patrick.net

If you take off the about million Apple phones given to illegals this last year, well Apple's sales don't look as good.

Illegals are receiving $1,500 phones?

there’s no alternative to phones, it’s monopoly. so will go up. they can replace all white people in commercials with black trannies and still have sales.

GNL says

Illegals are receiving $1,500 phones?

Nope. Fake news. Misc needs to show a link at least. Or at least say that he saw it happen in person. Neither were done.

Let's see there were about 300000 given out in 2022. The totals for 2023 ain't been given yet, but I bet it's over 1 million.

https://abcnews4.com/news/nation-world/costly-failure-biden-admin-gave-300k-smartphones-to-migrants-costs-over-360k-a-day-cell-phone-alternatives-detention-program-ice-customs-immigration-illegal-president-white-house-joe-mexico-border

It's only our taxes.

Misc says

Let's see there were about 300000 given out in 2022. The totals for 2023 ain't been given yet, but I bet it's over 1 million.

https://abcnews4.com/news/nation-world/costly-failure-biden-admin-gave-300k-smartphones-to-migrants-costs-over-360k-a-day-cell-phone-alternatives-detention-program-ice-customs-immigration-illegal-president-white-house-joe-mexico-border

It's only our taxes.

I'm not happy about it, but at no point did it say iPhones. All phones are smart now. So they gave them phones to track them from the link you posted. That should be the news. If they can track illegals, they're tracking you too. They didn't give them iPhones.

Ok, I cede the point, but let me see if I am tracking with you, The only Smartphone manufacturers with that kind of output are Apple, Samsung and the rest are based out of mainland China. So probably our Department of Homeland Security is giving the illegals coming into our country free smartphones from a company based in Communist China with Chinese tracking gear to keep track of the millions of illegals in our country?

Your take is more accurate than mine and monumentally more funny.

Can I steal it?

Misc says

So probably our Department of Homeland Security is giving the illegals coming into our country free smartphones from a company based in Communist China with Chinese tracking gear to keep track of the millions of illegals in our country?

Bingo. I gave up on privacy because I don't do anything illegal. I know my rights. They're moving these illegals into population centers to win individual counties. They know where they are at. Even if you turn off wifi and go into airplane mode, cell towers know where you're at. Even with passcodes and facial recognition, anyone can get in your phone. I had a seizure and someone was able to get in my phone and text my office.

They moved some illegals about 10 miles east of me. Literally just dropped them off at a rural intersection in a neighboring county. Chicago has always been a shit show about this and that's why it's news all the time. It's more than just POTUS. It's House Reps and Senators that most people overlook in elections. I think it's funny when states like Florida or Texas ship them to Chicago and New York, but it's fucking illegal as well. At some point it's not funny.

Anyone not have a fence on their property even if it's a subdivision home? I have one 6' tall. Never in about a decade now have I had a solicitor knock on my door. Not once. We need walls and we need government officials to enforce the law. Someone from Ecuador will be the equivalent of a millionaire and they move back on a $10/hr wage and live like a king. Taking the money out of the country.

Misc says

Your take is more accurate than mine and monumentally more funny.

Can I steal it?

Take whatever you want. I'm not sure if this is sarcasm as I post early in the morning usually and have Joe Biden brain at times. So my comments may not always seem coherent. Insomnia sucks.

Misc says

zzyzzx says

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/apple-overtakes-samsung-top-seller-122528536.html

Apple overtakes Samsung as top seller of smartphones

This does not surprise me, as Samsung also charges way too much for their phones. If you are going to overpay for a phone, may as well get an Apple.

This has little to do with Samsung's pricing and everything to do with Chinese market share. Samsung used to have a huge share of the Chinese market, but with the Android operating system,

I got out of all of my holdings (300 shares) of Apple at $185 this year.

Still holding off on Tesla. About 947,000 Tesla's were sold in 2023 in China (compared to 555,000 in 2022), and a total of 1.8 million Tesla's were sold worldwide (compared to 1.3 million in 2022).

**********

https://www.the-express.com/finance/business/130595/tesla-apple-china-sales-byd

Tesla and Apple could be about to lose millions of customers in China as the state pushes people to opt for domestic products rather than Western technology.

Both companies have reportedly been forced into discounting many of their products to compete with Chinese competitors.

Many at China’s annual Communist Party event told the Financial Times that they are using devices from Chinese companies.

Zhan Wenlong, a nuclear physicist and party delegate, told the outlet: “For people coming here, they encourage us to use domestic phones, because phones like Apple are not safe.

“[Apple phones] are made in China, but we don’t know if the chips have back doors.”

MrMagic says

Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, said Friday that Apple’s technology may have been stolen by the Chinese.

There's nothing to steal. Apple doesn't have any technology that every other tech company doesn't have.

richwicks says

MrMagic says

Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, said Friday that Apple’s technology may have been stolen by the Chinese.

There's nothing to steal. Apple doesn't have any technology that every other tech company doesn't have.

The Chicoms are just going to crate cheap clones of the iPhone and the Teslas.

No different than the late 1990s with the advent of cheap personal computers (PCs) made in China.

