The problem is that this is not the correct tool. You gain no safety because the criminals will simply move on while you eradicate the safety of your citizens by exposing them to hackers (both organized crime and foreign government sponsored) that get a hold of that backdoor.
"Government only backdoors" do not exist. If you create an entry point for a benign actor, you create an attack vector for a nefarious one.
You should have stopped at the 4th. It can be argued that a right to privacy is explicitly stated there. The 9th just seals it, but only for the feds. State governments were free to do whatever.
Not without violating the 4th, according to Article VI, clause 2.
Oh great! It's Constitutional Interpretation Wars!!! More popcorn!
I have always mistrusted a contraction that really doesn't "contract" anything. All that one does is replace the letter "v" with an apostrophe. What's the point?
Other than to "sound" like some Scottish Git when you say it in your head... (and I am of Scottish descent; so I can say that!)...
There's nothing wrong with using either unicode or UTF8 in the 21st century, but if a particular subsystem isn't prepared to cope with input, it should reject any attempt to submit input it cannot properly handle. Even rendering unknown characters each in a small box with the unicode value written in it is an entirely reasonable coping mechanism. Rendering the wrong thing, or worse, crashing, is a result of either poor QA or lazy developers or both.
Sez the person who has never coded a modern Operating System, that has to operate flawlessly WORLDWIDE, with a plethora of languages, fonts, even writing direction.
And as I said earlier, Slashdot can't even handle an alternate "Quote" character without displaying gibberish. So I don't want to hear it...
In 2018? Apples quality control really is on the slide.
Either it can't process the utf8 code or its crashing when it doesn't have the font installed. Either way, these were solved problems 30 years ago, never mind now.
Posted on Slashdot, where you don't dare even use the "wrong" quote character...
I agree with this. I work as a "creative" (commercial photography) and I keep nothing but the specific software I need on my machine's. All work files are kept on SSD's while in the field and dumped onto a RAID at the office. The computers themselves are kept clean free of anything that might degrade performance.
Thanks.
I just can't believe how NON-forward-thinking so many Slashdotters are. In a lot of ways, It feels like it's 1990 in here.
The people of that mindset believe that The only real computer is a tower with a bunch of internal RAID storage, a bunch of barely-compatible peripheral cards with mostly-working drivers, running a version of Linix that "works pretty well, except for...", that it only took 9 months to get sound working, and don't ask about the scanner...
They simply can't fathom of a world where you can purchase an 18-core all-in-one computer, take it out of the box, and with very little fuss, have a fully set-up system, with attached external storage, automatic backups, and email, web browsing and much more in a few minutes.
open up mac os X to more systems if just HP / DELL for real workstations where looks do not get in the way or things like an TB loop back cable to a video card is not a big deal. TB is cool but why tie the HDMI to AN TB bus??? that eats up TB bandwidth???
The mac pro failed due to being held back by limited cooling driven by looks. and add real m.2 slots.
Imac pro more BS that should not be in pro workstation like forced raid0 / no easy way to change ram or storage out. And storage locked to the MB. Also the duel pci-e storage is limited by an pci-e x4 link that is also shared with an co-cpu.
NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE that purchases an iMac Pro will be storing their work-files LOCALLY. There simply isn't enough local storage for the types of files REAL Pros work with.
So, that means that EVERYONE who uses an iMac Pro will be using EXTERNAL RAIDs. Add Time Machine backup for Applications and Local Files, and there simply isn't a compelling reason to support RAID inside the iMac, sorry!
My opinion is that Apple optimizes the "tripod" with an eye towards high profit levels, not towards customers. Which is fine, it is absolutely their decision to make, whether they want to optimize high-profits or customers.
If it's a zero-sum-game (favor profits OR favor customers, pick one), and Apple is making high profits, then why is Apple also ranking first in customer satisfaction?
Once we've dispensed with the defensive Slashdot non-reponse ("because Apple customers are ignorant brain-washed sheep, and not enlightened and wise like we are"), and keep in mind that "the customer is always right", we must conclude that Apple has figured out how to keep customers happy/loyal and keep profits high at the same time.
