Everyone thinks Apple is obsessed with thinness. I think that is not the case.
What people usually believe is that Apple decides to make their devices thinner and then tries to cram components inside. I don't know how people imagine it, probably that Jony Ive has some Z-axis goal for each generation that he wants the team to accomplish or something. This is not true.
In fact, what Apple wants to do - what it is obsessed about - is to make their mobile devices more portable. They want people to carry their laptops, phones and tablets with them more. They want their devices as part of people's lives - and people's lives are not tethered to one place. Computers used to take up entire rooms - now it's time to carry them with us. This is how Apple sees it, at least.
There are two aspects of design required for achieving this goal. One is mobility and the other one is autonomy. In other words, quite simply: it's weight and battery life. Now, battery life is something they locked at what they call "10 hours" and they think this is a good number. It's not only enough for most people, it also aligns nicely with the battery percentage - 10% is one hour. Simple, and Apple-like.
The second aspect is weight. It's not thinness. Of course, they like devices smaller, but the device size is coming to a point where it's determined almost entirely by the screen size. As everyone noticed - no one really cares if their laptop is 5mm thicker. And - contrary to popular opinion - this is not Apple's priority either. Sure, they want to do it - but they are not obsessed with dimensions as people believe them to be. This is a secondary goal.
Apple's main goal is to make the devices lighter - to make them more portable.
One of the ways to make a laptop lighter is to use a lighter battery, and in order to have a lighter battery, it needs to be of smaller capacity. To keep the battery life the same, they need less power-hungry components. The other way is to use a smaller volume. Either way - it's weight they are after. When they achieve that, they just build the laptop around it.
I think the fact that the new MacBook Pros are thinner is a consequence of making them lighter, rather than a goal.
Ironically, Apple will mention their devices are thinner first, lighter second. So will all the reviewers. This is because that is more noticeable, because you can notice that improvement without taking the device in your hands. But, as I said, it's more of a consequence than a goal. In a similar way that the fact the Lightning cable is reversable is a consequence of it using connectors on both sides (which was required to make it smaller) - but of course they marketed it like it was their design goal insted of it being a lucky side-effect of the new design.
Of course, you don't have to prefer lower weight to performance gains and perhaps you'd prefer if Apple made a heavier, but more powerful laptop. Fine - that's your choice/taste/personal requirement. But the next time you complain about the lack of RAM or more powerful GPU, please, don't mention Apple's "obsession with thinness" - because that's not why they did it.
What people usually believe is that Apple decides to make their devices thinner and then tries to cram components inside. I don't know how people imagine it, probably that Jony Ive has some Z-axis goal for each generation that he wants the team to accomplish or something. This is not true.
In fact, what Apple wants to do - what it is obsessed about - is to make their mobile devices more portable. They want people to carry their laptops, phones and tablets with them more. They want their devices as part of people's lives - and people's lives are not tethered to one place. Computers used to take up entire rooms - now it's time to carry them with us. This is how Apple sees it, at least.
There are two aspects of design required for achieving this goal. One is mobility and the other one is autonomy. In other words, quite simply: it's weight and battery life. Now, battery life is something they locked at what they call "10 hours" and they think this is a good number. It's not only enough for most people, it also aligns nicely with the battery percentage - 10% is one hour. Simple, and Apple-like.
The second aspect is weight. It's not thinness. Of course, they like devices smaller, but the device size is coming to a point where it's determined almost entirely by the screen size. As everyone noticed - no one really cares if their laptop is 5mm thicker. And - contrary to popular opinion - this is not Apple's priority either. Sure, they want to do it - but they are not obsessed with dimensions as people believe them to be. This is a secondary goal.
Apple's main goal is to make the devices lighter - to make them more portable.
One of the ways to make a laptop lighter is to use a lighter battery, and in order to have a lighter battery, it needs to be of smaller capacity. To keep the battery life the same, they need less power-hungry components. The other way is to use a smaller volume. Either way - it's weight they are after. When they achieve that, they just build the laptop around it.
I think the fact that the new MacBook Pros are thinner is a consequence of making them lighter, rather than a goal.
Ironically, Apple will mention their devices are thinner first, lighter second. So will all the reviewers. This is because that is more noticeable, because you can notice that improvement without taking the device in your hands. But, as I said, it's more of a consequence than a goal. In a similar way that the fact the Lightning cable is reversable is a consequence of it using connectors on both sides (which was required to make it smaller) - but of course they marketed it like it was their design goal insted of it being a lucky side-effect of the new design.
Of course, you don't have to prefer lower weight to performance gains and perhaps you'd prefer if Apple made a heavier, but more powerful laptop. Fine - that's your choice/taste/personal requirement. But the next time you complain about the lack of RAM or more powerful GPU, please, don't mention Apple's "obsession with thinness" - because that's not why they did it.
