Apple is allowing me to buy a new iPad, such nice ppl

[16251]

After cracking my screen on my iPad2 awhile ago, I decided to buy a new iPad 9th gen earlier this week. This will be the first time I ever ordered a device directly from them but it worked out great as I had a $70 gift card for over six years (different story not worth telling.) Anyway, I placed order, then like three days later I got an email from the big A "Your recent online order with Apple has been canceled because it exceeds the quantity limits per customer."  <I never ordered from them ever!> I called customer support. Ended up speaking with them for about 30 min. Apple has chip shortages like many others, so they trying to avoid hording. Apparently, Master Control spit out my order claiming I was over my limit. Like I told them on the phone, they have gone to far with automation if someone like myself isn't allowed to order from the big A. 

 

I did get an email today, not apologizing, but said I could order if it was in the next 24 hours from their email sent. What nice folks! 

 

My biggest gripe is they brag about cutting edge, best in class, etc., but that makes me expect more from them. Hey, I'm not cancelling them <sort of.> I love the iPad but I do hate the iPhone, which I once owned (different story not worth telling.)

[ElmerJFudd]

Strange. Sounds like an accounting error.  I recently ordered an iPad.  Pencil came within a week.  The iPad itself took 3 or more weeks.  But no red flags on the order.  

[RABid]

LOL. Reminds me of my encounter with Apple customer service years ago. I bought a nice, high capacity, expensive iPod years ago and got the extended service agreement with it. During an update my iPod died. The arrogant Apple customer rep I got on the phone told me that I must be lying about my purchase date because the manufacturer date was months before my stated purchase date and their products DO NOT sit on the shelf that long. I got nowhere with Apple. Luckily I had purchased it from PC Mall, who at the time was the company from whom I purchased most of my agencies computers. I called my PC Mall rep and told him how I was treated. The next day he told me that my new replacement was on the way

[Anderton]

4 hours ago, 16251 said:

After cracking my screen on my iPad2 awhile ago, I decided to buy a new iPad 9th gen earlier this week. This will be the first time I ever ordered a device directly from them but it worked out great as I had a $70 gift card for over six years (different story not worth telling.) Anyway, I placed order, then like three days later I got an email from the big A "Your recent online order with Apple has been canceled because it exceeds the quantity limits per customer."  <I never ordered from them ever!> I called customer support. Ended up speaking with them for about 30 min. Apple has chip shortages like many others, so they trying to avoid hording. Apparently, Master Control spit out my order claiming I was over my limit. Like I told them on the phone, they have gone to far with automation if someone like myself isn't allowed to order from the big A. 

 

I did get an email today, not apologizing, but said I could order if it was in the next 24 hours from their email sent. What nice folks! 

 

My biggest gripe is they brag about cutting edge, best in class, etc., but that makes me expect more from them. Hey, I'm not cancelling them <sort of.> I love the iPad but I do hate the iPhone, which I once owned (different story not worth telling.)

 

"Open the pod bay doors, Hal"

"I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that."

[KuruPrionz]

4 minutes ago, Anderton said:

 

"Open the pod bay doors, Hal"

"I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that."

 

DAISY, D-A-I-S-Y...

[Philip OKeefe]

I ordered an M1 Mac mini in December, and a Mac Studio on the 8th of this month. No problems with either order. You'd think if they were worried about hoarding, someone who bought two computers in less than six months would be far more likely to trigger their automated alarms than someone making their very first purchase. 

 

Maybe there's someone else out there with a similar name to yours who has made multiple purchases from Apple, and that's what triggered it? 🤷‍♂️

[Anderton]

7 minutes ago, Philip OKeefe said:

Maybe there's someone else out there with a similar name to yours who has made multiple purchases from Apple, and that's what triggered it? 🤷‍♂️

 

Since Pete lives in Salem. there may be some kind of energy vortex that interferes with electronics. True story: E-Mu sent an Emulator II to a customer in Salem, Massachusetts. It worked sometimes, but kept breaking down for reasons not attributable to pilot error or abuse. Turned out the E-II's serial number was 0666. WTF?!? IIRC E-Mu gave up trying to fix it, sent out a new one, and it worked fine.

