An Open Letter to the Mac Community: The Decline of macOS

[juju90]

[Note: This translation was created with the assistance of AI. English is not the author's native language.

An Open Letter to the Mac Community: The Decline of macOS​

Dear Apple Enthusiasts,

As a longtime Mac user who purchased my first Mac II in 1987 and whose professional career as a designer has been closely intertwined with the Mac, it is with a heavy heart and deep disappointment that I must confess today: I have lost all faith in Apple's ability to produce functional software for the Mac. What was once a beacon of user-friendliness and innovation is increasingly degenerating into a dysfunctional patchwork of promises and disappointments.

For years, I have watched with growing dismay as the quality of macOS continues to decline with each update. Once-valued programs like Music, Photos, Mail, and Apple TV have become torturous to use. They ignore basic principles of usability and logic, as if Apple has forgotten all understanding of consistent design.

The recent update to System Settings is a prime example of Apple's incompetence. Instead of real improvements, we get redesigned chaos that lacks any comprehensible structure. Where are the color codings that could at least visually guide us through this labyrinth? Instead, we are flooded with pointless features and useless bugs, while essential functions are neglected.

Apple's marketing promises us the moon, but the reality is sobering. Many of the grandly announced features prove useless in practice, while once reliable features fail more and more frequently. It's as if the entire macOS ecosystem is falling apart before our eyes.

Can Apple's much-touted AI still save this sinking ship? I strongly doubt it. My confidence that Apple is still capable of delivering even remotely everyday usable software for its admittedly excellent hardware has been shaken.

What good is a $5000 hardware setup if I have to restart the computer multiple times a day and buy expensive alternatives for half of the pre-installed programs just to get basic functionality?

Apple has clearly lost its compass. There is a lack of a plausible overall concept for macOS. Instead, we are fobbed off with an incoherent hodgepodge of poorly made and even more poorly maintained applications.

It's time for us as a community to raise our voices and hold Apple accountable. We deserve better. We deserve an operating system that lives up to the performance of the hardware, that is consistent, reliable, and innovative.

Apple, listen to us: Your focus may lie elsewhere, but don't forget the loyal Mac users who made you great. Remember your roots, the principles that once distinguished macOS. Only then can you regain the lost trust.

With deep concern and hope for improvement, Arne Thaysen

Apple Lacks a Leader

 

[zevrix]

The latest to disappear is Paper Tape from Calculator as of macOS Sequoia.

Calculator on Sequoia does have 'paper tape' - only it's called History. It also offers options that paper tape didn't have - for example, you can go back to an earlier calculation by selecting it in History. Plus, it's not a separate window anymore so now we can't run in those annoying situations where we type a calculation only to find out that the paper tape window was in focus so we actually didn't type anything.

 

[navaira]

I did replace it with an iPad Air 2 months ago or so…

That would be a great solution for my macOS problems, indeed! 😆

I upgraded from Sonoma, might do a clean install and see if that changes things. If it does, I will come back to this thread with live footage of myself eating (vegan) crow.

 

[Shirasaki]

I've used Mac all my life, and the author is correct: the last 15 years since Mac OS X Snow Leopard have seen many features being dropped. The latest to disappear is Paper Tape from Calculator as of macOS Sequoia.

The Mac OS is not meant for pro users anymore. Apple keeps simplifying it. It loses features. It's baby software at this point.

Yeah, Apple just wants to make the system dumb. Sad really, unless Apple wants to unify all three systems under one codebase, similar to what Microsoft announced a couple of years ago.

 

[chargerinthebox]

I use a Mac for work, 8+ hours/day. I don't have any of these issues that you mention.

neither do I - because OP did not mention any issues at all, just blanket statements like decline and complaining

 

[Aslak3]

[Note: This translation was created with the assistance of AI. English is not the author's native language.

