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[Gamecocks625]

If you're expecting an iPhone level disruption all the time, then you've set unrealistic expectations. Those don't happen all the time.

When Steve Jobs got up on stage to announce the iPad, he didn't mention every device Apple had ever made. He talked about the Macintosh and the iPod, and the iPhone. Down the road, I know we'll something new along those lines.

I use Apple products every single day, and they work the way I want. When I buy a new Apple product it slots right in to the ecosystem and works great. That's what I expect from Apple on a yearly basis, with the occasional world altering disruption thrown in when the time and product is right.

Echo this

 

[minor effort]

iOS6 was for all intents and purposes complete garbage.

iCloud-ready Safari Offline Reading List has been my favorite thing across both iOS6 and Mountain Lion.

Not garbage for that feature alone.

 

[ksdixon]

What other currently available hardware product has had that wow factor since the iPhone 4?

Microsoft Surface Pro!

There are those of use whom like touchsreens for quick reading the internet/ebooks via scrolling; but we really struggle to use the touchscreen keyboards. We want a portable device that is touch-based, but we can still type on when we need to. And we don't want to dock into a workstation to be able to do that. Surface fits that need, whilst being a bit more portable than a touchscreen laptop. Surface Pro has backwards compatability with all old Windows programs too.

If a future version/generation of it manages to get a better battery life then that will be mass-market's jumping-on point. Even better if they roll Windows Phone into a SurfacePhone produt. For now that's what I'm saving up for, fore sure.

 

[Risette]

Thing is, though, I could have put OSX on the laptop I'd suggested for her by dual-booting. It would have been nearly the same, if not better. I get that some people prefer some OSs over others, but spending hundreds of dollars extra for that seems imbecilic to me.

Have you ever used a Mac? It is not the same or better, the Hackintosh name is accurate. It's a shitty hack.

Also, why does spending hundreds of dollars for that seem imbecilic to you? The OS is just as important as any other component of the computer. It's little different from spending hundreds on a graphics card or processor.

 

[minor effort]

One note about Macs since every general discussion of them eventually touches on them being "overpriced".

The upside I've found is the resale value for Macs even several years old remains remarkably high. I doubt you could get anywhere near the amount for a three-year old PC laptop as you can for a similarly aged MacBook.

Yeah, Macs are expensive, but if you're smart about reselling them you can get a lot of that money back when the time comes.

 

[Tom Penny]

A lot of people initially buy Apple because they are trendy but when you do get a product basically does what it's supposed to and that's enough for people to come back.

 

[Brofist]

Have you ever used a Mac? It is not the same or better, the Hackintosh name is accurate. It's a shitty hack.

Not really though

 

[matt360]

Wait a minute...if the iPhone 5 is "just a piece of garbage with a shitty battery life," why on earth did you get it? Why not stick to the iPhone 4?

Believe me, I now wish I had done just that! Unfortunately in Japan there are no returns or exchanges. I got my iPhone 5 on launch day foolishly believing Apple's battery life estimates. Now I'm stuck in a two year contract.

I won't be bold enough to say that I'll never buy another Apple product, because I'm sure I'll buy plenty more. But I won't early adopt.

 

[ksdixon]

Honest question. I don't mean any offense to anyone, but I'm just genuinely curious.

What is it about Apple laptops and computers that cause people to spend a shit-ton of money? My girlfriend spent ~$300 more on a MacBook Air over a laptop I suggested for her. The one I'd suggested for her had way better specs in every single aspect, was nearly just as pretty, and was even touch-screen. I've noticed that a lot of Apple consumers are like this (out of the ones I know personally).

Windows laptops/netbooks have a certain stigma attatched to them thanks to OEMs. People expect rock-bottom prices, but have come to expect rock-bottom performance as well. When their machines come out of the box as slow turds chock full of pre-installed software which nag them to upgrade this trial, or tell them that this demo software has expired, then blame Microsoft for 'Windows' being shit!

Microsoft are now having to fight, such as bringing out their on Surface hardware, in an attempt to show consumers that there is a better windows experience avaliable, at a premium.

 

[Risette]

One note about Macs since every general discussion of them eventually touches on them being "overpriced".

The upside I've found is the resale value for Macs even several years old remains remarkably high. I doubt you could get anywhere near the amount for a three-year old PC laptop as you can for a similarly aged MacBook.

Yeah, Macs are expensive, but if you're smart about reselling them you can get a lot of that money back when the time comes.