 

But seriously...my theory is that since a gift card was involved, perhaps the person who bought the gift card had bought other Apple product gift cards as well, and Computer Control didn't factor in the date.

[16251]

2 hours ago, Anderton said:

 

Since Pete lives in Salem. there may be some kind of energy vortex that interferes with electronics. True story: E-Mu sent an Emulator II to a customer in Salem, Massachusetts. It worked sometimes, but kept breaking down for reasons not attributable to pilot error or abuse. Turned out the E-II's serial number was 0666. WTF?!? IIRC E-Mu gave up trying to fix it, sent out a new one, and it worked fine.

 

But seriously...my theory is that since a gift card was involved, perhaps the person who bought the gift card had bought other Apple product gift cards as well, and Computer Control didn't factor in the date.

OKBTW - the gift card was not a gift. I got a iPhone 4S for free as a promotion for changing carriers and I liked the compact size. It was at the time that bigA was rolling out a new generation OS. They specifically said any phone before 4S could not update, but 4S could, so I did, and no, it didn't work, and it ended what already was a tumultuous experience <rant: the damn phone even before killer update always needed updates.> Anyway, I was able to cash in junk phone for my gift certificate.

 

More info: after I ordered first time, I got confirmation email from bigA, but it seemed to omit that I paid partly by gift card, so I called customer service to make sure everything was fine. Customer service said that when iPad ships is when my card gets billed and gift card will be applied. That's a common issue I'm used to, but what I didn't like was that it wasn't made clear in email and I had to call and make sure and I told them such. OK - what about this conspiracy theory - rep didn't like me telling them flaw in confirmation email and they put the kibosh in, that had Master Control Program (btw from Tron...) would spit out my order. In today's climate, I could see someone taking complaint calls all day doing that. <Reminds me of a Seinfeld episode when Jerry and Elaine asked baggage handler at airport how much they get in tips for each bag and handler didn't like Elaine and sent her bags to Honolulu.> hehe.

[RABid]

Admit it. You are the one that buys up all the cool new toys at Christmas and then puts them on the Amazon market for three times the price.

[Notes_Norton]

My first Mac used System 6  (OS6).

 

My love affair with Apple ended many years ago.

 

I write aftermarket style-disks and fake-disks for Band-in-a-Box. Years ago, there needed to be special Apple information (header) on the style and song files to get them to work with BiaB/Mac (all files needed this header info). The Style Disks need to be written on the PC, as the StyleMaker app on the PC allows me to make better styles than the semi-crippled one on BiaB/Mac (not the Mac's fault).

 

I paid a yearly subscription for professional support to Apple. When OSX came out, the method I had been using no longer worked, so for the first time I used their paid support. The answer was, "We can't help you with non-Apple programs." I explained all I needed was instructions on how to insert the Apple Header information on anybody's files, and they refused to help. I went on an unofficial Apple forum, and got an immediate answer in the form of a shareware program, which I downloaded, tried, and then paid for.

 

Months later, I decided to get a new Mac, and went directly to Apple. I told the rep who I was, what I did on the Mac and what software I needed to run. She seemed very helpful and sold me this big, beautiful eMac. Only a matter of weeks after I bought it, Apple announced they were changing from IBM chips to Intel chips and my big beautiful eMac became obsolete. The sales rep should have told me to wait a couple of weeks, as she knew I wrote software for the Mac, but she was obviously more concerned about getting rid of old soon-to-be obsolete stock. I tried to resolve the problem with Apple, but they refused to help.

 

That was the last Mac I ever bought. I struggled with the eMac only to put the header info on the BiaB files, and eventually Apple dropped the header requirement and PC files became 100% compatible with BiaB/Mac users. Deep breath, relax, I don't need a Mac anymore.

