Do you own Apple products?

TheEternalVortex · Post by **TheEternalVortex** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 2:25 am

I have an iPhone, but technically my employer owns it, so I voted 0.

ilmartello · Post by **ilmartello** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 3:44 am

i think steve jobs was a genius salesman. he created overpriced, crappy products that people stood in line to get.
oh i have an ipod but i got it for free

epilnk · Post by **epilnk** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 3:56 am

ilmartello wrote:i think steve jobs was a genius salesman. he created overpriced, crappy products that people stood in line to get.
oh i have an ipod but i got it for free

Such a genius that despite actually using these products, even interacting with them daily, people still came back over and over to buy more crappy products. Truly a level of sales genius never before seen, that may never be seen again. Now that he's gone I doubt anyone will buy the iPhone5.

ilmartello · Post by **ilmartello** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 4:24 am

If no one believes me , ask people in computer science and engineering. they mostly think apple products are a joke

jebmke · Post by **jebmke** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 7:05 am

I really like my IPOD Touch but it has stopped updating any apps and some don't work any more. I think the OS is no longer current. I'd never buy another Apple product - certainly not a phone. I miss my Nokia 6310 -- the Sherman Tank of phones.

FafnerMorell · Post by **FafnerMorell** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 7:41 am

ilmartello wrote:If no one believes me , ask people in computer science and engineering. they mostly think apple products are a joke

Now I believe you even less....

Read Nisiprius's excellent story (as usual) earlier in the thread. Even engineers & CS folks who may not like Apple products can find a lot to admire in them. Now, there's also plenty to admire in competing products as well - but Apple's had a strong history of taking many technical advances (often developed elsewhere), wrapping them in well-done hardware & software and presenting them with world-class marketing/branding, and then owning that field for a couple of years before it's commoditized (and then they're onto to the next advance). Any electrical engineer who doesn't give a tip of the hat to innovations like the switched-mode power supply in the Apple ][ needs to spend a bit of time in the real world.

schnoodlemom · Post by **schnoodlemom** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 7:49 am

Family of Four, all Apple users: 2 iMac's, 1 MacBook Pro, 4 iTouch's, 4 iPod Nano's. Luckily 2 iTouch's were bundled with medical references so legit business expense at a discount, 2 iTouch's came "free" with iMac/Macbook purchase. No smart phones in the family yet, still reliant on free Wi-Fi. This may be status quo for a while... but I hear the iPad 3 is due to come out soon????

sscritic · Post by **sscritic** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 7:51 am

FafnerMorell wrote:
ilmartello wrote:If no one believes me , ask people in computer science and engineering. they mostly think apple products are a joke
Now I believe you even less....

Agreed. What do most computer scientists know about design and human/machine interfaces? I don't have a car designer tell me what sort of engine I need in my next car just because he knows what a car should look like from the outside. A computer scientist might know about operating systems, but not about how humans use various devices. Besides, how many computer scientists think that Windows is the best in operating systems? They all like MINIX.

bvp · Post by **bvp** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 8:08 am

ilmartello wrote:If no one believes me , ask people in computer science and engineering. they mostly think apple products are a joke

O RLY? I'm fascinated. While Android and Linux could be considered better OS's overall than iOS and OSX, I'm curious as to why comp sci and engineers consider Apple products to be "a joke". Care to explain?

Wolkenspiel · Post by **Wolkenspiel** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 8:15 am

Mac Pro (Power PC), iMac, 11" Macbook air, Macbook (x2), iBook, Apple TV, iPad (1st gen), iPod (x2)
Sadly departed: Airport extreme (lightning strike), iPhone (drowned), Airport express (x2, natural causes)

FabLab · Post by **FabLab** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 8:16 am

FafnerMorell wrote:
ilmartello wrote:If no one believes me , ask people in computer science and engineering. they mostly think apple products are a joke
Now I believe you even less....

This is starting out as the funniest thing I've read early this morning

Thank you Fafner,
Ron

magician · Post by **magician** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 8:17 am

No, I don't.