They're also not really overpriced anymore except for the Mac Pro which is ???lol???

The 13" Retina MBP, 27" iMac with i7/680MX/1TB Fusion options (stores sell this preconfigured), and Mac mini i7 are all pretty great buys. Also, it's worth noting that the customer support you get is pretty great too. It's pretty nice to be able to just drive down to the closest Apple store and get things dealt with by a retail staff that doesn't suck for once.

 

[minor effort]

Getting off on a tangent about Surface, does anyone know why the hell Microsoft has such flimsy plans for it in Japan? I'd like to try one already.

 

[Vyer]

Believe me, I now wish I had done just that! Unfortunately in Japan there are no returns or exchanges. I got my iPhone 5 on launch day foolishly believing Apple's battery life estimates. Now I'm stuck in a two year contract.

I won't be bold enough to say that I'll never buy another Apple product, because I'm sure I'll buy plenty more. But I won't early adopt.

My 5's battery life is in line with estimates. I've found the 5 to be better than the 4 pretty much across the board.

 

[buhdeh]

They're also not really overpriced anymore except for the Mac Pro which is ???lol???

The 13" Retina MBP, 27" iMac with i7/680MX/1TB Fusion options (stores sell this preconfigured), and Mac mini i7 are all pretty great buys. Also, it's worth noting that the customer support you get is pretty great too. It's pretty nice to be able to just drive down to the closest Apple store and get things dealt with by a retail staff that doesn't suck for once.

Wtf? The i7 mini is terrible value. I feel sorry for anyone that pays $800 for a desktop with 4GB RAM and integrated graphics unless for some reason the mini is all you can fit on your desk.

The MBA is way better value if you're going to compare against PC prices.

 

[Brofist]

Believe me, I now wish I had done just that! Unfortunately in Japan there are no returns or exchanges. I got my iPhone 5 on launch day foolishly believing Apple's battery life estimates. Now I'm stuck in a two year contract.

I won't be bold enough to say that I'll never buy another Apple product, because I'm sure I'll buy plenty more. But I won't early adopt.

Sell it on yahoo auction. You'll get a good chunk if not all your money back.

 

[RBH]

You care about specs, she cares about everything else.

When I went from a windows laptop to a Macbook, here were the differences:

1. Trackpad was miles better. Smoother to use, easy to click, bigger real-estate, tap-to-click, and gestures were all huge improvements.
2. Screen quality was much better.
3. Keyboard was much better. The material felt better and was easier to type on, and the keyboard even lights up in the dark.
4. Magsafe connector was amazing. No more tripping over wires. Not having a huge power brick in the middle of the cord was also a great improvement.
5. Form factor. I still haven't seen any consumer notebooks as thin and light as the Macbook Air. Easy to carry, and feels great in your hands. This is huge for a laptop.
6. Battery life. When I went from a windows laptop to a Macbook Pro, my battery life went from about 2 hours to 6-7 hours. It was actually a laptop I can carry around all day, not something I have to plug in all the time.
7. The OS. No bloatware, no setup required. You can still tinker with settings all you want but for the casual user, you don't really even need to touch preferences.
7b. The OS design is friendlier. Large bright icons make applications easy to find, and the search is much more functional compared to Windows search.
8. Build quality and future-proofing. My Dell laptop was flimsy, scratched up, and extremely slow after 2 years of use. Battery life went down to 30 minutes and sometimes wouldn't start unless I plug it in. My Macbook Pro (from 2009) is still very usable, looks close to new, and retained most of its battery life. It also has a higher resale value.

Now let's look at your arguments for a windows laptop:

1. It has better specs.

Unless you're doing serious video-editing or running the latest PC games, that doesn't even matter. Yeah I'll pay $300 extra to get all of the above.

Nailed it.

 

[Maninthemirror]

The problem I have with Apple is not hardware which is top notch but software which has gone stale, the incremental upgrades are fine for hardware but borderline incompetent and lazy for iOS. I dont want something that just works i want something that goes beyond that. I want to be wowed by the OS.

 

[Ryce]

I was an ardent "pro-PC, anti-Mac" guy for twenty years, and then I got a MacBook Pro. I haven't looked back.

 

[victreeb3l]

Am I the only one who thinks it's an unrealistic expectation to have a company "wow" you on such a consistent basis?

it is but i guess they raised the bar really high. regardless, their success year after year shows many people are very happy with what they continue to offer.

You care about specs, she cares about everything else.