 

Many years later, I bought an iPad. I liked it, it was my first tablet and I used it for couch-surfing. The problem was when I went to Australia and took about 800 pictures, I tried to transfer about 100 of them from my PC to the iPad. I bought a Lightning to USB adapter and couldn't transfer them without joining iTunes. So the solution was to upload them one at a time to a designated folder on my website and download them to the iPad. Very time-consuming.

 

I liked the Apple products very much, what I didn't like was the tech support and the fact that Apple wants you trapped in their Apple-Jail, and Apple just doesn't play well with others. Transferring files to my Android tablet is easy.

 

Since the BiaB StyleMaker is still more advanced on the PC, and that's my 'moonlighting' business (after gigging), I have to have a Windows computer. If Mac played well with Windows, I'd still have an Apple product, but unless things change, I don't see myself ever buying another Apple device.

 

If Apple ever decides to join the rest of the world, and unlock the gates, so I could use OSX and Windows in harmony and freely trade between the two, I might reconsider.

 

I use ThinkPad computers exclusively now, their build is every bit as good or better than Apple (they are almost bullet-proof and my 2002 ThinkPad still works fine on stage for me), and their tech help is excellent.

 

Insights, incites and a minor rant by Notes ♫

[Joe Muscara]

On 3/27/2022 at 8:04 AM, Notes_Norton said:

Only a matter of weeks after I bought it, Apple announced they were changing from IBM chips to Intel chips and my big beautiful eMac became obsolete. The sales rep should have told me to wait a couple of weeks, as she knew I wrote software for the Mac, but she was obviously more concerned about getting rid of old soon-to-be obsolete stock.

The sales rep had no idea, or at best, there was a rumor but no fact. Apple never tells people until they tell everyone. Otherwise, they would have made all those products worthless before the announcement even happened. Also, Apple is very good about keeping their products useable for years after they make a transition like that. It's not like the new versions of the OS abandon the old machines that day.

 

On 3/27/2022 at 8:04 AM, Notes_Norton said:

If Apple ever decides to join the rest of the world, and unlock the gates, so I could use OSX and Windows in harmony and freely trade between the two, I might reconsider.

That's funny. Most files work across both platforms easily. Actually, one of the developers who doesn't have the same functionality on both platforms is PG Music. I use BIAB on my Macs and it's fine, but I don't run into those differences like others do since I use it for more basic things.

[Notes_Norton]

2 hours ago, Joe Muscara said:

The sales rep had no idea, or at best, there was a rumor but no fact. Apple never tells people until they tell everyone. Otherwise, they would have made all those products worthless before the announcement even happened. Also, Apple is very good about keeping their products useable for years after they make a transition like that. It's not like the new versions of the OS abandon the old machines that day.

 

That's funny. Most files work across both platforms easily. Actually, one of the developers who doesn't have the same functionality on both platforms is PG Music. I use BIAB on my Macs and it's fine, but I don't run into those differences like others do since I use it for more basic things.

Since I paid for developer service, they should have made arrangements then. Sell me a new one at a greatly reduced price? Actually, since I develop software for Apple, they should have sent me a laptop for free. Selling old stock should not be a priority when you are about to change your entire system. Whether the sales rep or the company is at fault doesn't matter, it's Apple's fault.

 

I got a big, "too bad" attitude from Apple, and they weren't even polite about it. I think I spent about $2,000 on something weeks away from being a doorstop.

 

Pretty much the same attitude I got in the old days when I needed mac header info on all the files to associate them with a particular app. They finally dropped that requirement. But to refuse to help me when I paid for pro-level help was just wrong. Especially since there was a shareware app that did just that. When I was on the forum that recommended the app, I got a lot of sympathy from people who also didn't get an answer from Apple when they wanted to do the same thing with their files.

 

It seems Apple forgot that every company is in the customer service business. Instead, in both cases they were uncaring, greedy, and bordering on rude. They lost a customer by doing so.

