What do you think Apple should do to be better and still set itself apart from competitors?

[Retro_R]

8 hours ago, aaradorn said:

SSD's in all laptops and pc's and set the base amount to 256gb not 128gb. 

They do have ssds in all of the current macbooks (that they sell). Although I do agree with the last part

[trevb0t]

The Apple of 2010-2014 was pretty neat. I actually liked the way they ran things then.

 

The fact that their hardware loses OS and update support after a few years, forcing you to buy new overpriced gear is just a sleazy business model. (ahem... Nintendo...)

I had an iPhone 3GS for like 5 years. It was a tank, and solid hardware. My iPad 2 has been a very solid machine. 

My wife's iPhone 6, 7, 8, etc have all crapped out just around a year after buying....

 

There is plenty to be appreciated about a company that provides its own hardware, OS and software all in a package for you is nice... But I don't want half of that crap, and I don't want to have to partition my hard drive to play the 40-50% of games that still don't support Mac OS.

[kelvinhall05]

This would never happen in a million years but making MacOS easy to install on any computer, while probably canibalizing sales of Macs, would be amazing. Even if they charged for it like with Windows I would consider buying it.

[Zando_]

1 minute ago, kelvinhall05 said:

This would never happen in a million years but making MacOS easy to install on any computer, while probably canibalizing sales of Macs, would be amazing. Even if they charged for it like with Windows I would consider buying it.

The biggest issue with that is it'd just cease to be macOS. At that point it would just be a Unix distro. macOS works like macOS because it runs on Macs. Apple knows the exact hardware combos and is able to make sure it runs (for the most part) very well on them. If you're willing to build with only hardware macOS works well on, then you just Hackintosh and do the optimizations yourself. If you've ever built even a pretty smooth hackintosh, there's still some work that needs to be done to make macOS use all the hardware the best it can. Apple trying to do that for the thousands and thousands of possible hardware configs out there would be impossible, thus stripping away a major part of macOS' appeal. 

[kelvinhall05]

Just now, Zando Bob said:

The biggest issue with that is it'd just cease to be macOS. At that point it would just be a Unix distro. macOS works like macOS because it runs on Macs. Apple knows the exact hardware combos and is able to make sure it runs (for the most part) very well on them. If you're willing to build with only hardware macOS works well on, then you just Hackintosh and do the optimizations yourself. If you've ever built even a pretty smooth hackintosh, there's still some work that needs to be done to make macOS use all the hardware the best it can. Apple trying to do that for the thousands and thousands of possible hardware configs out there would be impossible, thus stripping away a major part of macOS' appeal. 

Yeah but at the very least they could provide ISOs and just let the Hackintosh community figure out the rest. That's already enough of a pain; some of us just want (or need) MacOS but don't have thousands to spend on a mediocre laptop/iMac.

[Ashley MLP Fangirl]

apple's software is great, but their hardware sucks for the most part. the iDevices are ok, but the computers aren't. 

 

what apple needs to do with their computer line-up is make them like the old computers they used to make. the white plastic MacBooks were amazing. you could easily replace the battery, ram and hdd. the MacBook I have (mid-2012) is also easy to open, and the ram and hdd can be easily replaced. 

 

basically they need to:

- make their computers upgradable

- make them thicker so they can fit in more cooling and a keyboard that won't fail

- have a variety of ports on it (TB3, USB-A, SD, Ethernet)

[Zando_]

10 minutes ago, kelvinhall05 said:

Yeah but at the very least they could provide ISOs and just let the Hackintosh community figure out the rest. That's already enough of a pain; some of us just want (or need) MacOS but don't have thousands to spend on a mediocre laptop/iMac.

Not really like Apple todo that. They freely, officially, give the ISO to anyone who has supported hardware, they aren't going to for others because they can't support your hardware. They've pulled products in the past because it didn't meet their standards (see the dual wireless charger that never happened), have an ongoing replacement plan for faulty keyboards on the current gen (and IIRC flexgate devices as well), and offered extremely cheap battery replacements to make up for the whole throttling fiasco. They can't provide actual support for hardware that isn't theirs.

As for finding an ISO, it'd be pretty damn easy to get your hands on one, but saying anything more than that would violate the rules (can discuss hackintoshes and piracy but not tell you how to pirate stuff, getting a macOS ISO unofficially would count as piracy). 

IIRC the main issue with Hackintoshes is needing an actual Macintosh in order to make the bootable USB (I don't think you can do it from windows even with the ISO), again that's because Apple has very tight hardware/OS integration and it requires a lot of work to get it running on non-supported hardware. 