An Open Letter to the Mac Community: The Decline of macOS​

Dear Apple Enthusiasts,

As a longtime Mac user who purchased my first Mac II in 1987 and whose professional career as a designer has been closely intertwined with the Mac, it is with a heavy heart and deep disappointment that I must confess today: I have lost all faith in Apple's ability to produce functional software for the Mac. What was once a beacon of user-friendliness and innovation is increasingly degenerating into a dysfunctional patchwork of promises and disappointments.

For years, I have watched with growing dismay as the quality of macOS continues to decline with each update. Once-valued programs like Music, Photos, Mail, and Apple TV have become torturous to use. They ignore basic principles of usability and logic, as if Apple has forgotten all understanding of consistent design.

The recent update to System Settings is a prime example of Apple's incompetence. Instead of real improvements, we get redesigned chaos that lacks any comprehensible structure. Where are the color codings that could at least visually guide us through this labyrinth? Instead, we are flooded with pointless features and useless bugs, while essential functions are neglected.

Apple's marketing promises us the moon, but the reality is sobering. Many of the grandly announced features prove useless in practice, while once reliable features fail more and more frequently. It's as if the entire macOS ecosystem is falling apart before our eyes.

Can Apple's much-touted AI still save this sinking ship? I strongly doubt it. My confidence that Apple is still capable of delivering even remotely everyday usable software for its admittedly excellent hardware has been shaken.

What good is a $5000 hardware setup if I have to restart the computer multiple times a day and buy expensive alternatives for half of the pre-installed programs just to get basic functionality?

Apple has clearly lost its compass. There is a lack of a plausible overall concept for macOS. Instead, we are fobbed off with an incoherent hodgepodge of poorly made and even more poorly maintained applications.

It's time for us as a community to raise our voices and hold Apple accountable. We deserve better. We deserve an operating system that lives up to the performance of the hardware, that is consistent, reliable, and innovative.

Apple, listen to us: Your focus may lie elsewhere, but don't forget the loyal Mac users who made you great. Remember your roots, the principles that once distinguished macOS. Only then can you regain the lost trust.

With deep concern and hope for improvement, Arne Thaysen

While I agree with everything stated here, it is written as a moan. It needs hard facts and evidence *why* the authors beliefs are true.

I personally think macOS has showed little substantive changes since they dropped the OSX name, probably before. If I had the inclination to do so I could produce evidence, starting with a list of the massive features introduced before the name change. I would bring out things like the fact “dark mode” (a colour scheme!) was touted as a major feature in one fairly recent release, etc.

So let’s see a reasoned evidence based analysis not just a moan.

 

[Absrnd]

Another Newbie doing a post and run ?

 

[navaira]

Early 2000s would be Windows ME days. Which was the worst OS ever inflicted on the mankind. And the main source of "On Mac, it just works" story. I wasn't using MacOS back then, but it would be hard to imagine a worse monstrosity than ME. At least MS had more than one OS back then... but even with far more stable Windows 2000 Pro, I still had to do a complete OS wipe / reinstall at least once a year to fix lags and slowdowns.

I do think that all major OS's are more stable and better working now than 20 years ago.

I think I started with OS X Leopard (or whichever one was Crash Central, on the white plastic 24” iMac). I went with a Windows machine for my home PC, but I configured it – not sure why, must have been a feeling – to be easily hackintoshed. And once at work I realised nothing ever crashes anymore, while Windows was being Windows… hackintosh it I did.

Windows ME was a class (LOL) of its own. I’ve never experienced anything that buggy. On a Mac or anything else. (Except the Sonos app, but I might have mentioned that.) I had to use it in the job before the crashOS X one and I went to plead to get a downgrade, I was a graphic designer and there’s no feeling like working on something for hours, moving things pixel by pixel (ahh, the bad old times when you could actually see pixels ) and suddenly BOINK ME WINDOSW IS WILL RESET ME LOLOL.