 

Back in the DOS and Win3.1 days I preferred my Motorola Mac computers. But I learned to dislike Mac's business practices.

 

The software that I need for my 'moonlighting' business runs better on Windows, therefore I'm Windows. If Apple was nicer to me, I'd have a Mac too, like I did until they sold me the weeks away from being orphaned eMac.

 

Perhaps I'm an odd case, others seem to have done well with Apple.

 

Notes ♫

[Anderton]

As I've always said, the platform you like is the one that's working

 

Both have advantages and drawbacks. 

• Windows/Microsoft doesn't advance as fast, but backwards compatibility is a priority because of the huge corporate base.
• Mac is on the leading edge, but you pay in terms of backward compatibility. OTOH a lot of the bundled software is all you need. With Windows, you have to factor the cost of software into the price.

And there are certain situations that are a given. If you were to buy a laptop tomorrow, you'd be crazy not to buy one from Apple. But if you're a gamer, you'd be crazy to buy anything from Apple.

 

I don't use both Windows and Mac because I want to, but because I have to. That said, for a desktop machine, Windows gives me more bang for the buck by far. But for a laptop, I started with MacBooks that had the golf ball "mouse," I'm using a Mac now, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

 

If only the Amiga hadn't been handled by Commodore, that's what we'd all be using  

 

[analogika]

20 hours ago, Joe Muscara said:

On 3/27/2022 at 3:04 PM, Notes_Norton said:

Only a matter of weeks after I bought it, Apple announced they were changing from IBM chips to Intel chips and my big beautiful eMac became obsolete. The sales rep should have told me to wait a couple of weeks, as she knew I wrote software for the Mac, but she was obviously more concerned about getting rid of old soon-to-be obsolete stock.

The sales rep had no idea, or at best, there was a rumor but no fact. Apple never tells people until they tell everyone. Otherwise, they would have made all those products worthless before the announcement even happened. Also, Apple is very good about keeping their products useable for years after they make a transition like that. It's not like the new versions of the OS abandon the old machines that day.

Indeed. 

 

In fact, while resellers *do* tend to keep abreast of rumours and occasionally advise customers accordingly, Apple Store employees are FIRED for doing so, so they usually block out any and all tech news, for fear of inadvertently discouraging a customer from making a purchase.  

Back when I worked for a reseller, my loyalty was always with the customer — "you *might* want to consider waiting another two weeks, when Apple holds their developer conference" — and because I had a lot of regulars and they were always super happy, management let me. (I'd also sell them what they *needed*, even if that was a model down from what they initially thought they did.)

 

One of the reasons I never applied to the Apple Store. 

[Notes_Norton]

14 minutes ago, analogika said:

Indeed. 

 

In fact, while resellers *do* tend to keep abreast of rumours and occasionally advise customers accordingly, Apple Store employees are FIRED for doing so, so they usually block out any and all tech news, for fear of inadvertently discouraging a customer from making a purchase.  

Back when I worked for a reseller, my loyalty was always with the customer — "you *might* want to consider waiting another two weeks, when Apple holds their developer conference" — and because I had a lot of regulars and they were always super happy, management let me. (I'd also sell them what they *needed*, even if that was a model down from what they initially thought they did.)

 

One of the reasons I never applied to the Apple Store. 

Many years ago, I was converting my business phone from a landline to a cell.

 

Since I was getting quite a few business sales calls, I decided I wanted a flat-rate per month plan. The rate for ATT, Sprint, and the others were dependent on how many hours you used the phone. In other words, I didn't want to pay for someone else's ads.

 

So I shopped around from store to store and eventually decided on Metro PCS. $50/month unlimited talk, data, text.

 

I went to a small re-seller store close to me, and the owner told me if I could wait a month or two, Metro will be coming out with Android phones that will be better than what they have to offer now. A couple of months later, she called me to let me know the Android phones were in, and I switched from the landline to Metro.