(I tried to reply, simply, "No." Apparently a reply needs at least 5 characters.)

speedbump101 · Post by **speedbump101** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 9:20 am

2 iPhones, 1 iPad2, 1 Apple TV.

All my computers are windows though, because I need something to yell at, now that I'm retired!

SB...

ProfessorX · Post by **ProfessorX** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 9:21 am

iMac @ home and @ work. Macbook Air for travel. iPhone (me and my wife both). iPad 2. Apple TV. Airport Extreme (two of them). Airport Express. ... I had an Apple 2GS way back in the day. And lots in between. Love Apple products. Always have...

Throwin' Darts · Post by **Throwin' Darts** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 11:08 am

Macbook
iPad 2
iPhone 4s
iPod Nano
iPod Shuffle
iPhone 3Gs

KyleAAA · Post by **KyleAAA** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 11:16 am

I received an ipad 2 as a gift, which is the most bogleheadish way to receive anything!

KyleAAA · Post by **KyleAAA** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 11:21 am

sscritic wrote: Agreed. What do most computer scientists know about design and human/machine interfaces? ... A computer scientist might know about operating systems, but not about how humans use various devices.

There is a very large and growing field within computer science specifically concerned with human/machine interfaces. Almost all computer science programs these days require at least some exposure to this field. I would say the average computer scientist is much more informed about the topic than the average non-computer scientist. Additionally, a lot of the guys at Apple who make these types of decisions have phds in HCI, which is a sort of cross-disciplinary field bridging CS and psychology.

Similarly, I know very few computer scientists who know anything about operating systems.

bvp wrote: O RLY? I'm fascinated. While Android and Linux could be considered better OS's overall than iOS and OSX, I'm curious as to why comp sci and engineers consider Apple products to be "a joke". Care to explain?

We don't consider Apple products to be a joke. Plenty do consider them to be overpriced for what they are, but few would argue they aren't above-average in quality. I regularly use a Mac, Windows, and Linux at work. I prefer Windows most of the time because the development environment is so much cleaner and full-featured. That and most of the code I write these days is .NET. XCode is my kryptonite. But there are others who prefer the opposite.

TRC · Post by **TRC** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 11:25 am

Two Ipad 2s
Two Iphones (4 and 4S)
Mac
Apple TV
An old Ipod touch that I lost traveling

A very old Ipod that no longer works

I count 8 products.

kirent · Post by **kirent** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 11:27 am

KyleAAA wrote:I received an ipad 2 as a gift, which is the most bogleheadish way to receive anything!

There's probably the cost of expected reciprocation.

KyleAAA · Post by **KyleAAA** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 11:33 am

stives wrote:
KyleAAA wrote:I received an ipad 2 as a gift, which is the most bogleheadish way to receive anything!
There's probably the cost of expected reciprocation.

Nope, it was a White Elephant gift. I don't even know who it was from, so I'm safe.

bru · Post by **bru** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 12:08 pm

I won an Ipod in 2004. It is 20GB, black and white display. Still have it but rarely use it. It feels like a brick compared to what's out there now. My wife (then girlfriend) bought a iPod Mini (4GB) in 2005. I use it often even though it is larger and heavier than current iterations. My wife won a shuffle last year. Still in the box. Should probably at least charge it up.

We also have an Apple G4 computer my wife rescued from a former employer. It is sitting unused at the moment.

So not a lot spent on devices but still years of enjoyment.

I use iTunes exclusively and have almost 70GB of music on it. I know many don't like it but it has worked just fine for me.

Oh and in the interest of full disclosure I am an AAPL shareholder. So thanks to those who do use their products.

norookie · Post by **norookie** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 12:13 pm

:peace

Bungo · Post by **Bungo** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 12:20 pm

PaddyMac wrote:
Bungo wrote:I have a MacBook Pro of 2006 vintage. The battery has burst not once but twice, and as far as I know they haven't fixed the underlying problem so I refuse to pay to replace it. It therefore runs only in AC power mode.
Is the battery bursting because of overheating? We had a similar problem with an older laptop; now it only runs on top of a USB powered cooling pad. It doesn't get overheated now. The new laptop doesn't seem to get so hot.