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AD says

The Chicoms are just going to crate cheap clones of the iPhone and the Teslas.

The appeal of Apple is their marketing and their "look and feel". China can't steal that without being noticed.

Apple isn't a technology company, they are a jewelry company. I honestly see Apple products as technology designed for women.

It's like Louis Vuitton and Prada, they don't make better products they make products the same as everybody else, it's their marketing. They aren't higher quality, they are just expensive because of the brand. When I have to work on an Apple computer it takes me about 10 minutes before I run into something I can trivially do on Linux or Android, which is just about impossible to do on their systems. Move an mp3 or mp4 file to your iPhone and try to play it. Basic everyday things for me become complex and stupidly difficult. I use my Android as a general storage device, for data that isn't personal and I don't care about being protected - if I have that, it's password protected.

From the point of view of an engineer, the Apple products are a nightmare of design. They take this immensely powerful machine, and dumb it down so it's like working on a computer from the late 1990s when networking wasn't taken for granted. I hate them.

"Apple products aren't expensive; they just cost more than some people can afford."

The MacBook Air M1 is $650 new today; that's a capable laptop and not too expensive.

clambo says

"Apple products aren't expensive; they just cost more than some people can afford."

The MacBook Air M1 is $650 new today; that's a capable laptop and not too expensive.

Can get a new Mac Mini for around $600 and buy a used LCD, keyboard and mouse at Goodwill for $100

This is affordable for even working class especially if they buy a refurbished Mac Mini

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clambo says

The MacBook Air M1 is $650 new today; that's a capable laptop and not too expensive.

Add $100 for a USB port

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/apple-introduces-ai-powered-object-235855734.html

Apple's new iOS developer beta lets you remove objects from pictures using AI

Obligatory:

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Asking for advice, looking for an Apple Mini Mac (at least 8 GB RAM) and a portable monitor (which I can connect with an HDMI cable to the Mini Mac).

My budget is $300 total.

Went on Amazon, but asking if anyone has specific suggestions and if this would work out for home use computing. I assume the Mini Mac is more stable and does not freeze up and crash using a browser (Firefox, Chrome, etc) like a Windows computer (even on Ubuntu).

.

AD says

does not freeze up and crash using a browser (Firefox, Chrome, etc) like a Windows computer

I have been using Windows computers for years, crashes are rare.

HeadSet says

AD says

does not freeze up and crash using a browser (Firefox, Chrome, etc) like a Windows computer

I have been using Windows computers for years, crashes are rare.

You are lucky then. Never had a Windows machine that didn't need a restart weekly. I'll never buy anything with Windows installed on it. Partially I don't like it and there's the Bill Gates factor. I'm sure he still gets residuals from it. I ain't giving that creep any of my money. I don't fund pedophiles as far as I'm aware of.

Almost a decade into my iMac. No issues. When I was in my younger PC/Windows phase I'd have to dump them every 3 years. Lost a decade of photos that were unrecoverable. Even took it to a place to try and recover. I'll never own a windows OS machine again in my life. I'd definitely would never rely on it for business.

10 out of 10 times there's an issue at a business I visit, it's because of Windows fucking up. Not being hyperbolic either.

WookieMan says

Almost a decade into my iMac. No issues.

That is what I figured as iMac's including Apple Mini Mac are very stable as Apple has a lot more control over its product's hardware, operating system, and software.

I am wondering if I should wait as I heard that Apple is coming out with a new Mini Mac this month. Maybe that will help to lower price of its older models.
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AD says

I am wondering if I should wait as I heard that Apple is coming out with a new Mini Mac this month. Maybe that will help to lower price of its older models.

I'd check out used right now unless you need a lot of processing. In 2024 internet speed is more important than computer specs, unless you're using it for music, media, video, photos, etc. editing type stuff. That's chip and RAM important in those realms.

I was recording and doing photo editing when I got it. Now it's overkill for what I do. I will be starting to record again though. Maybe a lot in 8-9 months. Might sell it and get a Mac pro rack mount. That will last 10 years.

I won't trust a windows machine and am too lazy to mess around with linux and other bull shit like that. I would bash Apple users up until about 2006. Got one and only one other (not phones or tablets, though have them). MacBook, still works and my current iMac. Pushing 20 years on 2 computers. Done a ton of shit with them. Made good money using them. Never failed me.

Went through multiple PC's with windows every 2-3 years. It's a trash OS. Had used is from 1995-2006. Maybe it's better now. Everyone I know still has issues with them. It's also just a shit interface and Explorer as a browser can eat a dick.

My wife has a new Mac laptop.

I needed to create a new account for a website, and was using my wife's new Mac. The Mac immediately filled in the "create password" field with a supposedly random password of Apple's choosing! WTF? As if I would trust Apple to forget that password.

So I said no, and entered a password that only I know.

Then the Mac said "Would you like to store your new password in iCloud?"

Holy shit. No, I do not want to give you my fucking password, Apple.

Patrick says

My wife has a new Mac laptop.

I needed to create a new account for a website, and was using my wife's new Mac. The Mac immediately filled in the "create password" field with a supposedly random password of Apple's choosing! WTF? As if I would trust Apple to forget that password.

