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

[zevrix]

I share the view of many others that System Settings is far worse than System Preferences.

This view is wrong for the following reasons:

-We can now see the list of all settings in the sidebar at all times instead of constantly switching back and forth between individual panels and the all-panels view (which is an improvement).

-The main window is now resizable (which is also an improvement).

-The search is much better implemented (another improvement).

So we do have three definite improvements that were long overdue.

Other than that, everything remained the same. That is, quite a few things remained implemented as poorly as they were in System Preferences.

Our goal is now to continue demanding from Apple to keep improving System Settings.


P.S. While it's a matter of personal taste, I also like the new icons way more than the ones we had in System Preferences. The System Prefs icons gradually turned into a poorly designed inconsistent mess, where some icons looked like they arrived straight from Outlook 1998.

 

[TheWraith]

People don't seem to notice that this 'essay', written by AI, is really boring, poorly written, has no details and when boiled down says 'I don't like system settings'. I don't love that app either but you don't see me begging ChatGPT to write a terrible version of a manifesto about it.

Work harder, think longer, and try more if you're going to post an open letter.

 

[monstermash]

I don't know about way cheaper but it's also dependent on what country you're buying from. So leaving out the "obviously" much cheaper US, I've bought from AU (10% sales tax) in the past (cheaper also) but have ended up in DE (19% sales tax) where Apple products are ridiculously priced, comparatively. Factoring in wages, cost of living and sales tax, Apple products aren't cheap at all in the EU.

I paid $5500 for a Mac IIci setup with 8MB of RAM and 170MB hard drive. That system ran at 25 MHz, if I recall correctly.

I can't swear, but I am fairly certain that in any country on Earth today, you can get a way better Mac for way less money.

 

[Ctrlos]

The lack of charging for updates means they have less reason to try hard. When it’s a commercial decision they have to present you with a compelling argument to upgrade, even at $30. When its free you’ll do it anyway.

 

[cwerdna]

I haven't installed Sequoia yet so I don't know if anything changed there but I will agree System Settings went down the tubes awhile ago and resembles what on iOS. (My work is also supposedly blocking updates to Sequoia for now because it has problems with Crowdstrike (yes, we're forced that upon us).)

I also don't have to "restart the computer multiple times a day". I have to use a Mac for a living (well over 8 hours/day) and my work 16" M1 Pro MB Pro maybe needs a reboot maybe once a month or so. Sure, it might hit a panic and thus tank/reset the uptime. I check uptime in Terminal.

My personal 14" M1 Pro MB Pro also doesn't get rebooted much which I now use quite a bit when I come home. I have a personal M1 Mac Mini that I don't use much now but also is rarely rebooted.

I will admit I don't use Music (I use iTunes for Windows to sync w/my personal iDevices as I'm still a PC guy at heart), Photos (not at all), Mail (never, why would I use it? I think I've never ever configured a mail provider with it once), and Apple TV (if I cared to use it at all, it would be on my Apple TV 4K box (rarely used, mostly unplugged from power) and maybe my iPhone or iPads).

…have you not used an ARM Mac?

Indeed. To go from the slow Intel heaters to Apple Silicon has been a great leap forward. I've never personally heard fan noise at a normal distance from any of my M1/M1 Pro Macs. I have to put my ear up to the vent while building in Xcode to hear subtle fan noise from my work M1 Pro machine.

In comparison, the fans got plenty loud on my Intel heaters and they got pretty hot (top part of keyboard near hinge + underside) with fans going just by having an external monitor attached.

Battery life also took a huge leap forward vs. Intel heaters.

I have to admit, when Apple first introduced Apple Silicon and had that dev kit that you couldn't open and weren't allowed to benchmark, I was pretty skeptical. But, once I got them to use at home and work, wow.

 

[SnowCrocodile]

If someone wanted that filing capability, seems like it would be easy enough to write and run it as a cron as 60 seconds or whatever.

Scan drop folder for files
For each file found
Scan contents
Classify contents
Move file appropriately

Perhaps. But it’s not part of the O

The lack of charging for updates means they have less reason to try hard. When it’s a commercial decision they have to present you with a compelling argument to upgrade, even at $30. When it’s free you’ll do it anyway.

Except the entire Mac ecosystem is a one-company monopoly. So even if they charged for updates they would still nor have enough incentive to “try hard”. They make the bulk of their money selling hardware. This funds their OS development.

Could Apple introduce charging for OS upgrades again? Sure, but personally I wouldn’t switch over to Mac in the first place if I had to also pay for OS upgrades.

