Apple new product rumours and general news

[platinumsage]

Yep. Chromebook v Macbook. That's a valid comparison right there!

Not.

A better comparison would be the iPhone 12 Pro Max 128GB at £1099 vs the Galaxy S20 Ultra 128GB 5G at £1199.

Over five years the iPhone would be £18 a month, whereas I'd be dubious about the S20 lasting that long, despite being more expensive. Samsung have recently stated they will commit to three years worth of Android upgrades, which apparently is wonderfully generous of them. That would make the Galaxy £33 a month until it needed repalcing. Almost twice the price of the iPhone.

 

[pseudonarcissus]

Not sure what 'additional peace of mind' I'm missing out on, to be honest.

What I mean is, you are much more knowledgable about computers than me. You can use that knowledge to customise settings and adjust your system to achieve the privacy levels that give you peace of mind....I'm lazy and largely delegate privacy stuff to Apple. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with the default Google settings if they provided my phone OS, browser, email etc.

You pays your money and you takes your choice. I'm not trying to convert anyone.

(an "obsolete" 8 year old MacBook that can't run the new OS but OS10 will be supported for a few more years, a 2 year old MacBook Pro that can't either because Parallels/Windows10 takes up too much space (ironically to run Explorer10 for work ), and a 2 yo iPhone8 that does have the latest OS and has a few more years left in it)

 

[Spymaster]

A better comparisons would be the iPhone 12 Pro Max 128GB at £1099 vs the Galaxy S20 Ultra 128GB 5G at £1199

Over five years the iPhone would be £18 a month, whereas I'd be dubious about the S20 lasting that long, despite being more expensive. Samsung have recently stated they will commit to three years worth of Android upgrades, which apparently is wonderfully generous of them. That would make the Galaxy £33 a month until it needed repalcing. Almost twice the price of the iPhone.

Yep. You'll also get a lot more for your old iPhone when you sell it or trade it in than you would for a Samsung or 3 year old Huawei genocide-phone.

 

[editor]

A better comparison would be the iPhone 12 Pro Max 128GB at £1099 vs the Galaxy S20 Ultra 128GB 5G at £1199.

Over five years the iPhone would be £18 a month, whereas I'd be dubious about the S20 lasting that long, despite being more expensive. Samsung have recently stated they will commit to three years worth of Android upgrades, which apparently is wonderfully generous of them. That would make the Galaxy £33 a month until it needed repalcing. Almost twice the price of the iPhone.

Love the way you're picking out the highest possible end phones. Like's that what most typical users buy.

 

[editor]

sigh
Yes, lots of users are better off with cheap Chromebooks, they’re great. But, also for a lot of users they have limitations. So compare like with like. Top end Samsung vs iPhone, top end PC laptop against a Mac etc etc. Factor in life of product and years of OS support/upgrades. The difference is minimal.

Why are you always electing to compare 'top end' with 'top end'? Most average users have no need for 'top end' anything, which is exactly my point, but it's the only way you can stretch your argument to cover your claim that Apple products are somehow great value. If you can't afford them they're not good value, and there's plenty of equally capable machines that will do everything most average users need to do for far less. End of.

 

[editor]

What I mean is, you are much more knowledgable about computers than me. You can use that knowledge to customise settings and adjust your system to achieve the privacy levels that give you peace of mind....I'm lazy and largely delegate privacy stuff to Apple. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with the default Google settings if they provided my phone OS, browser, email etc.

You pays your money and you takes your choice. I'm not trying to convert anyone.

(an "obsolete" 8 year old MacBook that can't run the new OS but OS10 will be supported for a few more years, a 2 year old MacBook Pro that can't either because Parallels/Windows10 takes up too much space (ironically to run Explorer10 for work ), and a 2 yo iPhone8 that does have the latest OS and has a few more years left in it)

So how do you feel Google personally comprises your privacy to the point it justifies you spending loads more on a product? How do the privacy breaches manifest themselves in everyday life?

 

[platinumsage]

Love the way you're picking out the highest possible end phones. Like's that what most typical users buy.

Because that's a good comparison. Unlike some manufacturers, Apple don't make a massive range of products across all price points when considering only the upfront purchase cost. However when you consider the lifetime of the phone they're much better value than their equivalently priced competition.

