Using a 5 year old PC is really sad according to Apple

[Sevilla]

Source: http://www.dailydot.com/technology/phil-schiller-sad/

 

In my time I've owned several Apple products, be it laptops, MP3 players, or desktop units. I am not an Apple hater, nor am I an Apple fanboy. What I am is a tech savvy individual who has a clear understanding of what getting your money's worth means. I am also an IT guy who works with both Apple and PC equipment daily in an enterprise environment.

 

The idea that a 5 year old PC is considered sad took me aback. My current ESXI 6.0 server runs on an old HPZ800 on dual E5620s whose glory days were roughly 6 or so years ago. My media center PC runs on an old HP Z210 on an i7 2600 from about 5 years ago. I have a few laptops running Windows XP and a netbook on an Intel Atom N475 from roughly 2010 running Windows 10. Some of them are slow (XP machines with standard HDDs) and some are very fast for today's standards. I have old computers, and I disagree with saying that using my 5+ year old machines are sad. My machines do what they are tasked to do without problems, and maybe that is because I am a technician. I keep my machines updated, I'll upgrade a few components on the cheap, and I will reinstall the OS and ensure everything is working. Is that sad? No. It's being resourceful, it's being thrifty, and it's being smart. More importantly, it's not being wasteful.

 

Let's talk about the 1st problem about the statement made, and that's the bold assumption that a brand new shinny Apple tablet is better than a PC, current or 5 years old. It's not. A tablet is a niche device, just like ultrabooks, and just like netbooks were back in the day. To compare a tablet to a PC of any reasonable age (not talking Commodore 64 era) is a poor comparison because you're talking apples and oranges (see what I did there?). The utility of a PC/desktop device to this day remains important to several people who use them for productivity, gaming, or just trivial things. I can't plug 5 monitors to an iPad (don't ask), I can't upgrade the graphics on an iPad, I can't upgrade ANYTHING on an iPad. I can, however, upgrade just about everything on a 5 year old PC and make it great again. So once again, poor comparison is poor. 

 

Quote

Schiller said that 600 million people are using PCs that are over five years old. "This is really sad," he said. 

 

What's the real problem with the statement? They'll say anything to market this to anyone who is willing to pay for their stuff (then again, so would most companies,) they'll even bash their own products and point out how slow and obsolete they are when the new revision is out, and here is the messed up part: people buy into this. Suddenly your iPad became slow, suddenly your MacBook doesn't work, yadda yadda...This truly goes beyond just Apple and their tablet, but how they view computing as a whole. 

 

But 1st, a walk down memory lane...

 

I remember when I owned my 1st sleek PowerBook G4. I originally got it because my girlfriend got one from school since her program required her to have one--and it was also part of the cost of her tuition. I got one because the software was interesting, it was different, and it looked cool. The operating system was shiny, user friendly, and well rounded. I had to try one out. Last time So I bought one for about 1600 dollars. It was neat and cool to have, but it just didn't offer everything I wanted, nor software that matched what I had on a Windows laptop. Eventually after some time I sold it and got half of my original investment (less than a year old--lesson learned, so I thought).

 

A couple of years passed and I saw the new MacBook Pros, now with Intel processors. I blame Keifer Sutherland because he voiced the commercial Apple used to show the world that Apples now used Intel, and were no longer trapped in "dull little boxes." Also boot camp was a thing too! I had to have one because now I'd have no excuse to wanting to switch back to a Windows PC. The decision at the time came as follows: buy a $1300 Dell XPS laptop, or a $1700 MacBook Pro. The XPS came with an NVIDIA GPU, and the Apple with a Radeon. Back then I didn't bleed green or red, and I really enjoyed the Apple ecosystem, so I dove and bought the Apple again. I came to realize that spending 1700 on a laptop was a foolish idea, and all I bought into was the marketing, and the premium of both owning a Mac and owning a laptop that looked so sleek. This time around, I learned my lesson.

 

Today Apples and PCs are nothing but similar hardware on varying custom PCBs. You can run OS X on PC hardware and Windows on OS X hardware. The only difference is the OS and software (desktop/laptop/tablets alike). What you're buying is the same thing I bought many years ago: a sleek look and different software that does the same thing. I won't deny some Apple software does some things better than their PC counterparts, but does that apply to everyone who owns an Apple computer? Is everyone a photo/video/audio editor? No, but Apple wants us to believe we all could be should we choose to. They empower us to believe we have the ability to do what we want with their products at the expense of our bank accounts.