[Euchre]

The thing I think Apple should keep doing that already sets itself apart is the long term support of their devices. Even though Apple releases new devices every year like clockwork, and a new version of their OSs every year in the same fashion, most of their devices will enjoy 5 years of usable lifespan in terms of being supported to run current software, and receive security updates, and often more like 7 years or even 10 years. Microsoft and Google are both slipping into a pattern of 'rapid release' that is coming along with rapid obsolescence. When an Android phone bought new last year, with an OS no more than a year old when the device was introduced, no longer supports a current app, that's just ridiculous. Windows isn't quite so terrible yet, but MS has been putting a lot of pressure on enterprise to up the pace of migration to new OSs. Enterprise deployment is the only thing that's kept MS from shortening support spans to as little as 1 year for basic functionality. They are already basically reaching that level with anything Windows 10 - being told the long delayed build I got earlier in the year will soon be 'obsolete' is absurdly stupid.

 

Apple's recent adoption of the USB-C connector for the iPad Pro bodes well for returning to something Apple was actually starting to do quite well; use open standards. Apple ditched proprietary ADB for USB and Firewire (IEEE1394), abandoned proprietary floppy disks in favor of standard optical media, and abandoned their proprietary display ports in favor of VGA, DisplayPort, and HDMI. If they would drop Lightning (since they missed the chance to open it up to everyone, which would've precluded most of the need and motivation to develop USB-C), there would be no hardware compatibility issue to handling peripherals and other connectivity and charging. Apple would then be left to weeding out the proprietary software implementations, like their goofy Air Drop supplanting a proper Bluetooth stack for file transfers. It would be so nice to just BT a pic from an iPhone to an Android phone, or a contact (vcard), or any other file. I know they understand the common BT standards - their implementation of BT audio is surprisingly effective.

 

Oh, and may he rest in peace, Steve Jobs is dead - can we get past the 'bag of hurt' and have the option of a Bluray drive in a Mac? It has been long enough, it could even be a 4K Bluray player.

[DiggsMcGee]

I'm NOT an Apple guy, but I do think they make pretty good products.

 

The only thing I'd change about Apple is their attitude towards their own mistakes. Just apologize and fix the issue (bend-gate, exploits, battery issues, PCB issues, overheating, keyboards, lack of features as a feature?... and so on).

 

Just a simple, "we messed up, let us fix it for you" would be nice.

[mr moose]

My biggest issue with apple is parts and repairs.  If they could make parts available at a reasonable prices and their service fees competitive (I expect to pay more to have it repaired at apple instead of the corner shop, but I expect the work to be first rate).  The next thing they can do is allow consumers to buy apps once.  If they have bought apps from google play and they switch to apple then apple should allow those apps (the ones made by the same developer but ported to ios) free.  Just because the software is on a different OS doesn't mean consumers should have to by it twice (android should do the same).  

[DrMacintosh]

21 minutes ago, mr moose said:

My biggest issue with apple is parts and repairs.  If they could make parts available at a reasonable prices and their service fees competitive (I expect to pay more to have it repaired at apple instead of the corner shop, but I expect the work to be first rate). 

Agreed. 

[Commodus]

23 hours ago, TempestCatto said:

It's simple, really. Here's a short list of stuff:

 

• User serviceable
• 3rd party friendly
• thermal design over artistic design
• price competitively
• use current gen parts
• more hardware options
• unlimited hardware support like Windows has
• better support for games/Steam
• remove "geniuses" from stores for actual trained technicians that don't scam you
• replace a part instead of a whole new motherboard (as an example)
• remove failure points from their hardware (such as weak hinges, stupid signal routing in the M/B, etc)
• admit when they make a mistake and work to improve upon rather than bury or rehash it
• not have a $1,000 monitor stand
• add touchscreen option to most of their computer lineup
• include normal ports on their computers such as USB type A, 3.5mm TRS female, RJ45, full size HDMI, etc
• usb type C on iPhone and iPad (with full on support for connecting external devices)
• expandable storage on iPhone and iPad
• 3.5mm TRS female on iPhone and iPad
• stop advertising with a pretentious and douchey attitude
• MacOS should close a program when I click the red "X"
• MacOs should have an option to place the minimize, cascade, and close buttons on the proper side for all windows

 

That's all I got for now, I'll probs add more later. I haven't used iOS or MacOS enough recently to have any more factpinions on them. 

