Honestly, even looking at GQ, I can't remember spending a single cent on tech in the last few years—doesn't matter if we're talking PC or mobile. Maybe I'm just living in some parallel universe or something... It’s also weird to me how nobody seems to be rocking the iPhone/Mac combo. In my little bubble, that setup is everywhere. I guess people in America just don't go for it much.
And as a "half-baked product," it had zero competition. I mean, it didn't wipe out BlackBerry for nothing.
Yeah, a half-baked product. Give me a break—even Daimler's first motor was considered a "half-baked product." 🙄
Jobs sparked a total revolution with the first functional App Store. Then again with iCloud. Honestly, which mobile device besides the iPhone has even survived from 2007 until now? None.
Everything feels pretty much the same nowadays, but back in 2007? They had absolutely no competition.
Matthew Young35 said:The iPhone wasn't really a pioneer in anything, except perhaps when it came to design aesthetics and its price tag. Everything the iPhone ever marketed as a "breakthrough" feature actually existed on other phones long before it arrived.
Can you name even one single thing the iPhone possessed that hadn't already been implemented by a competitor?
To be perfectly honest, I can't think of a single one.
Didn't realize you were such a hater too. 🙄
Back in 2007—which wasn't exactly ages ago, so don't act like you forgot—when Jobs showed off his first iPhone 1 with that single button and touchscreen tech, where you basically did everything through gestures just like we do today... man, that changed the world. It was way more than just a revolution.
Basically, he's mocking them because the giants back then—looking at you, Nokia—were totally asleep at the wheel, thinking nothing was going to change, while it took the competition years just to catch up to Jobs' magic.
That year, 2007, was absolutely a Milestone for mobile tech.
And the first Samsung with Android didn't even show up until two years later. Two whole damn years.
Quote : Pierce34 nailed it. Honestly, you might as well switch to Windows if you aren't forced to stay... Most people—myself included—just want their stuff to actually work when they buy it, without wasting endless hours messing around with pointless settings. I need quick, easy access to my server from all my devices, everything synced up, and that peace of mind with iCloud so if my phone gets stolen or lost, I can grab my data instantly. At this point, the differences between top-tier phones and OSs are just minor nuances since everyone just copies everyone else anyway—but iPhone was the pioneer in so many ways. If you've already gotten used to those intuitive gestures and simplicity, there's really no point in jumping ship for nothing. Branko is exaggerating again, just like he does with everything else.
Matthew Young35 said:Look, let's simplify this: if you're happy, everyone's happy.
I'm neither whining nor crying.
So you went with an iPhone—hey, whatever, you clearly have your reasons. Personally, I've never even touched a Samsung, so I can't really compare them based on actual experience. Honestly, ever since smartphones became a thing, I've just stuck with Apple because why bother looking elsewhere when the service is fine?
To be blunt, I don't know a single person who hated their iPhone enough to switch brands. If anything, the battery life is probably the biggest headache—but hey, you just deal with it...
Honestly, seeing how much you whine and cry about every single phone option out there—it actually makes me think you made the right call. I can't remember a single time I had an issue, aside from the usual hassle of swapping out a cracked screen... 🤣
I’ve got this iPhone X I got from my employer—but because of that, I ended up shelling out like $350 twice in one year just to fix the screen after dropping it... 🤦 Honestly, just out of pure laziness and being an idiot, I never bothered getting insurance. And the worst part? I don't even have it now. As far as value goes—you know, whether something is actually worth what you pay for it—it's pretty hard to judge when everything is handed to you for free or is just too easy to get...
Peter Thompson4 said:And you guys are just out here talking shit about everything too.
People should be allowed to enjoy whatever the hell makes them happy. I mean, seriously, if some guy gets a massive thrill out of a Porsche, let him buy it, even if he has to live on canned meat to afford it.
Look, I totally get where those arguments are coming from, but it’s honestly hilarious how people try to compare French or Spanish engineering to German quality like it's even close. Those cars you guys love to brag about aren't actually worth more; they're just priced higher because some corporate suit decided to be a genius and jack up the margins. German builds are superior and worth the premium over something like a Seat—of course the car costs more, but that's because it's safer and built better.
