Not liking AI is part of the reason I’m proud to use Macs. Apple has said they will get with the AI program for years, and they keep dragging their heels, they keep putting it off. “Apple Intelligence” is a joke. Siri was never good. Apple partnered with ChatGPT to make Siri use that, but only if you want to. If you don’t use it, it still sucks (actually, it sucks worse — and I’m okay with that). They said iOS 18 would feature Apple Intelligence. Then they said iOS 26 (originally called iOS 19 — they altered the naming to go with “the year ahead” as iOS 26 was released in 2025). Then they said iOS 26.3. Then 26.4. Now they’re saying iOS 27. I have the computer I voted for with my wallet. The one that doesn’t have AI. I honestly think the Boomers who run Apple hate AI and are just hoping the AI bubble pops before they’re forced by the board/investors to actually do something with AI.

Yeah it’s not great for gaming, but I have an Xbox for that. Bought it before the AI bubble, bought it before Microslop became shit tier. And I’m keeping it because it works and the games for it are not that expensive. My current game is Dragon Age Origins from 2 generations ago (it originally released on the Xbox 360). It looks like shit, but it’s fun. My Macs can both play all kinds of emulated games, and we have one of the nicest emulator frontends (OpenEmu; I also have RetroArch). I also have some games on Steam and Epic that play on Mac. We definitely have choices, just not as many as the AI platforms. Good for everything else, though.

And you can get one for $500 with 16GB RAM and 256 or maybe 512GB of storage. Not upgradeable though. And you need a .edu address, but anyone can get that. If you can’t, some stores match that price often (like Costco/Sams Club), or you can just pay the extra $100. Still less than I hear PC gamers are paying for 16GB of their RAM, and that’s just RAM, I’m talking about the whole ass computer. Or the laptop is $500/$600 with only 8GB RAM (MacBook Neo). And that can run Cyberpunk. So yeah, you don’t have to buy into the expensive hardware.