I watched the recent WWDC keynote where Apple launched a bunch of new products. One of them was the high end mac aimed at the professional sector. This was a computer designed to process hours of high definition video footage for movies/TV. As per usual, they boasted about how many processes you could run at the same time, and how they’d all be done instantaneously, compared to the previous model or the leading competitor.
Meanwhile my 10 year old iMac takes 30 seconds to show the File menu when I click File. Or it takes 5 minutes to run a simple bash command in Terminal. It’s not taking 5 minutes to compile something or do anything particularly difficult. It takes 5 minutes to remember what bash is in the first place.
I know why it couldn’t process video footage without catching fire, but what I truly don’t understand is why it takes so long to do the easiest most mundane things.
I’m not working with 50 apps open, or a browser laden down with 200 tabs. I don’t have intensive image editing software running. There’s no malware either. I’m just trying to use it to do every day tasks. This has happened with every computer I’ve ever owned.
Why?
In: 5988
It really, REALLY depends on a lot of factors. It could be that the demands of the OS/applications you’re using are outpacing what your components are capable of. It could be that there’s data issues someone in the chain where it’s just not running as efficiently as it used to. It could be that you need to clean out your device (De-dust and what not). It could also be that, frankly, the software developers working on the OS/ applications are just not taking your specs in mind anymore because they’re slowly being depreciated. Apple stuff has been slowly moving onto completely different hardware with their own chipsets that they have better understanding and control of. And they REALLY want you to upgrade to their stuff just because they have better control over those systems as opposed to what was the case before with Intel chips having to be designed for a more broad demographic.
Also, frankly, tech just gets better over time. It runs more efficiently (uses less power for the same amount of work), has newer features, better cooling solutions, better thermal limiting or turboing functions, etc etc. We just get better at doing things the more and more we do them and that’s very true with tech and how we manufacture them. Your device is 10 years old, that’s honestly pretty good but there are just going to be limits in an industry that’s always trying to get better, faster, more power, etc etc.
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