 

Since she was kind to me, I have been loyal to her. I took my mother-in-law there to get a cell, and every phone I've bought since then has been at her little store. She recognizes me when I come in, knows what I need and recommends a phone for me, which by the way is never the most expensive model, but usually last-year's model because she knows I how I use the phone.

 

Customer service is job #1 for any business. Those who know that, have more loyal customers.

 

Apple could have had a customer for life.

 

IBM and later Lenovo so far has a customer for life, because they build great ThinkPad computers, and the few times I needed customer service they were quick, friendly and helpful.

 

I carry that ethic in both my businesses, http://www.nortonmusic.com and http://www.s-cats.com and I have plenty of very loyal customers.

 

The way I see it is this: A problem is an opportunity to lose a customer for life, or to gain a customer for life. My customers don't have many problems, but when they do, I try to resolve it quickly, in a friendly manner, and try to do something to make the customer happy that he/she had the problem.

 

I'm a self-taught businessman, and I just treat my customers the way I would want to be treated if I was  in their shoes.

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

[Notes_Norton]

17 hours ago, Anderton said:

<...snip...>

 

If only the Amiga hadn't been handled by Commodore, that's what we'd all be using  

 

Amiga was a great computer for its day, but the marketing wasn't so good.

 

The Atari/ST wasn't too bad for MIDI apps, but it didn't keep up with the rest of the industry.

 

Since you mentioned it, I use Windows because I have to.

 

The StyleMaker app for BiaB is better on the Windows version, and on stage I use Windows computers to play my backing tracks. I have twu op and running at all times. Since 2002 I've gone to the spare ThinkPad twice. First was a dead CMOS battery. The second one was a hard drive that started making a mechanical noise. In both cases I moved the USB to Audio converter to the spare and the customers didn't know I had a problem.

 

 I also carry a cheap spare. But what if I have two computers down at the same time? I can use the one remaining, but without a spare I'd be nervous. I can go to any office supply store and get another Windows computer immediately, but not a Mac.

 

Since I also have redundant data on a USB Flash drive, I'd be set to go immediately.

 

BTW, my 2002 ThinkPad is still working on stage for me. The CMOS battery was $5. The other 2002 ThinkPad got dropped and a hinge broke. It still works, but the hinge doesn't. It was an IBM model, and they no longer make that part. I replaced it with another ThinkPad running Win7 (it was new at the time) and it still works fine.

 

I have no allegiance to either OSX or Windows, both systems work fine for me, but I have needs and loyalty to companies who treat me like a valued customer.

 

Insights and incites by Notes ♫

[analogika]

15 hours ago, Notes_Norton said:

Customer service is job #1 for any business. Those who know that, have more loyal customers.

 

Apple could have had a customer for life.

 

Having worked in Apple retail from 2004 to 2012 I saw a marked change as Apple transformed from underdog to default option.

Selling gear went from answering "why Apple?" questions to answering arguments of "why not Apple?" — i.e. it used to be that you had to convince people that Apple was even an option, and that went to convincing people that the arguments they'd heard in favour of other stuff were equally true of Apple, or outweighed by other factors. Or just conceding that there were better options for their situation, which happened more than once. This was markedly true of the iPod, and then, of course, iPhone. But it translated to the Mac as well, especially after the intel transition 2006. 

 

At the same time, people started abusing the hell out of Apple's notoriously lenient and customer-friendly service policies. So eventually, they hardened up considerably (though they still do go above and beyond on occasion).

 

One thing to note is that Apple Stores have FAR more leeway than any third-party service center. 

 

Another is that they owe you nothing beyond what's in the contract. In contrast to 2004, they no longer have any shortage of (loyal) customers, whatsoever. 

[Notes_Norton]

56 minutes ago, analogika said:

 

<...snip...>

 

Another is that they owe you nothing beyond what's in the contract. In contrast to 2004, they no longer have any shortage of (loyal) customers, whatsoever. 