I may have problems with Sequoia, but in comparison with Windows ME it’s the best thing ever. (Actually the best OS ever I used was Windows 2000 Professional, but that’s quite a digression.) Anyway, macOS simply doesn’t need yearly updates, and I wish they would stop doing that. It’s not like it becomes radically different. The updates introduce new apps, which don’t need a new OS name and new bugs, which I suppose do? (macOS Woodworms would work.) Big Sur was the last version that really caused me absolutely no problems. Before that, High Sierra. I’d like another bug squash release next year. Whom do I pester about that, Craig Federighi?

Anyway, guess I have to do a clean install… have I mentioned my free space has been fluctuating randomly, according to Finder, between 60 and 280 GB? (It should be at least 400. I’ve gone on a deleting spree.)

 

[chmania]

I haven't experienced the challenges you face, but I still get some of that "It just works" experience that Windows simply doesn't offer.

What might be those that "It just works" experience that Windows simply doesn't offer?

 

[navaira]

What might be those that "It just works" experience that Windows simply doesn't offer?

I hackintoshed a Yoga C930 because Windows 10 made me THAT desperate with its Helpful Features that needed to be disabled in the registry, manually, with every update… and boy did that thing get many, many updates… (Three years later, Yoga has broken down to the point where the only bit that worked was the touchscreen. I am typing this on a perfectly fine, except me dropping it and denting a corner, Macbook M1 which is 3 years and 3 months old. I’ll have to replace the battery at some point. It only holds for 8 hours now, which is obviously practically nothing.)

The Mx processors made it pointless to bother with hackintoshing anything. And the M1 Air is my favourite computer ever. #TeamTapered. On the Yoga I would blame myself for any issues and I would probably be correct.

 

[Wando64]

Yeah, Apple just wants to make the system dumb. Sad really, unless Apple wants to unify all three systems under one codebase, similar to what Microsoft announced a couple of years ago.

More hogwash.

By and large Apple’s goal is to give us the best OS they’ve ever produced and, up to this point, that’s what they have been doing with each and every new release (with rare exceptions).

Cue the 😡

 

[canadianreader]

[Note: This translation was created with the assistance of AI. English is not the author's native language.

An Open Letter to the Mac Community: The Decline of macOS​

Dear Apple Enthusiasts,

As a longtime Mac user who purchased my first Mac II in 1987 and whose professional career as a designer has been closely intertwined with the Mac, it is with a heavy heart and deep disappointment that I must confess today: I have lost all faith in Apple's ability to produce functional software for the Mac. What was once a beacon of user-friendliness and innovation is increasingly degenerating into a dysfunctional patchwork of promises and disappointments.

For years, I have watched with growing dismay as the quality of macOS continues to decline with each update. Once-valued programs like Music, Photos, Mail, and Apple TV have become torturous to use. They ignore basic principles of usability and logic, as if Apple has forgotten all understanding of consistent design.

The recent update to System Settings is a prime example of Apple's incompetence. Instead of real improvements, we get redesigned chaos that lacks any comprehensible structure. Where are the color codings that could at least visually guide us through this labyrinth? Instead, we are flooded with pointless features and useless bugs, while essential functions are neglected.

Apple's marketing promises us the moon, but the reality is sobering. Many of the grandly announced features prove useless in practice, while once reliable features fail more and more frequently. It's as if the entire macOS ecosystem is falling apart before our eyes.

Can Apple's much-touted AI still save this sinking ship? I strongly doubt it. My confidence that Apple is still capable of delivering even remotely everyday usable software for its admittedly excellent hardware has been shaken.

What good is a $5000 hardware setup if I have to restart the computer multiple times a day and buy expensive alternatives for half of the pre-installed programs just to get basic functionality?

Apple has clearly lost its compass. There is a lack of a plausible overall concept for macOS. Instead, we are fobbed off with an incoherent hodgepodge of poorly made and even more poorly maintained applications.

It's time for us as a community to raise our voices and hold Apple accountable. We deserve better. We deserve an operating system that lives up to the performance of the hardware, that is consistent, reliable, and innovative.

