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Report: Apple’s Mac team gets a lot less attention than before
ArsTechnica
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"If there’s any doubt about that with our teams, let me be very clear: we have great desktops in our roadmap. Nobody should worry about that."

Those lines are especially interesting in light of a long report from Bloomberg today that indicates the Mac is "getting far less attention than it once did" inside the company. There are some rational explanations for this, as we've written before: Intel releases new chips less frequently than it once did, and when it does launch new products, they tend to bring only incremental improvements over their predecessors. The Mac also represents less of Apple's revenue than it did even five or six years ago—it usually generates somewhere between 10 and 12 percent of Apple's revenue, compared to 60 percent or more for the iPhone. But persons "familiar with the matter" detail to Bloomberg a few organizational changes that have negatively impacted the Mac and delayed some products past their originally planned ship dates.

Meetings between Mac engineers and Jony Ive's design team, once a weekly occurrence, have reportedly become less frequent since Ive delegated some of his day-to-day tasks to other employees last year. When developing new designs, the modern-day Apple is also apparently more willing to develop and test multiple ideas at the same time. This divides engineers' efforts and slows things down.

The 12-inch MacBook, for instance, was originally slated to ship in 2014 instead of 2015, but the team had to divide its efforts to develop both the current thin, light model and a "less ambitious" and slightly heavier version of the same concept. A problem with the redesigned batteries for the new MacBook Pros meant that they needed to be replaced, and engineering attention was diverted from other Macs to fix the issue. The problem with the redesigned batteries could account for the mediocre battery life that some users are reporting in the new models; the original batteries would have been molded to fill every nook and cranny inside the MacBook Pro's chassis à la the 12-inch MacBook, potentially increasing overall battery capacity.
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By now it should be clear to everyone: Apple is either not interested or not capable anymore to release a serious computer. When I think of the dog and pony shows with Cook, Schiller, Ive and Cue, I can only conclude the latter and that things are much worse inside Apple than the most pessismistic computer geek could envisage.

In all honesty: look at Cue or Schiller or Ive and ask yourself: are these the smartest, most creative or gifted people of a company capable of driving things forward? In fact: we are all idiots watching these ridiculous clownshows of these morons.

Look at the disaster of a workstation MP, the destroyed Mac Mini, the laughable MacBook Pro and ask yourself again: what possible great Desktop could be on a roadmap? And how hard could it possibly be to plan a decently spacced computer? Apple uses standard industry parts. For xxxxx sake: just put an i7, 32 Ram, a GTX 1080, two drive bays with a Samsung 960 for MacOS and a second one for media, shoehorn it into box. Make the box of Aluminium so Ive can have his 5 minutes "looking important in a shirt in front of a white background" video and call it a day.

I will tell you what to expect: a CPU upgrade and a slightly newer, but still middle class GPU, USB-C ports and everything glued together in an overly thin housing, with absolute terrible thermal qualities - price jacked up 300 USD. No new form factor, no high end GPUs, etc.

For the fanboys it will be the greatest thing since sliced bread. For the one rest - especially the ones who used to love or at least appreciate Apple, or uses computer to do heavy lifting and editing, it will be incredibly agonizing and sad to witness.
 
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Tim Cook needs to stop with the "double down on secrecy" (which is code for "I have no idea what I'm doing, and I sure wish Steve would have left us with some ideas"), and just tell pro users what the release schedule is for desktops because nobody but the pro users cares. Nobody is copying design ideas from Apple anymore. Although have you noticed the recent products that look like the trash can Mac Pro? The Amazon Echo for one.
 
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They need to fix the following:
  • Don't rip people off with garbage components (AMD mobile GPUs in desktops? LOL)
  • Fix the miserable airflow which causes the iMacs CPU to run extremely hot at the expense of USELESS thinness and then get away with false advertising claiming "4ghz speed!!!!" while having to downthrottle because of said heating issues
  • Not sell a Mac Pro with last years tech and next years prices with ZERO available upgrades for GPUs
Love this comment LOL.

But
"You will need to agree with our rules if you want to buy a new Mac desktop.
Our products are always expensive.
Garbage will always come with the upcoming Mac desktop computers. No chance for another components instead garbage.
"
Tim Cook said!
 
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I recently went to my local BestBuy to see what Kind of a PC my money could buy. From all the moaning on here you would think it would be a slam dunk. The top of the line choice was an HP tower for $1699. The specs were comparable to the baseline 27" iMac but with 125gb SD thrown in. If I try to find a 5k screen or even a 4K screen the price would be very close and for a much less elegant solution.
 