You can say “but MS”… well, MS changes major versions far less often (yet keeps updating the OS in between), and the upgrades are free for the existing users of previous version for 6 months after release. Very few actually have to pay for an upgrade.

 

[Ctrlos]

Perhaps. But it’s not part of the O

Except the entire Mac ecosystem is a one-company monopoly. So even if they charged for updates they would still nor have enough incentive to “try hard”. They make the bulk of their money selling hardware. This funds their OS development.

Could Apple introduce charging for OS upgrades again? Sure, but personally I wouldn’t switch over to Mac in the first place if I had to also pay for OS upgrades.

You can say “but MS”… well, MS changes major versions far less often (yet keeps updating the OS in between), and the upgrades are free for the existing users of previous version for 6 months after release. Very few actually have to pay for an upgrade.

I see your point. Windows upgrades normally preface a complete hardware exchange in the process. Machines optimised for one version of Windows can be wildly different on the next.

 

[johannnn]

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

OK that was a very long read with very little substance. Why is everything torturous to use? Why are the new features useless for you? Why is everything an "incoherent hodgepodge"?

Like what specifically are we supposed to discuss here?

 

[SnowCrocodile]

I see your point. Windows upgrades normally preface a complete hardware exchange in the process. Machines optimised for one version of Windows can be wildly different on the next.

But Windows is very backward compatible.

It’s more that MS doesn’t like to release an update as a major version unless there’s actually been major changes to the OS, not just cosmetic or incremental updates.

 

[Lioness~]

I have no complains whatsoever, but both my Mac's are quite new at this time.
Running macOS on older Mac's might be more frustrating.

That's Apple, accept it or not - but they do keep upgrades for older Mac's quite long though.
Sum sum total, I might roar in a few years, before it's time to trade in the Studio.

For now I'm happy, and I haven't experience any declane of the OS itself ☺️

 

[Jack Burton]

As I am using exclusively macOS for work and leisure, my interest is on what's "slippery" in present macOS Sequoia...

Here's a list of few, and they are from macOS itself...

• Optimised charging mode doesn't hold on
• Sudden random dimming/flickering, especially Safari
• Overheating and draining battery fast
• Tiling windows won't adjust size together
• Once tiled, then maximised, and closed, an app will always start with tiling mode
• For some users, extended monitors had stopped working
• USB stick are not recognised for some users
• Calculator cannot be resized
• Only one app can stay always on top (calculator), the others cannot
• Not remembering the last copied text by right clicking, but only the one before,
• Underlining right words as wrong and suggesting a wrong word
• ...

Sure, with feedback, the devs would try to clear them out, well I hope so...The problem is, they release unfinished OS, just to keep the date.

I feel like most of these are minor annoyances after coming from Windows. The only one I had on this list is my m3 pro MBP had issues with 2 external displays until I replaced an old monitor with a thunderbolt display. Now it's solid.

Meanwhile Windows has had show stopping bugs and driver issues that prevented work from getting done. All while using 10x the power and generating enormous noise and heat.

 

[Ctrlos]

But Windows is very backward compatible.

It’s more that MS doesn’t like to release an update as a major version unless there’s actually been major changes to the OS, not just cosmetic or incremental updates.

These are all ideas they could just release as 'feature drops' too without needing a whole new OS update and name.

The early idea behind OSX was that the annual update was decimalised to denote that it wasn't a whole revamp. Between Tiger and Catalina this is what we had. In reality we should be on 11.5 and not version 15. There isn't anything really that new since Big Sur that denotes a whole new version number.

 

[MrENGLISH]

I dream of the day when we finally get a macOS release focused solely on performance, fixing bugs and zero new features. I'm hoping that will happen when they finally remove Intel support from macOS, similar to when they removed PowerPC support in Snow Leopard. I doubt that day will ever come though. Not under current management.

 

[Ctrlos]

I dream of the day when we finally get a macOS release focused solely on performance, fixing bugs and zero new features. I'm hoping that will happen when they finally remove Intel support from macOS, similar to when they removed PowerPC support in Snow Leopard. I doubt that day will ever come though. Not under current management.

Its more the rough ride they get from regulators for making what I imagine is at least half their userbase redundant.

 

[sonic84]

OP is right. macOS has been getting worse over the years. It's been a slow death since ~10.7. I blame swift. Not the language itself... but the ethos it represents.
As more of macOS and Apps that get reeducated/rewritten, they lose what made them great on Mac to begin with. It's just a matter of time till all child OSes are dropped for a unified (simplified...) AppleOS.