When I went from a windows laptop to a Macbook, here were the differences:

1. Trackpad was miles better. Smoother to use, easy to click, bigger real-estate, tap-to-click, and gestures were all huge improvements.
2. Screen quality was much better.
3. Keyboard was much better. The material felt better and was easier to type on, and the keyboard even lights up in the dark.
4. Magsafe connector was amazing. No more tripping over wires. Not having a huge power brick in the middle of the cord was also a great improvement.
5. Form factor. I still haven't seen any consumer notebooks as thin and light as the Macbook Air. Easy to carry, and feels great in your hands. This is huge for a laptop.
6. Battery life. When I went from a windows laptop to a Macbook Pro, my battery life went from about 2 hours to 6-7 hours. It was actually a laptop I can carry around all day, not something I have to plug in all the time.
7. The OS. No bloatware, no setup required. You can still tinker with settings all you want but for the casual user, you don't really even need to touch preferences.
7b. The OS design is friendlier. Large bright icons make applications easy to find, and the search is much more functional compared to Windows search.
8. Build quality and future-proofing. My Dell laptop was flimsy, scratched up, and extremely slow after 2 years of use. Battery life went down to 30 minutes and sometimes wouldn't start unless I plug it in. My Macbook Pro (from 2009) is still very usable, looks close to new, and retained most of its battery life. It also has a higher resale value.

Now let's look at your arguments for a windows laptop:

1. It has better specs.

Unless you're doing serious video-editing or running the latest PC games, that doesn't even matter. Yeah I'll pay $300 extra to get all of the above.

yep, agreed with all of this.

ill also add that OSX renders text much better than windows. i cant deal with the jaggyness when i go back to my desktop once in a while. why is it so bad on pcs? i went through many desktops and pc laptops and they have all rendered text terribly. you would think this would be of utmost importance considering how important reading is on a computer.

 

[Risette]

Wtf? The i7 mini is terrible value. I feel sorry for anyone that pays $800 for a desktop with 4GB RAM and integrated graphics unless for some reason the mini is all you can fit on your desk.

The RAM is easily upgradeable.

It's a great buy for anyone who isn't interested in intensive games. I bought my mini for programming. It's a great low-profile, quiet, energy efficient box.

There is more to computers than linearly scaling spec sheets -- even desktops. Not that it matters when the mobile i7 (2.6 option) it uses is essentially equal to the desktop i7 2600.

 

[matt360]

My 5's battery life is in line with estimates. I've found the 5 to be better than the 4 pretty much across the board.

I'm extremely jealous. I know plenty of people here in Hiroshima who have 5's, and nobody is happy with their coverage or battery life. It's weird because we have lived in the same area, with the same provider, using the same antennas since the 3G days. I know LTE is a big factor, but I have LTE turned off since I'm on wifi 90% of the day anyways.

I considered selling it via auction, but like I mentioned, as disappointed as I am with this phone it's still the best option for me.

 

[ChainedMaster]

You care about specs, she cares about everything else.

When I went from a windows laptop to a Macbook, here were the differences:

1. Trackpad was miles better. Smoother to use, easy to click, bigger real-estate, tap-to-click, and gestures were all huge improvements.
2. Screen quality was much better.
3. Keyboard was much better. The material felt better and was easier to type on, and the keyboard even lights up in the dark.
4. Magsafe connector was amazing. No more tripping over wires. Not having a huge power brick in the middle of the cord was also a great improvement.
5. Form factor. I still haven't seen any consumer notebooks as thin and light as the Macbook Air. Easy to carry, and feels great in your hands. This is huge for a laptop.
6. Battery life. When I went from a windows laptop to a Macbook Pro, my battery life went from about 2 hours to 6-7 hours. It was actually a laptop I can carry around all day, not something I have to plug in all the time.
7. The OS. No bloatware, no setup required. You can still tinker with settings all you want but for the casual user, you don't really even need to touch preferences.
7b. The OS design is friendlier. Large bright icons make applications easy to find, and the search is much more functional compared to Windows search.
8. Build quality and future-proofing. My Dell laptop was flimsy, scratched up, and extremely slow after 2 years of use. Battery life went down to 30 minutes and sometimes wouldn't start unless I plug it in. My Macbook Pro (from 2009) is still very usable, looks close to new, and retained most of its battery life. It also has a higher resale value.

Now let's look at your arguments for a windows laptop:

1. It has better specs.

Unless you're doing serious video-editing or running the latest PC games, that doesn't even matter. Yeah I'll pay $300 extra to get all of the above.

