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I used to rationalize the Apple Premium as "worth it" but that is not as clear as in the past

Same

For me, I need to have a Windows install for gaming anyhow (long story, but it's a "need" for me) so the picture gets even more muddied.

I find macOS native software quality has really started to evaporate and cross platform equivalents feel mostly the same all over.

I think Apple really lost the plot with so much punting on making their own first party "best in class" Mac apps. When you leave so much to third parties and go all in on cloud services -- suddenly many of us look around and wonder "why am I paying a premium for Mac hardware again??" (not sure)

None of this would even cross my mind if they'd not gouge our eyes out on absolutely horrendously rip off component upgrade pricing. The gall they have to charge what they do for RAM/SSD upgrades is staggering.

(typing all this in Firefox on Windows 11 in fact)
 
By then, Android will have copied all of iPhones software advantages and sell comparable hardware for much less.
By then, PCs will have copied all of Macs software advantages and sell comparable hardware for much less.
By then, Fire and other Android tables will have copied all of iPads software advantages and sell comparable hardware for much less.
Shall I go on?

So all of those don't seem like a winning strategy too? Else, why do we hold such things against only this SINGLE Apple product?

I actually agree that Meta probably has Vpro feature & benefit copiers on overdrive to try to make Oculus more Vpro-like. But it will still be Meta... just as the other player's phones are still Android... the other guy's computers are still PCs/Windows... the other guy's tablets are still Amazon/Android. I can't reconcile how there can be 50K+ threads passionately arguing the superiority of Apple iPhone, Apple Mac, Apple iPad/ASD/HPs/Watch/etc vs. all competitor offerings... but then have many of the same people so quick to marginalize Apple Vpro against obviously inferior hardware such as Meta Oculus.
I didn’t say it’s unique to VP, but you left out how Apple lost the smart home and AI market. They also lost their indomitable position in digital music and video. They recently waved the white flag on EVs.

So Apple does lose, and with VR, VP doesn’t leapfrog the competition the way iPhone and iPod did, and the biggest improvement in VR, one could argue, is not even Apple’s innovation, but Sony’s micro OLED.

While Apple has a formidable moat because of the ecosystem, Meta has a huge lead in VR software, and VP can’t compete in games because it’s dependent on finger gestures.

The jury is out, but Apple is looking vulnerable, if the rumor is true.
 
Yes... or never. I feel like this isn't going anywhere. But I'm still hoping for a really useful version of the AVP.

Could it be that Apple, like Meta, was genuinely surprised by the success of ChatGPT and the sudden demand for AI solutions? Like Meta, they have redirected most of their RND resources from other projects, including the AVP, to AI.
 
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I think the killer app for iPad IS content consumption

If that's the case, they need an even better, higher resolution, model out sooner rather than later.

A ton of folks would buy this just as an external screen (and then some!) for their Mac...but not if it's a downgrade from what they are used to with Retina screens all over (who can blame them).
 
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That's totally cool, much respect for the numbers people.
But, I stand by "Monkey no see. Monkey no do." is a factor.

Monkey no have apps at launch.

iPhone took off in large part because it was iterating off iPod which already had a content ecosystem AND at the time was subsidized by wireless providers...

That's what everyone was expecting if you go back and read the Macrumors forums at the time, the speculation in the lead up to launch was mostly about "an iPod with touchscreen controls" exactly as Steve referenced in his fake-out intro at MacWorld 2007.

People got what they were waiting for and more. Nobody was waiting for AVP.
 
Same

For me, I need to have a Windows install for gaming anyhow (long story, but it's a "need" for me) so the picture gets even more muddied.

I find macOS native software quality has really started to evaporate and cross platform equivalents feel mostly the same all over.

I think Apple really lost the plot with so much punting on making their own first party "best in class" Mac apps. When you leave so much to third parties and go all in on cloud services -- suddenly many of us look around and wonder "why am I paying a premium for Mac hardware again??" (not sure)

None of this would even cross my mind if they'd not gouge our eyes out on absolutely horrendously rip off component upgrade pricing. The gall they have to charge what they do for RAM/SSD upgrades is staggering.

(typing all this in Firefox on Windows 11 in fact)
At this point it's basically inertia that's keeping me in the Apple ecosystem. I've been a Mac user since 1987. I still prefer the Mac to Windows, but I don't really consider it better at this point. They both have certain advantages, but these days it's more about personal preference than one being a truly better product than the other. I feel largely the same about the iPhone vs. Android. Most of the iPhone advantages have evaporated in recent years.

I'm just used to how all of my Apple products work, and work together. The thought of switching platforms is daunting, but I've considered it and might very well give it a go when it comes time for me to upgrade. I'm rather tired of Apple's ridiculous price-gouging and, frankly, I'm no longer much of a fan of Apple, the company. I find their constant moralizing and nannying offensive and their hypocrisy these days makes me a bit sick to my stomach. I used to really love them as a company, but these days I find them quite off-putting.
 
At this point it's basically inertia that's keeping me in the Apple ecosystem. I've been a Mac user since 1987. I still prefer the Mac to Windows, but I don't really consider it better at this point. They both have certain advantages, but these days it's more about personal preference than one being a truly better product than the other. I feel largely the same about the iPhone vs. Android. Most of the iPhone advantages have evaporated in recent years.

I'm just used to how all of my Apple products work, and work together. The thought of switching platforms is daunting, but I've considered it and might very well give it a go when it comes time for me to upgrade. I'm rather tired of Apple's ridiculous price-gouging and, frankly, I'm no longer much of a fan of Apple, the company. I find their constant moralizing and nannying offensive and their hypocrisy these days makes me a bit sick to my stomach. I used to really love them as a company, but these days I find them quite off-putting.