I think for many, Apple has become a cult or at least a badge of honor in the consumer computing world. When it gets to that point, Apple can abuse them, and it won't impact their sales very much.

 

Every company is in the customer service industry, and in my case, Apple didn't cut it, not once, but twice.

 

Notes ♫

[analogika]

59 minutes ago, Notes_Norton said:

I think for many, Apple has become a cult or at least a badge of honor in the consumer computing world. When it gets to that point, Apple can abuse them, and it won't impact their sales very much.

 

Please don't trot out this tired, ancient trope.

 

It was semi-funny and had a kernel of truth in the mid-90s, when there were very few reasons to remain an Apple customer, and it's certainly utter hogwash today. People have *long* stopped putting Apple stickers on their cars (are they even included anymore?). 

iPads sell because they are by far the best value, your understandably frustrating experience notwithstanding. iPhone is the gold standard for cellphones in many ways, including privacy. iPods were unrivalled for a decade (listen-on-demand radio is still called "podcasting", even though the iPod hasn't been more than an afterthought for a decade now). MacBooks were ubiquitous in engineering circles, often running Windows. If there's any computer onstage at any music venue across the world, it's going to be a Mac. Apple's first iteration of in-house Mac CPUs has already outclassed most of the competition at least in the mobile space. Apple Watch defined an industry. Etc.

And all this stuff interacts in meaningful ways which are slowly becoming ever less utterly infuriating when they fail. 

This isn't "cult" material — it's just solid product engineering. 

Unless I've got my head so far up Steve's corpse's ass that I can no longer look out the Windows.

[Anderton]

I think it was a cult when the market share was much lower, and Apple vs. Microsoft was perceived as a David vs. Goliath situation. There was also a cult of personality around Steve Jobs. But at this point, Apple is just part of the landscape of consumer electronics. It certainly hasn't been the underdog for quite some time, and its market share is increasing in computers, where for years its market share was falling.

 

Apple's corporate philosophy is well-known at this point, and has pros and cons. There are valid reasons to join Apple's ecosystem, and valid reasons not too. What baffles me is that so many people feel they have to choose one or the other. Operationally, after all these years of ripping each other off - I mean, being inspired by each other - the Apple and Microsoft worlds are 90% identical, and it's easy to slide between the two as needed. Besides, once you load cross-platform programs like Ableton Live, Studio One, or Microsoft Office, that's your world - not Windows or Mac OS. Where there are significant differences is the hardware, so you simply choose the right tool(s) for the right job. 

 

 

 

 

[zukskywalker]

Wow...someone actually invoked the Amiga here. Incredible. and an incredible game/industry changing machine. I sat in a DC law office many, many years ago and there was a motherboard sitting on the coffee table in the waiting area that had the biggest cpu chip on it that I had ever seen.  That was the motorola 68000 cpu on a soon to be released Commodore Amiga and linear editing went bye bye forever shortly after the Amiga video toaster appeared on the scene. But apple was more midi friendlythan others back in the early days so a mac plus and then the mac se-30 rocked my world way back when.

 

today IMHO in terms of music ios pretty much rules the land.

[Anderton]

Although precise figures are hard to come by, when Apple had about 10% share of the general market, it had an estimated 50-55% share of the music market. Price is a factor in terms of global adoption. Convenience is another; I use a Windows laptop on stage, because it's easy to replace if a PA stack falls on it - go to the nearest Office Depot, buy a machine, hook up to the Cloud, download your files and programs, and you're back in action. 

 

When I used a Mac laptop onstage I had two epic fails, so that kind of scared me. If I have an epic fail with Windows, I'll probably go back to the Mac

[Notes_Norton]

analogika, My Galaxy tablet is better than the iPad I had right before it. My Galaxy phone is as good as an iPhone. My ThinkPad computers are as good as any Apple laptop. I have no loyalty to these brands, if something comes out that is better for me, I'd buy that. It's the reason why I switched from iPad to my Galaxy tablet.

