families don't need a PC now that everyone has his own mobile device. Still, it's possible that Apple's neglect of the iMac is perpetuating the lackluster sales.

Remember when people said the same thing in the early 2000s?

Then Steve Jobs gave the market a reason, the 'digital hub', to keep buying PCs.

These days, it seems Apple's leadership is more concerned with letting public perception and popular opinion define the direction they take. Followers, not leaders.
 
Never used it, and probably never will.

I just want a Music App which is simple and easy to use.

jetAudio - best player I've used on iOS.

Nice dark UI, additional audio boosters available (optionally), no subscription annoyances - just YOUR music on the device. Does something I wish all apps would do... flips completely around if you are holding the device upside down. Give it a try. I think you'll like it.
 
If Tim Cook feels Apple needs to do this here's an idea: put all of Apple's content business into an arms length subsidiary, locate it in LA and let Eddy Cue run it. Make the content available on all platforms. Then bring in someone really good at an SVP level to take over iCloud, Siri, Maps etc. if Apple is going to get into content it can't be half-assed and Eddy Cue can't run that along with everything else on his plate.

This seems like a good idea if Apple is producing content for a new VR / AR platform (e.g. It feels like I'm front row of a concert). Otherwise it feels like bloat.
 
Maybe it's because I am over 60, but this is just another thing Apple is doing that I have no interest in. Why would I want to watch video on a small screen? And as far as I am concerned, a 15" MBP is a small screen. An Apple car? Not in my garage. Their cloud service is something I don't want since it doesn't work as I think it should AND after Apple loosing all the information I had in the cloud, twice, I am not going to give them a third chance on it.
Give me a desktop worth owning that is upgradeable, good iphones, and decent programs which AFAIAC itunes isn't. Last but not least, put in the ability to alphabetize bookmarks in Safari natively ( )

I think Mac Performance Guides is right when he talks about core rot at Apple.
 
Didn't Apple already try this music social media thang? Anybody remember "Ping!"? Of course you don't. Apple, stop trying soooo hard.
 
I can't believe Tim Cook is gonna FORCE everyone to watch these shows.

Oh wait..there could be some interesting content here. If not then I won't watch it. Crisis averted :)
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Maybe I'm missing a few data points, but I really don't understand Apple's lust to focus on markets it doesn't belong in.

Perhaps to move into new markets and continue growth? I'll just give Lord Sugar a call to check.
 
jetAudio - best player I've used on iOS.

Nice dark UI, additional audio boosters available (optionally), no subscription annoyances - just YOUR music on the device. Does something I wish all apps would do... flips completely around if you are holding the device upside down. Give it a try. I think you'll like it.

Cheers, will have a look. (I've actually hung onto my trusty 3GS because of the music app)
 
Apple you make computers !!! Or used to.

You have massive egos in the company , with no one regining them in. The Beats guys could care less about apple, they are just expanding their influence and personal status.

Forget pop culture , worry about the culture within apple. You are moving away from engineers to too cool for school crowd.
Jeez, I want a new Mac mini but I'm not bitching about everything the company does just because they haven't given me a new mini. It is possible to have both, computers and content. You aren't happy with the releases, I'm with you, but you sound like a whiney little kid. The beats guys don't make computers or design computers, so your hate towards them seems uncalled for here.
 
Yes. Another television subscription service is exactly what everyone needs and is dying to pay for after Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime and who knows what else.

Brilliant thinking, Apple.
 
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