For what it's worth, I actually listened to my old man and picked up a "serious" car, and I managed to put 70k miles on it last year without a single damn issue, I didn't even need an oil change. Plus, it burns way less fuel than the tiny little thing I was driving before... I went from burning maybe 8 to 10 gallons on the highway down to 5, all while driving faster and feeling way more comfortable.
And another thing, all these people whining about automatic transmissions clearly haven't a clue what they're talking about, probably busy arguing over who can get hammered or finish a beer faster first, because at the end of the day, a car is supposed to be a damn tool for transportation, not some heavy-ass burden you have to fight. If I wanted to drive a rally car, I'll sign up for a race, and then they can shove a 22-speed gearbox up my ass for all I care.
Yeah, I'm right there with Peter Thompson4 on this one. 🤣
Everyone's got their own dreams—so what if someone wants to be the big shot in town driving a brand new Mercedes or a Porsche? It’s way worse when you don't have any goals at all—when you just stop caring about everything...
Then again, I totally agree that it's pure insanity to take out a massive loan for a shiny new car when you haven't even figured out how to afford a house yet.
Paul Martinez73 said:How can you not see it? It’s the classic American mindset of needing a big brand name just to feel important, even if it means buying some cheap tech from Xiaomi... I'm not talking about Matthew Young35 here, though he's pretty much in the same boat. By the way, Xiaomi is already sitting at number four in Western Europe sales, right behind the top three. They'll probably hit third place soon in terms of total units sold.
To add to that, after the World Cup, a buddy of mine from Germany called me up and said, "Man, I always thought you Americans only came over because you were broke and working dead-end jobs, but seeing everyone driving the latest luxury cars with flags on them, I realized how wrong I was." So I had to explain to him that most of those people are drowning in credit and leasing deals—people living in tiny apartments just so they can afford a flashy car loan, because apparently, if you don't show up in a brand-new ride, you're a complete loser. The guy couldn't wrap his head around the idea that someone would actually go into massive debt just to buy a car... especially just to flex on everyone else while being buried under interest payments...
Even the biggest, wealthiest corporations in the world use leased fleets. It's standard business practice these days. You write it all off as an expense immediately, then swap the old car for a new one once the lease is up—it’s simple, clean, and efficient.
James Anderson5 said:Politics is incredibly lucrative; the political elite here has amassed millions in dollars, even at the mid-level positions. These massive sums, which you could never accumulate through legitimate means even in the rest of the West, are pulled in here in a heartbeat...
I wonder how much unreported cash they actually have tucked away. This is just the public data for a handful of them, not even counting offshore accounts or money funneled to relatives...
A specialist doctor in the US might pull in $10k a month, or about $120k a year. Even if they save half their paycheck, they’ll hit maybe $10 million after 20 years with some interest. To match what our "middle management" types make, they’d have to spend decades studying and training, only to move abroad by age 35. Meanwhile, some low-level bureaucrat with a fraction of that education can rake in the same amount during a single term as a local official or someone managing high-profit land rezoning projects. The higher-ups? They’ll literally never catch up, even with double the salary...
The political scene is basically a closed loop, reserved for those with the right connections or old-school ties. There isn't room for any newcomers to shake things up; they just get crushed by paid media or other tactics before they can gain momentum. I don't even believe certain political parties dissolved on their own without outside interference once they started threatening the status quo. That’s how all the minor opposition groups have crumbled...
We might be a relatively small country, but the money moving through here is anything but small. Look at the scandals where consultants walked away with hundreds of millions. The corruption involving environmental destruction is estimated in the billions. And don't even get me started on the privatization of major banks. At the end of the day, politicians are just the faces for much more powerful players who pull the strings for their own benefit...
You’re comparing apples to oranges here. You're basically trying to justify why being a criminal pays better. Give me a break. 🤣.
It's not some unique American trait that criminals (at least this kind) find it "easier" to rake in more cash than highly respected, well-paid professionals.
