iPhone 12 Pro Apple, once cream of the crop has begun to curdle.

[Jason2000]

My first iPhone was the 3GS. Currently, I own the iPhone 12 Pro. There have been many iPhones released between these two, the large majority of which I have owned. But the iPhone 12 Pro is the first of the iPhones that have left me completely disappointed. And as I research fixes and work-arounds to cope with the abundance of glitches, I have come to realize that it isn't the iPhone 12, but Apple in general whose quality has been on the decline.

Most recently, I began to research why Siri suddenly began asking me to repeat commands, right after saying "hey Siri". A quick search of the Apple discussion forums showed that over one thousand users had the same problem. And a Google search of the problem showed that this issue wasn't limited to the iPhone. There were people experiencing this issue with the Apple Watch and with Siri on the New MacBook Pro.

When the same problem spans many devices, the common denominator is coding. And this is sad as one of the most appealing things for me about Apple's products over the years has smooth and reliable operation of its devices.

It isn't a coincidence that these issues have become progressively worse since the passing of Steve Jobs. For Steve, the quality of the product was paramount. But since his passing, it seems that Apple's priority is about the bottom line and keeping shareholders happy, rather than the quality of the product.

Steve Jobs must be twisting in his grave.

Love these posts as if other makers of phones and operating systems don't have issues. Look at the latest Android 12 release from Google. They pulled it back at the beginning of Dec and just now telling users what happened which is bad coding and lack of testing. I returned my Pixel 6 because it was just a horrible user experience. Assistant would not work right and the amount of bugs was mind blowing. The in-display fingerprint scanner is a complete joke on the Pixel 6.

Everyone has issues with what they use and nobody really cares. You are going to get those replies like mine that say this is so over blown and others that hate Apple, Google, MS..etc and will agree they are the worse. Its an ecosystem. If it does not work for you just move on to what does but do not be surprised when you are just as disappointed in what you switched to. None of the systems are perfect. These "I am done with" such and such posts are very amusing to me and I doubt they really change anyones mind...lol. Obviously these issues are not a big deal or Apple would not be the success they are. I get you are frustrated and just venting but its not the end of the world.

 

[Jason2000]

My Apple Watch unlocks mine lol.

Exactly. With an Apple Watch masks are not an issue at all. But it does require a Watch. Also when its cold outside and you are wearing a glove, your hands are dirty, your hands are full or your hands are wet...etc a fingerprint scanner is just as useless.

 

[AsherN]

Your last line here illustrates the problem.

Do you have any idea how difficult it is to create software, let alone an entire software ecosystem? The more complexity there is, the more things there are to break — and the more interactions there are to consider. And if there's one thing users expect, it seems to be more complexity. You all call them "features."

I worked QA in the IBM software lab in Toronto in the '90s. New features and fixes went through the same testing.
1) Good path: I input expected values and make sure I get expected results.
2) Error path: I input wrong values and get the expected error message.
3) Regression bucket: Randomly select a number of prior test cases and make sure they still behave that way.
4) Just throw stuff at it.

And that can still miss things. The number of times we worked on bugs that were locale specific is scary. The function worked in US English, but not in French type of bugs.

The larger a piece of software becomes, the harder it is to maintain and add to. A lot of the same people who complain about the stablity of the software also complain that there are not a lot of changes between versions. Pick a lane.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Exactly. With an Apple Watch masks are not an issue at all. But it does require a Watch. Also when its cold outside and you are wearing a glove, your hands are dirty, your hands are full or your hands are wet...etc a fingerprint scanner is just as useless.

Yeah if someone isn’t an Apple Watch user then it’s a bit more of an issue, most definitely. In that instance the TouchID option would be better I think but like FaceID, it has its drawbacks too. Hopefully Apple are looking into devices going forward with multiple unlock options.

 

[ericwn]

Terrible zoom capabilities that phones from 5 years ago even beat, big ass notch, no reverse wireless charging, poor screen to bezel ratio, no under screen fingerprint scanner, ….

With the iPhone 13 Pro, you will still have to put in your code everything you want to unlock your phone with your mask on in 2022.

So the so called standards you speak of in a software discussion are hardware features of cherry picked competitors then. Got you.

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

Works perfectly for me.