Let's take their cheapest phone the SE at £399. How do you think this compares to the Galaxy A51 5G at £379 and which works out much cheaper over five years?

 

[editor]

Because that's a good comparison. Unlike some manufacturers, Apple don't make a massive range of products across all price points when considering only the upfront purchase cost. However when you consider the lifetime of the phone they're much better value than their equivalently priced competition.

Let's take their cheapest phone the SE at £399. How do you think this compares to the Galaxy A51 5G at £379 and which works out much cheaper over five years?

Why not compare with the Pixel 4a, which costs £80 quid less and matches it in every department - and quite probably exceeds it in others too.

https://store.google.com/gb/product/pixel_4a

Actually, this review confirms it. It's miles better than the more expensive SE:

The Google Pixel 4a took its sweet time getting to market, but if you look at the sheer value proposition, it's really hard to find a better phone for the money. For $349, it offers a bigger display than the iPhone SE, a sleeker design, faster charging and a Night Mode for its camera that outshines Apple. Plus you get double the storage for $50 less than the iPhone SE.

Google Pixel 4a vs iPhone SE: Which phone wins?

The Pixel 4a and iPhone SE are two of the best cheap phones yet. Here’s how they stack up.

www.tomsguide.com

It has a flagship-quality camera, a great screen, and appealing design, and has enough power to get the job done. Apple's compact option, while certainly a compelling and wallet-friendlier alternative to the iPhone 11 line, doesn't necessarily convince us to spend an additional 20% over the Pixel 4a.

Google Pixel 4a vs Apple iPhone SE: Which is best? | Stuff

Which smaller, cheaper flagship alternative is the one worth wielding?

www.stuff.tv

etc etc

 

[platinumsage]

Why not compare with the Pixel 4a, which costs £80 quid less and matches it in every department - and quite probably exceeds it in others too.

https://store.google.com/gb/product/pixel_4a

Actually, this review confirms it. It's miles better than the more expensive SE:

Google Pixel 4a vs iPhone SE: Which phone wins?

The Pixel 4a and iPhone SE are two of the best cheap phones yet. Here’s how they stack up.

www.tomsguide.com

Google Pixel 4a vs Apple iPhone SE: Which is best? | Stuff

Which smaller, cheaper flagship alternative is the one worth wielding?

www.stuff.tv

etc etc

You need to compare the cost over the lifetime of the phone. Not everyone wants to, or can afford to upgrade every two or three years.

Hows the first gen 2016 Pixel phone doing? edit: oops, seems like it had its final security and OS updates in 2019.

 

[platinumsage]

Compare the Pixel to the iPhone 6S, assuming you replaced the phone when they stopped security updates:

Pixel: $649, Nov 2016 - Dec 2019 = $17.50 per month

iPhone6S: $649, Oct 2015 - Nov 2020 = £10.63 per month and still getting cheaper, still working fine

 

[editor]

You need to compare the cost over the lifetime of the phone. Not everyone wants to, or can afford to upgrade every two or three years.

Hows the first gen 2016 Pixel phone doing? edit: oops, seems like it had its final security and OS updates in 2019.

OK. Then you spend the £80 more and get a worse camera and a worse rated phone. Enjoy.

 

[platinumsage]

OK. Then you spend the £80 more and get a worse camera and a worse rated phone. Enjoy.

For a phone that’s obsolete after three years. Works out a lot more expensive and is a waste of money and a waste of resources.

 

[Spymaster]

For a phone that’s obsolete after three years. Works out a lot more expensive and is a waste of money and a waste of resources.

No no. It's not about value any more. It's about camera quality.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

sigh
Yes, lots of users are better off with cheap Chromebooks, they’re great. But, also for a lot of users they have limitations. So compare like with like. Top end Samsung vs iPhone, top end PC laptop against a Mac etc etc. Factor in life of product and years of OS support/upgrades. The difference is minimal.

My three year old HP Spectre laptop is now almost unusable, so I need to get a new one, yet another £1500 or so. Three years is all I ever get out of laptops, Mac users seem to get a lot more than that. The main thing I use a laptop for doesn’t work on iOS, although there is talk that it may go web based and if so I will get a Mac. But for now a new Samsung has been ordered (fwiw the HP is the crappest laptop I have ever owned).