Just my $0.02... not that it matters to a company that counts in the Trillions...

 

[gokhano]

I heartily agree. Countless bugs increasing at an accelerated rate with every new update, and the amazing features we loved and used as old timers are being removed in every major update. With more and more buggier SDK updates they are preventing 3rd party app developers to design great apps, too.

Below is a non-comprehensive list of features that I miss the most, that were removed from newer Macs and/or macOS versions:

Scheduled Startup and Shutdown
• Removed in: macOS Ventura (13)
• The Energy Saver preferences previously allowed users to schedule automatic startup, shutdown, sleep, or wake times. This feature was removed, and users now need to use Terminal commands or third-party applications to achieve similar functionality.

Built-in RSS Reader in Safari
• Removed in: Safari 6 (OS X Mountain Lion, 10.8)
• Safari’s built-in RSS reader allowed users to subscribe to and read RSS feeds directly within the browser.

Mail Stationery Templates
• Removed in: OS X Yosemite (10.10)
• Mail offered a variety of stationery templates for creating visually rich emails.
iWeb
• Discontinued with: OS X Lion (10.7)
• iWeb was a web design tool that allowed users to create websites and publish them via MobileMe. It was discontinued along with MobileMe, and users had to migrate to other web design platforms.

Front Row
• Removed in: Mac OS X Lion (10.7)
• Front Row provided a media center interface for accessing music, videos, and photos. Its removal pushed users towards using other media applications. But they are not long-lived because of a random incompatibility with yet another useless feature Apple macOS dev team silently pushed in sooner or later. (Also removed compatibility with its own remote controls)

iTunes:
Removed in: macOS Catalina (10.15)
iTunes was discontinued and split into separate apps: Music, Podcasts, and TV, to streamline media management. As @silverdollar adequately put, neither of the new apps have any better usability than the original iTunes. I especially struggle with accessing my audiobook library with the new Books app, whereas iTunes was not only an excellent usable media player, but also a superb and efficient database manager of your media library.

Web Sharing (Apache) in System Preferences
• Removed in: OS X Mountain Lion (10.8)
• The Web Sharing option in System Preferences, which allowed users to enable the built-in Apache web server easily, was removed. Users now have to start Apache via Terminal commands.

Built-in PHP Interpreter
• PHP removed in: macOS Monterey (12)

Software RAID Management in Disk Utility
• Removed in: OS X El Capitan (10.11)
• The graphical interface for creating and managing software RAID arrays was removed from Disk Utility. Users must now use command-line tools like diskutil for RAID configurations.

Ink (Inkwell) Handwriting Recognition
• Removed in: macOS Catalina (10.15)
• Ink allowed users with graphics tablets to input handwritten text. This feature was removed without a direct replacement, affecting users who relied on handwriting recognition.

X11
• Removed from default install in: OS X Mountain Lion (10.8)
• X11 provided support for Unix-based graphical applications. It is no longer included and 3rd party alternatives need to be used, that is, until they crash your system because of a random incompatibility with yet another useless feature Apple macOS dev team will silently push in sooner or later.

Telnet and FTP Command-Line Clients
• Removed in: macOS High Sierra (10.13)
• The built-in command-line Telnet and FTP clients were removed

Disk Utility’s Repair Feature
• The option to repair disk in Disk Utility no longer works (pretends to work but does not fix fixable problems because of poor permission management) and advanced users need to resort to fsck_apfs command

AFP(s) File Sharing Protocol
• Deprecated in: macOS Mavericks (10.9)
• Apple moved to SMB2 as the default file-sharing protocol, phasing out AFP and affecting compatibility with older systems and devices.


Third party software alternatives are either not as usable, or simply short-lived as their developers get fed up with trying to keep up with Apple engineer's inconsistent and unstable SDK updates - not to mention the cash-cow treatments you will receive from some of them.

 

[Veihl]

How do you turn it all off? I'm all ears!

1. Believe I have my network set to OpenDNS for the best provider in my area, which does a decent job of blocking unwanted things on the network level. But I recommend using a DNS speed benchmark tool to get that data.
2. I have Bitdefender installed on my machine, but I don't use their VPN or DNS service. (I use Mullvad VPN if I have to have one)
3. I have Adguard installed at the device level on my machines.
4. With the widgets, I literally just removed them on that hover menu in Windows 11. You can edit that news menu now in the widget settings to where it won't show those pages at all.
5. I disabled Copilot on my machine from Windows Settings.
6. I do use AI for work sometimes, but I tend to use either Gemini, Perplexity, or one of the hookups in Jan if needed.
7. My secret sauce for Windows personally is MS PowerToys. With that program, there's so many plugins for it to where you can honestly get around several menus that MS uses in their OS without having to see them.