- Sent from my iPhone SE (2016)

 

[cvstodes]

The only constant amongst Mac / Apple enthusiasts is that stuff was always better before. It's like that today, it was like that when the iPod blew up almost 20 years ago, and it'll be like that 20 years from now.

 

[BreakYurAnkles]

The only constant amongst Mac / Apple enthusiasts is that stuff was always better before. It's like that today, it was like that when the iPod blew up almost 20 years ago, and it'll be like that 20 years from now.

that's a great example.

the iPod was my gateway "drug" to Apple. The experience was so simple that I loved my first iPod. I had CD players and other MP3 players that just couldn't compare/compete.

iTunes was lightyears ahead of any other competitor. Just pop a CD in and import, Artist name and track titles included automatically. No need for user to manually enter them.

I forgot about $0.99 song downloads for most artists, that was really nice and easy as well.

 

[yabeweb]

My first iPhone was the 3GS. Currently, I own the iPhone 12 Pro. There have been many iPhones released between these two, the large majority of which I have owned. But the iPhone 12 Pro is the first of the iPhones that have left me completely disappointed. And as I research fixes and work-arounds to cope with the abundance of glitches, I have come to realize that it isn't the iPhone 12, but Apple in general whose quality has been on the decline.

Most recently, I began to research why Siri suddenly began asking me to repeat commands, right after saying "hey Siri". A quick search of the Apple discussion forums showed that over one thousand users had the same problem. And a Google search of the problem showed that this issue wasn't limited to the iPhone. There were people experiencing this issue with the Apple Watch and with Siri on the New MacBook Pro.

When the same problem spans many devices, the common denominator is coding. And this is sad as one of the most appealing things for me about Apple's products over the years has smooth and reliable operation of its devices.

It isn't a coincidence that these issues have become progressively worse since the passing of Steve Jobs. For Steve, the quality of the product was paramount. But since his passing, it seems that Apple's priority is about the bottom line and keeping shareholders happy, rather than the quality of the product.

Steve Jobs must be twisting in his grave.

I have been out since the iPhone 6, my last one, joined back in November with the iPhone 13.

To me after the 6 iPhone started lacking, but I am glad I am back with the 13.

With Jobs, we had some bad products as well, but we keep forgetting them.

 

[cloudphrenia]

This thread seems like the right place for this. Surely someone can explain to me why my iPP from 2017 had USB3 over Lightning, but the 2021 iPhone "Pro" ($999-$1,599 USD) is still USB 2.0.

 

[ian87w]

This thread seems like the right place for this. Surely someone can explain to me why my iPP from 2017 had USB3 over Lightning, but the 2021 iPhone "Pro" ($999-$1,599 USD) is still USB 2.0.

Because more people keep buying the latter than the former?

Apple keeps breaking revenues records YoY. If you’re a business, and whatever you’re doing keeps making more and more money, you will keep doing it. I don’t see Apple iPhones sales are slowing down, so why fix something that ain’t broke?

Thus I’m not willing to give Apple $1000 (marked up to around $1300 in my country) for the latest iPhone. There are some stuff I like about Apple, but I’m not going to play into their expensive game. I’ll just wait for their cheaper offerings to fit my needs. Imo consumers should be the one asking themselves, why they are still willing to give Apple that much money if they consider Apple’s offerings to be lacking.

 

[golftime]

My Apple Watch unlocks mine lol.

To argue that an additional piece of equipment costing hundreds of dollars solves the problem with the first piece of equipment is silly only serves to support the argument that the first piece of equipment is substandard.

 

[AsherN]

To argue that an additional piece of equipment costing hundreds of dollars solves the problem with the first piece of equipment is silly only serves to support the argument that the first piece of equipment is substandard.

It was an elegant solution. i wish it would also unlock apps. How is face recognition supposed to work when half your face is covered? TouchID is not always better. A cut, a bandage will stop it. my wife can't use it at all because her fingers are dry.

 

[fluxtransistor]

My next purchase within the next year or so will most likely be a new 24in. iMac to replace my current 2011 21.5.

Does your 2011 21.5" have an SSD? If not, DO IT.

Absolute game changer, and as an M1 owner I can say that it feels just as snappy.

 

[Warped9]

Does your 2011 21.5" have an SSD? If not, DO IT.