 

This list irks me, not because there aren't some legitimate gripes on the list, but because it basically amounts to "I just want them to make Windows PCs and Android phones with Apple logos on them, and I don't really understand what makes Apple stand out."  That and there are indications you might know little about modern Apple products, because all Macs have headphone jacks, desktops have Ethernet and USB-A (and sometimes HDMI) and the iPad Pro has had USB-C since last year.

 

For goodness' sake, you're literally telling Apple to copy Windows' button layout and behavior (it's only "proper" because you're used to how Microsoft does it).  You act as if Apple can just flick a switch on touchscreen support, and that there aren't serious flaws with Microsoft's approach to touch in Windows (it's really more superficial than many would care to admit).  For that matter, "unlimited hardware support" isn't really something under Apple's control at this point; it can't make companies write drivers, and it's not Apple's job to write drivers for everyone either.

 

I'd add that some of these come down to design choices that have positives alongside consequences.  For example, ports on MacBooks.  Going all USB-C does have its headaches (I'd really like an SD card slot), but you know what it also means?  Apple doesn't have to sacrifice the number of ports on devices where they're very limited, or make guesses as to whether or not a port will still be relevant in a couple of years.

 

For that matter, if you think Apple is "pretentious and douchey" with its advertising... well, then, you probably have to destroy many of the electronics you own, since there's a good chance it's been advertised that way repeatedly.  Samsung in particular is notorious for childish mockery of Apple users (rather ironically, too, since it made fun of the absence of a headphone jack only to do the same a few years later).  It's advertising; appeals to emotion and ego are the marketer's stock in trade.  Don't let it get to you.

 

Again, this isn't to rubber-stamp everything Apple does, but don't just say "be more like everyone else."  We absolutely need companies like Apple, even if that means dealing with some idiosyncracies.  They're the ones that prevent the tech world from devolving into a bland sameness where real variety and competition are dead.

[Retro_R]

2 hours ago, Euchre said:

Apple ditched proprietary ADB for USB and Firewire (IEEE1394), abandoned proprietary floppy disks in favor of standard optical media, and abandoned their proprietary display ports in favor of VGA, DisplayPort, and HDMI.

Hey, don't forget about the switch from SCSI to IDE (Yes, while SCSI technically wasn't really 'apple proprietary' Apple was basically the only manufacturer to have SCSI built in for a super long time.)

 

2 hours ago, Euchre said:

Oh, and may he rest in peace, Steve Jobs is dead - can we get past the 'bag of hurt' and have the option of a Bluray drive in a Mac? It has been long enough, it could even be a 4K Bluray player.

I would very highly doubt that they would even consider adding a dvd drive, let alone a bluray one, since most windows laptops don't have it and even a lot of towers don't have a 5.25" bay. Also, there isn't a lot of software that can run a bluray iirc

[Commodus]

2 hours ago, Euchre said:

Apple's recent adoption of the USB-C connector for the iPad Pro bodes well for returning to something Apple was actually starting to do quite well; use open standards. Apple ditched proprietary ADB for USB and Firewire (IEEE1394), abandoned proprietary floppy disks in favor of standard optical media, and abandoned their proprietary display ports in favor of VGA, DisplayPort, and HDMI. If they would drop Lightning (since they missed the chance to open it up to everyone, which would've precluded most of the need and motivation to develop USB-C), there would be no hardware compatibility issue to handling peripherals and other connectivity and charging. Apple would then be left to weeding out the proprietary software implementations, like their goofy Air Drop supplanting a proper Bluetooth stack for file transfers. It would be so nice to just BT a pic from an iPhone to an Android phone, or a contact (vcard), or any other file. I know they understand the common BT standards - their implementation of BT audio is surprisingly effective.

 

Oh, and may he rest in peace, Steve Jobs is dead - can we get past the 'bag of hurt' and have the option of a Bluray drive in a Mac? It has been long enough, it could even be a 4K Bluray player.

I think a "proper Bluetooth stack" would have to be there alongside AirDrop, not replace it.  AirDrop is much easier than other device-to-device file sharing options and, importantly, works across different Apple operating systems.

 

And no Mac should ever have an optical drive again.  It's 2019.  We should be done with hurting the environment to make plastic discs that are considerably less convenient than the internet, require bulky drives and use the kind of odious DRM that makes Netflix and iTunes seem liberal in comparison.