Could be. The laptop runs pretty warm and sometimes hot. But I didn't use it in any way that would exacerbate that. It sits on a desk most of the time, not in my lap. When the batteries burst, I was living in San Francisco, not exactly a hot climate. It seems to me like a design problem if the laptop can run that hot in such a benign exterior environment. Hopefully they've resolved this in the newer models.

I remember when I went to replace the first battery, it was still under warranty (AppleCare). After searching around on the web, I had found many reports of people complaining about the same thing, including pictures. I went to an Apple Store and explained what had happened, and the guy at the counter acted as if it was the strangest thing he had ever seen - surely I must be the only one who had ever had such a problem. But I noticed that he had a pretty tall stack of replacement batteries right behind the counter, one of which he handed to me without another word.

thedude · Post by **thedude** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 12:35 pm

I own several Apple products, >5, and I've been happy with them all, except for my 1st generation iPod Touch. It was slow as molasses. The 2nd gen iTouch is excellent.

Lollytiger · Post by **Lollytiger** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 12:38 pm

ilmartello wrote:If no one believes me , ask people in computer science and engineering. they mostly think apple products are a joke

My CS advisor had an Apple laptop and I don't think Apple products are jokes. Seems to me your claims are either totally bogus, or drawn from a way too small sample set.

renditt · Post by **renditt** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 12:43 pm

2 iPads and 2 iPods. We used to have 2 iPhones as well, but switched to HTC smartphones, which are cheaper and I like them better.

Absolutely love the iPad, probably the most every-day-life-changing gadget I ever bought.

bvp · Post by **bvp** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 12:49 pm

KyleAAA wrote:
sscritic wrote: Agreed. What do most computer scientists know about design and human/machine interfaces? ... A computer scientist might know about operating systems, but not about how humans use various devices.
There is a very large and growing field within computer science specifically concerned with human/machine interfaces. Almost all computer science programs these days require at least some exposure to this field. I would say the average computer scientist is much more informed about the topic than the average non-computer scientist. Additionally, a lot of the guys at Apple who make these types of decisions have phds in HCI, which is a sort of cross-disciplinary field bridging CS and psychology.

Similarly, I know very few computer scientists who know anything about operating systems.

bvp wrote: O RLY? I'm fascinated. While Android and Linux could be considered better OS's overall than iOS and OSX, I'm curious as to why comp sci and engineers consider Apple products to be "a joke". Care to explain?
We don't consider Apple products to be a joke. Plenty do consider them to be overpriced for what they are, but few would argue they aren't above-average in quality. I regularly use a Mac, Windows, and Linux at work. I prefer Windows most of the time because the development environment is so much cleaner and full-featured. That and most of the code I write these days is .NET. XCode is my kryptonite. But there are others who prefer the opposite.

Oh I know programmers/engineers don't consider Apple products to be a joke. I wanted that poster to answer the question.

Random Musings · Post by **Random Musings** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 1:16 pm

Ipad 2. The family loves it.

RM

thirdman · Post by **thirdman** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 1:26 pm

I own an iMac, ipod touch an iPad2 and an older macbook. I went to Florida last year to buy property, and took only the iPad2 with Verizon cellular data. While out looking at real estate I could access the internet, realtor web sites, send e mail, take pictures, take notes, and review contracts, all on the iPad2. I bought a connector for an SD card so I could load picture from my digital camera into the iPad. When in a hotel room at night, I could watch movies on Netflix with the hotel wifi. And the device only weighs little more than a pound. When I do not need cellular data, I do not buy it.

Glasgow · Post by **Glasgow** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 3:03 pm

Apple products might be overpriced in the past, but I think it might not be the case anymore.
Mac OSX: <$40/pop vs. Win7 $99/pop
MacBookAir vs. Asus Zenbook UX31E. It's tough for Asus to lower the price.
For other mfr, cost would left them no margin or even lost if they try to make the same product and material quality as Apple's.

