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icanhazmac

Contributor
Apr 11, 2018
2,530
9,479
...and remember, almost nobody changes their viewpoint because of an internet forum discussion. Don't play to win, play for the fun of the game.

This. Sadly, and like most tribal discussions, most of the 10 page + threads here are just small groups yelling past each other.
 
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laptech

macrumors 68040
Apr 26, 2013
3,582
3,986
Earth
Well...I've hit my limit. MacRumors has become a site that is unreasonably antagonistic toward Apple and neck-deep in trolls. I don't come here to "debate" products; I find such things silly. I don't have time to debate consumer products. I save those deeper discussions for issues that actually merit that style of discussion.

The idea that one can just ignore the trolls has become impossible; they have become the majority users here on a site that used to be populated by people who appreciate Apple and their products. This site has become a battle ground of silliness. I think MacRumors has mishandled the idea of appropriate moderation. They've allowed the trolls to overrun the site without adequate pushback.

I'll stop by to see the news, perhaps, but I'm going to take a nice, long break from participating on this site. I'll check back occasionally to see if MacRumors has done anything to reign in the trolls. But my guess is that in a short sighted effort to increase "clicks" MacRumors has sacrificed quality discussion. It used to be fun to be here, to interact, to share tips and tricks and to speculate about the future of tech.

Apple has just released one of their most innovative tech products ever, and the overwhelming response from this site has been increased disdain and mocking. The spirit of this site is dead.
It has become pointless calling out such people for who they because I have seen it time and time again in this forum, members leaving posts saying they have reported trolls but no action taken against them. In my opinion many many members have become disillusioned with this forum because of it and have therefore stopped being an active member of the forum.
 
This. Sadly, and like most tribal discussions, most of the 10 page + threads here are just small groups yelling past each other.

On the contrary: I’ve learnt a bit from the arc of this particular thread and considered some points in slightly changed lighting. I find that both edifying and instructive.
 

rin67630

macrumors 6502
Apr 24, 2022
436
290
Apple has just released one of their most innovative tech products ever, and the overwhelming response from this site has been increased disdain and mocking. The spirit of this site is dead.
You believe that "Apple has just released one of their most innovative tech products ever" and on this site you are forced to read that a majority is not unconditionally falling in love with them and are expressing critics. Poor you...
 
You believe that "Apple has just released one of their most innovative tech products ever" and on this site you are forced to read that a majority is not unconditionally falling in love with them and are expressing critics. Poor you...

Falling in love (or, with material and cultural items, falling in desire) should happen organically.

That it may not, at scale, is neither a failing nor a character flaw by those who aren’t enchanted by that item.
 

KaliYoni

macrumors 68000
Feb 19, 2016
1,727
3,805
I'll stop by to see the news, perhaps, but I'm going to take a nice, long break from participating on this site.

Serious question, not trolling: how will this decision affect your Contributor status? And do you feel that MR does not value feedback from Contributors?
 

AlastorKatriona

Suspended
Nov 3, 2023
559
1,021
Sometimes criticism is warranted. Apple and their products are not perfect. But on the other hand, the mods have done an excellent job cultivating a community where toxicity thrives.
This 100%.

This is Macrumors mods:

User A posts wildly false anti Apple tirade.

User B posts "You're dumb"

User B is permanently banned. User A is promoted to super member.
 

AlastorKatriona

Suspended
Nov 3, 2023
559
1,021
It is pretended "wildly false" mostly because you have absolutely no experience outside the golden Apple cage.
Should I want to take a record of all wrong statements made on "Windows" or "PCs" from clueless Apple users, I would need a much bigger SSD.
I can't downvote you, because Macrumors says no.
I can't simply respond "No", because Macrumors says no, even though that's all this warranted.

So I guess thanks for highlighting more reasons why Macrumors is terrible.
 