 

Quote

Five years might be a long time for Apple, a company that releases new devices all the time, but for many people, a five-year-old device can still serve their needs. In fact, older, cheaper computers can be a lifeline to the Internet for individuals who can't afford to pay for new mobile devices and laptops.

 

But let's focus, an Apple tablet is better than my 5 year old i7 2600 with 8GB of DDR3 RAM running a GTX 760, right? I'm not sold on that thought.

 

Everyone is entitled to buy what they want and use their money how they choose to, and maybe my take is that of someone whose disposable income is saved rather than spend on shinny things. I am not a photo/video/audio editor, nor will probably ever be one. I am a tech at heart and someone who is always looking to educate people on the wonderful world of technology.

 

Quote

Apple's MacBooks start at $1,299. The new iPad Pro starts at $599. You can buy older laptops with decent specs from resellers and on sites like eBay for less than $200. You can even buy a new Chromebook for $149.

 

At the end of the day, to each their own, but these are just my 2 cents (which I saved by not buying an Apple tablet). Don't mind me though, I'll be working on my sad 5 year old PC in my corner.

[DocSwag]

Nice thoughts.... Of course it'd be nice if you added some quotes in there. Think that it might be a requirement.

 

When I first saw it I thought some guy accidentally posted it here instead of in General Discussion. Well I guess that ain't true.

 

And yes, so true...macs are just Windows PCs with a sleeker look, better touchpad (you gotta give them credit for those ), and a higher price.

[shdowhunt60]

There's nothing "sad" about it. That's just the reality of the matter. Software demands for the consumer market haven't been escalating to the point where hardware is getting left behind. There's a video on YouTube of the 8-bit Guy installing Windows 10 on a Core Duo Macbook from 2005, and it ran fine all things considered.

 

I mean, let's face it. Most people just use PC's as a telecommunications device. Go on the web, browse web pages, scroll down Facebook and Twitter, etc. etc. Type out a document in word, make a spreadsheet in Excel. That's not something that necessarily demands a ton of hardware grunt. The fact that machines like Ultrabooks and Chromebooks exist is the silent acknowledgement of this: devices that focus on reducing power draw as much as possible to try and maximize battery life to its fullest exists in a thin and light form factor. Even Intel's Core M was explicitly designed and marketed for this purpose.

 

Even in your example of the Macbook Pro vs the XPS, those machines are focused on much the same just only with more powerful hardware. And they're good machines, you can do things like edit 4k content and game on those. They cost a premium, but they're premium machines in the first place.

[Sevilla]

6 minutes ago, DocSwag said:

Nice thoughts.... Of course it'd be nice if you added some quotes in there. Think that it might be a requirement.

 

When I first saw it I thought some guy accidentally posted it here instead of in General Discussion. Well I guess that ain't true.

 

And yes, so true...macs are just Windows PCs with a sleeker look, better touchpad (you gotta give them credit for those ), and a higher price.

Added a couple of relevant quotes.

 

Nothing anyone couldn't have skimmed over, but given this is my 1st time posting on this thread, I'd figure I'd comply.

[Coaxialgamer]

So...  My pc using nearly 4 year old specs is getting old? 

 

Oh no! 

 

Its not like i can run games maxed at 1080p and even at 1440p...

 

/s

[2001jaden]

so are they saying that a new chromebook will be better than my 4 yr old laptop with i3?

[Sevilla]

1 minute ago, Coaxialgamer said:

So...  My pc using nearly 4 year old specs is getting old? 

 

Oh no! 

 

Its not like i can run games maxed at 1080p and even at 1440p...

 

/s

Nope, dump it. It's over. Get rid of it.

[minibois]

I get what they are coming from, but it really depends on one's usage.

My PC is 5 years old and for the stuff I do, it really is not enough. My friend's PC on the other hand is also 5 years old (except for the 1 year old GTX 970) and his still hangs on. (i5 2500K, 8GB RAM and that GTX 970. Previously GTX 660 Ti).

 

I think saying all cases are sad just at once is just.. Sad.