Which is a pretty good thing to know how to do, and largely explains why Apple is currently swimming in an ocean of cash.
Honestly, if they'd just iterated the 2015 MacBook Pro, I'd have been happy. I've used the 2016 and 2017 versions at various times, and I'm not a fan.
My 2015 MBP was in the shop for a couple weeks (needed a trackpad/keyboard cable replaced, and for some reason the local Apple shop was having trouble getting it), so I had to use one of the 2016 models for that duration. After two weeks I thought the keyboard sucked just as much as I did on day one. And having to use a dongle for just about everything drove me nuts. I have to connect my laptop to displays and devices regularly - tell me, what good was it to shave a fraction of a millimeter off while simultaneously adding the requirement of carrying one or more dongles around?
Hopefully this 2015 Mac runs well for many years... but I'm not sure what I'll get when the time comes to replace it. I'm reasonably certain it won't be an Apple laptop, assuming they're anything like the current models - and if Ive, Cook, and Co. are still running things, those future laptops will probably still put style over functionality - they may very well have no ports at all!
The answer is simple: You just get one of the multiport USB-C "docks" for around $50-60, and get EVERY Port you need back with ONE cable. And they are cheap enough you can get one for your workplace, and one for home; so you aren't plugging/unplugging 3 to 5 cables twice a workday.
Think about it: a 2016/2017 15" MacBook Pro, with 4 USB-C/TB3 Ports can be "broken out" into up to FIFTY-TWO Legacy Ports SIMULTANEOUSLY(!!!!) And, unlike your 2010 MacBook Pro, you can CHANGE that Mix of Ports at ANY TIME YOUR NEEDS CHANGE!!!
Anyone who thinks that isn't a FANTASTIC leap forward, simply isn't thinking straight.
Perfectly spoken as someone who doesn't have to do this for a living.
Assuming one is willing to buy such a frighteningly cheap adapter (I would trust an offer from a Nigerian Price before this thing...), you *still* need to buy one for every user that will need one. You'd also need one in *every* conference room because people will invariably forget them. And then you need to buy an additional handful of spares for when they're lost or broken. And I will bet you money that those super-cheap adapters will fail a heck of a lot more often than one that costs $30+.
So we're no longer talking $10. We're talking several hundred dollars of needless expense, and that's for a small company. Not to mention a regular additional cost over time as the dongles are replaced.
Meanwhile, EVERY display device in the past 10+ years has HDMI. Almost EVERY computer, apart from Apple, has an HDMI port. The only additional cost would be the HDMI cable, and that's only if you bought a cheap one that didn't include a cable already in the box.
Dongles are additional unnecessary expense. They are additional unnecessary hassle for both users AND the admin staff having to buy the things. Dongles have a place for when you want to use something uncommon (eg: firewire) or if the laptop is so absurdly thin that the desired port won't physically fit without compromising the case (eg: VGA or Ethernet), but requiring dongles for connecting to very commonly used items like HDMI, or USB3 ports is downright idiotic.
The 2016 model was the one which forced me to switch to a Dell Precision running Ububtu. It's got it's share of quirks, but nothing like the clusterfuck of apple's hardware and software.
A year and change in, and I'm more happy with this than I was with my old 2012 MBP. I've got the ports I need, and I can actually crack it open (once I fuck with the stupid non-standard screws) and do things. It's got an actual nVidia graphics card in it as well, not just some crappy embedded video.
And cost half the price of a similarly equipped MBP. No, not quite as snazzy, but whatever. Apple's evolution in their MBP line was opposite the direction I needed them to go, both in hardware and software. Where they were once my go-to, they definitely aren't now. While this focus on software quality is addressing one of my major complaints, there's no guarantee that it's more than lip service, and it's too little, too late for me personally anyway.