Most of these pros don't apply anymore. Windows has much better trackpads and keyboards than it did years ago. Though you won't get an equally well-built Windows laptop if you don't spend about as much as a Macbook.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

yep.

ill also add that OSX renders text much better than windows. i cant deal with the jaggyness when i go back to my desktop once in a while. why is it so bad on pcs? i went through many desktops and pc laptops and they have all rendered text terribly. you would think this would be of utmost importance considering how important reading is on a computer.

Yeah, even Linux is better.

I think I remember Windows Presentation Foundation apps fixing it, but that was jettisoned a while ago so who knows. Haven't tried 8, maybe they finally fixed it there.

 

[Vyer]

I'm extremely jealous. I know plenty of people here in Hiroshima who have 5's, and nobody is happy with their coverage or battery life. It's weird because we have lived in the same area, with the same provider, using the same antennas since the 3G days. I know LTE is a big factor, but I have LTE turned off since I'm on wifi 90% of the day anyways.

I considered selling it via auction, but like I mentioned, as disappointed as I am with this phone it's still the best option for me.

Ah, i remember you talking about that. Really strange, I wonder what it is about your area. Is LTE not available there?

 

[victreeb3l]

Most of these pros don't apply anymore. Windows has much better trackpads and keyboards than it did years ago. Though you won't get an equally well-built Windows laptop if you don't spend about as much as a Macbook.

such as?

 

[Baller. PhD]

Most of these pros don't apply anymore. Windows has much better trackpads and keyboards than it did years ago. Though you won't get an equally well-built Windows laptop if you don't spend about as much as a Macbook.

Windows trackpads are still utter junk compared to Apple's. I'm always amazed when I play with the laptops at Fry's. I don't understand how anyone can live like that.

 

[FantasticMrFoxdie]

Retina display Macbooks really impressed me. The price negated all that though.

iPhone5 was pretty unimpressive...hopefully they can wow with a redesign for the 5s or 6.

 

[345triangle]

I suggested it a while back and I can't find it anymore, but it offered quite a bit more than her base MacBook Air does.

i strongly doubt it had a better keyboard, trackpad, battery life, and/or screen if it were $300 cheaper than a macbook air. those are infinitely more important to normal people (and me, and i write about technology for a living) than processor or RAM. pound for pound, there is no better laptop hardware in the world than the macbook air.

plus if you like OS X you like OS X. bunch of valid reasons to prefer one over the other.

 

[matt360]

Ah, i remember you talking about that. Really strange, I wonder what it is about your area. Is LTE not available there?

It is available, and it's quite strong, but I lose 1% per minute while browsing on LTE.

 

[Vyer]

It is available, and it's quite strong, but I lose 1% per minute while browsing on LTE.

And you've tried different units, iirc? And you are saying other people you know have the same issue there?

 

[amrihua]

Really? The Retina MacBook Pro? The iMac?

Who has been wowing you then?

Most of the professors and students in my department use Macs. Why is it almost always the self-proclaimed experts who never been to grad school who hate Apple? while people who do work on cutting edge research areas use them and have no qualms about it. I can program a supercomputer (Xeon Phi) but I'm a brainwashed sheep for buying a Mac? Didn't it occur to some of you that maybe we want our tools to just work, so that we can get work done?


Brainwashed sheep at work:

 

[buhdeh]

The RAM is easily upgradeable.

It's a great buy for anyone who isn't interested in intensive games. I bought my mini for programming. It's a great low-profile, quiet, energy efficient box.

There is more to computers than linearly scaling spec sheets -- even desktops. Not that it matters when the mobile i7 (2.6 option) it uses is essentially equal to the desktop i7 2600.

As much as I like my MBA, at some point you have to question where all that money is going. $800 for a desktop computer with ridiculously mismatched components like an i7 on integrated graphics and 4 gigs of RAM is a ripoff to me no matter who builds it.

I'd easily recommend the base model mini to my friends. The i7? Hellllllllllllllllll no.

 

[VanMardigan]

I fell in love with iPhone 3g but grew bored by the 18th month of IOS. Nothing they've done since has brought me back. I always admire the hardware, even on the 5, but I'm not going back to IOS, and now I have a phone with beautiful hardware and an OS that I find fun to use.

They really need to shake things up on the software side, at least for me to care again.

 

[ChainedMaster]

such as?

HP Envy Spectre XT
Lenovo Yoga 13

If you actually look for a good laptop, you'll find ones that at most have one fault. But in the case of Lenovo Yoga, I'd say it has a better keyboard than the Air.