One can go to BestBuy and Fry's and try out other tablets, and you'll see the contrast between iPad and the rest of tablet and judge for yourself.

Personally, I like MacBook trackpad and UNIX command which I can use for batch mode.

MacOS GUI needs to improve in terms of selection and creating folder in Finder, maximize windows different ways, etc.

serbeer · Post by **serbeer** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 3:18 pm

M wife (who is not BH) owns 2 apple gadgets and I don't own any. One of the gadgets (iphone) was given to her by employer for business and and personal use, so she uses it many times daily but does not really owns it or pays for it. What number should I put into the poll?

Btw, I am not trying to be tricky here, I am really not sure how to respond.

chaz · Post by **chaz** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 3:22 pm

I own none.

andy1130 · Post by **andy1130** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 3:23 pm

i-Phone, i-Pad, i-Pod, i-Pod Touch, MacBook, I-Mac G5.

yukonjack · Post by **yukonjack** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 3:37 pm

I am at five and growing now that I have discovered the beauty of Apple laptops.

Sheepdog · Post by **Sheepdog** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 3:50 pm

I voted no even though I have a red delicious apple..

greg24 · Post by **greg24** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 3:52 pm

ilmartello wrote:If no one believes me , ask people in computer science and engineering. they mostly think apple products are a joke

I was surprised to see that most of the students in the graduate CS program at UIowa have Apple laptops. But I never asked them if they think Apple products are a joke, so I don't know what they truly think.

jln · Post by **jln** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 4:39 pm

In my family of 3 (not counting a daughter who doesn't live with us):

1 MacBook Pro
1 iMac
1 iPad
3 iPhones
1 Apple TV
1 Time Capsule
3 Airport Express
--
11 Total

Not counting old equipment in storage that is no longer in active use (various iPods, etc.)

I've been an addict since 1984 (and an Apple developer since then too).

Computer scientists are engineers are like everyone else. Some love them. Some hate them. Few have no opinion.

John Norstad

leod · Post by **leod** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 5:51 pm

ipods and iphones only ... so far

treypar · Post by **treypar** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 6:19 pm

I have
Ipod Touch
Ipod Nano (2)
Apple TV
I will probably get a Ipad 2

I am very pleased with the Apple products.

sschullo · Post by **sschullo** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 6:20 pm

GregLee wrote:I have an iPad, which I haven't used very much yet, and that's it. I've never understood the enthusiasm so many people have for Apple products -- expensive, with closed systems, and often rather ugly.

ditto

Liquid · Post by **Liquid** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 10:26 pm

Happy to support an American company that actually leads in quality and design.

masteraleph · Post by **masteraleph** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 10:35 pm

1 ipod (wife)
1 macbook (wife's old computer, still sometimes used)
1 macbook air (wife's new computer)
1 ipad 1 (wife's)
1 ipad 2 (mine)

The Air was a gift for finishing a degree, from her parents. The iPod was a birthday gift, as was the iPad (both from her parents), which provoked my parents into gifting an iPad to me, for my birthday.

I still say the day she was carrying her Air, iPad, iPod, phone (a dumb phone, actually), Kindle, and Wii with controllers and games through the security line at the airport was ridiculous.

ObliviousInvestor · Post by **ObliviousInvestor** » Thu Jan 12, 2012 10:41 pm

Oops. I voted 4, having forgotten about our 2 ipods. We also have 3 notebooks (old white macbook, current generation macbook air 13", and 2010 generation macbook pro 17"), and an iPad 1.

For us, the iPad rarely gets used and was probably a poor purchase. But we've resolved never to buy PC notebooks again, having never had one make it to two years.

ilmartello · Post by **ilmartello** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 3:31 am

it seems the apple cultists are a bit touchy

bagle · Post by **bagle** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 7:01 am

GregLee wrote: rather ugly.