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I recently went to my local BestBuy to see what Kind of a PC my money could buy. From all the moaning on here you would think it would be a slam dunk. The top of the line choice was an HP tower for $1699. The specs were comparable to the baseline 27" iMac but with 125gb SD thrown in. If I try to find a 5k screen or even a 4K screen the price would be very close and for a much less elegant solution.

Interesting. I guess I would imagine it might make sense to travel over to the "gamer" type computers that are built for speed and video or to a workstation area. Then again, BB isn't my ideal for shopping computers any more than some other non electronics specialized B&M. However your point is well taken. I think going over to HP's website and seeing all their offerings shows a bit of a different story - especially where the HP Z vs Mac Pro is concerned.

Here is one typical find - for monitor and machine for one of their gamer systems.
Omen X Desktop (silly artsy gamer case)
$2049.00
  • 6th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-6700K Processor (4 core)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070; Founders Edition
  • 16 GB DDR4 memory
  • 256 SSD + 2 TB HDD storage
HP UH 24" Monitor (4K?) approx 500 dollars

So out the door we could say just under 2600 dollars and this is akin to what some around here would say is that bottom of the line Mac Pro people wanted that was non-XEON.

If you go up some dollars into their HP Z workstation area, the differences become even more noticeable. HOWEVER, your point is more on spot with lower costing systems where it is not so slam dunk.

I find the Workstation Z "Mini" computers interesting but alas, wont be a good fit given it only has on board video (Intel 530 if I recall correctly) BUT it can take up to 32 gig RAM.
 
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Interesting. I guess I would imagine it might make sense to travel over to the "gamer" type computers that are built for speed and video or to a workstation area. Then again, BB isn't my ideal for shopping computers any more than some other non electronics specialized B&M. However your point is well taken. I think going over to HP's website and seeing all their offerings shows a bit of a different story - especially where the HP Z vs Mac Pro is concerned.

Here is one typical find - for monitor and machine for one of their gamer systems.
Omen X Desktop (silly artsy gamer case)
$2049.00
  • 6th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-6700K Processor (4 core)
  • NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070; Founders Edition
  • 16 GB DDR4 memory
  • 256 SSD + 2 TB HDD storage
HP UH 24" Monitor (4K?) approx 500 dollars

So out the door we could say just under 2600 dollars and this is akin to what some around here would say is that bottom of the line Mac Pro people wanted that was non-XEON.

If you go up some dollars into their HP Z workstation area, the differences become even more noticeable. HOWEVER, your point is more on spot with lower costing systems where it is not so slam dunk.

I find the Workstation Z "Mini" computers interesting but alas, wont be a good fit given it only has on board video (Intel 530 if I recall correctly) BUT it can take up to 32 gig RAM.

Well no doubt you can always spend money but dollar for dollar the off the shelf PC does not offer much of a saving and in the end is a less elegant solution. For me the monitor on the iMac is much better than any out of the box monitor I can buy without killing the slight cost advantage to the PC. The way things read on rhs forums I would have thought the situation was mor dire.
 
Well no doubt you can always spend money but dollar for dollar the off the shelf PC does not offer much of a saving and in the end is a less elegant solution. For me the monitor on the iMac is much better than any out of the box monitor I can buy without killing the slight cost advantage to the PC. The way things read on rhs forums I would have thought the situation was mor dire.
Depends on how you classify elegance fortunately the PC market is full of choice you can get anything you want at any dollar amount. It's a great time to be a computer enthusiast.
 
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Well no doubt you can always spend money but dollar for dollar the off the shelf PC does not offer much of a saving and in the end is a less elegant solution. For me the monitor on the iMac is much better than any out of the box monitor I can buy without killing the slight cost advantage to the PC. The way things read on rhs forums I would have thought the situation was mor dire.

Yes the iMac looks pretty darn pretty. I love the thin monitor that provides me with an opportunity to use laptop guts inside because full PC size parts wont fit. I also love the 27" shiny screens that allow me to catch those beautiful reflections and glare but not to be out done by the lovely saturated colours of images on my screen that rend images with great impact and are inaccurate representations of the graphic at hand. - All sarcasm aside, though what I say is accurate, the appeal for the iMac will remain as the typical non-intense or heavy user will thoroughly enjoy the experience and ease.