[79wjd]

I think the point that you kind of missed is that the average consumers five year old pc would be outperformed by an iPad by the tasks that are most frequently done (if not solely from the fact that one uses flash storage while the other is almost guaranteed to use the painfully slow HDD). Not to mention iOS is far more streamlined than Windows -- making it a faster experience for doing highly specific tasks (navigating to and using Internet/email). 

 

So compared to a five year old system that an enthusiast would have, apples statement looks plain stupid. But compared to what the average consumer has (think C2D) and the average use case it's entirely different.

 

Now with that said, I'm not saying those five year old computers are too slow or too old. Frankly, most people could use a ten year old computer and still get more than enough performance to suit their needs.

[Markmjb]

I really wish people and websites could pay less attention to all the marketing crap from one company...but this is a big marketing rally for apple where they announce shit, so I guess we'll have to talk about it.

 

It's a different ballgame for someone for whom new tech is everything, including ur job,  and who has all the money in the world, as opposed to normal people. so I don't blame him for saying it, although he's pretty stupid for voicing that opinion, whether its his own or apple made him do it.

 

Secondly, the old "pc for office use" requirements haven't changed shit in the last 10 years. You'd be surprised how many old pc's work just fine with some faster storage. My 9 year old laptop which I had to part with last year because of failing battery can attest to that.
 

And finally, I've just seen the minimum specs for a game like Dark Souls 3 , and they are laughable. I know it's a never-ending circle with people not upgrading and companies not making minimum specs higher because then they can't sell it to all those people not upgrading, but...  Why do I need to buy a new computer for nowadays? For office use ? nope. For gaming use? nope. Maybe if 1440p and 4k screens really lift off and become mainstream, it might be weird to still see a 5 year old pc. Until than, why would anyone give a shit what a pretentious CEO of some company says about their habits ?

[Yoinkerman]

Aren't apple pcs using 5 year old tech

[suicidalfranco]

Installed an SSD on a 2006 Macbbok Pro 17", i dont know what apple reps have been smoking but it's fast as fuck even with el Capitan

[79wjd]

5 minutes ago, Yoinkerman said:

Aren't apple pcs using 5 year old tech

One to two year old processors (haswell/broadwell depending on what device), everything else is more or less up to date. 

3 minutes ago, suicidalfranco said:

Installed an SSD on a 2006 Macbbok Pro 17", i dont know what apple reps have been smoking but it's fast as fuck even with el Capitan

Most people (those who could use an iPad in place of a computer) aren't going to be upgrading anything themselves. 

[potoooooooo]

Itt: people taking apples statement out of context

[sof006]

Whats sad? That someone doesn't feel the need to upgrade ever 1 or 2 years? I'm fairly certain a 5 year old PC is quite capable of doing a lot of stuff. My step dad uses a 2009 Macbook Pro and he renders photos he has taken and videos hes recorded and browses the web... No issues there. He is thinking of upgrading but I doubt he will because he doesn't want to sacrifice his USB ports etc.

[grayperview]

oh the Irony....sad fact is Apple hasn't released a none macbook pro worth considering in about 7 or 8 years.....

 

A good 5 year old PC give any current Mac a run for its money performance wise...

 

Apple should just do us all a favour and fuck off out of computing and stick to making their shitty phones and watches.

[Orangeator]

Seriously? I have a 3 year old graphics card that Apple could never match with any of their current products, and based on the past, probably couldn't 2 years from now. 

[79wjd]

2 minutes ago, super_skank said:

oh the Irony....sad fact is Apple hasn't released a none macbook pro worth considering in about 7 or 8 years.....

 

A good 5 year old PC give any current Mac a run for its money performance wise...

 

Apple should just do us all a favour and fuck off out of computing and stick to making their shitty phones and watches.

excet for the Mac Pro (which when it was launched two/three years ago wasn't priced poorly), or the iMac (which competes with comparable AIOs), or the MacBook Air (which competes with ultrasik ultrabooks). If anything the 15" mbp isn't worth considering right now due to being priced similarly to the competition while running haswell/haswell iris pro (whereas skylake Iris pro can keep up with the competition).

 

Macs have always used top of the line processors, so the fact that an older pc (or Mac) can keep up is because cpu performance hasn't seen any drastic improvements in recent years. And if you want to argue graphical performance, well macs aren't targeted at gamers or people who do extremely heavy rendering where they would benefit from a powerful gpu. 

