Apple Planning USB-C iMac and Faster Notebooks in 2017, Mac Pro and Touch Bar Magic Keyboard in Question

[Pilgrim1099]

It because Tim Cook and the Execs are not creative on thinking outside the box. With all that R&D money waste on meaningless emojis. And with them blame Intel and suppliers for issues. Apple can essentially buy AMD to R&D and produce their future of AI, VR, and every chip needed in Mac lineup. That's why Tim Cook's future roadmap seems like he's waiting for the next decade to put anything meaningful out. Apple is on the verge of losing their ecosystem and Iphone X can't save them with managements blinders on. Sad but Scully=Cook is letting apples core rot. I'm leaving Apple products totally if nothing materializes by 2018

They were never creating in thinking outside the box in the last few years. And besides, at the age they're in now, they're way out of touch with today's consumers. They THINK they know what we want but they actually don't. They lost the ability to create a 'need' and focused on vanity design which destroys the essence of the company's mission statement.

I don't think buying AMD would solve the problem. In fact, buying out AMD would be a sign of 'admittance' that they can't do it themselves, unable to transcend the chip industry. The addage of 'if you can't beat them, join them' is true. But it's more true if ' you can't beat them, BUY them ' is much more relevant.

Buying Beats was a weak move. And Tim LOST control over his execs. And the ecosystem is weakening because they have not updated their desktop line. That, to me, is a HUGE mistake. Microsoft kicked their a$$es with their latest desktop innovation, a machine that could have been the new iMac. In regards to blinders, yes they've had those on for a long time and got blindsided with arrogance and ignorance, a dangerous combination. I had a feeling something was very wrong when the desktop has not been updated in the last few years, thinking it must have been related to management and engineer issues.

They don't have a choice but to build a new iMac that competes with the Surface Studio PC. They can't afford to keep the same design anymore. And Tim has less than a year to pull this off or there will be an Apple Meltdown come 2017.
[doublepost=1482332405][/doublepost]

The Mac OS has (arguably) always been superior to Windows. This is irrelevant. Windows overtook Apple and it has stayed that way, ALWAYS.

Microsoft (and their OEMs) is now producing compelling hardware too (ironically taking Steve Jobs' famous advice), and hardware that make Apple hardware look archaic in comparison. Windows 10, despite being Windows, is the best Windows Msoft's ever made. I was actually impressed, even if it lacks the polish us Mac users are used to. But the masses, the computer-buying masses aren't used to Apple's polish, and W10 hardware is way more interesting than Apple's at this point.

Apple has been spinning its wheels since 2012/2013.

Apple has NO choice but to bring out a new iMac design that competes with the Surface Studio and they may have to find a way to refresh the OS X user interface design, if they want to keep it dynamically interesting compared to Windows 10. But yes, Win 10 is one of Microsoft's best operating systems I've seen in a long time. They did a good job keeping it functional without the gloss and flash.
[doublepost=1482332833][/doublepost]

"We Have Great Desktops in Our Roadmap"

"Mac fans shouldn't hold their breath for radical new designs in 2017 though. Instead, the company is preparing modest updates…"

So it's going to be a long road trip and we should stop asking "Are we there yet?"

The modest update rumor is the most likely scenario. They screwed themselves over because whatever they're working on now was already started over a year or two ago. If the updates are going to be modest in 2017 with the same iMac designs, Tim's career as CEO is finished.

The only way to make this company competitive and rebuild the desktop team is to get rid of him and bring in a new CEO from the outside. We can't have an a$$kisser from the inside playing favorites. Diverting the OS X and desktop engineers to iOS is a mistake. Especially wasting 4-5 years on the Apple Watch. I suspect that is what siphoned off the desktop team.

They don't have a choice but to bring out a completely revamped iMac with a touchscreen for 2017. If they wait any longer, by then the Surface Studio PC will get cheaper by the next iteration and Microsoft will start to make more gains.

Cook made the huge mistake of pooh-poohing the Surface Pro and Satya's vision.

EDIT: Oh, and they really, really need to get rid of Jony Ive. They need a new design language from scratch. He's not the savior of this company. Never was. He has talent but only if given direction by one who has CREATIVE taste unlike Cook.

 

[otiose2day]

Mac Pro and China where there are skills for ambitious products. Are Americans not capable of that?

