[drglenn]

I might hope that this would be published as a letter in the magazine. I have been an Apple/Mac user since 1984 - I have evangelized in favor of Apple for decades. Since Lion and iOS, the entire Apple platform has become less and less of the absolutely intuitive platform which it had been for over 20 years, and it all appeared to die with Snow Leopard. The iOS is even worse than Lion - so completely non-intuitive it almost reeks of Microsoft in terms of paranoia, the inability to have "under-the-hood" access, and user-unfriendly interfaces. (Thank heaven it's still prettier than Windows!) Never in my life had I expected a "you-can't get-there-from-here" attitude from Apple. Those of us who still "Think Different" are owed a little respect!

For you newbies out there, iOS/Lion must seem like a breath of fresh air compared to your former Window/Linux platforms, but for us "old-timers" - especially with iOS - there are restrictions never before seen in Apple OSes. Examples: in iOS there is no "root" access without jail-breaking. Luckily, in Lion this option still exists, but I don't have high hopes it will last. There is no question that Apple is wise to default to root access off. For the average user, root access can be dangerous. In iOS this should be an option other than for the clandestine, freedom-seeking, hard-working hackers out there. (Thanks, guys!) My first iPhone is the 4S - thanks to the hard-headedness of both the late, great Steve Jobs, and the morons who run Verizon, I had a long wait to finally get the phone I almost love. Why "almost"? Well, first of all, the day I got my phone, I wanted to upload a computer generated greeting as my Verizon voicemail announcement. Can't be done (until the jailbreak for the 4S came out). Why should even the average user be restricted from this benign maneuver? The other major reason I'm not fully in love with my iPhone - and, yes, it's the first phone I've ever even liked - is iOS. Preferences should be accessible from within every application (that has preferences). More times than not, to change an apps attributes, you need to go to the "Settings" app to do it (and thereby leave the app you're trying to use). Some apps have settings available from within the app, others do not. This type of inconsistency was why MacOS was always better than Windows. Mac apps had a consistency that became an intuitive second-nature to the user. Alas, it is going fast. MacOS still has system menus in every app - consistent, intuitive menus. iOS, when its apps have any menus, are concealed and non-intuitive.

Apple has all but abandoned its PPC users - .Mac is closing this month, the crazy iCloud can't be used from PPC Macs.

It is waaay too easy to end up with 15 different Apple IDs, and, you guessed it, there's absolutely no way to consolidate them ("you-can't-get-there-from-here"). If you bought an app with one ID, you can't move it to another, you can't make all your passwords the same, you may need to authorized each machine with all 15 of these mad IDs just to get updates. Can anyone say "Gates"?

Why have we not seen a new MacPro for years now? Creative professionals are not the only Apple users. Scientists use Apple, too. Does Apple want all its gene-sequencing clients to go out and buy Dell? As powerful as my new iMac is, my 2008 3 GHz 8-core MacPro has a bigger wallop, can handle peripherals of all kinds, runs a 30" monitor, has expansion cards and just feels like a real computer. There is room for multiple drives - both optical and storage - it has two gigabit ethernet channels, and, if Apple continues to make the Pro model available, could have some VERY serious processors, which would be way too hot for an all-in-one. As much as mobile computing is all the rage, I would never think of taking my laptop to the beach, and risk getting sand in the keyboard or have the circuit board corroded by salt water. I like plugs! I like an electrical source that doesn't run out of juice. I like the speed of gigabit ethernet and gigabit switches that don't have to send repeat packages over wireless routers. I like my desk chair, and the ergonomic manner in which I've set up my workspace. Mobility is a convenience - for which function and solid weight have been sacrificed. It is not a steady diet - just "better-than-nothing" when you must be untethered.

I never thought I'd ever be saying this, but I am frustrated with Apple. Are all the engineers who had that intuitive vision been replace by former Microsoft engineers?

This post has been edited by drglenn: 01 May 2012 - 11:34 PM

[leicaman]

drglenn, on 01 May 2012 - 11:19 PM, said:

I might hope that this would be published as a letter in the magazine. I have been an Apple/Mac user since 1984 - I have evangelized in favor of Apple for decades. Since Lion and iOS, the entire Apple platform has become less and less of the absolutely intuitive platform which it had been for over 20 years, and it all appeared to die with Snow Leopard. The iOS is even worse than Lion - so completely non-intuitive it almost reeks of Microsoft in terms of paranoia, the inability to have "under-the-hood" access, and user-unfriendly interfaces. (Thank heaven it's still prettier than Windows!) Never in my life had I expected a "you-can't get-there-from-here" attitude from Apple. Those of us who still "Think Different" are owed a little respect!

For you newbies out there, iOS/Lion must seem like a breath of fresh air compared to your former Window/Linux platforms, but for us "old-timers" - especially with iOS - there are restrictions never before seen in Apple OSes.

...

Apple has all but abandoned its PPC users - .Mac is closing this month, the crazy iCloud can't be used from PPC Macs.

