Apple Broke a 13-Year Hardware Streak in 2024

[klasma]

There was no pencil pro before.

It’s effectively a Pencil 3. They only changed the name because they had to break out of the numbering scheme with the USB-C Pencil. The differences between the Pencil 2 and the Pencil Pro are arguably smaller than between the Pencil 1 and the Pencil 2.

If the XS Max and AirPods Pro count as new product lines, then there is absolutely no reason not to count the pencil pro.

I half-agree with regard to the XS Max because it’s roughly the equivalent of the previous iPhone Plus line. I don’t really agree with regard to the AirPods Pro, because sealing in-ears are a different product type than non-sealing earbuds. (I’ve bought four or five pairs of AirPods, but would never buy the AirPods Pro because of what they are, regardless of price.)

 

[sw1tcher]

This list seems so arbitrary. If Thunderbolt Display, which was an update to the 27” LED Cinema Display changing the ports and the name but keeping the same design, made this list, the 2024 Mac mini, a far more significant update, should unquestionably be there too.

2024: Camera Control; M4 Mac mini power button location

😂

 

[Astuces iOS]

Apple Pencil PRO is new hardware…

 

[sw1tcher]

This article feels a lot like bait for the "Apple doesn't innovate anymore" crowd...

This article feels a lot like click bait is a more apt statement

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

I don’t see the iPad M4 it as an iterative upgrade to be honest. Marketing was terrible but I do think that is a substantial upgrade.

Completely agree, it was certainly about as big of an update as the original iPad Air was in 2013 coming off of the iPad 4.

 

[sw1tcher]

new product ≠ new product line

The iPhone isn't a new product line but somehow it's listed multiple times as is the iPad

 

[klasma]

The iPhone isn't a new product line but somehow it's listed multiple times as is the iPad

I think MacRumors defines “new product line” as everything that isn’t just generation n + 1 of an existing product. One can quibble about the term, but it’s certainly a sensible concept that is distinct from just “new product” or “new product name”. With that definition, it’s difficult to argue that the Pencil Pro isn’t just generation n + 1 of what the Pencil 1 and 2 were.

 

[uczcret]

This article feels a lot like click bait is a more apt statement

You said it. 👀

 

[TheLunaPark]

As most have already pointed out, there’s no logic whatsoever to this list. Piss poor ‘journalism’ amounting to nothing more than clickbait.

 

[FlyingDutch]

There was no pencil pro before. If the XS Max and AirPods Pro count as new product lines, then there is absolutely no reason not to count the pencil pro.

Pencil Pro just is a third gen pencil.

 

[I7guy]

That was when Apple was relatively TINY, so that worked- and even made sense- in that context. That same genius had to borrow relatively small money from Microsoft just to keep Apple's doors open. When you are small, you don't have the money to expand product lines in pursuit of greater riches. You HAVE to focus on few products and try to make the most of them.

There are NO Trillion dollar companies with hardly any product offerings, comparable to the 2000s Apple product mix. Even the biggest of "big oil" has a surprisingly large number of product & service offerings.

When we wish for "trim the fat" part 2, we are wishing for significantly smaller Apple Inc... where that actually works. While each person may have a favorite among 4-5 iPhones and 10 or 20 iPads, Apple doesn't make ANY of the others to lose money on them. All those others are somebody else's favorites.

For (extreme) example, I own no iPhone at all, using a cellular iPad Mini with VOIP app and buds to also cover my mobile phone needs. From my prospective, iPhone is a useless line that should be purged, as are all iPads NOT Mini. But I bet few would make that same argument. Whatever you have in your pocket is only the best one for SOME other owners of the same. Others own and love the one you like least. Purge the lines down as Jobs once HAD to do, and chunks of profitable buyers would have to unify around as little as 1 of 4-5 iPhones, 1 of 10 or 20 iPads, etc or they might take their money elsewhere... driving Apple's revenue back down to how it was when they had (to have) few products to sell.

Is that a rational business strategy to drop a product that has a large percentage of apples revenue? (I don't use that product an therefore it should be dropped?) That's like Honda dropping the accord. And because you may not like a product, suggesting a product should be purge is not realistic. Gone are purge days of Jobs. That just ain't happening any more.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I'm making no such argument- simply pointing out the flaw in someone else suggesting Apple should cut products like Jobs did on his return to Apple. That was a much smaller Apple making too many products. This is a much bigger Apple probably making too few products.

The extreme example I offered in my post simply illustrated the flaw in seeing this from anyone's own perspective. Just because I have no use for iPhone does NOT mean no one else does. Just because I choose to own only 1 iPad doesn't mean 10 or 20 other models can't make sense. Etc.

