For desktops, i would say it was the 2nd gen of the core i series(2xxx, like the 2500k). For laptops, definitely the original retina macbook pro in 2012.
I'm still using that machine, i try out new stuff every few months. I still don't see the point. I load it down pretty heavily all the time and it still kicks right through it just like it did when i took it out of the box.
If it breaks, i'll just buy another similar one. They're not much over $500 now and it's an amazing amount of computer for that price even in 2018(19?). My only regret is not maxing out the ram and storage really, but that's on me.
I've never felt this way until now, i used to wish i could justify a new machine every year or two and often would. I think i didn't keep a laptop for over a year and a half until i got this one... But now i just don't care. I don't own a single machine with a newer cpu than this one, and my desktop still does great too with a 3770 and a couple SSDs.
It's always, always been terrible on android. It's to the point i almost think it's intentional for some "influencers use iOS" sort of reason. It works just as terribly on current flagship devices, and the picture quality is still horrible even compared to an iphone 5s
My snarky answer is use an MVNO that will both show up as the base carrier to any searching online/number lookups, and has completely useless clueless terrible support that either couldn't or wouldn't redirect like this.
Assuming you even have to use SMS, get some weird walmart mobile service that you can't even really call for support.
It's security through obscurity but they often literally wont let you port your number out without absurd gymnastics, the support people don't know how, their crappy web based management system the CSRs use doesn't have a button, etc.
This idea fails because it would would require the driver to report the mess while driving, which is illegal use of your phone in a lot of places. They'd need to come up with a big giant button to push or something, and even then it might run afoul of the law.
I've definitely heard of drivers getting cracked down on for "misuse" of phones, legit or not
This is still a huge target. I used to be in point of sale engineering, and the majority of the quality terminals the big OEMs(NCR and their sub brands, posiflex, etc) were pushing were running these for a LONG time past when you'd think C3 was "dead". Similar vendors i bumped into were pushing stuff with them in it still when i got out of that industry.
There are a LOT of machines out there which will be run essentially until they break down(and a lot are fanless, and will pretty much last until they can't be kept up to date). You have to remember, a lot of big chains(and banks!) paid for extended XP support and then extended-extended XP in the form of windows POS.
This is a "every terminal in a huge fast food chain gets owned and no one finds out for years" sort of vulnerability. This is the first step to something like the target breach all over again.
Points 4 and 8 also combine here. The new "green" garbage trucks the vendor in my city has begun using are so INCREDIBLY loud. Even just the engine noise from them. The PTO and gearbox noise is just atrocious, tons of turbo noise, tons of just weird mid frequency resonant whining. They're some of the loudest trucks i've ever heard, and are basically as loud as monster trucks or straight pipe hot rods. I'm completely not exaggerating that they're multiple harley davidson loud, and at a more annoying frequency.
I've gotten like stabbing ear pain from being near one of these accelerating hard.
The solution here is inverter drive appliances. I had a cheapo but great thrift store inverter microwave. My cheapo junk 3000w inverter could run it off a few hundred Ah of batteries without issue, still spitting out clean power on the other outlets. A regular microwave(with a lower run wattage in theory, by about 1/3rd) would instantly blow the thing up and set off its obnoxious alarm.
With some carefully selected appliances you would probably be fine. This stuff used to be super pricey, but now even the cheaper brands are putting out inverter drive ACs for example. Not window units, but mini splits and home systems
Inverter drive home AC systems that are reasonably priced do exist, you can get a mini split for under $1000 now with variable drive compressor and fans. I was shocked last time i looked that up actually, as i had similar thoughts a few years ago for this application and barely anything was on the market.
There's also inverter drive microwaves, and fridges even. My friend's new condo has an inverter drive fridge
I usually direct people to the 2014 and 15 ones of these, as someone still rocking a 2012. The newer ones run so much cooler and the GPU performance bumps were nice. They aren't even that much more used generally.
I can't get myself to replace mine unless it totally dies, but damn does it run super hot a lot of the time. And it has since it was brand new. It really does feel like there was an apex in there that we've gone downhill from though, and the 2012 was definitely higher up there than we are now.
Honestly the worst one is the macbook, which is ostensibly the "macbook air with retina display" everyone was dreaming of, has ONE. We're never getting another macbook air, this is the path forward.
There's plenty of space for two, a prototype design with two ports even leaked a few years back
And yet one. It's not like the air even had a cornucopia of ports. It's not like i think it NEEDS them. But seriously, one port for everything?
I would already own one if it had two jacks, but that's just patently ridiculous. One port arguably is barely enough for a phone, much less a full on computer that's expected to be a device host for even just like, a flash drive.
it befuddles me that they didn't do this after the success of the 2012 13in macbook, which soldiered on for YEARS of the retina models. They kept the 2015 15in pro for a year or two, but i really wish they'd actually just UPDATE the old style of machines and keep one around as a basic model.
i wonder if they think, unlike the SE, that it would actually vampire off too many sales from the high ticket models. what i wouldn't give for a 2015 style 8th gen CPU machine.
This skips/avoids another really important but bs thing they do: Reviews that mention counterfeits ALWAYS get pulled. Seemingly by some automated system, even. It's like a forbidden review topic or phrase.
Does anyone believe there's another core duo type massive leap out there to even be had this time around though? AMD is going to slowly pull a bit ahead of intel, especially in bang for buck, but i don't see how they can catch back up.
As it is, last time intel jumped ahead it was by repackaging and souping up an a mobile arch that in and of itself was based on the old pentium 3 arch. They can't really mine the parts bin that way this time around either.
The interesting thing here is all the "big" games in the past few years have had fairly modest requirements(MOBA stuff, fortnite, etc). It's been a while since there was a huge blockbuster game everyone was buzzing about that was especially taxing. PUBG sort of sucks power but it runs like crap even with a ridiculously beefy machine, and not because it's graphically intense.
That's a bug that's been around for AGES that they still haven't patched. I hate it.
If you force kill the app and reopen it, suddenly you can choose songs(usually). Then after a while, suddenly you can't. It took me months to figure out what was going on because i'd have another phone in my house right there that could do it, then that wouldn't be able to either suddenly...
I'm still using that machine, i try out new stuff every few months. I still don't see the point. I load it down pretty heavily all the time and it still kicks right through it just like it did when i took it out of the box.
If it breaks, i'll just buy another similar one. They're not much over $500 now and it's an amazing amount of computer for that price even in 2018(19?). My only regret is not maxing out the ram and storage really, but that's on me.
I've never felt this way until now, i used to wish i could justify a new machine every year or two and often would. I think i didn't keep a laptop for over a year and a half until i got this one... But now i just don't care. I don't own a single machine with a newer cpu than this one, and my desktop still does great too with a 3770 and a couple SSDs.