I7guy

macrumors Nehalem
Nov 30, 2013
34,306
24,037
Gotta be in it to win it
It comes down to this when it comes to resentment of Apple.
I don’t agree with many of the points made. And whatever one feels about the company should translate into a toxic environment here on MR.
I think a lot of people feel Apple is riding its success without really innovating anymore which is probably the biggest gripe within Apple community.
I’m sure some feel as the above and others feel differently. With a few billion customers it’s for sure there will be different feelings.
R&D figures released just recently bear this out. Apple only spend 8% on R&D while Meta and Amazon are at 30%.
What’s the exact dollar amount?
Google is forecast to have a new AI engine for Gemini that is supposedly revolutionary while Apple is promising the best AI consumer laptop in the market with features already in notebooks like the Samsung GB4 Pro and others with circle to search and other AI features already integrated into the laptop with Intel's new processors with NPU. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has a lot of AI features already as well as does the Pixel line up. Call screening for example is a really nice and important practical feature that should have been on a iPhone for at least since the 15 came out but nothing. In june I am sure there will be a lot of great features but will it be enough to wow people? So far AI hasn't done that on any device yet.
There’s nothing in the quote above that should cause someone to get angry enough and make MR a toxic environment. It’s more do the positives of apple outweigh the negatives?
I think the quality if Apple products in terms of reliability and quality control have gone down with quality control being the worst issue.
This statement is highly dependent on what products you have.
Ram upgrades beyond 8gb at $200 for each 8gb upgrade is insane no matter if we have unified ram. It is not that much better. iPads have been great with m series chips but the software can barely take advantage of m1 let alone m2 or m3 and there is not real change in sight.
Software always catches up to hardware.
Who wants to pay over $1k for a large Pro tablet just to stream some movies? Yet if you want a decent screen then the Pro is best. Same with the entire line up with every part of the line trying to push you up the upgrade ladder to spend more.
If apples iPad product line doesn’t work for you I’m sure there are alternatives.
And finally the locked down nature of the Apple ecosystem sucks for anyone who wants a Android phone and has a Mac and other Apple gear. It doesn't have to be that way but Apple does it on purpose to encourage or discourage people from buying anything other Apple devices. I think there is a growing market that resents this, myself included.
This should be part and percent the two eeek evaluation period — to figure out if you can live with a locked down ecosystem.
In terms of the general treatment and respect here from other members of the forum is rather poor. There is so much projection of self worth tied to Apple products it is insane.
It’s true some people post outrageous things. But plenty of members discuss the subject and not the poster.
There is so much bias confirmation and cognitive dissonance from a group you would expect more of an open mind from.
I agree with this and it is immaterial whether one is a critic or fan.
But this is also a huge societal problem and it can get amplified on the internet.
Yep.
 

fatTribble

macrumors 65816
Sep 21, 2018
1,416
3,890
Ohio
Given the mods won't allow me to post a simple 'Me too', because it's frivolous apparently, and they should know, I will say that I will largely be sitting it out on the sidelines too. Having people post here about how those of us who buy and like our Apple products should just ignore the trolls, but not also recognize that those who don't buy Apple products because they don't like them or want to pay the price should also ignore us when we enthuse about them is quite ludicrous.

There's no merit in a discussion with someone who wants to picks a fight, and nothing to be gained from it.
This makes me sad because I’ve always enjoyed posts from both you and @Timo_Existencia. I totally get it though. I just read posts about the Persona improvements hoping that some folks trying the beta would chime in. I don’t need to tell you the kinds of posts that were most prevalent. It was a lot to wade through to the point I just started looking for any people like you who I recognize. You’ve both said it well so I’ll add my Me Too. My thought was to just log out and focus on news and ignore comments.
 

LeeW

macrumors 601
Feb 5, 2017
4,226
9,183
Over here
In my nearly 30-year internet use, this is one of the most toxic forums I have encountered. The OP calls MR an Apple Fan Site. That is somewhat true, but not specifically; you expect a heavy sway towards members being part of the Apple cult. I note the suggestion by the OP that it's almost anti-apple, but I'm afraid I have to disagree with that. What I see is more and more Apple users being disheartened by Apple. That's an ebbs-and-flow thing with Apple over the years, but it appears more prevalent now.

I have used Apple products longer than many members have been alive, long before the iPhone made them famous and most members became interested. I have never added up just how much I gave to Apple, but it's well into six figures.

Yet if I suggest something I don't like, I invariably get the response, "Buy Windows or Android then", or if I comment I am not buying a new product, it's often met with "Nevermind the rest of us can afford it" or something similar.

Many members think they are part of some elitist group because they own products, shares and staunchly support Apple. Yet they still only use their $4k MBP and latest iPhone for visiting porn sites, watching Netflix and telling me to buy Android instead. I am willing to bet most of them use Spotify and have a FaceBook account that they will never admit.

Am I bothered by any of this? No, not at all. I don't visit as often, and when I do, I read more than reply.

Interestingly, when I visit, the first place I go to is the Alternatives to Mac Hardware Forum. That is the great little corner of this site. Why? Because the people that use that forum are tech enthusiasts, they are not so much pro this or that. Many use Windows and Mac, and some use only Windows, but everyone seems to get on more than anywhere else. There are excellent discussions; each other's views are accepted and discussed, and there is no falling out, abuse, or other nonsense unless a hardened Apple supporter strays in. The key to why that works so well is the people, the tech enthusiasts; we see value in all tech. Whoever makes it.

Be more like the tech enthusiasts.
 