 

[pseudonarcissus]

So how do you feel Google personally comprises your privacy to the point it justifies you spending loads more on a product? How do the privacy breaches manifest themselves in everyday life?

It’s all subjective. I don’t pretend to really understand what Google does with all the cookie tracking data, search histories and the contents of Gmail messages.
I’m happy with my stuff.
I didn’t have to mug an old lady to pay for it.
Stop causing trouble on our Apple fanboy thread

 

[editor]

It’s all subjective. I don’t pretend to really understand what Google does with all the cookie tracking data, search histories and the contents of Gmail messages.
I’m happy with my stuff.
I didn’t have to mug an old lady to pay for it.
Stop causing trouble on our Apple fanboy thread

So it's more about a 'feeling' than any actual evidence of your privacy being compromised? OK.

 

[alex_]

My three year old HP Spectre laptop is now almost unusable, so I need to get a new one, yet another £1500 or so. Three years is all I ever get out of laptops, Mac users seem to get a lot more than that. The main thing I use a laptop for doesn’t work on iOS, although there is talk that it may go web based and if so I will get a Mac. But for now a new Samsung has been ordered (fwiw the HP is the crappest laptop I have ever owned).

what on earth have you done to it - that’s a top of the range laptop !

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

what on earth have you done to it - that’s a top of the range laptop !

Top of the range my arse! Close the lid and 50% of the time it doesn’t sleep, but decides to get really hot and use all the battery. Which is my biggest complaint.

On the day I got the thing I loaded the programme I need it for, it came up tiny and loads of IT people couldn’t fix it. Eventually someone in our New York office did fix it. It has recently gone wonky and they needed to reload it, the Home Screen for the programme has gone tiny again, though the programme works. However every time it goes to sleep I can’t use the main programme, I have to kill it and reload it, takes around five minutes and as I need the thing to use when out and about that five minutes is a pain in the arse, especially as when I respond to a customer they come back 15 minutes later with a follow up question that requires me to restart the poxy thing...

 

[Spymaster]

Top of the range my arse! Close the lid and 50% of the time it doesn’t sleep, but decides to get really hot and use all the battery. Which is my biggest complaint.

On the day I got the thing I loaded the programme I need it for, it came up tiny and loads of IT people couldn’t fix it. Eventually someone in our New York office did fix it. It has recently gone wonky and they needed to reload it, the Home Screen for the programme has gone tiny again, though the programme works. However every time it goes to sleep I can’t use the main programme, I have to kill it and reload it, takes around five minutes and as I need the thing to use when out and about that five minutes is a pain in the arse, especially as when I respond to a customer they come back 15 minutes later with a follow up question that requires me to restart the poxy thing...

Sounds like you got the runt of the litter. Which Spectre is it? Mine’s an X360 and it’s by far and away the best bit of tech I’ve ever owned. Coming up to 2 years old and still going perfectly.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

It’s all subjective. I don’t pretend to really understand what Google does with all the cookie tracking data, search histories and the contents of Gmail messages.

You don't need to know precisely (and you can't, anyway, it's not like Google tells you). Google, as the owner of uh Doubleclick as well as a host of other properties based around behaviour data, has a business interest in tracking people as much as possible. Apple just doesn't, not because they are "nice" or anything, just that's not their business model. If anything their business model is more based around user privacy, and they have the market clout to be able to put in technical blocks on that basis. The ad industry hates them, for instance, but they can't do anything as long as iPhones are so common.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Sounds like you got the runt of the litter. Which Spectre is it? Mine’s an X360 and it’s by far and away the best bit of tech I’ve ever owned. Coming up to 2 years old and still going perfectly.

Dunno, was £1599 in August 2017. Seriously disliked it from day one.

Have ordered a Galaxy Book Flex 15”, hopefully will be happier with that.

 

[peterkro]

You don't need to know precisely (and you can't, anyway, it's not like Google tells you). Google, as the owner of uh Doubleclick as well as a host of other properties based around behaviour data, has a business interest in tracking people as much as possible. Apple just doesn't, not because they are "nice" or anything, just that's not their business model. If anything their business model is more based around user privacy, and they have the market clout to be able to put in technical blocks on that basis. The ad industry hates them, for instance, but they can't do anything as long as iPhones are so common.