 

And I respectfully disagree. I personally know people in the Apple cult who brag about how much better their Apple products are and look down their noses at peons who don't worship all things Apple, and I read a lot of posts from on-line acquaintances who tout the same thing. In addition any discouraging remarks about Apple are met with an immediate rebuttal.

 

Perhaps the cult isn't as big as it used to be, but it's still there.

 

Sorry if this offends anyone, it's just the way I see it.

 

Notes ♫

[analogika]

On 4/7/2022 at 4:55 PM, Notes_Norton said:

analogika, My Galaxy tablet is better than the iPad I had right before it.

Out of genuine curiosity, if I may—and without starting a pissing match: by what criteria? (And which models?)

[Anderton]

1 hour ago, analogika said:

Out of genuine curiosity, if I may—and without starting a pissing match: by what criteria? (And which models?)

 

I'm interested too. I sold my iPad and never replaced it with a tablet, my phones are basically good enough. I did shop around though, and some of the Samsung 8 tablets do look impressive in terms of price/performance ratio.

 

The M1 benchmarks are better than the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon, and the iPad is about 10% lighter. My main problem with the iPad Air (a fair comparison due to the similar pricing) is the screen refresh is 60 Hz instead of 120 Hz, and you can't upgrade the memory, while Samsungs will take microSD cards up to a terabyte. Expansion is a huge deal for me, which is also why I prefer the Samsung's USB-C port over the iPad Air's Lightning connector.

 

Apple has fewer apps but overall they're of higher quality, while Samsung can access a dizzying number of Android apps, but the quality is far more (to put it politely) variable. A point in favor of an iPad is that it can live happily ever after with my iPhone and MacBook Pro, while tablet and Android support in the Microsoft world - while improving steadily - is not on the same level. Another major point in favor of iOS products is that they handle music-based apps much better, with lower latency. But, the limited connectivity makes them harder to use outside of the device itself.

 

There are more similarities than differences, and neither company is forthcoming about specs like battery life, so I'm sitting tight for now. If I was forced to buy a tablet today, I'd probably get the Samsung because of USB-C, the ability to expand memory, and the pencil being included (it costs another $129 to get the Apple pencil). 

 

What I really want is an iOS tablet with expandable memory and USB connectivity. But Samsung is not going to run iOS, and Apple isn't going to let me expand memory, or make it easy to connect the devices I want to use. So it's hard for me to get enthusiastic about a tablet.

[analogika]

The only iPad with Lightning is the entry-level model. ALL other iPads, including iPad mini, have USB-C now. 
 

Last I checked, all Android devices with higher-than-60Hz refresh rates were constant-rate, which heavily ate into battery life. 
The 120Hz on Apple machines is variable up to 120Hz, scaling down to only a few Hz when static content is displayed. 
As I recall, this was an Apple-exclusive at least at the time, because there were no off-the-shelf display controllers that could do this, and Apple, of course, use their own. 

[Notes_Norton]

3 hours ago, analogika said:

Out of genuine curiosity, if I may—and without starting a pissing match: by what criteria? (And which models?)

Galaxy Tab A2, I replaced an iPad Air with it.

 

How is it better?

• Much better screen colors, blacker blacks, brighter colors, purer whites. This was immediate and impressive.
• Easy to move files from the Tab to any computer (but a Mac). USB port, plug a flash drive in, drag and drop, plug the flash drive in a computer, and drag and drop to the new location. Example: I wanted to move 100 photos to the iPad without iTunes and Apple wouldn't let me. I bought a lightning to USB adapter, and it made no difference. In the end, I had to upload them to my website and download them one at a time. A major time suck. On the Galaxy and a flash drive, it's done quickly.
• More control over the inner workings, file locations, and so on
• More control over the Internet browser I use. I like Firefox, and on the same network, it's much quicker than Safari was, plus it has a lot of safety features like tracker blocking. For the newspaper I like Opera, as the ad blocking keeps the pop-ups under control.