 

[sw1tcher]

I think MacRumors defines “new product line” as everything that isn’t just generation n + 1 of an existing product. One can quibble about the term, but it’s certainly a sensible concept that is distinct from just “new product” or “new product name”. With that definition, it’s difficult to argue that the Pencil Pro isn’t just generation n + 1 of what the Pencil 1 and 2 were.

AirPods --> AirPods Pro
Watch --> Watch Ultra

is the same as

Apple Pencil --> Apple Pencil Pro


If AirPods / AirPods Pro and Watch / Watch Ultra made the list, then so should Pencil Pro


It's an illogical list. The iPad and iPad mini as well as the iMac Pro are on the list, but not the 15" MacBook Air nor the 14" and 16" MacBook Pro when they replaced the 13" and 15" MacBook Pro

 

[Amazing Iceman]

What are people expecting from Apple? Washing Machines and Coffee Makers?
Apple may be working on a new product we have no idea about, but they considered it was not time to announce it.

 

[klasma]

AirPods --> AirPods Pro
Watch --> Watch Ultra

is the same as

Apple Pencil --> Apple Pencil Pro

No, it’s not, as I argued above. Neither the AirPods Pro nor the Watch Ultra were generation n + 1 of a previous product. They were added alongside a continuing lineage as an additional product type/variant, whereas the Pencil Pro continued the lineage of the Pencil 1 and 2. I’m going to rest this discussion now, though.

 

[bradman83]

I'd say 2024's new Mac mini was more monumental than 2018's iPhone XS Max.

And if you're going to count the iPhone XS Max then they should also count the 13" iPad Air which was introduced in 2024.

 

[Contact_Feanor]

It’s effectively a Pencil 3. They only changed the name because they had to break out of the numbering scheme with the USB-C Pencil. The differences between the Pencil 2 and the Pencil Pro are arguably smaller than between the Pencil 1 and the Pencil 2.

I still think that it counts, regardless of differences. The presumed logic here is clearly "does it have a different name", otherwise the iPhone SE or the iPhone 5C shouldn't count at all. The 5C was literally only different from the 5 in that it was plastic instead of metal. The Apple TV HD had a different software version than the Apple TV 3 (that also could play HD content, lol) and counts as well. That's the point I was trying to make but clearly made badly: they're going for a "if it has a different name, it's a different product category (I mean, come on, the displays? "it has a different cable" isn't a new product category, it has a different cable)

I half-agree with regard to the XS Max because it’s roughly the equivalent of the previous iPhone Plus line. I don’t really agree with regard to the AirPods Pro, because sealing in-ears are a different product type than non-sealing earbuds. (I’ve bought four or five pairs of AirPods, but would never buy the AirPods Pro because of what they are, regardless of price.)

The plus line at least had software differentiation (like the landscape keyboard or homescreen), the max still has none of that and shouldn't be considered a different category at all, unless we consider "different name = different product" to be the standard. Which is what they're doing here. And therefor, the pencil pro should count.

 

[Contact_Feanor]

Pencil Pro just is a third gen pencil.

Sure, I agree. I just think this list is operating by the standard "if it has a new name, it's a new product". Otherwise: how was the Apple TV HD not just a fourth gen Apple TV?

EDIT: I just checked and like I thought, the Apple TV HD was even released as the Apple TV 4, just renamed years later as the Apple TV HD. /End Edit

IF that's the criterium, then the Pencil Pro counts as a new product. If it's not the criterium, how on earth is e.g. the iPhone 5C or iPhone XS Max part of the list? The Thunderbolt Display is on there. Can you tell the difference with the LED Cinema Display based on these pictures or the stats of the display (hint: it's the same product, just a little newer cable standard etc.)

 

[jwdsail]

For over a decade, Apple has consistently announced all-new hardware product lines, from the iPad in 2010 to the Vision Pro in 2023. But for the first time in 14 years, Apple failed to announce any major new hardware products in 2024, focusing solely on updates and refinements to its existing product lines.