I think there are valid criticisms of Apple, and yes beauty is subjective, but I think there´s a reason why the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) in NY has the original iPod and other Apple products in its collection. Even Bill Gates admits that Steve Jobs was way ahead of him on this.

Personally, I think Job´s interest (you might say obsession) in the aesthetics (both software and hardware) is clear if you handle an iPhone or iPad. Just look at how Jobs was so pissed off with the cumbersome cell phone interfaces that he vowed to do something better. I´ve got 2 advanced degrees and I need a manual if I try to do more than the most basic things on my Nokia smartphone - it´s not that way on the Apple products.

Tom_T · Post by **Tom_T** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 7:46 am

ilmartello wrote:it seems the apple cultists are a bit touchy

I don't think so. You made a stupid comment with no basis in fact, and people responded. It's the anti-all-things-Apple people who I find to be "touchy".

Cernel · Post by **Cernel** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 7:50 am

I don't own any Apple products, but between my 3 kids they have 3 iPhones, 1 iPad2, and 3 iPods.

sscritic · Post by **sscritic** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 7:57 am

Tom_T wrote:
ilmartello wrote:it seems the apple cultists are a bit touchy
I don't think so. You made a stupid comment with no basis in fact, and people responded. It's the anti-all-things-Apple people who I find to be "touchy".

I think there were two issues:

1) Was the stated claim true?
2) Was the stated claim relevant, even if true?

The stated claim was the persons of type A didn't like Apple products. Even if it is true that persons of type A don't like Apple products, it is not clear that that is in any way relevant to my purchase decisions or enjoyment of my purchases.

Do you buy the toothpaste that 4 out of 5 dentists recommend?

KyleAAA · Post by **KyleAAA** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 9:35 am

bagle wrote:
GregLee wrote: rather ugly.
I think there are valid criticisms of Apple, and yes beauty is subjective, but I think there´s a reason why the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) in NY has the original iPod and other Apple products in its collection. Even Bill Gates admits that Steve Jobs was way ahead of him on this.

Personally, I think Job´s interest (you might say obsession) in the aesthetics (both software and hardware) is clear if you handle an iPhone or iPad. Just look at how Jobs was so pissed off with the cumbersome cell phone interfaces that he vowed to do something better. I´ve got 2 advanced degrees and I need a manual if I try to do more than the most basic things on my Nokia smartphone - it´s not that way on the Apple products.

That's interesting, because I've often asked iphone users how to close a program and probably 90% of them have no idea how to do it. Or they just think if you hit the home button and get back to the home screen, the program is closed. I think a lot of android phones have surpassed Apple devices in terms of user friendliness.

kirent · Post by **kirent** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 12:24 pm

KyleAAA wrote:
bagle wrote:
GregLee wrote: rather ugly.
I think there are valid criticisms of Apple, and yes beauty is subjective, but I think there´s a reason why the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) in NY has the original iPod and other Apple products in its collection. Even Bill Gates admits that Steve Jobs was way ahead of him on this.

Personally, I think Job´s interest (you might say obsession) in the aesthetics (both software and hardware) is clear if you handle an iPhone or iPad. Just look at how Jobs was so pissed off with the cumbersome cell phone interfaces that he vowed to do something better. I´ve got 2 advanced degrees and I need a manual if I try to do more than the most basic things on my Nokia smartphone - it´s not that way on the Apple products.
That's interesting, because I've often asked iphone users how to close a program and probably 90% of them have no idea how to do it. Or they just think if you hit the home button and get back to the home screen, the program is closed. I think a lot of android phones have surpassed Apple devices in terms of user friendliness.

I think this has more to do with the way iOS was designed. I believe that when a user "hit the home button and get back to the home screen", it causes the application to enter a background state that will eventually cause most applications (besides maybe Audio/GPS etc.) to enter a suspended state. I believe that when it is in this state, the application does not execute code and can be removed from memory at anytime. I think it would be better to think of the open applications list in iOS as a "recently used" menu rather than actually open at the time.

How many Apple products do you own?