[TheKDub]

On 10/8/2019 at 11:45 AM, Retro_R said:

I've seen a lot of people saying that apple sucks and stuff like that. But I want to know how Apple should get better for a lot of people while setting itself apart from competitors (Windows, Android,etc)? Obviously if MacOS started to basically become windows then there would be no point in getting it, same with iOS. Just want your guys thoughts and opinions.

Add a headphone jack 

[TempestCatto]

1 hour ago, Commodus said:

-snip-

I'm not saying make Windows computers, I'm saying there's things Windows computers do better and Apple should at least take notes (and for that matter there's things Linux does that Microsoft should take notes on).

 

Having used touchscreen on Windows, it's hard to go back. There's times when you just don't want to move your mouse, and being able to touch the screen for a dialog box is amazing. I see no reason Apple can't implement this, other than wanting to keep their laptops thinner and lighter.

 

USB C on just the iPad Pro which only works under the new iPadOS. Put USB C on the phones and the rest of the iPad line. And I know iMacs have certain ports, and I know Macbooks have the headphone jack. I'm saying if they have it on one device, just include it with the rest.

 

Speaking of ports, it's just too much of a hassle not to have certain things like USB A, HDMI, and RJ45. Having to carry around dongles makes just as much bulk as an older laptop with all those ports; and then some. There are plenty of manufactures that put those on their thin and light laptops, and they make the package that much better.

 

Apple started the trend of being douchey and pretentious in their marketing. They think they can set trends? Then they should be less of an asshole about it and see what other companies start to do.

 

As for unlimited hardware support, I see zero reason companies can't develop drivers for their OS. Far as I remember, Apple's MacOS is a more "closed" OS, they don't want the same level of hardware support. Not to mention Apple uses hardware ID's and as such, not all hardware is a drop in replacement.

 

For the record, when I was much younger (back when Steve Jobs was still alive) I was actually an Apple fanboy. They've fallen and keep on walking all over themselves. They lost me a long time ago, and I would love for them to be competent enough again.

[PlayStation 2]

3 hours ago, Euchre said:

Oh, and may he rest in peace, Steve Jobs is dead - can we get past the 'bag of hurt' and have the option of a Bluray drive in a Mac? It has been long enough, it could even be a 4K Bluray player.

Many modern computers don't even have a DVD drive, let alone a Blu-ray drive of any sort. No way in hell Apple would bother with wasting time to make a slot-loading BD drive.

Hell, this forum loves to beat the uselessness of disc drives to death because no one uses them for anything. That is, unless you actually do shit that involves discs.

[Blademaster91]

Most custom cases don't have a DVD drive slot because people go "LUL optical media is obsolete just stream or download everything" so case manufacturers capitalize on it and sell boring glass and RGB boxes.

Not everyone has great internet to stream everything in 1080P,and some of us like to own physical copies of a movie or music. A few plastic discs are nothing in waste in comparison to Apple making their devices break on purpose with stuff like faulty keyboards,batteries, stupid motherboard designs with everything soldered in, or internal display cables designed to fail.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

28 minutes ago, Dan Castellaneta said:

Many modern computers don't even have a DVD drive, let alone a Blu-ray drive of any sort. No way in hell Apple would bother with wasting time to make a slot-loading BD drive...

I find that attitude from manufacturers to be annoying. I (and I'm sure I'm not the only one) like to have choices and I resent it when manufacturers make those choices for us, no matter what we may want. Just because something isn't as hot a seller as it once was doesn't mean nobody wants it anymore but all the manufacturers care about is maximizinbg profits. They don't realize how much business they lose because they anger potential customers who resent the business' attitudes. This kind of attitude from Apple alone would be enough to drive me away from them if weren't multiple other reasons for me to boycott them.

 

28 minutes ago, Dan Castellaneta said:

...Hell, this forum loves to beat the uselessness of disc drives to death because no one uses them for anything. That is, unless you actually do shit that involves discs.

Granted, you qualified your statement somewhat in the second sentence but blanket statements like your first sentence can come back and bite you where you sit. While ODD usage by computers is down dramatically, t, it's not dead by any means. I use mine almost entirely for playing and ripping CDs, DVDs, and BDs.

[SenKa]

13 hours ago, realpetertdm said:

5. "Genius" - Apple, can you stop overcharging us for pointless "repairs" (read: lazy part changing and no actual repairing) and actually have competent people fix your products? I know not every Genuis bar guy is like this but from the things I've read and seen and watched your tech repair teams look like a joke.

Apple outsources their repair work to a third party, the genius' are sales reps and VERY basic diagnostics workers.