While Apple unveiled a large number of significant hardware refreshes in 2024, such as the redesigned iPad Pro and Mac mini, these were all evolutions of existing categories, not entirely new product lines. The only entirely new announcement of note, Apple Intelligence, was software-based and does not qualify as new hardware. This makes 2024 the first year since 2009 in which Apple did not release a completely new hardware product. Here's a look back at the major new products announced each year from 2010 to 2023:

• 2023: Apple Vision Pro
  
• 2022: Mac Studio, Studio Display, and Apple Watch Ultra
  
• 2021: AirTag
  
• 2020: Apple Silicon, MagSafe for iPhone ecosystem, HomePod mini, and AirPods Max
  
• 2019: AirPods Pro, Pro Display XDR, and Apple Card
  
• 2018: iPhone XS Max
  
• 2017: iMac Pro, HomePod, and iPhone X
  
• 2016: iPhone SE and AirPods
  
• 2015: iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, and Apple TV HD
  
• 2014: Apple Watch
  
• 2013: iPhone 5C and iPad Air
  
• 2012: iPad mini
  
• 2011: Thunderbolt Display
  
• 2010: iPad

2024 stands out for its lack of a new category, focusing instead on enhancing existing devices and introducing new software features.

It's worth noting that many of Apple's product lines have reached a high level of maturity. Instead of creating entirely new categories, Apple is seemingly doubling down on perfecting its existing lineup, as demonstrated by the introduction of OLED display technology to the iPad Pro, the more refined design of the Apple Watch Series 10, or the M4 family of Apple silicon chips.

While Apple Vision Pro was announced in 2023, it did not launch until February 2024, and constitutes a major new "spatial computing" product line for the company. It demanded a whole new OS, accessory ecosystem, retail store space, and more. As a result, is likely that Vision Pro dominated Apple's focus in 2023 and 2024.

Similarly, Apple's pivot toward AI in the form of Apple Intelligence was announced in June 2024. Apple Intelligence seeks to reshape how users interact with their devices, introducing unprecedented levels of personalized automation and generation on Apple devices. Since Apple Intelligence exists solely as software for existing product lines, Apple focused on expanding Apple Intelligence support in 2024, exemplified by the introduction of the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, and seventh-generation iPad mini, as well as bumping the entire Mac lineup up to 16GB of memory as standard.

Apple's long-rumored, but ill-fated, electric vehicle project, may also have diverted substantial resources before its reported cancellation. This effort, combined with the monumental development demands of Apple Intelligence and the Vision Pro, likely consumed a significant portion of Apple's recent R&D capacity.

Moreover, Apple's 2024 product lineup is still likely feeling the lingering effects of the global slowdown during COVID-19, as most Apple products operate on a development cycle of two to four years. These overlapping factors may explain why 2024 lacked the introduction of an entirely new hardware product line.

Compounding this, the global tech market has seen slowing growth in consumer hardware, with many buyers opting to extend the lifecycle of their devices. It would therefore make sense that Apple has prioritized incremental upgrades such as the Apple Pencil Pro and fourth-generation AirPods, over launching new product categories that require significant consumer adoption and investment.

2025 is rumored to see the introduction of a smart home "Command Center" resembling a HomePod with a 7-inch display, which could constitute an all-new product line amid Apple's expected refocus on the smart home. Beyond this, no totally new hardware product lines are expected this year.

Article Link: Apple Broke a 13-Year Hardware Streak in 2024

Very confusing list?

Multiple displays count to this list but AirPods 4 and the new Mac mini don't?

Ok, I guess.

 

[XboxEvolved]

This article screams “I got a quota to meet”

 

[sinfulta]

Apple Watch came out April 2015. There was nothing in 2014.

 

[257Loner]

I agree. Product lineup is looking better than ever.

Except for peripherals, like the keyboard and mouse. In this picture, the Apple ones on the left should be more like the genuinely "Pro" peripherals on the right (that were ergonomically made for human hands):

 

[Rafagon]

Apple didn't break their 13-year hardware streak. They used a streak freeze!

 

[FlyingDutch]

Sure, I agree. I just think this list is operating by the standard "if it has a new name, it's a new product". Otherwise: how was the Apple TV HD not just a fourth gen Apple TV?

EDIT: I just checked and like I thought, the Apple TV HD was even released as the Apple TV 4, just renamed years later as the Apple TV HD. /End Edit

IF that's the criterium, then the Pencil Pro counts as a new product. If it's not the criterium, how on earth is e.g. the iPhone 5C or iPhone XS Max part of the list? The Thunderbolt Display is on there. Can you tell the difference with the LED Cinema Display based on these pictures or the stats of the display (hint: it's the same product, just a little newer cable standard etc.)

Well… the list doesn’t make any sense also for me

 

[sdsalsersmith]

I like that they are concentrating on making what they already have better. I'm also glad to see that Apple and Google products are playing better together. I have mostly Apple products but I use Google home products and an ADT/Google home security system. It all integrates well with the Apple Products that I have (iPhone/iMac/Apple TV/iPad, etc.). I also really like that they are offering the nano—textured displays on their products now. I have it on on two of my Studio Displays and the iPad Pro 13 inch and it's wonderful!