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We can go back and forth and argue the merits of each product, which I don't think serves anyone, i.e., I disagree with the nMP being a joke, though I think its over priced and doesn't fit my needs.

Fair enough. But for example, what I'm saying is that I would say that the original iMac is an example of revolutionary (I was studying computer science when it came out and I remember the impact it had). By comparison attaching someone else's 5k panel to an existing iMac design is just keeping up with the times.
 
Everything you are saying was said about the air.

So name something the rMB is doing that the Air did not fill?

Before the Air there was no such product offering from Apple, it was big bulky systems. The first gen Air was roasted because it was slow simply due to the technology for HDDs not being suitable yet at that size.

However, what they have done with the rMB is neglected the Air (already a small computing line) for a couple years, then throw in a slower CPU (the core-m) and add a retina display (and remove a few ports, etc), then call it something new.

They already had this product before, they decided in favor of letting it stagnate a bit in hopes of a "OH MY LOOK A NEW PRODUCT LINE!".

It ISN'T new, it is just what the Air would have been, except for a slower CPU.
 
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I have loved the stores since day 1 - literally. And I mostly still do. They tend to be a bit more crowded these days and the kids providing the service seem younger and less informed (to be fair it probably is that I am much older and more of a geek than they are).

The employees now are terrible at sizing up customers to know if they are experienced with Apple products and computers in general or not. Whenever I go in that store for something now I feel like the first five minutes I am trying to make clear that I know what I am talking about and don't need to hear basic rundowns and corporate sales pitches on iCloud or whatever else Apple is pushing at the moment like I am a 65 year old grandmother with her first iPhone.

 
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You think the number one selling smartphone worldwide in 2015 is a mediocre floundering product? What are you talking about?

In global smartphone sales for 2015, Samsung outsold Apple by nearly 100 million phones. At least according to IDC. Maybe you have a different source?
 
...The products over the past 5 years have universally been garbage...

That is simply a false statement, but if you really believe it, then why are you even here? Either you really are some sort of paid troll, or you really need to go find something to do that makes you happy without hurling scorn and vitriol just for the sake of it. Nobody is forcing you to use Apple products that you think are garbage. Go buy your Android and your Windows items and sing their praises on the appropriate Android and Windows forums.
 
The employees now are terrible at sizing up customers to know if they are experienced with Apple products and computers in general or not. Whenever I go in that store for something now I feel like the first five minutes I am trying to make clear that I know what I am talking about...

Apple's new target market isn't you or I though. It is the clueless base consumer buying a computing appliance. Now, I think that's a HUGE mistake for Apple, or at least if they are going to go that direction, don't *just* go there but do it alongside the existing Apple-loyalists.

From what it appears, Apple has basically said.... what we've learned from the iPhone/iPod is that there's more money to be made in computing appliances, than in catering to the pros, creatives, visionaries, entrepreneurs, etc. You know, that 'Think Different' crowd. And, they are right in the short term.
 
The employees now are terrible at sizing up customers to know if they are experienced with Apple products and computers in general or not. Whenever I go in that store for something now I feel like the first five minutes I am trying to make clear that I know what I am talking about and don't need to hear basic rundowns and corporate sales pitches on iCloud or whatever else Apple is pushing at the moment like I am a 65 year old grandmother with her first iPhone.

Me too, I alway wanna say cut the BS an leave me alone... I know what em up to lol
 
Maybe just the relationship between Virginia Tech LOL ...... still remember the insane old Xserve Grid? Back than, SJ did focus on Pro User stuff, like PowerMac, Xserve, WebObject......etc and some cutting edge stuff.. and now it seems all about fashion, China, diversity....hmm

Chasing success instead of creating it.

Fashion is about trying to be the popular thing. China is actually a huge new market, but expanding sales isn't the same as innovating, but looks similar on spreadsheets. Diversity, again, about popularity and PR.
 
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Because, I think that's probably one of the most affluent spots in the country. Perfect to test out the early stores, without being right in the back-yard.
Maybe just the relationship between Virginia Tech LOL ...... still remember the insane old Xserve Grid? Back than, SJ did focus on Pro User stuff, like PowerMac, Xserve, WebObject......etc and some cutting edge stuff.. and now it seems all about fashion, China, diversity....hmm
 
It's times like this you realize how much Apple did in 2001-2011 and how little Apple has done over the past 5 years.