I doubt that MS will ever fix its issues either. Smartphones are the next computing evolution, and MS missed the boat hard on that one. With smarphones and game consoles being the primary devices that teens engage the world with, MS is left clinging onto businesses as their primary market. They'll be there for awhile yet, but google is really starting to put the squeeze on them. I don't see MS ever recovering to be as dominant as they used to be.
You're stupid.
You could have up to FIFTY-TWO "legacy" Ports (in any one of millions of combinations!) with a 15" MacBook Pro 2016/2017. Try THAT with your stupid Dell.
Oh, and have fun finding DECENT software for Linux. It simply doesn't exist (with some noteable exceptions!). Oh and "Software Quality" and Linux are mutually-exclusive terms (again, with noteable exceptions, all of which are ALSO available for macOS).
BTW, the 2016-17 MacBook Pros do NOT have "Embedded Graphics", either. So, you lose again!
Good luck with your stupid purchase. Maybe next time you'll actually do some RESEARCH before you buy...
Now? You can't repair *anything* on the machine. Everything is soldered. Not only that, you can't *plug* anything into the machine either unless you buy expensive dongles. So now, for example, everybody needs to maintain a stock of dongles in every meeting room because nobody makes TVs and projectors with USB-C/TB3 connectors.
Shut the FUCK up, whiner!
USB-C/TB3 is the hands-down BEST thing that EVER happened to Laptops, PERIOD!
USB-C -> USB-A $2.50 (or less!) PASSIVE Adapter. Here's a 3-pack for $5:
You don't have to carry "piles of expensive dongles". Just get this Dock (one of SEVERAL to choose from). This one sports 3 USB 3.0 Ports, Gigabit Ethernet, SD/MicroSD/TF Card Reader,4K HDMI, USB-C (for Charging only), and Audio I/O for the princely sum of $60.
And if you need VGA for some old-school Projectors/Displays, that's available, too. One less USB-A Port than above, and no Audio I/O, but at $50, it has all the rest of the goodies, and HDMI and VGA:
Or, if you don't need DisplayPort, but you'd like the flexibility of HDMI, DVI, VGA plus the added convenience of a USB 3.0 Port, then here you go for $30:
Yes, and the general opinion of car dealerships that they're sleazy crooked bastards that will soak you for as much as they can get away with. Nobody goes back to a dealership for repairs unless it's under warranty or if there are some special circumstances. If that's that kind of negative reputation Apple wants to cultivate, then all the power to them.
The problem is that Apple is trying to have their cake and eat it too. They want to charge ridiculous money for repairs AND deny people the ability to repair things themselves. And that is NOT ok. This attitude (Not just Apple but many others, including John Deer I believe...) is exactly why "right to repair" legislation is popping up all over the place, and IMO it can't come fast enough.
And no, I have no idea what the repair costs are for the homepod. Not do I really, care, to be honest, because I will never buy one of the ridiculous things. My point is that, based on my own experience, if said poster is being hyperbolic it's probably not by much.
If you wouldn't buy a HomePod under any circumstances; then you don't care what the repair costs are, or whether they are reasonable.
So what you're saying is we cannot trust the data in these measurements? The same data that was used to proclaim that it is better than a $499 (they are $998 in pairs) "audiophile" speaker? Is that what you are saying?
You can trust it as much as you can with any other speaker.
That is to say, only to a point. It's a single set of tests. I would DEFINITELY like to see more; wouldn't you?
That's why Apple built the anechoic chambers. Because, like most serious speaker-builders, they were serious about getting good data. And I would LOVE to see it, too!
Yes, bouncing sound off walls is never going to give a neutral sound - at least not for more than a tiny single listening spot at specific frequencies. Having direct line speakers makes it a heck of a lot easier to get good EQ, but even then there are caveats, like the distance for the bass and treble elements.
For what it is, I'm sure the HomePod is very good. But I would save the superlatives and not claim that it matches direct line high quality speakers with a good equalizer. For things like a concerto with organs or timpani, it's just not going to do the same, even if it's going to work fine for swaying to Ed Swift or Taylor Sheeran.