Windows trackpads are still utter junk compared to Apple's. I'm always amazed when I play with the laptops at Fry's. I don't understand how anyone can live like that.

Most of them. You can still find a few that are nearly as good.

 

[Aquamarine]

Really? The Retina MacBook Pro? The iMac?

Who has been wowing you then?

Most of the professors and students in my department use Macs. Why is it the self-proclaimed experts who hate Apple, while people who do work on cutting edge CS topics use them and have no qualms about it. I can program a supercomputer but I'm a brainwashed sheep for buying a Mac? Didn't it occur to some of you that maybe we want our tools to just work, so that we can get work done?


Brainwashed sheep at work

Interestingly enough, the company I work at provided every one of the key employees in the building with a MacBook.

I've been using one as a work computer for around 7 years. Still absolutely zero interest in purchasing one for myself (I love my ThinkPads too much).

 

[Emwitus]

At this point, Apple doesn't need to really wow anyone. They've already trained most people to think their products are the best.

Someone should tell this to nokia or blackberry or whoever else is going through some hard times..

 

[Risette]

As much as I like my MBA, at some point you have to question where all that money is going. $800 for a desktop computer with ridiculously mismatched components like an i7 on integrated graphics and 4 gigs of RAM is a ripoff to me no matter who builds it.

I'd easily recommend the base model mini to my friends. The i7? Hellllllllllllllllll no.

They're not mismatched at all though. I think that's missing the point of the mini.

The RAM could definitely be bumped to 8GB standard though, but at least it's not soldered on like it is with the MBA -- you just spin the bottom off and pop in new memory sticks. 16GB is pretty cheap.

 

[amrihua]

Interestingly enough, the company I work at provided every one of the key employees in the building with a MacBook.

I've been using one as a work computer for around 7 years. Still absolutely zero interest in purchasing one for myself (I love my ThinkPads too much).

That's your personal choice and I respect it. I will never consider you to be mislead, misinformed or a victim of Lenovo's marketing. Just like using a Lenovo can be a well thought out decision, so can using an Apple.

 

[Emwitus]

Interestingly enough, the company I work at provided every one of the key employees in the building with a MacBook.

I've been using one as a work computer for around 7 years. Still absolutely zero interest in purchasing one for myself (I love my ThinkPads too much).

I was wondering. Our proffesors don't bring their own computers to work either

 

[amrihua]

I was wondering. Our proffesors don't bring their own computers to work either

They do where I go to grad school. My advisor was asking two other professors why they are using MacBook and its merits and whether he should get one. My advisor uses a Lenovo ThinkPad.

My professor is old style he writes things like


foo(a)
int a;
{
}

instead of
void foo(int a)
{
}

and

return(val);

instead of

return val;

 

[victreeb3l]

HP Envy Spectre XT
Lenovo Yoga 13

If you actually look for a good laptop, you'll find ones that at most have one fault. But in the case of Lenovo Yoga, I'd say it has a better keyboard than the Air.



Most of them. You can still find a few that are nearly as good.

i cant speak for the keyboards but when most people praise the macbook trackpad, its not about just the finish and construction (which are also very well done) but the ability to use gestures built for OSX. combined with better touch tool, its incredibly powerful, comfortable and a total joy to use. the latter is something unavailable for pcs because there isnt any software written specifically for that.

 

[matt360]

And you've tried different units, iirc? And you are saying other people you know have the same issue there?

That's right. I'm currently on my 3rd iPhone 5. Actually the iOS 6.1 and subsequent updates seem to have improved things a little, but I'm still not even close to Apple's target numbers.

And yes, literally everyone I know in my area who has an iPhone 5 and is savvy enough to compare their battery performance with Apple's estimates complain about poor battery life. I also have several friends who are experiencing wifi connection issues. Luckily I don't have any wifi problems.

 

[Vyer]

That's right. I'm currently on my 3rd iPhone 5. Actually the iOS 6.1 and subsequent updates seem to have improved things a little, but I'm still not even close to Apple's target numbers.

And yes, literally everyone I know in my area who has an iPhone 5 and is savvy enough to compare their battery performance with Apple's estimates complain about poor battery life. I also have several friends who are experiencing wifi connection issues. Luckily I don't have any wifi problems.

I meant the LTE battery drop thing, but either way that sucks. Why can't you switch to another phone? There are a few Android phones that also have good battery life and probably would still meet most of your needs, depending on what's available there.