 

Never, ever, under any circumstances, bring your device to Apple for repairs. AASP's will, 9/10 times, give you better and more reliable service, and use the same OEM parts Apple does. And a good non-certified repair shop will also use the same quality parts, not to mention charge you less for them.

 

I am a repair tech myself, run a small business doing it. I personally vet my suppliers before I offer their parts to my customers, and order legit parts straight from china.

[Commodus]

54 minutes ago, TempestCatto said:

Having used touchscreen on Windows, it's hard to go back. There's times when you just don't want to move your mouse, and being able to touch the screen for a dialog box is amazing. I see no reason Apple can't implement this, other than wanting to keep their laptops thinner and lighter.

(Focusing on those areas where I think an argument is worth pursuing, apologies if I'm leaving things hanging)

 

I do appreciate that, but at the same time Apple has plenty of good reasons not to implement it.  A common complaint about Windows' touch approach is that you can't really use it as your primary interface.  Yeah, you can buy Windows tablets, but you'll probably need a mouse/keyboard combo if you're going to go much deeper than the surface.  I think Apple will only do native touch on MacOS if it can deliver a top-to-bottom touch interface, and I suspect it would rather bulk up iPadOS instead.

 

1 hour ago, TempestCatto said:

Speaking of ports, it's just too much of a hassle not to have certain things like USB A, HDMI, and RJ45. Having to carry around dongles makes just as much bulk as an older laptop with all those ports; and then some. There are plenty of manufactures that put those on their thin and light laptops, and they make the package that much better.

USB-A is temporary, HDMI isn't as capable as Thunderbolt 3 (and still requires a cable), and why would you bulk up a laptop with Ethernet when the clear majority of laptop users don't need it?  Dongles can be a pain, but here's the thing: making everyone else permanently sacrifice a port for an edge case seems silly.  If a port stays, it has to be something that a large number of people will use and isn't just a substitute for something USB-C/TB3 can already do as well or better (like driving an external display).

 

1 hour ago, TempestCatto said:

As for unlimited hardware support, I see zero reason companies can't develop drivers for their OS. Far as I remember, Apple's MacOS is a more "closed" OS, they don't want the same level of hardware support. Not to mention Apple uses hardware ID's and as such, not all hardware is a drop in replacement.

I think I see what you're arguing for -- by hardware support you don't just mean GPUs or other peripherals, you mean the whole system. On that front, I believe Apple is justified in limiting what base-level hardware you can use.  Part of why Apple's "it just works..." well, works is that there's a narrow set of hardware it develops for.  It knows it can implement feature X or guarantee seamlessness for Y because it doesn't have to design for a lowest common denominator of hundreds or thousands of possible hardware combos. If you introduce the ability to use any CPU, any mainboard, you end up in the same situation as Windows, where Microsoft has to dilute features, extend testing and still deal with odd (if rare) hardware conflicts.

 

Now, I don't think there should be restrictions for GPUs, USB devices, storage and the like, and generally there aren't.  But it feels like many forget that Apple achieves some of what it does precisely because it's not emulating Microsoft's anything-goes hardware support.

[TempestCatto]

1 minute ago, Commodus said:

I do appreciate that, but at the same time Apple has plenty of good reasons not to implement it.  A common complaint about Windows' touch approach is that you can't really use it as your primary interface.  Yeah, you can buy Windows tablets, but you'll probably need a mouse/keyboard combo if you're going to go much deeper than the surface.  I think Apple will only do native touch on MacOS if it can deliver a top-to-bottom touch interface, and I suspect it would rather bulk up iPadOS instead.

On a desktop style full blown os (such as Windows or MacOS) I don't see touch being the only way of interfacing. It's just impossible. Adding touch capabilities will add to the user experience would be very helpful in workflow and general use.

 

3 minutes ago, Commodus said:

USB-A is temporary, HDMI isn't as capable as Thunderbolt 3 (and still requires a cable), and why would you bulk up a laptop with Ethernet when the clear majority of laptop users don't need it?  Dongles can be a pain, but here's the thing: making everyone else permanently sacrifice a port for an edge case seems silly.  If a port stays, it has to be something that a large number of people will use and isn't just a substitute for something USB-C/TB3 can already do as well or better (like driving an external display).

I don't see how USB A is temporary. There's far too many external devices that use it for it just go away in the next few years. Yes, TB3 is amazing, but being able to just plug directly into the machine without a dongle is just way better. As for RJ45, there are ways to make the port collapse in, so it becomes much smaller and does not take away from the slimness of a laptop, it adds no extra bulk. There's just no justifying dongles over actual ports, not in my eyes.