...

my workspace. Mobility is a convenience - for which function and solid weight have been sacrificed. It is not a steady diet - just "better-than-nothing" when you must be untethered.

I never thought I'd ever be saying this, but I am frustrated with Apple. Are all the engineers who had that intuitive vision been replace by former Microsoft engineers?

Though some of your concers are no doubt shared by some, it's all a bit too overblown an argument you're making for my taste.

First, a mobile OS simply cannot leave the options for modification open as a full-blown computer OS does. Security is way more important because of the nature of the devices.

As for Lion, I in no way feel any more restricted than I've been since starting to use Macs professionally in the early 90s. There are differences, and the Mac App Store and sand boxing was a concern until recently. Apple has made some changes that convinces me that now that Steve Jobs is up reconfiguring the afterlife, the folks at Apple are just a bit freer to listen to us users, and they have already made some moves in that direction with the new security system in Mountain Lion.

I too have some concerns, for sure. But Mac Pros are not an issue. They were obviously waiting for the recently-released Ivy Bridge Xeons. Let's hope they took the time to do some really creative modifications to the form factor as well. But concers aside, if you think what Apple is doing now looks like the work of some ex-Microsofies, I think you need to take a deep breath and look again.

This post has been edited by leicaman: 10 May 2012 - 07:44 AM

[johnspear]

drglenn, on 01 May 2012 - 11:19 PM, said:

I might hope that this would be published as a letter in the magazine. I have been an Apple/Mac user since 1984 - I have evangelized in favor of Apple for decades. Since Lion and iOS, the entire Apple platform has become less and less of the absolutely intuitive platform which it had been for over 20 years, and it all appeared to die with Snow Leopard. The iOS is even worse than Lion - so completely non-intuitive it almost reeks of Microsoft in terms of paranoia, the inability to have "under-the-hood" access, and user-unfriendly interfaces. (Thank heaven it's still prettier than Windows!) Never in my life had I expected a "you-can't get-there-from-here" attitude from Apple. Those of us who still "Think Different" are owed a little respect!

...

It is waaay too easy to end up with 15 different Apple IDs, and, you guessed it, there's absolutely no way to consolidate them ("you-can't-get-there-from-here"). If you bought an app with one ID, you can't move it to another, you can't make all your passwords the same, you may need to authorized each machine with all 15 of these mad IDs just to get updates. Can anyone say "Gates"?

...

I never thought I'd ever be saying this, but I am frustrated with Apple. Are all the engineers who had that intuitive vision been replace by former Microsoft engineers?

Why in the world would you have 15 Apple ID's? Or even three?

[drglenn]

Why in the world would you have 15 Apple ID's?  Or even three?

Simple, my dear Newbie Watson. You have one ID for years. Then, the cloud comes out, and you need a cloud account for your iPhone, but can't use the cloud on all your G4 and G5 machines, and besides you still have nearly a year left on your paid dotMac account. Then one day, you can't log in to one of the accounts. You try the same password that you've used forever over and over again - (OK, three times) - then you get locked out and have to "reset" the password. BUT, you can't use the same password you've always used, because Apple won't let you. Now, you have a new password. Then, one day, you can no longer use the username-only login that you've used for years, and have to use a full email address. (.Mac, .Me, gmail, ISP, business or school?) Of course, a new password is required because you can't re-use one for several years after using it once. You still have a non-email Apple ID - that works on the Apple Store, an iCloud login, multiple iTunes logins (for a host of other reasons), and a .Mac login (which is now moot). You have a new login when the server insists you have a user name/PW mismatch, so you create another one. Then you find out that they are non-mergeable (which had never really crossed your mind, since, "Sh*t, I'm dealing with APPLE. All things are possible!" The potential scenarios are not just endless - not merely possible - but very likely. You should be able to avoid many of these if you are currently a Mac newbie - but, if you hang around for 20 years or so, things will change sufficiently to create a host of new inconsistencies. If you have been a PC-guy for a few years before attempting to find light through Apple, you are so used to these types of FU's, that you are probably wondering why the hell I am complaining for THIS. I guess you will never really know...

[bastion]

drglenn, on 28 May 2012 - 12:44 AM, said:

Why in the world would you have 15 Apple ID's? Or even three?

Simple, my dear Newbie Watson.

Immediate condescension. Excellent.

Quote

The potential scenarios are not just endless - not merely possible - but very likely. You should be able to avoid many of these if you are currently a Mac newbie - but, if you hang around for 20 years or so, things will change sufficiently to create a host of new inconsistencies. If you have been a PC-guy for a few years before attempting to find light through Apple, you are so used to these types of FU's, that you are probably wondering why the hell I am complaining for THIS. I guess you will never really know...

I've been using Macs since 1985. I got an iTools account the day it went live. Migrated through .Mac and me.com and into iCloud as time passed. I've had an iTunes (Music) Store account since about a month after that went online. I've had an account at store.apple.com pretty much since that went live, too.