[Sevilla]

13 minutes ago, djdwosk97 said:

I think the point that you kind of missed is that the average consumers five year old pc would be outperformed by an iPad by the tasks that are most frequently done (if not solely from the fact that one uses flash storage while the other is almost guaranteed to use the painfully slow HDD). Not to mention iOS is far more streamlined than Windows -- making it a faster experience for doing highly specific tasks (navigating to and using Internet/email). 

I don't disagree with you, but the post was mostly targeting their iPad Pro line, which they claim to be their PC replacement. You pay a higher premium for the Pro iPad over the Air 2, which inherently can do the same things you're commenting on such as browsing, emailing, etc.

It's also commentary to who Apple thinks is their average consumer. The original iPad Pro was marketed at people who would use the size and features for productivity and creation. The Pro consumer was an architect, an artist, a business professional. Them making a 9.7in version is them making the claim "hey, now you can be like one of them too, even though you don't really need any of this because all you do is watch cat videos on YouTube!" 
 

It's almost insulting that they took one product and heralded it for a certain market, and now they wash it down with a smaller screen for just about everyone. We all know they will inevitably abandon their iPad Air line now because why would you want to save money on a tablet that does everything you need already? Right?

 

Your average consumer doesn't know what they want anyway, they will just follow until they get to whatever is shinier. 

[Sevilla]

13 minutes ago, potoooooooo said:

Itt: people taking apples statement out of context

They said their iPad Pro is better than your 5 year old PC, which if you own, is sad.

What was taken out of context exactly? 

[chiwas]

Who and why buys apple products anyway?

Look, $400 for extra 16GB of DDR3 ram. Seriously?

[shdowhunt60]

Just now, chiwas said:

Who and why buys apple products anyway?

Look, $400 for extra 16GB of DDR3 ram. Seriously?

Because not all Apple products are terrible. The 15" Macbook Pro Retina remains one of the best laptops you can buy, and iOS devices are all actually pretty nice. Not everything Apple has is a complete fucking joke like the iMac and the Mac Pro.

[79wjd]

9 minutes ago, Sevilla said:

I don't disagree with you, but the post was mostly targeting their iPad Pro line, which they claim to be their PC replacement. You pay a higher premium for the Pro iPad over the Air 2, which inherently can do the same things you're commenting on such as browsing, emailing, etc.

It's also commentary to who Apple thinks is their average consumer. The original iPad Pro was marketed at people who would use the size and features for productivity and creation. The Pro consumer was an architect, an artist, a business professional. Them making a 9.7in version is them making the claim "hey, now you can be like one of them too, even though you don't really need any of this because all you do is watch cat videos on YouTube!" 
 

It's almost insulting that they took one product and heralded it for a certain market, and now they wash it down with a smaller screen for just about everyone. We all know they will inevitably abandon their iPad Air line now because why would you want to save money on a tablet that does everything you need already? Right?

 

Your average consumer doesn't know what they want anyway, they will just follow until they get to whatever is shinier. 

Well that's true with the first gen iPad as well. The fact is that most people upgrade their mobile devices every couple years (at least) when they really don't need to over than for the sake of getting a new device. For the tasks that most people do on their tablets/phones (pcs even), an old device is nearly just as good. And tablets (at least imo) fall into a weird place between phones which people feel the need to upgrade constantly (for no reason), and computers, which people try to never upgrade unless it breaks.

 

i think the iPad pro is targeted at the same audience as the normal iPad, they're just trying to give a compelling reason to upgrade to it over the cheaper iPad Air since like I said above there isn't much of a reason to upgrade tablets at this point. And the keyboard/connector and stylus are/were inevitable additions so rather than releasing an iPad Air 3 with those features they market it along with their new line of iPads (the pro line) -- the same way they ditched the original iPad line for the iPad Air line.

 

but you're right, in the end it's all marketing.

[flibberdipper]

Oh no my 7950 is useless now because it's 4 years old? Even though it will still do some titles at 1440p?

 

That said though, I fully intend on buying a MBPr when I can, because my Latitude E4300 is tired, and I want to switch things up a little bit.

 

I mean, FCPX looks like it might win me over from Premiere (even though it won me over from Vegas), and just in general I'm sick of Windows 8.1 being the ONLY thing I use.

[Linus_torvalds]

What about using 3 year old phones parts to make new one and sell for 400-500 $ ?