Apple will never satisfy my lust for cheap, powerful hardware

Yeah. It was the biggest news from the announcement for me, too. Don't care about new color phone or iPad right now, but my main Mac at home is from 2012 soooo hmmmmmmm...

Intel, just two months ago:
"...the Intel [Core i9-12900HK] was slightly faster than both pieces of Apple silicon, which is a different story than that told by early engineering samples of the Alder Lake CPU [...] a few percent better than the M1 Pro and M1 Max, but it’s a lead nonetheless."

Apple, today:
fusion.gif


--Patrick
 
Their monitor looks pretty interesting too. For a 5k monitor, it looks fairly in line price wise, and has quite a few extras. A “dumb” version of it would be nice, for multiple monitors.
 
Hah! I've been referring to the Mac Studio as the Mac Mini "Tallboy," but I find it hilarious that many online are referring to it as "Three Mac Minis in a trench coat."

--Patrick
 
Apple frequently touts how their computers can take multiple monitors, but I am waiting for the day they finally bring out a monitor that can take multiple computers.

--Patrick
I didn’t even notice that. :thumbsdown:
It’s too speedy for me anyways.
 
Technically not Apple, just Apple-related:



tl:dr; Progress, but not really there yet. Good enough for casual gaming. Very casual gaming.

--Patrick
 
I debated starting an entire [Brazelton] thread for this, but decided against it. As of May 10th, Apple, Inc. has finally decided to kill off the iPod. No more "1000 songs -- in your pocket," no more silly silhouette ads, no more smartphone-with-training-wheels-for-pre-teens. Now, if you want a new "iPod," your cheapest option is a US$429 iPhone SE3, which is just over twice the price of a closeout iPod touch (though granted the tech in the iPod touch is the same CPU as the one in the iPhone 7, which came out all the way back in 2016).



--Patrick
 
I've always hated iTunes, so I had a Zune. I freely admit it wasn't as good as an iPod. But I could copy files to it without freaking iTunes, so I called it a win.
 
Lotta stuff talked about at today's WWDC thingie.
Biggest takeaway is this: You won't be able to use any of it unless your device is from late 2017 or newer.

--Patrick
 
Lotta stuff talked about at today's WWDC thingie.
Biggest takeaway is this: You won't be able to use any of it unless your device is from late 2017 or newer.

--Patrick
Since a lot of the new stuff uses Neural Engine (released in 2017), that's not exactly a surprise.
 
There are computers in the "approved" list that don't have Neural Engine onboard, so I think it's more that they're setting the bar at only those devices that can natively support 4k video (7th gen Intel "Kaby Lake" and newer, "Pro" portables, etc).

--Patrick
 
Ok. So I own an iPhone and my main laptop is a 2012 MacBook Pro 13in. And I may own more than the usual number of Apple computers (let's face it--I probably own more than the usual number of computers, period). But even _I_ think this is excessive.

NIB, factory-sealed original iPhone sells for ~US$40,000

Fun fact: AT&T shut down 2G/Edge quite a while ago, so it can't even be activated. Well, at least it comes with a charger.

--Patrick
 
Ok. So I own an iPhone and my main laptop is a 2012 MacBook Pro 13in. And I may own more than the usual number of Apple computers (let's face it--I probably own more than the usual number of computers, period). But even _I_ think this is excessive.

NIB, factory-sealed original iPhone sells for ~US$40,000

Fun fact: AT&T shut down 2G/Edge quite a while ago, so it can't even be activated. Well, at least it comes with a charger.

--Patrick
I think it's less to do with it being an iPhone and more to do with "Virtually flawless along the surface and edges, the factory seal is clean with correct seam details and tightness. Labels on the reverse are correctly pristine beneath the seal. All original - no aftermarket stickers or UPC labels on this one." They're waxing poetic about the shrink wrap! That phone will never come out of the box.
 
Oh, and forgot to mention that Lufthansa apparently recanted and will allow AirTags again...after being shamed into admitting that there was no real logistical reason for banning them in the first place other than showing what a lousy job Lufthansa was doing keeping track of people's luggage.