If the iMac monitor section was made twice as thick, it still would look the same from the front but offer so much more in terms of power, superior cooling and options. To me, the trade off for elegant and thin for a non-mobile computer is not worth it.
 
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Yes the iMac looks pretty darn pretty. I love the thin monitor that provides me with an opportunity to use laptop guts inside because full PC size parts wont fit. I also love the 27" shiny screens that allow me to catch those beautiful reflections and glare but not to be out done by the lovely saturated colours of images on my screen that rend images with great impact and are inaccurate representations of the graphic at hand. - All sarcasm aside, though what I say is accurate, the appeal for the iMac will remain as the typical non-intense or heavy user will thoroughly enjoy the experience and ease.

If the iMac monitor section was made twice as thick, it still would look the same from the front but offer so much more in terms of power, superior cooling and options. To me, the trade off for elegant and thin for a non-mobile computer is not worth it.

Well my point was the cost equation. I've never had a problem with an iMac monitor and I've made plenty of movies and done tons of Photoshop and Illustratator. My sense this debate has became much more of an identity issue for many people.
 
Well my point was the cost equation. I've never had a problem with an iMac monitor and I've made plenty of movies and done tons of Photoshop and Illustratator. My sense this debate has became much more of an identity issue for many people.

Perhaps you are correct. I am in agreement that an all in one notion is elegant but honestly, I find several out of the box monitors to be as good or better. Perhaps that is all I should have mentioned in my last post. I believe your final comment/sentence is perhaps correct with respect to some here.
 
Perhaps you are correct. I am in agreement that an all in one notion is elegant but honestly, I find several out of the box monitors to be as good or better. Perhaps that is all I should have mentioned in my last post. I believe your final comment/sentence is perhaps correct with respect to some here.
It's for sure identity related for some of us; that point I definitely agree with. All in one computers sure can be elegant, as Apple's iMac line is, but it's a shame that it comes at the expense of such things as desktop class graphics cards. I wouldn't be surprised if many of us in this conversation are power users, who would benefit from such things if only Apple offered them. Ah well, there's a balance to be struck in many things; the balance point Apple chooses often doesn't align with our preferences. True, the "line" must be drawn somewhere... I'll be honest and say that the primary reasons I still use Macs are my large existing investment in the ecosystem, and the fact that Mac apps require a Mac to compile them on. If those weren't issues I wouldn't hesitate to switch.
 
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Tim's idea of 'great' is like Donald Trump's idea of great. Utterly and completely at the whim of the tweet fairy.
Here's an idea Tim. A 34 inch 5 to 8K screen with a wired keyboard EXACTLY like the compact wired keyboard — part number MB869LL/A — that was introduced in early 2009. Do it for writers. Most writers don't need the extra keys or number pads. Offer options with the new iMacs - wired-wireless, numbered-sans-numbered. Let folks choose. Don't force your one idea on every one - cater for individual differences. Don't use collective nouns to characterise your market. It is not one type of person. Some use Macs for graphics, some for data, some for writing and so on. Their working needs are different - keep the market in mind that uses apps like Scrivener for their daily work.
Maybe a MacMini with real heft - one that will easily drive a 5K 34 to 40 inch monitor. Then we can choose from the new LG line of monitors (and maybe others as well).
Please bring the MB869LL/A perfect writer's keyboard back - and give it backlighting.
[doublepost=1482704291][/doublepost]
Huge thread full of nothing but complaints.
The reason they complain is because the bong-heads at Apple won't listen. They have reason to complain. In any case it is not all complaints, there are some cracking ideas on this thread - if only Apple would listen to them.
 
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Tim's idea of 'great' is like Donald Trump's idea of great. Utterly and completely at the whim of the tweet fairy.

well seems like after a meeting with said trump. trump PR is rubbing off of him. the reality distortion field that trump has over his poeple is a thing, i bet, tim dreams of.

even that qoute."The current generation iMac is the best desktop we have ever made and its beautiful Retina 5K display is the best desktop display in the world.

Some folks in the media have raised the question about whether we’re committed to desktops. If there’s any doubt about that with our teams, let me be very clear: we have great desktops in our roadmap. Nobody should worry about that."

very trumpian of him, GREAT! BEST!
 
well seems like after a meeting with said trump. trump PR is rubbing off of him. the reality distortion field that trump has over his poeple is a thing, i bet, tim dreams of.

even that qoute."The current generation iMac is the best desktop we have ever made and its beautiful Retina 5K display is the best desktop display in the world.