The cool thing is, this has an "always analyzing" "MiniDSP" PEQ-type bit built-in; so there is actually at least SOME possibility that the Apple engineers got it right; and if that's the case, as much as we ALL like to think we have "golden ears", and that we can out-EQ some dumb-ass software running in a Microcontroller, FFS, no matter HOW many discrete amplifiers and microphones they throw at it, the truth is, at this point, maybe we can, and maybe we can't.
One review I read (can't remember who, sorry!) gave it high marks for the Star Wars "march", FWIW. They said it was DECIDEDLY non-muddy and the horn-parts were particularly well-defined.
Study the Fletcher Munson curves. You'll find that 75 dB SPL in the bass frequencies - where the THD was up to 56% - is about the same perceived loudness as a 55-60 dB conversation. A quiet level. If you don't know of what you speak - keep your mouth shut.
I've known about Fletcher-Munson since I was about 12 years old.
But didn't he say he attempted to negate the Fletcher-Munson compensation in his testing? But I do admit that that doesn't "defeat" Fletcher-Munson in your hearing...
But even so, I would STILL not characterize 55-60 dB SPL as "Just above audible". Subdued conversation, like in a typical nice restaurant; but not "Just above audible".
Your argument is, "If they did that, someone would have seen it and reported it to some forum where you and I would have heard about it."
That's a really stupid argument... I'm always disappointed when I read your posts. Your shilling is so blatantly transparent, and you seem like a decently intelligent person otherwise the rabid defense of everything-apple.
I really don't think that is a stupid argument.
With ALL the unmitigated hatred toward all things Apple by many Slashdotters, do you REALLY think someone wouldn't have caught on to that by now?
Think of the (unwarranted) outrage when Apple was transmitting APPROXIMATE locations of cell towers your iPhone happened across, so they could improve cell-switching, and therefore reduce "Dropped Calls" (which they were having trouble with at the time). Remember how much of a LATHER the Apple Haters(tm) on Slashdot and other forums got into "Apple Tracks your every move!" they crowed!
No, sorry. If Siri on iPhones/iPads/iPods/Macs and now HomePod was constantly (or even intermittently "bursting") your every word out the door, SOMEONE would be on their Soapbox by now with "Proof".
You know it and I know it.
And I don't "shill" for Apple. That implies payment, or at least writing posts that I myself really don't believe; but publish because I feel I must be a "toady" for someone/something. I simply attempt to correct falsehoods when I see them.
The government wants backdoors in all encryption achemea and a dedicated password for "just" the government to unlock all encryption.
Just because a company does it doesn't mean it is right and just because the government wants it doesn't make it right.
You need oversight without blindness. Regulations encourage and help businesses to flourish, and regulations binds government hands when they overstep too.
Slashdot Mirror
There’s some irony in an AC arguing that there’s no right to privacy.
I wonder, would you feel as comfortable stating your unpopular opinion if your account’s reputation was on the line?
Especially since that AC is likely a Russian Troll...
The problem is that this is not the correct tool. You gain no safety because the criminals will simply move on while you eradicate the safety of your citizens by exposing them to hackers (both organized crime and foreign government sponsored) that get a hold of that backdoor.
"Government only backdoors" do not exist. If you create an entry point for a benign actor, you create an attack vector for a nefarious one.
Since when is the Government a Benign Actor?
You should have stopped at the 4th. It can be argued that a right to privacy is explicitly stated there. The 9th just seals it, but only for the feds. State governments were free to do whatever.
Not without violating the 4th, according to Article VI, clause 2.
Oh great! It's Constitutional Interpretation Wars!!! More popcorn!
That would be ne'er-do-wells
I have always mistrusted a contraction that really doesn't "contract" anything. All that one does is replace the letter "v" with an apostrophe. What's the point?
Other than to "sound" like some Scottish Git when you say it in your head... (and I am of Scottish descent; so I can say that!)...
