The latest MacOS version and software updates are crippling my old MacBook Pro. Yesterday I was trying to sort out some video from the bike show and it can’t cope any more. Spec’d a new one last night and set off to brave the Christmas shoppers at Meadowhall, where the nearest Apple Store lives, this afternoon.
First thing I noticed at the Store was the huge number of staff. More red shirts than a Star Trek convention. The second thing I noticed is they’re all acting like it’s school work experience week, chatting to each other, oblivious to the customer pointedly looking over at them. Shopping at Apple’s stores is no better than PC World these days. Training seems to involve learning how to smile and be pleasant but doesn’t extend to actually knowing anything about the products they sell. Rubbish service, then. But…
The chap who did help me checked John Lewis unbidden and informed me I can get the same spec machine for £250 less there. He told me they do price match at Apple but the 5% discount he could offer was only half the discount JL we’re giving. So they don’t price match, then. I thanked him and left. Next time I’ll go straight to John Lewis’s web site and save myself the trip.
Personally I wouldn’t dream of giving apple my money. I banished them to hell after the iphone 4 and seen the light when I went to android. They slow the older stuff down to make you upgrade and they have even admitted it. Happend to a mate in work too, their imac just stopped after an update. I’ve also recently built 2 PC’s Much better spec that an Imac at 4 times the price. They are really taking the piss even more so lately. I think they are looking 3k just for the monitor these days!
They ‘admitted’ to slowing older iPhones down because of an issue with the batteries causing shutdowns. Apple probably considered it just a side-effect that people were encouraged to upgrade…
If a computer stops working after an update when it’s supposed to be compatible that’s a specific issue, I’d say. I imagine there would have been a class action suit in the US if Apple smoked a whole group of machines. Was it a wider issue?
I moved phones from Android as I didn’t agree with Google’s privacy policy.
This was a good few years ago now, but I went onto apple website and specced out the most expensive mac as high as possible just for curiosity. It was something like 60-80 thousand pounds
I hadn’t seen that place before. Their prices look pretty good. I think they can undercut the John Lewis price a little but I can get a healthy chunk of air miles that compensates.
Half the time its all the shit that comes pre installed. After building my own, and only installing what I want, its a great experience! I’m never buying off the shelf again!
I used to rip out the Android OS from Google and put a different version on for that reason. No more bloatware. I’d chuck out some of the apps that come with MacOS if I could but by changing the default apps to launch it gets round it well enough.
I’ve also never bought a PC and always built my own. Mainly so I could get the spec I wanted and have the ability to upgrade components .Oh the fun I’ve had with drivers over the years, especially in the early days.
I only needed 3 plus a bios update for the motherboard. All downloaded before I built the last one. Once built, install windows… 12 quid do not give it internet connection and install the drivers first, 1 for the graphics card, 2 for the mother board. then allow internet and windows installed a few security patches and that was it, easy! I’ve installed nothing that looks for updated drivers either so I will manually check myself periodically. No background apps, things booting up on startup, it’s brilliant! There is a serious amount of crap pre installed on a pre made PC.
John Lewis is my go-to shop for electronics and white goods because the prices are reasonable/comparable and they always give you 2 years warranty.
I don’t use a PC at all at home and find my iPad Air 4th Gen good enough and I love my Google Pixel 6 phone. A strange combo I know but it works for me.
Well, having had both my Acer desktop and my HP laptop bite the dust for different reasons. I am now using a 2011 27” iMac donated by one of my sons. It gave up updating its operating software a couple of years ago but is still working OK. I primarily run Libre Office instead of paying for Microsoft 360 and LibreCAD, both open source software, and therefore FoC. The hard drive doesn’t get a lot of use because all data sits on my Synology NAS that’s plugged into the router.
With my 12.5” iPad Pro and my iPhone 11 Max Pro I am amazed at how they all talk to each other. e.g. copy something on my phone, open the iPad and just paste it.
So I’m now intending to move over to the dark side permanently and will be buying an Apple Mac Studio in the near future.
If you are a member of Costco checkout their Apple prices, the lowest I have found to date. No Air Miles but if you go with the Executive membership you get a further 2%. Also the business membership is cheaper than the individual membership. You don’t have to be overly imaginative to satisfy their entry requirements.
I thanked him and left. Next time I’ll go straight to John Lewis’s web site and save myself the trip.
do not give it internet connection and install the drivers first, 1 for the graphics card, 2 for the mother board. then allow internet and windows installed a few security patches and that was it, easy! I’ve installed nothing that looks for updated drivers either so I will manually check myself periodically. No background apps, things booting up on startup, it’s brilliant! There is a serious amount of crap pre installed on a pre made PC.