Granted, my Galaxy is a couple of years newer than my iPad was, and I'm sure Apple has improved their products as well. Apple also makes good hardware.

 

I liked my iPad until the vacation picture ordeal. Then I sold it to a recycling company and got the Galaxy. The first day I opened it, the screen had a WOW factor. I saw the 7 inch model at BestBuy, and was impressed. They didn't have the 10 inch in stock, so I ordered it.

 

How do I use it? I couch-surf, research, look things up out of curiosity, check the weather, look at the radar (Florida weather is very changeable and I do gigs outdoors), and read the local paper on it. It's on 3 to 6 hours per day.

 

I don't have a lot of apps on it, but I do like the apps I have.

 

To be fair, I do believe the music software is better on the iPad, but I don't use the tablet for music, I use my laptops for that. They are much more efficient. But I like my Galaxy much better than I ever liked the iPad.

 

Notes ♫

 

 

[Anderton]

5 hours ago, analogika said:

The only iPad with Lightning is the entry-level model. ALL other iPads, including iPad mini, have USB-C now. 

 

You're right. I searched on "iPad latest generation" and the iPad (current model) popped up with Lightning. But after your post I decided to look further and check out the specs. The iPad Pro USB-C port supports Thunderbolt and USB-4. The iPad Air supports USB-C, but not Thunderbolt. 

 

I saw three models with an M1, a model with an A13 Bionic Chip with Neural Engine, and another model with an A15 Bionic Chip with Neutral Engine. WTF? Is the M1 50% faster, 200% faster, or...?  The cheaper one works with a Smart Keyboard or Bluetooth keyboard, the more expensive one is Bluetooth only. And if you go to a page for an individual iPad, you're bombarded with graphics and marketing hype that requires scroll after scroll after scroll...I don't want a web animation demo, I want to find out what these things actually do in the real world.

 

The marketing team that did the Apple video I referenced in the "revenge of the Quibi" thread should do the web copy too. Granted, the video didn't make me go out and buy anything, but it gave actual, practical reasons why I should.

 

As to the Samsung tablet site...don't even get me started. Once you get past the kitchen appliances, it looks like it was a web project for freshmen in a community college class on "HTML Coding for the Interwebz" who were absent for the "Effective Marketing 101" classes.

 

The difference is that having been raised on a Mac, I expected the experience to be clear and unambiguous. I expected to be able to find specs that were meaningful instead of the A15 chip being "40% more powerful." More powerful than what? The last chip Apple said would totally change my life because of its power? More powerful than Qualcomm chips? And how about battery life..."Pad mini has all-day battery life, so it’s always ready for any task or project" with a footnote in teeny-tiny type at the end of the Endless Scroll that says it depends on what you use it for and the configuration. How many watt-hours for the battery? No idea. How fast for a charge? No idea.

 

Whether it's Apple's ultra-slick and ultimately vapid marketing hype or Samsung's "buy!" "choose your configuration!" "trade-in yes/no!" "choose your gift offers!" "add Samsung Care+!!," I'm sick of it all. Granted, these companies are probably correct in thinking the general population consists of idiots. But for now, solely because of both company's marketing, I have no interest in buying a tablet. Nothing from either company makes a case as to why I need (let alone want) their product, or how it's going to improve my life, other than that it's soooo much better than what they offered last year...which they said was soooo wonderful and ground-breaking a year ago.

 

The only Apple product that interests me is the Studio, because it's about effing time Apple made a computer that could replace my dual Xeon, and not be an embarrassment like the trashcan. It looks like they not only pulled it off, but they did it right (and the new Mini, too). Hopefully that's a sign of more level-headed products to come.

 

And my ultra-cheap Samsung A12 does what I need. A Galaxy S22? Yeah, right: "brightest display ever." Great for everyone who likes to check whether they're being tagged in social media at high noon on the beach . Sorry, I have a business to run. The A12 battery life is close to forever, the memory is 1 TB, and it costs me $5 a month. Done.

 

/rant