Know how many Apple IDs I have, having "hung around" for almost 30 years? 1. And before you suggest it: No, I'm not on a constant upgrade cycle to stay current and avoid the issues you have. The service life of my machines is never less than 5 years, and I've still got a G3 in (very occasional) use.

[joekr34]

Don't forget to mention the many bugs in Lion - since upgrading my MBP now crashes 2 - 3 times a month ("crashes" as in the power button has to be held down for > 4 seconds to execute a complete reboot). Number of such crashes during it's previous year with Snow Leopard = 0. Lion's Spotlight will bring your computer to it's knees trying to index a 4 Tb drive (and will crash in the process if you have > 300000 files on the drive, which is easier than it sounds on a large drive holding backups). I abandoned Windows years ago due to the frequent crashes, but now the buggy mess that is Lion feels awfully familiar. Couple that with Apple's abandonment of the high end users (as the thread originator notes, the neglect of the Pro line is inexcusable) and the future with Apple does not look bright for scientific or design-oriented users. As of today, Windows or Linux boxes with the latest (as in this year's) processors are considerably faster for number crunching than the current Pro line.

And yes, I've accumulated at least 4 Apple ID's, it can be a chore remembering which one applies to which task.

[havarah]

I was among the "early adaptors" of PC integration into our lives. We still use our hardwired iMac very heavily. It does everything that we want it to do.

I've had a subscription to MacWorld for many years. In the past this magazine contained articles applicable to the iMac and OSX Operating System. Then came iMac integration with the iPhone, iPad and a plethora of articles for these devices, applications and accessories. I feel left behind. We have absolutely no need to integrate these devices into our lives. One iMac is more than enough.

For instance we're currently using OSX Snow Leopard (10.6.8). Why upgrade to OSX Lion or Mountain Lion? What will these operating systems do for our iMac? They seem more akin to running iPads rather than iMacs.

One of the things I loved about iMacs in the past was the absolute intuitive simplicity of the operating system. That's gone! In comparison Microsoft seems more simple. We're not willing to spend time attending classes to learn to use features and applications that we'll never use.

As with Windows 3 we'll stick with Snow Leopard and it's simplicity as long as we possibly can.

It's evident that Apple has lost its roots.

[carmenoax]

havarah, on 03 August 2012 - 12:21 PM, said:

I was among the "early adaptors" of PC integration into our lives. We still use our hardwired iMac very heavily. It does everything that we want it to do.

I've had a subscription to MacWorld for many years. In the past this magazine contained articles applicable to the iMac and OSX Operating System. Then came iMac integration with the iPhone, iPad and a plethora of articles for these devices, applications and accessories. I feel left behind. We have absolutely no need to integrate these devices into our lives. One iMac is more than enough.

For instance we're currently using OSX Snow Leopard (10.6.8). Why upgrade to OSX Lion or Mountain Lion? What will these operating systems do for our iMac? They seem more akin to running iPads rather than iMacs.

One of the things I loved about iMacs in the past was the absolute intuitive simplicity of the operating system. That's gone! In comparison Microsoft seems more simple. We're not willing to spend time attending classes to learn to use features and applications that we'll never use.

As with Windows 3 we'll stick with Snow Leopard and it's simplicity as long as we possibly can.

It's evident that Apple has lost its roots.

Ahh - but when your computer dies and you innocently buy a new iMac expecting the always wonderful Apple quality - what do you get but Lion and everything good about mac and PPC, up to and including Snow Leopard, is gone and unrecoverable. And everything, increasingly so with ML, is now geared to hominids walking around with devices sprouting from every orifice feeling it necessary to tell the world every thought and action. Maybe I can find a "new" PPC somewhere

[smax013]

bastion, on 28 May 2012 - 02:43 AM, said:

I've been using Macs since 1985. I got an iTools account the day it went live. Migrated through .Mac and me.com and into iCloud as time passed. I've had an iTunes (Music) Store account since about a month after that went online. I've had an account at store.apple.com pretty much since that went live, too.

Know how many Apple IDs I have, having "hung around" for almost 30 years? 1. And before you suggest it: No, I'm not on a constant upgrade cycle to stay current and avoid the issues you have. The service life of my machines is never less than 5 years, and I've still got a G3 in (very occasional) use.

While I agree that the vast majority of people will never get close to 15 Apple IDs, it is not that hard to end up with two or three.

Not everyone signed up for iTools/.Mac/MobileMe when the original service first came out. Thus, a lot of people have been using some other email address for iTunes purchases...thus, Apple ID #1. Then maybe they did sign up for MobileMe once iPhones became popular so that they could sync contacts & calendars between their Mac and iPhone without the sync cable. There is Apple ID #2.

That is a very realistic scenario to end up with more than one Apple ID.

The point is that while the original poster might have exaggerated a bit, it is still a very real issue that many people have to deal with.