Apple should stop selling four-year-old computers
Last week I bought a new computer. And for the first time since 2002, it wasn&#x27;t a Mac. I wanted a Mac Mini, but that&#x27;s a tough buy when you can get something much smaller, more flexible, and more powerful in the PC realm. I wound up buying an Intel NUC and slapping Ubuntu Gnome on it.<p>Most surprisingly, Gnome 3 does not feel like a compromised choice in comparison to OS X. It&#x27;s not a seamless experience by any means. That said, I&#x27;m really digging some of the UI choices they&#x27;ve made. It&#x27;s a UX that&#x27;s committed to a vision of how the user should interact with the computer.<p>I remember a time when the Mac also felt like a strongly opinionated experience, designed by and for humans. It no longer feels so. It feels aimless and stagnant, even regressive in some ways. It feels designed by committee rather than vision or voice. The changes do not seem to serve any higher purpose than making the UI look cool in screenshots. I miss the high-contrast controls, readable fonts, always-visible functionality, personable quirks, etc.<p>I still use a Mac all day at work, and I still respect it as a good tool for getting shit done, but I really wonder about the point of it. If I can pick up a free alternative like Ubuntu Gnome and actually feel happy and productive quickly, what&#x27;s left to recommend the Mac? If Apple doesn&#x27;t care any more, why should I?<p>(Alright, now y&#x27;all can light me up.)