--Patrick
 
Apple finally admitted to their VR headset thingie. No idea how much it’s gonna cost or what it can do, I just know because everyone else at work just won’t shut up about it. I’ll probably watch the video once I get home tonight.

Wonder how long it’ll be until I start seeing people driving while wearing them, like they already do with phones.

—Patrick
 

figmentPez

Staff member
$3500. :eek:

I don’t know that it’s over priced for what you get, but definitely not something many people will be able to afford.
I'd heard speculation that the price would be something like that, but it still makes my brain hurt to think about it.

I have to assume that this is mainly aimed at business use, with a bit of luxury status symbol on the side.
 
I'd heard speculation that the price would be something like that, but it still makes my brain hurt to think about it.

I have to assume that this is mainly aimed at business use, with a bit of luxury status symbol on the side.
They didn't get the memo that the metaverse is dead and businesses don't really want to do zoom calls through VR
 

figmentPez

Staff member
They didn't get the memo that the metaverse is dead and businesses don't really want to do zoom calls through VR
There's still rapid prototyping, product demos, and other uses for VR that aren't gimmicky. People may not want to do business communications in VR, but they still want to show off car designs, architectural models, and other projects that VR can give a sense of scale to that otherwise isn't possible with 2D media or physical scale models.
 

GasBandit

Staff member
If I had the money to burn, I'd get one just to watch movies in bed.
Can already do this for 10% of the cost on a Quest 2 though.
@drifter Heck, Dei, Terrik, Snuffles and I watched the same movie together in VR using our cheap headsets, complete with virtual presences that could throw virtual popcorn at each other. I don't think any of us were in bed, though. Although Terrik WAS there, so I can't assert that with 100% certainty.
 
Can already do this for 10% of the cost on a Quest 2 though.
So, several things:
1. Money to burn (ie in this scenario I don't care about cost)
2. Fuck Meta (if my options are Quest or nothing, I choose nothing)
3. 3x the pixel density, which up that close I assume makes a difference.
 
There's still […] other uses for VR that aren't gimmicky.
Oh yeah. The oil and gas industries would be all over this thing if only the oil and gas industries weren’t beginning their own death spiral. I can see IKEA jumping on it with their “redesign your living space in 3D” app, though.
But yeah. $3500 is a LOT to throw down for a “controller-free” VR headset, even one that’s UHD enough to discern the individual freckles on a model’s buttcheek.

—Patrick
 
Oh yeah. The oil and gas industries would be all over this thing if only the oil and gas industries weren’t beginning their own death spiral. I can see IKEA jumping on it with their “redesign your living space in 3D” app, though.
But yeah. $3500 is a LOT to throw down for a “controller-free” VR headset, even one that’s UHD enough to discern the individual freckles on a model’s buttcheek.

—Patrick
That Ikea idea would be bomb. I already love their browser-based room designer (and used it to design my craft room)...if I coulda got an app for the Quest I woulda been all over that
 

figmentPez

Staff member
Oh yeah. The oil and gas industries would be all over this thing if only the oil and gas industries weren’t beginning their own death spiral. I can see IKEA jumping on it with their “redesign your living space in 3D” app, though.
But yeah. $3500 is a LOT to throw down for a “controller-free” VR headset, even one that’s UHD enough to discern the individual freckles on a model’s buttcheek.
$3,500 is a lot for entertainment, but if you're using it to sell an executive on a million dollar project, it's less than what you'd have spent on a large, high-end, computer monitor a decade or more ago (adjusted for inflation). There are, or were until very recently, companies that specialize in making full color holograms for companies to use instead of scale models (easier to pack for travel), and based on my vague memories of what those cost, it wouldn't take many of those to make the Apple headset a cost savings.

I would not underestimate the selling power of "Put on this headset and you'll be able to walk around the actual space the design will go in and see what the future will look like, full size".
 

GasBandit

Staff member
True enough. The company I work for thinks nothing of charging 10k+ for laser projectors, and they aren't even 4k. The high-end "money is just a number" corporate class will probably eat it up.
 
... There are already kitchen stores where you can see the design in 3D with an in-store VR headset and a consultant can add/move stuff around in real time based on your feedback,though.
I can imagine some fancy stores plopping down €€€ for these bit ugh.
 
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