Absolute game changer, and as an M1 owner I can say that it feels just as snappy.

My iMac has a Samsung EVO 500GB SSD, a 2600S i7 and 32GB RAM, done about two years ago, so it’s not like I’m desperate for a new computer. My iMac runs sweet, but I am stuck at High Sierra which isn’t an issue so far, but the clock is ticking.

 

[fluxtransistor]

My iMac has a Samsung EVO 500GB SSD, a 2600S i7 and 32GB RAM, done about two years ago, so it’s not like I’m desperate for a new computer. My iMac runs sweet, but I am stuck at High Sierra which isn’t an issue so far, but the clock is ticking.

Damn, those are some sweet specs. I stayed with the base i5 and a "modest" 12 gigs of RAM, but it still fulfils the job of syncing my iPods and serving a small website very well.

I fired up a Monterey Hackintosh on my Ryzen build, and somehow it just isn't the same. Apple's hardware integration really goes far!

 

[Warped9]

Damn, those are some sweet specs. I stayed with the base i5 and a "modest" 12 gigs of RAM, but it still fulfils the job of syncing my iPods and serving a small website very well.

When I bought the computer new in 2011 I immediately bumped the RAM from 4GB to 8, which I kept for maybe five years before bumping the RAM again to 16GB. Then about two and a half years ago I went the limit and upgraded the RAM to 32. At the same time I learned that a 2600S was the most recent i7 my iMac would accept wherein I got lucky and found one for a very reasonable price. When I put that in I also swapped in the 500GB Samsung EVO SSD.

The transformation was astounding. The machine now ran way better than new. It was like getting an entirely new computer at a fifth the cost of getting a then new iMac spec’d the way I would have wanted. Before the last upgrade my machine took about 1:30 to be ready to use after turning the power on. Now it takes 22 seconds.

You can see why I don’t feel desperate for a new computer.

 

[mrochester]

Because more people keep buying the latter than the former?

Apple keeps breaking revenues records YoY. If you’re a business, and whatever you’re doing keeps making more and more money, you will keep doing it. I don’t see Apple iPhones sales are slowing down, so why fix something that ain’t broke?

Thus I’m not willing to give Apple $1000 (marked up to around $1300 in my country) for the latest iPhone. There are some stuff I like about Apple, but I’m not going to play into their expensive game. I’ll just wait for their cheaper offerings to fit my needs. Imo consumers should be the one asking themselves, why they are still willing to give Apple that much money if they consider Apple’s offerings to be lacking.

The answer is, they don’t. Consumers don’t think Apple’s offering is lacking, hence they sell as much as they do.

What we really need is for the competition to step up and start offering more of what Apple is offering. Then customers might move away from Apple.

The first thing competitors need to do is move away from Android. Follow Apple’s lead with your own ecosystem totally detached from the ‘do no evil’ Google.

I want an ecosystem of devices (phone, tablet, watch, PCs, headphones) that are in sync with each other, have nothing to do with Google or any other business that engages in surveillance capitalism. Apple competitors, STEP UP.

 

[fluxtransistor]

The first thing competitors need to do is move away from Android. Follow Apple’s lead with your own ecosystem totally detached from the ‘do no evil’ Google.

The one company that is doing this, Huawei, is one I wouldn't ever trust.

 

[pneves1975]

IMO, I think what the OP and many others are struggling with is Apple's regression to the mean. Apple seems to be having more issues in the last few years with hardware QC, software stability, etc. But they're also making and selling more devices, and more types of devices, than at any other time in their history. And growth always brings problems with it. Face it: They've become (almost) ordinary. And end users who expect perfection from Apple (like what they've claimed to have had in the past) are disappointed.

Taking your comment as true, it is hard to justify paying extraordinary prices for a (almost) ordinary experience. And yes, hardware failures out of the box are becoming alarmingly high based on what I have been reading here (again for an extraordinary price point).

In the end the issue is that people still buy it, so why change at this time? Well, maybe learn from the past (Nokia comes to mind right now, it was bad but everything else was worse...).

My 2c.

 

[pneves1975]

The M1 Mac can't even web browse smoothly... It looks nice and has a nice UI. That's about it.
In terms of speed, stability and being stress-free, Windows PC and Android are at the top.