There's nothing wrong with using either unicode or UTF8 in the 21st century, but if a particular subsystem isn't prepared to cope with input, it should reject any attempt to submit input it cannot properly handle. Even rendering unknown characters each in a small box with the unicode value written in it is an entirely reasonable coping mechanism. Rendering the wrong thing, or worse, crashing, is a result of either poor QA or lazy developers or both.
Sez the person who has never coded a modern Operating System, that has to operate flawlessly WORLDWIDE, with a plethora of languages, fonts, even writing direction.
And as I said earlier, Slashdot can't even handle an alternate "Quote" character without displaying gibberish. So I don't want to hear it...
In 2018? Apples quality control really is on the slide.
Either it can't process the utf8 code or its crashing when it doesn't have the font installed. Either way, these were solved problems 30 years ago, never mind now.
Posted on Slashdot, where you don't dare even use the "wrong" quote character...
2% isn't going to help much when the Meltdown patch just hit you for 50%.
Exactly.
I agree with this. I work as a "creative" (commercial photography) and I keep nothing but the specific software I need on my machine's. All work files are kept on SSD's while in the field and dumped onto a RAID at the office. The computers themselves are kept clean free of anything that might degrade performance.
Thanks.
I just can't believe how NON-forward-thinking so many Slashdotters are. In a lot of ways, It feels like it's 1990 in here.
The people of that mindset believe that The only real computer is a tower with a bunch of internal RAID storage, a bunch of barely-compatible peripheral cards with mostly-working drivers, running a version of Linix that "works pretty well, except for...", that it only took 9 months to get sound working, and don't ask about the scanner...
They simply can't fathom of a world where you can purchase an 18-core all-in-one computer, take it out of the box, and with very little fuss, have a fully set-up system, with attached external storage, automatic backups, and email, web browsing and much more in a few minutes.
open up mac os X to more systems if just HP / DELL for real workstations where looks do not get in the way or things like an TB loop back cable to a video card is not a big deal. TB is cool but why tie the HDMI to AN TB bus??? that eats up TB bandwidth???
The mac pro failed due to being held back by limited cooling driven by looks. and add real m.2 slots.
Imac pro more BS that should not be in pro workstation like forced raid0 / no easy way to change ram or storage out. And storage locked to the MB. Also the duel pci-e storage is limited by an pci-e x4 link that is also shared with an co-cpu.
NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE that purchases an iMac Pro will be storing their work-files LOCALLY. There simply isn't enough local storage for the types of files REAL Pros work with.
So, that means that EVERYONE who uses an iMac Pro will be using EXTERNAL RAIDs. Add Time Machine backup for Applications and Local Files, and there simply isn't a compelling reason to support RAID inside the iMac, sorry!
My opinion is that Apple optimizes the "tripod" with an eye towards high profit levels, not towards customers. Which is fine, it is absolutely their decision to make, whether they want to optimize high-profits or customers.
If it's a zero-sum-game (favor profits OR favor customers, pick one), and Apple is making high profits, then why is Apple also ranking first in customer satisfaction?
Once we've dispensed with the defensive Slashdot non-reponse ("because Apple customers are ignorant brain-washed sheep, and not enlightened and wise like we are"), and keep in mind that "the customer is always right", we must conclude that Apple has figured out how to keep customers happy/loyal and keep profits high at the same time.
Which is a pretty good thing to know how to do, and largely explains why Apple is currently swimming in an ocean of cash.
Precisely!
I said upgraded, not updated. You can't replace parts on an Apple because they are welded to the motherboard.
Name me a cellphone or tablet with upgradeable hardware.
one still has to throw out an Apple product after three years because it can't be upgraded.
That is not a bug or a problem, that is a revenue feature.
And most vendors are doing the same damn thing when it comes to support.
No one that is an Android fan has ANY smack to talk against Apple in that regard.
None.
one still has to throw out an Apple product after three years because it can't be upgraded.
That's at least three more years than a typical Android product.
