Beep boop - this is a robot. A new show has been posted to TWiT…
What are your thoughts about today’s show? We’d love to hear from you!
the show is getting worse and worse when Andy and Alex attend. I am really thinking about stop watching the show … 
I don’t understand why Alex keeps defending the indefensible. The argument, “but it works for the majority, so it isn’t broken,” is so wide of the mark. If it isn’t working for the minority as well, it is broken.
Likewise, that other companies also deliver poor customer service is in no way an excuse, especially for a company that prides itself of being different and providing excellence at high prices, as opposed to an airline trying to cut costs in a race to the bottom.
The worst thing is the lack of clarity about why the app store approval process flags things up. “Rejected, fix it and try again,” isn’t helpful. And when the developer replies that, according to the rules, that the app is compliant, that it still gets rejected, without detailed information about why it is being rejected is simply not acceptable.
I had a new garage door fitted a few weeks back. There were a couple of small problems. I notified the company that sold me the door (they subcontracted the work) of the small problems. I received a personal phone call to discuss the matters, all minor and I was actually happy with the process as a whole, just a couple of minor ways they could improve the process.
He apologised that the order confirmation email, for example, didn’t go out. They had been overrun and it slipped through the cracks. Can happen, but he actually took the time to call and apologise. That is customer service. “Fix it or else,” is not customer service, it is the exact opposite, that is “you are irrelevant to us, clear off!”
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i agree, but also Andys opinion is no way better. He can only reports what others told him, because he has no experience in certain topics, but keeps attacking Alex over and over. Both had their standings, but both are not willing to accept the others opinion.
This is not what i as a listener/viewer of this show want.
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At the risk of being labeled a heretic - I no longer believe Alex should be a panelist on this show, regardless of his history in creating the original series. He has continually proved to be unable to put himself in the position where he can understand the individuals who are raising the issues.
He himself articulated the reasons: his livelihood is impacted by this. At the end of the day - his arguments are solely for what benefit him and not the broader issues of what is going on. He continually blames the victim (in this case Hopscotch) by implying they didn’t allow enough lead time for dealing with a bug update. He excuses and dismisses her treatment by saying that the majority of others have no issues.
He considers any regulation of Apple a threat to his personal wellbeing - which makes him unacceptable as a panelist where you need to be able to argue and discuss the broader perspectives, which he has continually proved unable to do due to his singular focus on how things affect him to the exclusion of others. Look at his apathy toward Apple’s decisions with Microsoft Cloud Gaming. He didn’t care one way or the other because it didn’t affect him - his words, not mine.
I get he is a subject matter expert on the use of Mac and iPhone, specifically in the area of video streaming and production. I have no qualms whatsoever with those credentials. And it’s clear he’s articulate and able to not only understand the complexities of his field but explain them to those less versed in the topic. I completely respect his expertise. It’s his utter inability to place himself in another’s position and understand their issues and frustration. His lack of empathy, for lack of a better phrase.
While I think Rene tends to be far more charitable toward Apple’s decisions, it’s clear he understands the frustrations and problems (like those of Hopscotch), and Andy very clearly sees the broader ramifications of these choices and take Apple to task. Conversely - it is always Alex who is arguing that nothing is wrong, complex systems are hard, and if a developer gets screwed - it’s their own fault for not properly planning ahead or knowing what to do.
I also found it supremely ironic that Alex was complain about governments creating a nanny state, when Apple has refined the concept to a new level with its utter and total control over the operating system and app store. Alex is fine with a corporate nanny - just not a government one.
And, as if to contradict myself - Alex’s commentary on the Google maps and search discussion (around the 1:10 mark or so) was really good. I found his discussion both contrasting and comparing at various points with Andy and Rene in a good way.
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Well, as users, that’s what we ALL DO!! I only care what Apple does to the extent it has an effect on me! I use products for what they do for me and for the experience they give me - pretty sure that’s what everyone does! Anyone who says they don’t is being disingenuous
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Have you looked at the new approval process?
Sure - but I listen to MacBreak Weekly (and Windows Weekly and others) to hear a broader perspective. Clearly issues have a much wider impact than our own individual experiences, and I rely on the panelists to provide that breadth of perspective. To inform me of the issues that are greater than my own perspective, so I can inform my opinion with knowledge beyond my own experience.
If all a panelist does is give me his singular point of view without regard to the broader issues, then he or she is no different than me - and then why would I listen to an opinion no different from my own. That way leads to an echo chamber.
It’s not that Alex has a different point of view - it’s that his point of view, from my perspective, is so self-focused to the exclusion of any greater issue, and appears to be lacking in compassion and empathy toward those whose experiences differ from his own.
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Luckily there are several panelists on each episode, each providing a unique perspective.
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Yes indeed.
And, if I am being honest, I was probably channeling a bit too much frustration earlier. I just have such a reaction to points of view that seem so narrow and self-centered (from my perspective). I should know that Alec, in these situations, tends to push the buttons of mine that lead me to want to unsubscribe.
Maybe I expect too much from the panelists. I want them to represent the broader perspectives - not just their own point of view. A panelist who is unable to put themselves in my shoes or another’s and who only looks at how things affect him or her does not, to me, inform the discussion but narrows it to their parameters. But I recognize that I perhaps have my own biases and perspectives to overcome as well.
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Agreed. I think that the best we can hope for is a varied discussion that we as listeners interpret how we want and take away what we feel is best.
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It’s a lot harder to get rid of your government than it is to switch ecosystems.
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I understand your view, but I would just say, human nature😊
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While you are correct, on the other hand, I could listen for hours to Alex talking on technical subjects. It is just the lack of empathy and blindly defending Apple in the face of overwhelming evidence that is annoying.
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Doesn’t bother me, as long as the panel has a mixture of opinion. Andy is the counterpoint, Rene leans Apple (but it’s an Apple show). I have noticed Alex seems to have doubled down since he was picked up by Leo a few shows back on some political views.
Absolutely - he is a master of his subject matter, and I love listening to him when he’s talking about his craft. I’ve learned so much from him in that regard. But it’s when you get him outside of that - into the broader issues of Apple’s corporate behavior and how they operate - that the issues (for me) occur.
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IMHO, Alex provides the most reasonable position and in most cases I’m in complete alignment with what Alex says. As far as I’ve seen over the years (which starts before any of the modern day platforms existed ;)) Apple has successfully provided a compelling, extremely well integrated and very well thought through system. Nothing else compares at the level of sophistication found in the Apple ecosystem. Not MS, not Android, not Linux. I’ve tried and they just aren’t there yet. I heard mentioned that Apple is a mono culture but I would reframe that say that Apple has a strong core vision. And in my experience that’s what is needed to provide a cohesive system (of any sort). I’m happy to pay money for something which provides that level of sophistication and cohesion. Love the show! Keep up the great conversations!
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well said and very true
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Which is exactly why they are now being investigated to see if they are abusing that position - charging 30% for rival music services, when their own doesn’t have to pay the 30% and therefore profitably undercuts the competition.
Likewise, cartel like behaviour with publishers over eBooks, which they got into trouble for a few years back.
For Alex to say there is nothing wrong with ripping off its customers and developers is tone deaf. If Apple were somehow trying to justify those prices and could demonstrate where that money went and they weren’t making an incredible profit off other people’s work, he would have a point, but at the moment, Apple is playing with obvious smoke and mirrors and is not showing any defensible position - which is also true of Google, BTW. It isn’t as if Apple is being singled out here, the investigations go across the whole Big Tech industry at the moment.
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