I've just had a look into Little Snitch network monitor and there are 49 connections to various Google servers ( that's using Safari so they are all connected via using Google search) I could block them all but as I'm running AdGuard as well I never see the ads delivered by their nefarious tracking.

 

[pseudonarcissus]

So it's more about a 'feeling' than any actual evidence of your privacy being compromised? OK.

Maybe it’s more than a hunch
FridgeMagnet has been more eloquent than I would have been about the business model.
I intentionally used the phrase “peace of mind” as a large part of privacy concerns are subjective. I’m an angel with nothing to hide anyway.
I respect you advocacy for low cost tech. I’m not criticising your choices.

 

[cybershot]

So, any new products to talk about or just comparing cock sizes?

 

[elbows]

So, any new products to talk about or just comparing cock sizes?

I've got the M1 Mac mini and its top remains cool and so cannot be used to warm my hands like the intel versions could. It has made me happy so far.

 

[elbows]

You don't need to know precisely (and you can't, anyway, it's not like Google tells you). Google, as the owner of uh Doubleclick as well as a host of other properties based around behaviour data, has a business interest in tracking people as much as possible. Apple just doesn't, not because they are "nice" or anything, just that's not their business model. If anything their business model is more based around user privacy, and they have the market clout to be able to put in technical blocks on that basis. The ad industry hates them, for instance, but they can't do anything as long as iPhones are so common.

Yes spot on. I hate adverts, I hate being the product that is sold, I hate how easily Google abandon things they lose interest in, and I refuse to buy any Android hardware since they screwed me with not enough update cycles on some nexus device I owned long ago. And I've long been prepared to pay a premium for non-windows computer experiences since compared to my computing experience before and after, the x86 PC & Windows dominance era sucked some of the joy out of things this that I really want to enjoy as a certain sort of geek. Made worse by the fact I had to do a variety of crap IT jobs that included support of windows machines during an era that was not their finest from a reliability point of view. I even worked in a small computer shop for a few years, back when such shops were still just about a thing. It was so grim!

Apple do plenty of things I dont like but so far they have just about managed to avoid pissing me off to the extent I would desperately look elsewhere (well it happened once, nearly a decade ago now, and lead to a few unhappy android years for me), but thats probably partly because I know I won't be satisfied with what I can get elsewhere. How far they like to take the propaganda and the control freakery may be what does it for me in the end, but for now I can tolerate it and it helps that if I ever get round to developing stuff, their App Store cut is now reduced to 15% as long as my turnover is below a million, which I'm reasonably confident it always will be.

 

[On Fire]

Compare the Pixel to the iPhone 6S, assuming you replaced the phone when they stopped security updates:

Pixel: $649, Nov 2016 - Dec 2019 = $17.50 per month

iPhone6S: $649, Oct 2015 - Nov 2020 = £10.63 per month and still getting cheaper, still working fine

You are lucky that your iPhone6S is still physically working. Or have you replaced bits of it (e.g. the battery, speaker, buttons, screen)? I know it still gets iOS updates, but it is a long time for phone to last physically.

 

[platinumsage]

You are lucky that your iPhone6S is still physically working. Or have you replaced bits of it (e.g. the battery, speaker, buttons, screen)? I know it still gets iOS updates, but it is a long time for phone to last physically.

The battery might need replacing but certainly none of the other things if you take good care of it. I've never cracked a phone screen in my life.

 

[teuchter]

I crank along on a mac pro that originally dates from 2009. I didn't buy it new - I bought it used/refurbished, as I have done with any mac I've ever owned, as any sensible person would. It's had various components upgraded since then, but nothing significant in the last 4 or 5 years, and it continues to work perfectly. Not sure how many owners its been through since its birth 11 years ago, but in the meantime the people who bang on about macs being overpriced will have wasted their money on several laptops that will have lasted about 3 years each, and made their contribution to toxic landfill in the process.

 

[Chz]

A Mac Pro is a professional desktop unit. It should do all that you say it has, otherwise there's little point to buying a desktop these days. I've got parts in my (Windows and Linux) desktop that are still running since they went in in 2006. I don't consider that exceptional.

I don't compare it to laptops, and neither should you.