And my iPad 2 got updates for FIVE years, and my 2012 MacBook Pro can still run macOS High Sierra (though I feel like that may be the end...)
Honestly, if they'd just iterated the 2015 MacBook Pro, I'd have been happy. I've used the 2016 and 2017 versions at various times, and I'm not a fan.
My 2015 MBP was in the shop for a couple weeks (needed a trackpad/keyboard cable replaced, and for some reason the local Apple shop was having trouble getting it), so I had to use one of the 2016 models for that duration. After two weeks I thought the keyboard sucked just as much as I did on day one. And having to use a dongle for just about everything drove me nuts. I have to connect my laptop to displays and devices regularly - tell me, what good was it to shave a fraction of a millimeter off while simultaneously adding the requirement of carrying one or more dongles around?
Hopefully this 2015 Mac runs well for many years... but I'm not sure what I'll get when the time comes to replace it. I'm reasonably certain it won't be an Apple laptop, assuming they're anything like the current models - and if Ive, Cook, and Co. are still running things, those future laptops will probably still put style over functionality - they may very well have no ports at all!
The answer is simple: You just get one of the multiport USB-C "docks" for around $50-60, and get EVERY Port you need back with ONE cable. And they are cheap enough you can get one for your workplace, and one for home; so you aren't plugging/unplugging 3 to 5 cables twice a workday.
Here's one of SEVERAL configurations:
https://www.amazon.com/Adapter...
And then, you STILL have multiple ports left!
Think about it: a 2016/2017 15" MacBook Pro, with 4 USB-C/TB3 Ports can be "broken out" into up to FIFTY-TWO Legacy Ports SIMULTANEOUSLY(!!!!) And, unlike your 2010 MacBook Pro, you can CHANGE that Mix of Ports at ANY TIME YOUR NEEDS CHANGE!!!
Anyone who thinks that isn't a FANTASTIC leap forward, simply isn't thinking straight.
Those dont look like the official apple ones. Are you sure using them wont void your warranty?
No more than using a non-Apple USB cable will void your warranty (hint: It won't).
Perfectly spoken as someone who doesn't have to do this for a living.
Assuming one is willing to buy such a frighteningly cheap adapter (I would trust an offer from a Nigerian Price before this thing...), you *still* need to buy one for every user that will need one. You'd also need one in *every* conference room because people will invariably forget them. And then you need to buy an additional handful of spares for when they're lost or broken. And I will bet you money that those super-cheap adapters will fail a heck of a lot more often than one that costs $30+.
So we're no longer talking $10. We're talking several hundred dollars of needless expense, and that's for a small company. Not to mention a regular additional cost over time as the dongles are replaced.
Meanwhile, EVERY display device in the past 10+ years has HDMI. Almost EVERY computer, apart from Apple, has an HDMI port. The only additional cost would be the HDMI cable, and that's only if you bought a cheap one that didn't include a cable already in the box.
Dongles are additional unnecessary expense. They are additional unnecessary hassle for both users AND the admin staff having to buy the things. Dongles have a place for when you want to use something uncommon (eg: firewire) or if the laptop is so absurdly thin that the desired port won't physically fit without compromising the case (eg: VGA or Ethernet), but requiring dongles for connecting to very commonly used items like HDMI, or USB3 ports is downright idiotic.
You're strikingly ignorant.
Or actually, is it "Willfully Ignorant"?
A) Those particular dongles don't address his concern about hooking a projector up to it.
B) The fact that you even need dongles, no matter the cost, is a mark against it. My laptop does not need dongles.
Your next one WILL. Unless you do us all a favor and die NOW.
The 2016 model was the one which forced me to switch to a Dell Precision running Ububtu. It's got it's share of quirks, but nothing like the clusterfuck of apple's hardware and software.
A year and change in, and I'm more happy with this than I was with my old 2012 MBP. I've got the ports I need, and I can actually crack it open (once I fuck with the stupid non-standard screws) and do things. It's got an actual nVidia graphics card in it as well, not just some crappy embedded video.