Lord Blackadder

macrumors P6
May 7, 2004
15,669
5,499
Sod off
Maybe I'm getting old, but I am surprised there is still this much angry platform evangelism going on. I will hold up my hand and say for many years I bought into that. But I have been using all the major platforms and OSs for so many years now, both at home and at work, that I almost don't remember a time I was a single-platform advocate. Interoperability has improved so much, I feel the distinction for most critical tasks is fairly trivial.

That all goes for personal computing, of course. Granted, Apple is more a mobile/lifestyle device manufacturer now, so that complicates things.

In my nearly 30-year internet use, this is one of the most toxic forums I have encountered.

In my greater-than-30-year tenure of internet use, I would heartily disagree. Yes, certain parts of MR contain the same strains of toxicity you see across the internet, but across the breadth of the forum you will find a core of civil and well-spoken members that rises well above the average standard of behavior in my experience.

To be fair, I don't post as widely across the site as I once did, and the new product announcement threads have always tended to get get a bit heated and, sometimes, silly (especially in retrospect - I'll never forget the people confidently pooh-poohing products like the iPod and iPhone when they were announced - go read those ones for a good laugh).

But of course the central purpose of the site was as a place for informed or at least thoughtful speculation on what Apple had up its sleeve next. It wasn't an Apple evangelist forum per se, and never has been as far as I am concerned. I've criticized Apple plenty here over a couple decades and, apart from the odd individual knucklehead, I've never felt there has been a culture of retaliation against that.
 

Antoniosmalakia

macrumors 6502
Jun 28, 2021
308
779
This makes me sad because I’ve always enjoyed posts from both you and @Timo_Existencia. I totally get it though. I just read posts about the Persona improvements hoping that some folks trying the beta would chime in. I don’t need to tell you the kinds of posts that were most prevalent. It was a lot to wade through to the point I just started looking for any people like you who I recognize. You’ve both said it well so I’ll add my Me Too. My thought was to just log out and focus on news and ignore comments.
Perhaps you need to appeal to the MacRumors team to set up a verified Vision Pro Owners only section.

The product seems to have produced a whole new level of sensitivity on these forums and its users clearly need some sort of protection.
 

iObama

macrumors 65816
Nov 16, 2008
1,035
2,227
It’s getting a bit ridiculous. Half the people I would ask , why are you even on an Apple forum if you down even own Apple products or don’t like them at all
I own 7 or 8 Apple products. Still criticize them. I, a considered-lower-middle-class-in-the-Bay-Area citizen, do not shill for the largest corporation in the world. They do lots of things that bring me joy, but they also do things that frustrate the **** out of me.

What's it to anybody else?
 
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LeeW

macrumors 601
Feb 5, 2017
4,226
9,183
Over here
The product seems to have produced a whole new level of sensitivity on these forums and its users clearly need some sort of protection.

I have noticed that. It's interesting that you suggest users/owners need some protection. It's that bad, yet many posting here recently don't seem to see it. Maybe they are not looking that closely or are interested in the product, but the VP has taken discussions to a whole new level, which is not a good way.
 
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fatTribble

macrumors 65816
Sep 21, 2018
1,416
3,890
Ohio
Perhaps you need to appeal to the MacRumors team to set up a verified Vision Pro Owners only section.

The product seems to have produced a whole new level of sensitivity on these forums and its users clearly need some sort of protection.
It’s an interesting idea. I don’t know the logistics of that.

I like how today there a section for politics which basically says keep politics out of the regular, product posts.

Maybe an owners area. It seems like it would be difficult to prove ownership unless they wanted to have an app only available on specific products.

I don’t mind at all someone who doesn’t like the product. But when it’s a thread about something specific like Environments it’s really disruptive to try pick out the useful posts that are swamped by the negative ones.
 
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fatTribble

macrumors 65816
Sep 21, 2018
1,416
3,890
Ohio
I own 7 or 8 Apple products. Still criticize them. I, a considered-lower-middle-class-in-the-Bay-Area citizen, do not shill for the largest corporation in the world. They do lots of things that bring me joy, but they also do things that frustrate the **** out of me.

What's it to anybody else?
Just my opinion, for what it’s worth. I would enjoy reading any post that talks about your joy or frustration with the products. For one thing, you actually own the products so you’re not just talking about what you’ve heard from others. Plus, it doesn’t sound like you have any agenda. You like some things but not others.

That‘s in sharp contrast to the frustrating posts I see. I see people who create an account then immediately post a dozen negative posts with a clear agenda and no facts. There are also many posts about people rather than products. The shaming about someone who might not be able to afford a product is just as bad as the overtly antagonist posts about the idiot who would buy a particular product because they have money to burn.

This stuff has all been said in this thread before. I just don’t want to give the impression that (speaking for myself) everyone has to love everything. I often spend coffee talks with tech friends venting about bugs or lack of features.
 
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