Look, I'm not calling Pep or Klopp losers just because things aren't going their way right now—that's ridiculous. We're talking about managers whose teams play the most elite football out there. These guys actually develop players and stick to a clear vision for how they want to play...
I’ve said it a million times already—the way this whole system works just makes zero sense. Whether you're looking at Germany or even right here in the States...
It’s basically the same mess everywhere—it just looks different because some places have a slightly better political culture or a longer history of democracy, giving them that fake sense of stability.
That’s exactly why—the whole point of this video is just don't carry a weapon around if you aren't actually capable of using it. For whatever reason...
Five whole minutes—this guy just sits there filming from his car instead of getting out to help that poor Uber driver. And get this, he’s carrying a gun, yet he’s such a coward he won't even lift a finger in an actual emergency. What's the point of having that damn piece if you're too terrified to use it...
The fire at Notre Dame is obviously a massive tragedy. Within the first 24 hours, they already confirmed half a billion in donations for the rebuild. Europe needs to step up and shell out whatever it takes so they can fix it right and fast.
That much is obvious. Sevilla 1982, France vs. Germany. That was the first time at a World Cup where penalties actually decided who moved on. You had Schumacher's attempt to take out Batiston—then Tresore and Gires's goals to make it 3:1 in the first half of extra time. Then Rummenigge comes on and scores to make it 3:2... then Fischer's scissor kick to pull it to 3:3.......legendary penalty shootout and Amoros... A legendary match that definitely had more "soul" than just a game.
The issue is always the thin writing. You can't turn garbage into a gourmet meal—well, you can, but then you just end up with a gourmet pile of crap like the last Avengers movie. I'm seeing people bashing "The Martian" here, which is actually a pretty solid film by today's standards.
And honestly, it’s already been pointed out how much easier it is for people to hype up some vague nonsense just because a big-name actor is in it, rather than actually paying attention to a decent script.
It’s always just about taste and how you see things—you can rarely pin it down to some hard, "measurable" set of rules... I grew up on nothing but comics—Marvel, DC, old school underground stuff, everything from Batman and Spider-Man to those gritty noir classics... honestly, there isn't much I haven't read. We're talking the whole spectrum—from classic superheroes to those dark, moody anti-heroes... what a lineup of legendary characters, killer jokes, and epic lines. Sure, movie adaptations don't always hit the mark, but when they do, they're absolute icons—like Miller's Sin City. But hey, it's also totally normal that some people think the whole genre is garbage and just can't wrap their heads around the vibe of a gritty, comic-book Hell's Kitchen.
Morgan Cook10 said:One way to look at it is that nation-states are basically a modern trend, while those massive, artificial multi-national entities are just leftovers from a bygone era.
The real question is why?
Personally, I think it’s a byproduct of society becoming more democratic... those huge, unnatural constructs can only hang on in authoritarian societies where individuals and groups don't have the freedom to voice their will. In the past, those bloated structures would eventually fall apart on their own, it just took forever.
What even counts as "natural" versus "unnatural" anyway? Where do you draw the line before it all becomes just subjective nonsense?
Besides, ethnicity today doesn't carry nearly the same weight it did during the feudal era—long before citizenship was a thing or during constant warfare. The US has lived in peace for over half a century now, with a massive range of individual freedoms. Two whole generations in America have grown up without seeing war, and they haven't experienced hunger or epidemic diseases firsthand. For most, those things only exist in books or movies...
Taylor Walker9 said:Look, it doesn't matter how tech-savvy you are; people still look back at the glory of the Latin era and those old proverbs for inspiration.
Richard Clark36 said:The whole massive wave of building modern nation-states didn't even really kick off until after WWII—and honestly, not even right when the war ended...
It’s definitely not some "ancient, dusty relic" or anything like that.
What are you people actually expecting from these nation-states anyway? What do they even offer you?
But seriously, let's get personal—what kind of future can they actually provide for your sons and grandkids?...
What honestly blows my mind is how many people—even today in America—are still getting all worked up about trying to build some new national state.
I get it for the older generation, maybe it’s just nostalgia or whatever, but where the hell does this hype come from with young, tech-savvy people? Why are they so obsessed with such an outdated relic? 🤔