You mean like the new MacPro, the apple watch, 4k and 5k iMacs, retina phones, Retina MacBook Pros, and the incredibly thin Retina Macbook

Edit: Removed the iPad and crossed out the iPhone, as I was incorrect on the timing

Simply making a screen higher resolution or a laptop thinner is not really that super inventive. Those ideas were already conjured and were waiting technology to catch up. The MacPro is super neat but the watch falls short. Why is it square? Why did they not incorporate the rotating face similar to the original iPod wheel? Why is the navigation between glances and app screens so convoluted that often times the user completely forgets the value of the device? Sharing heartbeats and getting false heartrate readings while exercising really make the watch out to be one very expensive notification band. Whereas the iMac brought Apple back from the grave, the iPod changed the way we listen to music, the iPhone created an entirely new way we interact.... the iPad was meant to change education but Apple forgot it's purpose...

You can see the excitement in that video of Jobs walking through the store. You can see how thrilled he is to show the world his new baby. The new management is simply that - new management.

Apple celebrates the past so much more than focusing on the future. Forget what matters most and one day these stores will be sold off one by one and turned into stores like SEPHORA. Or maybe that's Tim's newest goal, own, lease and run REAL ESTATE.
 
Why put one of your first stores in a random place like Virginia?

Tysons corner is a very very wealthy part of Virginia that's why.
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Maybe just the relationship between Virginia Tech LOL ...... still remember the insane old Xserve Grid? Back than, SJ did focus on Pro User stuff, like PowerMac, Xserve, WebObject......etc and some cutting edge stuff.. and now it seems all about fashion, China, diversity....hmm
Lol tysons corner is about 5 hours from Blacksburg and VA Tech.
 
Apple store employees today, as soon as they sniff you are familiar with the Mac ecosystem they try to snob you and walk away. They are looking for gullible people who are not familiar with memory/speed etc. so they can peddle their overpriced iPhones with bumps, slow retina MacBooks, neutered Mac mini and outdated Mac Pro with ancient 2011 Apple Display. They they will finish you off with Apple care, iCloud, gift cards etc.
 
Just off the top of my head. iPod, xserve, mac mini, mac pro, the switch to intel, the unibody macbooks, iphone, ipad, and apple TV.

After Steve Jobs died....slower and slower macs, different sized ipads and iphones, and Apple watch. And rose gold. We can't forget rose gold.

I already addressed iPods, iPhones and iPads.

So let's look at everything else:

xServe: agreed... that was new... but it obviously wasn't long for this world... cancelled after 8 years
Mac Mini: a new form-factor... but still a Mac
Mac Pro: yet another Mac
Switch to Intel: agreed... and it needed to happen since PowerPC was reaching its limits
Unibody Macbooks: a new form-factor... but still a Macbook
Apple TV: agreed

So out of your list... I only see 3 things that were totally new during that time... but only two that are still around today (goodbye Xserve)

Look... I understand the argument: "Apple isn't making as many new things as they did 10-15 years ago"

Well gee... maybe everything has already been made by now? :)

Going from 5 products to 10 products is a lot easier than going from 10 products to 20 products. You also have to consider the maturity of various markets. These aren't startups starting from scratch.

Ford already has products in nearly every practical category: cars, trucks, busses, vans, crossovers, SUVs, etc. Are you gonna punish them for not coming up with some totally new type of transportation? :D
 
I already addressed iPods, iPhones and iPads.

So let's look at everything else:

xServe: agreed... that was new... but it obviously wasn't long for this world... cancelled after 8 years
Mac Mini: a new form-factor... but still a Mac
Mac Pro: yet another Mac
Switch to Intel: agreed... and it needed to happen since PowerPC was reaching its limits
Unibody Macbooks: a new form-factor... but still a Macbook
Apple TV: agreed

So out of your list... I only see 3 things that were totally new during that time... and only two that are still around today (goodbye Xserve)

Look... I understand the argument: "Apple isn't making as many new things as they did 10-15 years ago"

Well gee... maybe everything has already been made by now? :)

Going from 5 products to 10 products is a lot easier than going from 10 products to 20 products. You also have to consider the maturity of various markets. These aren't startups starting from scratch.