And cost half the price of a similarly equipped MBP. No, not quite as snazzy, but whatever. Apple's evolution in their MBP line was opposite the direction I needed them to go, both in hardware and software. Where they were once my go-to, they definitely aren't now. While this focus on software quality is addressing one of my major complaints, there's no guarantee that it's more than lip service, and it's too little, too late for me personally anyway.
I doubt that MS will ever fix its issues either. Smartphones are the next computing evolution, and MS missed the boat hard on that one. With smarphones and game consoles being the primary devices that teens engage the world with, MS is left clinging onto businesses as their primary market. They'll be there for awhile yet, but google is really starting to put the squeeze on them. I don't see MS ever recovering to be as dominant as they used to be.
You're stupid.
You could have up to FIFTY-TWO "legacy" Ports (in any one of millions of combinations!) with a 15" MacBook Pro 2016/2017. Try THAT with your stupid Dell.
Oh, and have fun finding DECENT software for Linux. It simply doesn't exist (with some noteable exceptions!). Oh and "Software Quality" and Linux are mutually-exclusive terms (again, with noteable exceptions, all of which are ALSO available for macOS).
BTW, the 2016-17 MacBook Pros do NOT have "Embedded Graphics", either. So, you lose again!
Good luck with your stupid purchase. Maybe next time you'll actually do some RESEARCH before you buy...
Now? You can't repair *anything* on the machine. Everything is soldered. Not only that, you can't *plug* anything into the machine either unless you buy expensive dongles. So now, for example, everybody needs to maintain a stock of dongles in every meeting room because nobody makes TVs and projectors with USB-C/TB3 connectors.
Shut the FUCK up, whiner!
USB-C/TB3 is the hands-down BEST thing that EVER happened to Laptops, PERIOD!
USB-C -> USB-A $2.50 (or less!) PASSIVE Adapter. Here's a 3-pack for $5:
https://www.amazon.com/Adapter...
You don't have to carry "piles of expensive dongles". Just get this Dock (one of SEVERAL to choose from). This one sports 3 USB 3.0 Ports, Gigabit Ethernet, SD/MicroSD/TF Card Reader,4K HDMI, USB-C (for Charging only), and Audio I/O for the princely sum of $60.
https://www.amazon.com/Adapter...
And if you need VGA for some old-school Projectors/Displays, that's available, too. One less USB-A Port than above, and no Audio I/O, but at $50, it has all the rest of the goodies, and HDMI and VGA:
https://www.amazon.com/Multi-p...
And here's a REALLY nice Display Adapter, with HDMI, DVI, VGA and even DisplayPort for $36:
https://www.amazon.com/Multipo...
Or, if you don't need DisplayPort, but you'd like the flexibility of HDMI, DVI, VGA plus the added convenience of a USB 3.0 Port, then here you go for $30:
https://www.amazon.com/Type-Ad...
Or, if you only need VGA once in awhile, you can simply use this $13 USB-C/VGA adapter:
https://www.amazon.com/CableCr...
And you STILL have more Ports left on your MacBook Pro 15"!
Yes, and the general opinion of car dealerships that they're sleazy crooked bastards that will soak you for as much as they can get away with. Nobody goes back to a dealership for repairs unless it's under warranty or if there are some special circumstances. If that's that kind of negative reputation Apple wants to cultivate, then all the power to them.
The problem is that Apple is trying to have their cake and eat it too. They want to charge ridiculous money for repairs AND deny people the ability to repair things themselves. And that is NOT ok. This attitude (Not just Apple but many others, including John Deer I believe...) is exactly why "right to repair" legislation is popping up all over the place, and IMO it can't come fast enough.
And no, I have no idea what the repair costs are for the homepod. Not do I really, care, to be honest, because I will never buy one of the ridiculous things. My point is that, based on my own experience, if said poster is being hyperbolic it's probably not by much.