 

[bodyofanamerican]

I've had similar conversations with my friends lately. I'm still a MBP, iPhone and iPad user and will continue to be so, but I've been really blah on the company as a whole lately. The big thing for me has been bloggers like Siegler, Gruber and Dalrymple getting on my nerves lately. The Apple partisan mindset has really worn on me, and I'm just tired of it.

 

[teh_pwn]

I think this is to be expected if all of the things I've heard about Jobs from the media and in real life are true - that he was a visionary genius, but very top down and micro-managing. If he thought an idea was dumb in a meeting, he would say it.

Remember where Apple was in 1997. Did Jobs change the company culture and practices, or did he sail the ship 100%? We'll see in a few years.

 

[Ryaaan14]

Same here. Haven't been wowed since the iPhone 5 and retina iPad.

Apple losing it's touch after Jobs' death probably.

 

[Wendel Clark]

i cant post things onto instagram without the apple GUI

 

[matt360]

I meant the LTE battery drop thing, but either way that sucks. Why can't you switch to another phone? There are a few Android phones that also have good battery life and probably would still meet most of your needs, depending on what's available there.

There are a few reasons. Although I suppose that it would be possible to sell my phone on Yahoo auctions, and maybe recoup what I've paid so far as well as cover my contract cancellation fee, I'm kind of in too deep now to consider that. For one, my provider, Softbank, is slim pickings when it comes to Android phones that are to my liking. I'd be interested in the Galaxy X3, but I've heard that the battery on that isn't very good either and unfortunately, Softbank doesn't carry it. I could leave Softbank, but I'm on a family plan with my wife and the in-laws so switching providers would probably end up costing more money in the end.

I'm also not a fan of Android. Every time I go back to the States I mess around with my friends' and family's Android phones and it just seems like a pain in the ass. So while I'm extremely disappointed with the iPhone 5 in particular, I love iOS. And I've spent hundreds of dollars on apps and games for my iPhone so I really can't justify jumping ship.

I fear I've trapped myself in the Apple bubble forever.

 

[NZer]

Honest question. I don't mean any offense to anyone, but I'm just genuinely curious.

What is it about Apple laptops and computers that cause people to spend a shit-ton of money? My girlfriend spent ~$300 more on a MacBook Air over a laptop I suggested for her. The one I'd suggested for her had way better specs in every single aspect, was nearly just as pretty, and was even touch-screen. I've noticed that a lot of Apple consumers are like this (out of the ones I know personally).

Well, personally - and this will sound terrible, I know - I'm just not that price-sensitive. I don't like comparing complex products spec-to-spec and buying the 'best value' one (whatever that means in the world of computers/electronics). That's more for stuff like groceries.

When I'm buying something I'm going to be using a whole lot for two years or more, I buy the one I like most. 1200 or 1500 dollars doesn't really matter. I might not like paying a bit extra, but whatever, that's the price (literally) of buying apple. It doesn't really make me feel 'ripped off' or anything, not if I'm getting the product I really want. And maybe most apple customers feel the same. Once you've been working a while, the difference isn't that meaningful anyway.

 

[numble]

There are a few reasons. Although I suppose that it would be possible to sell my phone on Yahoo auctions, and maybe recoup what I've paid so far as well as cover my contract cancellation fee, I'm kind of in too deep now to consider that. For one, my provider, Softbank, is slim pickings when it comes to Android phones that are to my liking. I'd be interested in the Galaxy X3, but I've heard that the battery on that isn't very good either and unfortunately, Softbank doesn't carry it. I could leave Softbank, but I'm on a family plan with my wife and the in-laws so switching providers would probably end up costing more money in the end.

I'm also not a fan of Android. Every time I go back to the States I mess around with my friends' and family's Android phones and it just seems like a pain in the ass. So while I'm extremely disappointed with the iPhone 5 in particular, I love iOS. And I've spent hundreds of dollars on apps and games for my iPhone so I really can't justify jumping ship.

I fear I've trapped myself in the Apple bubble forever.

Why would there be a contract cancellation fee? Softbank runs GSM. Just take the SIM card and put it in another GSM phone.

 

[yogloo]

Well, it's pretty unrealistic to hope that a single company can wow you every year. Even more unrealistic to be wowed by your phone every single year. What's more realistic is to look at beyond the scope of one company. The next big thing is coming really soon, and it's not related to apple. Oculus Rift, 3D printing. Lots of things wow me everyday. The future is exciting.