Some folks in the media have raised the question about whether we’re committed to desktops. If there’s any doubt about that with our teams, let me be very clear: we have great desktops in our roadmap. Nobody should worry about that."

very trumpian of him, GREAT! BEST!

Not just Trump but what our present gov't tells us about our state of affairs. Best, Most, in X years on top ... Seems truth is a rare item that is only referenced when useful.
 
The reason they complain is because the bong-heads at Apple won't listen. They have reason to complain. In any case it is not all complaints, there are some cracking ideas on this thread - if only Apple would listen to them.

When has Apple ever listened to the ideas of others?

Steve Jobs famously said, "A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them."
 
I think the Roadmap might have a blockade, it's called the iPhone.

A friend of mine who works at Apple said it's iPhone and iPhone related products (iWatch) are full speed ahead and if people don't like the fact that the Mac Pro has 3-4 year old components, too bad, I get it, Apple doesn't make that much money with Mac's anymore since the Surface and all the Windows 10 netbooks and slim laptops came out but Apple has a extremely loyal following and they deserve a update to the Mac Pro and Mac Mini.
 
He says the current iMac is the best desktop Apple's ever made and its 5K display is the best desktop display in the world.

something tells me that if Jobs were around, the quote would be something like "The current iMac is the best desktop EVER made." And maybe it would be true. The point is that Cook has severely lowered the company's sights when it comes to being a leader. Now apple is following in practically every arena.
 
Apple has a very c. 1990 vibe to it at the moment*.

Tim Cook, like John Scully before him, is out to run the business and maintain profit margins like any other business, not recognising that Apple became great (and profitable) by taking regular punts on the potentially unprofitable. Then as now, the company is (by the sounds of it) chaotically run without a Jobsian character to give it a strategic direction.

Day by day, a once-simple range of products grows into a confusing plethora of products designed to cater for every conceivable market niche (if you want an Apple laptop, you can have a 12" MacBook, a 13" MacBook Air, a 13" MacBook Pro without touchbar and previous generation processor, a 13" MacBook Pro without touchbar and new generation processor, a 13" MacBook Pro with touchbar or a 15" MacBook Pro with touchbar).

Innovation is stagnating except where it can be used to maintain margins. Indeed Cook seems worse than Scully in this respect, in that Cook is killing products that supported the Apple 'ecosystem' but are marginally profitable like AirPort routers and monitor. Gone are the days you could say: 'Buy a Mac, because you'll be able to get other great hardware to support it which'll just work'. (In it's place: 'You'll have to buy a kludgy dongle to make that work'.)

Windows, once buggy, virus-laden, messy and confusing, is now going from strength to strength and, unlike in 1990, is supported by a wide range of hardware that is reasonably elegant in its design and construction (of course, there are also cheap beige boxes). And Android, like Windows before it, has already sewn up the commodity market for hardware in the mobile, and goes from strength to strength in market share (Apple says it's the most profitable company in mobile, but ultimately, where the market share is, so goes the development effort).

I've been an Apple fan for a decade. In that time, I've probably sold upwards of a dozen people on Macs who've often subsequently bought iPhones and iPads. For many years Macs could be recommended confidently, rather than defensively, because they were pretty good value and a pretty good product. But I'm back to being defensive again making excuses for a stagnant product line. I'm sick of it, so I won't recommend Macs any more as a matter of course ('don't buy that Mac desktop; it's saddled with slow hard drives and ancient processors').

It's all quite sad really...

(* And you know what they say about history repeating. The first time it's tragedy, the second time it's farce.)
Well said and completely correct.

For as much as I love my Apple stuff, I still have to keep a 2012 ThinkPad around. Why? It has tons of ports and is backward compatible with everything.
 
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I love all the newbs here ranting like this sheet is new.

Look at my signup date. I havent logged in here in probably a decade but it's hilarious to see the same things I was complaining about 12-14 years ago haven't changed.

When you've been using apple since 2011 and think all this BS is new. Maybe go read some old posts. Oh and this isn't even my oldest account. I used to track mac releases in a spreadsheet before Arn did it here in what 2003?

Give up on Apple, it's dead, just like with Scully, Tim isn't what Apple needed. Hell, I'd be a better CEO (that's not really saying much though :)

</old man, now get off my lawn>
 
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