If you wouldn't buy a HomePod under any circumstances; then you don't care what the repair costs are, or whether they are reasonable.
So you are nothing but spewing Apple Hate.
Thanks for identifying yourself. We're done here.
So what you're saying is we cannot trust the data in these measurements? The same data that was used to proclaim that it is better than a $499 (they are $998 in pairs) "audiophile" speaker? Is that what you are saying?
You can trust it as much as you can with any other speaker.
That is to say, only to a point. It's a single set of tests. I would DEFINITELY like to see more; wouldn't you?
That's why Apple built the anechoic chambers. Because, like most serious speaker-builders, they were serious about getting good data. And I would LOVE to see it, too!
Yes, bouncing sound off walls is never going to give a neutral sound - at least not for more than a tiny single listening spot at specific frequencies.
Having direct line speakers makes it a heck of a lot easier to get good EQ, but even then there are caveats, like the distance for the bass and treble elements.
For what it is, I'm sure the HomePod is very good. But I would save the superlatives and not claim that it matches direct line high quality speakers with a good equalizer. For things like a concerto with organs or timpani, it's just not going to do the same, even if it's going to work fine for swaying to Ed Swift or Taylor Sheeran.
The cool thing is, this has an "always analyzing" "MiniDSP" PEQ-type bit built-in; so there is actually at least SOME possibility that the Apple engineers got it right; and if that's the case, as much as we ALL like to think we have "golden ears", and that we can out-EQ some dumb-ass software running in a Microcontroller, FFS, no matter HOW many discrete amplifiers and microphones they throw at it, the truth is, at this point, maybe we can, and maybe we can't.
One review I read (can't remember who, sorry!) gave it high marks for the Star Wars "march", FWIW. They said it was DECIDEDLY non-muddy and the horn-parts were particularly well-defined.
Study the Fletcher Munson curves. You'll find that 75 dB SPL in the bass frequencies - where the THD was up to 56% - is about the same perceived loudness as a 55-60 dB conversation. A quiet level. If you don't know of what you speak - keep your mouth shut.
I've known about Fletcher-Munson since I was about 12 years old.
But didn't he say he attempted to negate the Fletcher-Munson compensation in his testing? But I do admit that that doesn't "defeat" Fletcher-Munson in your hearing...
But even so, I would STILL not characterize 55-60 dB SPL as "Just above audible". Subdued conversation, like in a typical nice restaurant; but not "Just above audible".
Your argument is, "If they did that, someone would have seen it and reported it to some forum where you and I would have heard about it."
That's a really stupid argument... I'm always disappointed when I read your posts. Your shilling is so blatantly transparent, and you seem like a decently intelligent person otherwise the rabid defense of everything-apple.
I really don't think that is a stupid argument.
With ALL the unmitigated hatred toward all things Apple by many Slashdotters, do you REALLY think someone wouldn't have caught on to that by now?
Think of the (unwarranted) outrage when Apple was transmitting APPROXIMATE locations of cell towers your iPhone happened across, so they could improve cell-switching, and therefore reduce "Dropped Calls" (which they were having trouble with at the time). Remember how much of a LATHER the Apple Haters(tm) on Slashdot and other forums got into "Apple Tracks your every move!" they crowed!
No, sorry. If Siri on iPhones/iPads/iPods/Macs and now HomePod was constantly (or even intermittently "bursting") your every word out the door, SOMEONE would be on their Soapbox by now with "Proof".
You know it and I know it.
And I don't "shill" for Apple. That implies payment, or at least writing posts that I myself really don't believe; but publish because I feel I must be a "toady" for someone/something. I simply attempt to correct falsehoods when I see them.
And I see them a LOT on Slashdot.
There is a flip side to that.
The government wants backdoors in all encryption achemea and a dedicated password for "just" the government to unlock all encryption.
Just because a company does it doesn't mean it is right and just because the government wants it doesn't make it right.
You need oversight without blindness. Regulations encourage and help businesses to flourish, and regulations binds government hands when they overstep too.
Precisely!