Apple, listen to us: Your focus may lie elsewhere, but don't forget the loyal Mac users who made you great. Remember your roots, the principles that once distinguished macOS. Only then can you regain the lost trust.

With deep concern and hope for improvement, Arne Thaysen

I wholeheartedly agree with you on the System Settings terrible design.

 

[chmania]

Serious answer: because Microsoft no longer has a phone.

Android and iPhones work quite well with Windows. 😊
Then, most people can't live without MS Office, even on Mac. So, MS comes first whatever device you use, even Android tablets.

 

[rurouni]

Apple won't listen. Last good macOS was Snow Leopard from 2009/2010.
However, many millions have installed Linux Mint with macOS theme.

 

[chmania]

I hackintoshed a Yoga C930 because Windows 10 made me THAT desperate ...

Windows 11 is here since October 5, 2021.
So, what might be those that "It just works" experience that Windows simply doesn't offer?

 

[rurouni]

Android and iPhones work quite well with Windows. 😊
Then, most people can't live without MS Office, even on Mac. So, MS comes first whatever device you use, even Android tablets.

Many millions of people worldwide have move to LibreOffice, a free and open source office suite.
It's very lightweight, no bloatware, and it works on all platforms, even on ancient Macs.

 

[chmania]

Finally, the calculator can stay always on top, but doesn't have memory functions in the normal mode. When 2 apps are tiled, they can't move together resizing. You cannot Linux had that ages ago.

Many millions of people worldwide have move to LibreOffice, a free and open source office suite.
It's very lightweight, no bloatware, and it works on all platforms, even on ancient Macs.

Sure, but it is not that easy to format in LibreOffice. Being using it from the beginning, but it's a headache sometimes. The biggest profit MS makes is from the Office Suite, used by billions all over the world. I suppose the majority of Mac users use MS Office too. Actually, I find it easy to use the online free one. 😊

 

[SoldOnApple]

My first Mac was a Snow Leopard. Good time to start using Mac.

 

[n-evo]

I’m not experiencing any major issues with the usability of macOS’ build-in apps. The way they work really hasn’t changed that much over the years. Nor do I have to restart my Mac several times a week, let alone a day.

The only thing I agree on is System Settings. I constantly find myself at a loss where to find stuff and hate the fact that it doesn’t expand into several columns.

 

[Juraj22]

[Note: This translation was created with the assistance of AI. English is not the author's native language.

An Open Letter to the Mac Community: The Decline of macOS​

Dear Apple Enthusiasts,

As a longtime Mac user who purchased my first Mac II in 1987 and whose professional career as a designer has been closely intertwined with the Mac, it is with a heavy heart and deep disappointment that I must confess today: I have lost all faith in Apple's ability to produce functional software for the Mac. What was once a beacon of user-friendliness and innovation is increasingly degenerating into a dysfunctional patchwork of promises and disappointments.

For years, I have watched with growing dismay as the quality of macOS continues to decline with each update. Once-valued programs like Music, Photos, Mail, and Apple TV have become torturous to use. They ignore basic principles of usability and logic, as if Apple has forgotten all understanding of consistent design.

The recent update to System Settings is a prime example of Apple's incompetence. Instead of real improvements, we get redesigned chaos that lacks any comprehensible structure. Where are the color codings that could at least visually guide us through this labyrinth? Instead, we are flooded with pointless features and useless bugs, while essential functions are neglected.

Apple's marketing promises us the moon, but the reality is sobering. Many of the grandly announced features prove useless in practice, while once reliable features fail more and more frequently. It's as if the entire macOS ecosystem is falling apart before our eyes.

Can Apple's much-touted AI still save this sinking ship? I strongly doubt it. My confidence that Apple is still capable of delivering even remotely everyday usable software for its admittedly excellent hardware has been shaken.

What good is a $5000 hardware setup if I have to restart the computer multiple times a day and buy expensive alternatives for half of the pre-installed programs just to get basic functionality?