I'm browsing this site without any lag and other apps open, M1 Air machine at 25ºC (77 F) CPU fanless design, also using a second monitor. I guess a Windows computer can do that too?

Apple is not perfect. We can argue that it should not be as expensive based on some issues that one have with it software-wise, but I still think it is the best package. Of course as a consumer I would like to get more bang for the buck, but I don't see others presenting more value to the table.

My 2c.

 

[pneves1975]

I completely agree with your sentiments around Siri. Pathetic when compared to the competition. I returned my HomePod mini because she couldn’t even get basics right, playing a song, simple multiplication calculation (52x$365 : apparently now updated but please - 2021 and your new speaker couldn’t do that!!). Moved on to Amazon and everything, speed of the smart lights, understanding me, not having to repeat myself anywhere near as often. So yeah surprised how crap Siri and the home smart system is given apple charges the most for everything (I’m an apple groupie otherwise and typing this from my iPhone 13 pro max). I also note that iOS has been buggier than ever. So often I think the website is stuffed or I have done something wrong because my phone isn’t registering responses and I atruggle to get iOS to change its mind on the subject. So many updates and they are definitely necessary.
I also don’t like, that they haven’t released anything magical in years. It’s glass slab with cameras And CPU every year - this year battery as well which was great. So I’ve got a flip on order and am excited about tech for the first time in a long time.
In saying all that - apple has the best customer service. They’re products are supported for a very long time. Enthusiastic staff generally speaking and they’re products although super functional are beautifully made. Let’s not forget how good they are.

"So I’ve got a flip on order and am excited about tech for the first time in a long time."

I relate to this (only I haven't ordered the flip...). More power, better screens, better cameras (I could not care less because I cannot even take a photo with gloves on an iPhone...), better battery life... But in the end I'm getting the same boring form factor that iPhone started more than 10 years ago and paying top dollar for it. So thanks but no.

Original iPhone did not have the features the Symbian Nokia phones had, but it was a refreshing user interaction and turned heads. We need this feeling in 2022, not hole punch cameras and periscope lens... I for once want real innovation and Apple can provide that.

 

[AppleShareholder]

I'm browsing this site without any lag and other apps open, M1 Air machine at 25ºC (77 F) CPU fanless design, also using a second monitor. I guess a Windows computer can do that too?

Apple is not perfect. We can argue that it should not be as expensive based on some issues that one have with it software-wise, but I still think it is the best package. Of course as a consumer I would like to get more bang for the buck, but I don't see others presenting more value to the table.

My 2c.

This site doesn't have many graphically intensive elements.
4chan had a Christmas theme where snow was falling. This M1 Mac lagged like hell while the supposedly "inferior" i5-8400 with GTX 1050 ti browsed the site smoothly on 3440 x 1440p @ 144 Hz.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

My first iPhone was the 3GS. Currently, I own the iPhone 12 Pro. There have been many iPhones released between these two, the large majority of which I have owned. But the iPhone 12 Pro is the first of the iPhones that have left me completely disappointed. And as I research fixes and work-arounds to cope with the abundance of glitches, I have come to realize that it isn't the iPhone 12, but Apple in general whose quality has been on the decline.

Most recently, I began to research why Siri suddenly began asking me to repeat commands, right after saying "hey Siri". A quick search of the Apple discussion forums showed that over one thousand users had the same problem. And a Google search of the problem showed that this issue wasn't limited to the iPhone. There were people experiencing this issue with the Apple Watch and with Siri on the New MacBook Pro.

When the same problem spans many devices, the common denominator is coding. And this is sad as one of the most appealing things for me about Apple's products over the years has smooth and reliable operation of its devices.

It isn't a coincidence that these issues have become progressively worse since the passing of Steve Jobs. For Steve, the quality of the product was paramount. But since his passing, it seems that Apple's priority is about the bottom line and keeping shareholders happy, rather than the quality of the product.

Steve Jobs must be twisting in his grave.

I went from the 6X Pro Max,(wonderful phone) to the 13 Pro Max, (stunning phone, with WONDERFUL PICTURES) If this is “curdling” bring it on!?

 

[Fred Zed]

I’m done with Google Android devices as my main “daily driver “. So not many choices left for me. But with all its little niggles and issues the overall package of the iPhone 13PM is very appealing to me, in other words I’m relatively satisfied.