 

7 minutes ago, Commodus said:

I think I see what you're arguing for -- by hardware support you don't just mean GPUs or other peripherals, you mean the whole system. On that front, I believe Apple is justified in limiting what base-level hardware you can use.  Part of why Apple's "it just works..." well, works is that there's a narrow set of hardware it develops for.  It knows it can implement feature X or guarantee seamlessness for Y because it doesn't have to design for a lowest common denominator of hundreds or thousands of possible hardware combos. If you introduce the ability to use any CPU, any mainboard, you end up in the same situation as Windows, where Microsoft has to dilute features, extend testing and still deal with odd (if rare) hardware conflicts.

That's a good point, actually. But even still, if Apple did do this, they would broaden their horizons and create even more use cases and generate more users as a result. It would be nice to have a custom built computer with MacOS and simply upgrade parts over time, like one can do with a custom built Windows computer.

[Euchre]

3 hours ago, Retro_R said:

Hey, don't forget about the switch from SCSI to IDE (Yes, while SCSI technically wasn't really 'apple proprietary' Apple was basically the only manufacturer to have SCSI built in for a super long time.)

Actually, SCSI was used heavily in server systems, and Sun systems. It was a very robust technology compared to IDE (PATA), but wasn't as cheap. For most consumer users, IDE was adequate and much more affordable. Apple has always like long term durability, despite what some would have you believe.

3 hours ago, Commodus said:

plastic discs that are considerably less convenient than the internet

Says someone with robust, affordable internet access. The store where I work sells a LOT of physical media still, exactly because of this. Affluent urbanites love to act like everyone has the fortune of great access, which they have due to market density offering great profitability, and mock those who don't. It is still faster to ship physical media than use the internet to move large amounts of data. I'd bet if you put it to the test, a truckload of Blurays can get more content moved cheaper and faster than streaming an equal number of instances of the same content over the available internet connections.

[Retro_R]

On 10/8/2019 at 3:28 PM, TempestCatto said:

better support for games/Steam

It's not Apples job to add games for macos, its the developers job to port to MacOS. But I want to shoutout my favorite emulator ever, OpenEMU, is only on MacOS

12 hours ago, Euchre said:

Actually, SCSI was used heavily in server systems, and Sun systems. It was a very robust technology compared to IDE (PATA), but wasn't as cheap. For most consumer users, IDE was adequate and much more affordable. Apple has always like long term durability, despite what some would have you believe.

Well, that's server/enterprise stuff. I mean consumer stuff. SCSI is faster than IDE which is good. But now, you can't find any cheap options for flash storage for the SCSI they used in the products. Which sucks because I like vintage apple stuff and all the hard drives are dead/dying.

[dalekphalm]

On 10/9/2019 at 2:49 PM, trevb0t said:

The Apple of 2010-2014 was pretty neat. I actually liked the way they ran things then.

 

The fact that their hardware loses OS and update support after a few years, forcing you to buy new overpriced gear is just a sleazy business model. (ahem... Nintendo...)

I challenge this extremely strongly.

iPhone 6 was only EOL for support 20 days ago. They got all the way up to iOS 12 - that's 5 years of support. Damn - that's way better support than basically any other smartphone manufacturer.

On 10/9/2019 at 2:49 PM, trevb0t said:

I had an iPhone 3GS for like 5 years. It was a tank, and solid hardware. My iPad 2 has been a very solid machine. 

My wife's iPhone 6, 7, 8, etc have all crapped out just around a year after buying....

How have they crapped out? My fiancee is using my old 6s (we just replaced the battery, but otherwise still works). Same goes for her iPhone SE (bought around the same time as the 6s) - we replaced the battery and sold it - still working.

 

And Macs are little different - we have a Macbook Air at work that's fairly old (not sure on the exact age - but we've had it since at least 2014 or 2015, if not even longer) - and it was able to receive Mojave - (and probably Catalina too, but that came out after I ran updates on the Mac).

 

I believe the only Macs that couldn't get the newer MacOS updates were the ones running 32-bit processors (or, obviously, the really old macs running PPC). My fiancee has a Macbook air from like 2012 or 2013 - I'll check to see if Catalina is available on it too, but I suspect it'll be fine.

 

Point being - long term support is actually one of Apple's strong points. They are NOT perfect - not by a stretch. But they do some things fairly well.