You and I sound like we are totally in sync -- Your post could have written by me, as I feel exactly the same and have a similar length of time in the Apple ecosystem.

This time I've been spending with Windows 11 mostly exclusively (I do have an old MBP for iMessage here, along with iPad/iPhone) has really been eye opening for me.

I even migrated my Music over and I love having an "old" version of iTunes on here. Synced up my music to my iPhone just now and it was smooth and fast, as is just "using the App" -- every bit as much as the now overbloated Apple Music app is.
 
There are Chinese companies making wireless buds with charging cases that have little screens for playback and slots for both SD cards and SIMs. So the case becomes a DAP and a phone.

But yeah. There are no new ideas in tech, so…

Really!?

Any links?

I'd love to look into that

I hate having to tote around my iPhone at the gym, just so my AirPods have a source to pull my Music from
 
I disagree.
Fair enough, but when would you need headphones without having your phone or watch nearby? Why would I want another device that I need to manage, pay for data service, etc? If I'm on a hike or at the gym, I have my phone or watch. I just honestly can't think of any reason one would need storage, a SIM slot, etc. in a headphone charging case. It's totally redundant.
 
If I'm on a hike or at the gym, I have my phone or watch.

For me, at the gym, I'd love to not have my phone with me
(I don't have an AW -- Garmin user and my model doesn't have music built in as an option)

I shuffle play from the same local music list all the time and thus "AirPods Shuffle" as an all in one solution would be INCREDIBLE for my usages.
 
Really!?

Any links?

I'd love to look into that

I hate having to tote around my iPhone at the gym, just so my AirPods have a source to pull my Music from


IKKO makes the most advanced one:


Cheaper versions with just the player exist too:

 
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IKKO makes the most advanced one:


Cheaper versions with just the player exist too:


I'm confused - do you have to stay in range of that Case then though?
(for me that's not much better than just keeping my iPhone in range)
 
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You and I sound like we are totally in sync -- Your post could have written by me, as I feel exactly the same and have a similar length of time in the Apple ecosystem.

This time I've been spending with Windows 11 mostly exclusively (I do have an old MBP for iMessage here, along with iPad/iPhone) has really been eye opening for me.

I even migrated my Music over and I love having an "old" version of iTunes on here. Synced up my music to my iPhone just now and it was smooth and fast, as is just "using the App" -- every bit as much as the now overbloated Apple Music app is.
Music is one of the main reasons I stick with Apple. I have a huge digital library outside of Apple Music. I'm an Apple Music subscriber, but I basically consider it try-before-you-buy. If I love something, I still buy lossless DRM-free audio files and add them to my home library.

I wish there was a music service other than Apple that offered a desktop client and proper support for owned libraries. I wish Apple did more, feature-wise, when it comes to owned libraries, but I'm glad they at least continue to support my huge library and allow me to somewhat integrate it with my Apple Music files.

I've also been spending a bit of time with Windows 11 lately and it has been eye-opening for me as well. I had to work with Windows some years ago and always thought it was crap. But today's Windows has come a very long way. I think we Apple fans often live in an echo-chamber. Apple isn't the leader it once was.
 
But today's Windows has come a very long way. I think we Apple fans often live in an echo-chamber. Apple isn't the leader it once was.

I wonder if anyone at Apple even cares that they have devoted customers for nearly 40 years that are looking around at the alternatives?

This should not be the situation if the leadership were doing its job (IMO)
 
For me, at the gym, I'd love to not have my phone with me
(I don't have an AW -- Garmin user and my model doesn't have music built in as an option)

I shuffle play from the same local music list all the time and thus "AirPods Shuffle" as an all in one solution would be INCREDIBLE for my usages.
Why not just get a cheap Apple Watch for the gym? Headphones with an OS, built-in storage, etc. would surely cost as much, if not more, than a basic Apple Watch + AirPods. Then you have to worry about your headphone case (because it's likely that's where the data will be stored) while you're at the gym, which basically presents the same problems as having one's phone at the gym. You'll need to stay close enough to the case for Bluetooth to work, so that means keeping it on you. A basic Apple Watch solves all of these problems.
 
Why not just get a cheap Apple Watch for the gym? Headphones with an OS, built-in storage, etc. would surely cost as much, if not more, than a basic Apple Watch + AirPods. Then you have to worry about your headphone case (because it's likely that's where the data will be stored) while you're at the gym, which basically presents the same problems as having one's phone at the gym. You'll need to stay close enough to the case for Bluetooth to work, so that means keeping it on you. A basic Apple Watch solves all of these problems.

What if you don’t want to wear an Apple Watch? Maybe because you already have several nice mechanical watches and have no intention whatsoever of replacing them with Apple’s toys?
 
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Why not just get a cheap Apple Watch for the gym?

I'm in the Garmin ecosystem (and vastly prefer it for my fitness/health/activity/sleep tracking usages), otherwise I might.

I hope Garmin releases a new model of the style I prefer (Instinct Crossover for me, but anything Instinct would work) that has the built in Music option.

That would solve it for me
 
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I suppose so, yeah. The case replaces your phone for data to the buds. It’s a 4g connection. The case talks to the buds over Bluetooth.
What's the point? You either have your phone in your pocket or your headphone case in your pocket? How is loading your headphone case with music any better than loading your iPhone with music? I have 400GB of music on my iPhone. I never have to worry about streaming anything over 4G. And I don't have to pay for yet another line for a one-trick pony device. There's absolutely nothing remotely innovative or compelling about a headphone case that can play music in today's world. A basic smart watch is a much better solution.
 
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