Ford already has products in nearly every practical category: cars, trucks, busses, vans, crossovers, SUVs, etc. Are you gonna punish them for not coming up with some totally new type of transportation? :D

I think a big part of the problem is the people who are complaining grew up between 2001-now and were used to crazy new inventions and new products every couple years. They do not know much about or remember the 30 years of computers just getting a little faster year after year before the iPhone changed the game. They don't remember the decades of tv being the same before set top boxes. They have a very narrow view of how technology evolves and are expecting the breakthroughs to happen way more frequently than they actually hostorically do.
 
Ford already has products in nearly every practical category: cars, trucks, busses, vans, crossovers, SUVs, etc. Are you gonna punish them for not coming up with some totally new type of transportation? :D

Why do we always have to compare technology companies to car companies? It is hardly the same, but we would criticize Ford for not developing new technologies for those cars, we would also not buy their product. Why should Apple be different?

Car companies are constantly trying to add new features and drivetrain innovations, Apple seems to drive their innovation these days by "thinner!".
 
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The first Apple Store outside of the U.S. opened on November 30, 2003 in Tokyo, Japan, and the company now operates over 475 stores in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates.
And yet still no Apple Store in my country. Not even an online Apple Store, they redirect you to resellers.
 
Why do we always have to compare technology companies to car companies? It is hardly the same, but we would criticize Ford for not developing new technologies for those cars, we would also not buy their product. Why should Apple be different?

Car companies are constantly trying to add new features and drivetrain innovations, Apple seems to drive their innovation these days by "thinner!".
You're ignoring a LOT of updates and changes Apple has added to their products over the last decade. they have a lot more than just thinner bodies differentiating them from their predecessors.
 
Apple has certainly made positive strides in their stores. I know Angela Arhendts is behind the scenes with this, but she will always remembered how she botched the Apple Watch Preorder. Not a fan of her. She was better off at Burberry.
 
You're ignoring a LOT of updates and changes Apple has added to their products over the last decade. they have a lot more than just thinner bodies differentiating them from their predecessors.

"These days" is the key concept of my statement. I don't care what they did 10 years ago at this point, 10 years ago is .. 10 years ago.
 
It's sort of gratifying to see that even when I haven't checked in for a while I can still count on a MacRumors forum thread to be full of negativity and pessimism towards Apple.
 
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"These days" is the key concept of my statement. I don't care what they did 10 years ago at this point, 10 years ago is .. 10 years ago.

What do you want from them today? I have a short list of things I would change about today's products (flash only storage in desktops, 32GB base storage in iPhone, retina 5k update to Thunderbolt Display) but I also understand their product lines are mature and not going to have major changes anytime soon.

More important to me is that their software needs work. It's still the best option IMO but there are things (Apple Music/iTunes) that need to be rethought and simplified.
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In global smartphone sales for 2015, Samsung outsold Apple by nearly 100 million phones. At least according to IDC. Maybe you have a different source?

I suppose the metric I saw was measuring individual phones separately. The iPhone 6 outsold any other one phone by a fair margin. The 6 plus came in fifth. Galaxy S6 came in second.
 
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What do you want from them today? I have a short list of things I would change about today's products (flash only storage in desktops, 32GB base storage in iPhone, retina 5k update to Thunderbolt Display) but I also understand their product lines are mature and not going to have major changes anytime soon.

More important to me is that their software needs work. It's still the best option IMO but there are things (Apple Music/iTunes) that need to be rethought and simplified.

Start focusing on the user experience again
Start to unify lines rather than creating a new product with one or two differences
Fix dumb bugs like issues with screen rotation leaving things in the wrong place (really point number one)
Stop pushing out garbage like Maps, Apple Music and Siri. If you can't get it right, don't make people suffer through using it.
Let me pick my default programs, sorry Apple but you DON'T know what's best for all of your customers these days

Really all revolves around quality. I think they have spot on engineering for hardware (minus the thin crap).. those guys should get an award.
 
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