So I said no, and entered a password that only I know.

Then the Mac said "Would you like to store your new password in iCloud?"

Holy shit. No, I do not want to give you my fucking password, Apple.

Not just Apple.

Is the world full of morons who just go along with that?

No need to answer.

Patrick says

Is the world full of morons who just go along with that?

I can see why some people would use stored passwords for paying the gas bill or a coupon reward site, even though never for a bank or brokerage account.

I don't think Apple saves the strong passwords Safari generates; however you can save it if you want to.

I wasn't on Safari. I was using Brave.

So I think the password came from Apple itself.

Apple Inc. (AAPL) $244.42/sh +2.89 (+1.20%) As of 10:16:48 AM EST. Market Open.

I bought my son an iPad a couple of years back. I wanted to transfer ownership of the iPad to my son, so I called customer support. I have no other Apple devices - always a Windows/Linux guy.

I went through about 2 hours of conversation before it dawned on the service rep that the iPad was the only device in the household. In order to transfer ownership of an Apple device to another person, you had to have another Apple device to initiate the transfer.

WTF?

Nice gatekeeping, Apple.

I mentioned on another post a while back that Apple was censoring emails related to the clot shot and ivermectin.

Apple is no angel.

stereotomy says

I bought my son an iPad a couple of years back. I wanted to transfer ownership of the iPad to my son, so I called customer support. I have no other Apple devices - always a Windows/Linux guy.

I went through about 2 hours of conversation before it dawned on the service rep that the iPad was the only device in the household. In order to transfer ownership of an Apple device to another person, you had to have another Apple device to initiate the transfer.

A visit to their brick-and-mortar store would solve it in much shorter time.

https://slaynews.com/news/dni-gabbard-warned-uk-order-backdoor-apple-data-puts-americans-risk/

Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard has received a warning about an order from the UK government demanding backdoor access to data from American tech giant Apple.

DNI Gabbard received the warning in a bipartisan letter from congressional lawmakers.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) penned a letter to Gabbard warning that the United Kingdom‘s reported new order jeopardizes Americans.

The letter referenced recent press reports that the UK’s home secretary “served Apple with a secret order last month, directing the company to weaken the security of its iCloud backup service to facilitate government spying.”

The directive reportedly requires the company to weaken the encryption of its iCloud backup service.

The UK government is pressuring Apple to grant it the “blanket capability” to access customers’ encrypted files.

Reports further state that the order was issued under the UK’s Investigatory Powers Act 2016.

The act is commonly known as the “Snoopers’ Charter” and it does not require a judge’s approval.

“Apple is reportedly gagged from acknowledging that it received such an order, and the company faces criminal penalties that prevent it from even confirming to the U.S. Congress the accuracy of these press reports,” Wyden and Biggs note.

Patrick says

The letter referenced recent press reports that the UK’s home secretary “served Apple with a secret order last month, directing the company to weaken the security of its iCloud backup service to facilitate government spying.”

Just do not keep any cloud servers in British territories.

So the British government can arrest people for reading memes.

Apple is showing it's utter lack of principles here. It should tell the UK to fuck off. This would not only be the principled stand, but it would gain loyal customers.

Right now, it's obvious that you cannot trust Apple's security.

Apple (AAPL) is the most negatively U.S. tech company by Trump's "tariff economic Armageddon," given its massive manufacturing exposure to China, said Ives. 
With 90% of iPhones produced in China, over 50% of Mac products, and 75%-80% of iPads, Ives labelled the newly announced tariffs are a "complete disaster" for the Cupertino-based giant. 
"The reality is it would take 3 years and $30 billion dollars in our estimation to move even 10% of its supply chain from Asia to the U.S. with major disruption in the process," said Ives. 
Ives does not believe it would be possible for Apple (AAPL) to build a $1,000 iPhone in the U.S., with a domestically manufactured iPhone expected to sell for $3500. 

RWSGFY says

Ives does not believe it would be possible for Apple (AAPL) to build a $1,000 iPhone in the U.S., with a domestically manufactured iPhone expected to sell for $3500.

Then Apple will pay the tariff and make less per phone, as that $1,000 is what the market will bear. Very few will pay $3500 for an iPhone.

For under $2000 I bought a used Dell Xeon 12 core workstation, put in 256 GB ECC RAM, set up a 4X1GB NVME RAID 0 main drive, along with a 10 TB backup.

The used hulk of the workstation itself cost $500.

WFT is with the insane price of phones?

GuruFocus "fair value" prices for

Apple: $193.52

Amazon: $167.90

Google (class A shares): $172.28

They all are undervalued or fairly valued now after at least a +27% drop in stock price.

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Apple markets itself as an upscale brand. It still has a cult following just like upper middle class in the USA will buy BMW and Mercedes.

About 55% of Apple sales come from the iPhone. Apple needs to diversify just like Google and Amazon is diversifying.

I can get by with a $150 Chromebook, a $45 Motorola Moto G cell phone, and a $40 ONN Android tablet.

But I noticed Apple is driving down the price of its very capable Mini Mac and its Mini IPad is a good value also.

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