 

[Jack Burton]

1. Believe I have my network set to OpenDNS for the best provider in my area, which does a decent job of blocking unwanted things on the network level. But I recommend using a DNS speed benchmark tool to get that data.
2. I have Bitdefender installed on my machine, but I don't use their VPN or DNS service. (I use Mullvad VPN if I have to have one)
3. I have Adguard installed at the device level on my machines.
4. With the widgets, I literally just removed them on that hover menu in Windows 11. You can edit that news menu now in the widget settings to where it won't show those pages at all.
5. I disabled Copilot on my machine from Windows Settings.
6. I do use AI for work sometimes, but I tend to use either Gemini, Perplexity, or one of the hookups in Jan if needed.
7. My secret sauce for Windows personally is MS PowerToys. With that program, there's so many plugins for it to where you can honestly get around several menus that MS uses in their OS without having to see them.

Thanks for the write up! I'm gonna check these out after work!

 

[matsan]

100% not agreeing - I love macOS for the power and flexibility but I hate every second I have to spend on their over-priced, over-engineered crappy hardware! Give me a working keyboard! Reduce the ludicrous large trackpad. Give me more performance cores for my work - I don't need God-knows-how-many-GPU-cores! And - that notch... just get rid of it!
Yes, I spend 75% of my time in Terminal and JetBrains IDE...

 

[mrfunnypenguin]

It feels like since macOS 13 (Ventura), the software quality has been downright horrendous. I don't think I had many issues with Monterey, it just all fell apart at Ventura. There are so many bugs that have existed since 13, and they have just continued piling up with every new macOS release. If anyone inside Apple who has some authority reads this, which is extremely unlikely, I would upgrade in a heartbeat to a macOS release that just focuses on bug fixes & performance improvements. No gimmicky new features, just improvements to the system as a whole. The external storage disk bug is a good place to start!

 

[seek3r]

100% not agreeing - I love macOS for the power and flexibility but I hate every second I have to spend on their over-priced, over-engineered crappy hardware! Give me a working keyboard!

They ditched the crappy keyboards over half a decade ago now…

Reduce the ludicrous large trackpad.

What? Why? This is the first time I’ve ever seen anyone complain about the trackpad size, even most folks who hate Apple gear usually admit they have hands down the best trackpads

Give me more performance cores for my work - I don't need God-knows-how-many-GPU-cores!

I’m not sure you realize how many other things than pure graphics rendering use the GPU these days… for that matter how much grunt it takes to drive nice high res screens and scaling smoothly

And - that notch... just get rid of it!

I’m sure as soon as the camera module can minimized more they will, but there’s no other room for it right now

Yes, I spend 75% of my time in Terminal and JetBrains IDE...

So do I (though s/jetbrains/vs code/) and I dont get your complaints at all

 

[basdeninard]

This view is wrong for the following reasons:

-We can now see the list of all settings in the sidebar at all times instead of constantly switching back and forth between individual panels and the all-panels view (which is an improvement).

-The main window is now resizable (which is also an improvement).

-The search is much better implemented (another improvement).

So we do have three definite improvements that were long overdue.

Other than that, everything remained the same. That is, quite a few things remained implemented as poorly as they were in System Preferences.

Our goal is now to continue demanding from Apple to keep improving System Settings.


P.S. While it's a matter of personal taste, I also like the new icons way more than the ones we had in System Preferences. The System Prefs icons gradually turned into a poorly designed inconsistent mess, where some icons looked like they arrived straight from Outlook 1998.

I do not share your opinion.

 

[gk_brown]

What good is a $5000 hardware setup if I have to restart the computer multiple times a day

I don't have a $5K hardware setup and hardly ever need to restart...

 

[Veihl]

I don't have a $5K hardware setup and hardly ever need to restart...

Same, my SO does have a $3K setup for biochem and never needs to restart.

 

[throAU]

I am genuinely curious what's causing you to reboot multiple times a day. I'm not doubting you, I'm just curious what's causing this condition for you. My uptimes are however long it is between updates, so months at a time. And I'm running on a M2Pro Mini, so if you have a $5K machine, you definitely shouldn't be seeing this many problems.

this. i’m on sequoia and haven’t rebooted since installing the final release.