Apple has clearly lost its compass. There is a lack of a plausible overall concept for macOS. Instead, we are fobbed off with an incoherent hodgepodge of poorly made and even more poorly maintained applications.

It's time for us as a community to raise our voices and hold Apple accountable. We deserve better. We deserve an operating system that lives up to the performance of the hardware, that is consistent, reliable, and innovative.

Apple, listen to us: Your focus may lie elsewhere, but don't forget the loyal Mac users who made you great. Remember your roots, the principles that once distinguished macOS. Only then can you regain the lost trust.

With deep concern and hope for improvement, Arne Thaysen

Would you mind to share your SW setup?

 

[JosephAW]

Some people have never experienced or have forgotten MacOS 9, in a normal production day with Photoshop some type of publisher and web development it was normal to crash two or three times a day and the scramble to try to save your work in other apps before the whole OS would go down with a hard crash.

By the third or fourth iteration of macOS X, Classic may crash from time to time but the computer would remain on for weeks on end, by the time we were on the new platform of Intel your computer could be remain on and just sleeping between each workday for months on end.
Currently have some dedicated boxes for some applications that have remained on for over six months or greater.

If there was some type of crashing of the UNIX BSD operating system, it was always some flaky piece of hardware that was the culprit.

Now using M2 Mac mini, I don’t think I’ve seen a hard crash yet, sometimes an app crash but that’s more on the developers end to fine tune it and some of the quirkiness of the current macOS we work around that.

Yes there is always room for improvement, I think there’s a ground swell for Apple to start implementing an LTS version of their operating system not only for resolving bugs or features but software compatibility for several years instead of having to purchase new software every few years or so.

 

[AAPLGeek]

OP, I agree with some of your points. macOS isn't what is used to be, largely because the original macOS team under Bertrand Serlet is no more. Apple is also no longer a design driven company, rather one that's more driven by marketing. Hence their incessant obsession with yearly releases with more superfluous crap.

My solution? Stay one release behind the current release cycle, or even two for good measure. I'm far too invested in my current workflow to switch OS's or hardware at this point.

 

[uacd]

Well, I sorta agree because I don’t like all the improvements and changes they have introduced all over the years (especially the change to system settings you mentioned, it happened in Ventura), but if we compare macOS to sinking ship, Windows then is a f_____g shipwreck from year 1700 at the bottom of the ocean. Lots of privacy violating features, slow performance, ugly UI design, automatic updates that always break something… honestly not what I expect from desktop OS.

iOS isn’t any good either. They ruined photos app, ruined camera app on some smartphones (including my SE which now shoots blurry photos and has issues with autofocus, all since iOS 17 update). I don’t wanna compare it to Android since the latter lacks so many features I need, including professional photo apps

 

[rurouni]

Apple won't listen. Last good macOS was Snow Leopard from 2009/2010.
However, many millions have installed Linux Mint with macOS theme.

I want to add, Linux Mint is free and fully maintained and it's always 100% OPTIONAL to update it.
That combined with easy to use and unlimited customization, makes Linux Mint a great macOS alternative.

 

[rurouni]

Well, I sorta agree because I don’t like all the improvements and changes they have introduced all over the years (especially the change to system settings you mentioned, it happened in Ventura), but if we compare macOS to sinking ship, Windows then is a f_____g shipwreck from year 1700 at the bottom of the ocean. Lots of privacy violating features, slow performance, ugly UI design, automatic updates that always break something… honestly not what I expect from desktop OS.

iOS isn’t any good either. They ruined photos app, ruined camera app on some smartphones (including my SE which now shoots blurry photos and has issues with autofocus, all since iOS 17 update). I don’t wanna compare it to Android since the latter lacks so many features I need, including professional photo apps

Yep, Windows is a real disaster at this point. However, millions are awakening and realize we have great alternatives. If Apple won't fix macOS (they won't sorry), if Microsoft pulls another Crowdstrike nightmare with Windows (they will), we can always choose a good Linux version/distro and pay NOTHING for it. If Apple ignores this, users will ignore Apple.