Not any more, not according to Apple, a Chinese engineering and manufacturing firm headquartered in the US.

 

[Dave245]

Whatever you want to call it "spoiled by the past great products, entitlement, impatience etc., Apple has clearly no vision for the Mac from the top.

I posted before that if I was presented with the Hello again agenda , I would have asked: What that is it?
and would have canceled it.
It was embarrassing, embarrassing, embarrassing. Did I mention : embarrassing?

Many of us do have the Apple required patience to wait what they do next and it is understood that they like to release things on their time table.

But, the latest evidence shows NOTHING!!!

3 years no updates of "PR" gear in todays tech world is like an eternity, regardless of available chips from Intel.

The constant boasting about 3 mm thinner, 17% by volume (LOL) is just dumb. I can also deflate a product by taking out vital things and make it thinner. Whatever they take out gets put back via dongles from the outside.

I am also not for firing and getting new people who make the same old mistake, but Apple's ears must be ringing from doing really stupid stuff and getting called out on it.

Just one example: Who asked for and why would one remove a great invention like magsafe? To safe 3 mm or whatever?

Who from the pro field is even asking for thinner and thinner and thinner? If anything they want all the power an conveniences they can get. They would probably schlepp around a tower if that was working.

Lastly Apple, stop glueing the $%&^ pro stuff together. Even you guys can't fix your own stuff any more.

What is wrong if a tinkerer can upgrade an SSD or some chips.

Grandma and Grandpa don't buy MBPs , let alone open any electronic device.

I do think that making some devices (such as the new MacBook Pro's) thinner and lighter is a good thing, people have to often carry these devices around for extended periods of time a day. Thinner and lighter means more room in backpacks and less weight to carry. I do agree that Apple should have updated the Mac Pro, maybe they are having issues. I really don't know, and that's the point, a lot of people are jumping to conclusions, we don't know what Apple has in store for the next Mac Pro's, iMac's and so on. I believe people choose Apple products (myself included) because they are the best ecosystem and Mac's are so much better to use (in my opinion).

As for the MagSafe, I too liked the fact that it would save my 2011 Mackbook from falling on the floor, so again I agree, but that's not to say that Apple are failing for removing it or any less innovative. Personally I'm waiting for the next iMac, if it turns out to not be a big upgrade from my current 2012 one, I will wait. I do sometimes feel sorry for Apple in the sense that no matter what they do they can't win or please everybody. They iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are brilliant phones, the iPad Pro again a brilliant device. I'm not saying they are perfect, no one or no company is (has everyone forgot abou Samsung's Note 7 disaster) but I do think they still make great devices, maybe under a new leadership it's different from when Jobs was around, but I don't think it's a disaster. Just my take on it.

 

[Jax44]

Can we have an iMac that looks like this?

No.
Thank goodness.

 

[Ethosik]

The Mac OS has (arguably) always been superior to Windows. This is irrelevant. Windows overtook Apple and it has stayed that way, ALWAYS.

Microsoft (and their OEMs) is now producing compelling hardware too (ironically taking Steve Jobs' famous advice), and hardware that make Apple hardware look archaic in comparison. Windows 10, despite being Windows, is the best Windows Msoft's ever made. I was actually impressed, even if it lacks the polish us Mac users are used to. But the masses, the computer-buying masses aren't used to Apple's polish, and W10 hardware is way more interesting than Apple's at this point.

Apple has been spinning its wheels since 2012/2013.

I highly HIGHLY disagree. Windows 7 is and will always be the best OS Microsoft made.

I was ALL FOR Windows 10 EVERYWHERE when it launched. I made sure everybody I knew got the free upgrade, and I even got two copies from the Microsoft Store. However, the recent large updates make me wish we were still on a Windows 7 style system. 1511 and 1607 broke stuff when they were released. It is highly annoying when the update is pushed out at work because it removes RSAT and the anti-virus. Our camera system software fails to work in 1607, but it works fine in 1511.

This was EXACTLY my worry with using Windows 10 in an enterprise. I made sure the critical (development computers) got the LTSB version for reasons like I mentioned. I will need to put the LTSB version on the camera system computers too.

Unless you are enterprise, you are FORCED to install 1607 eventually, even if things are still broken. Even then, the Enterprise edition will be forced to upgrade to 1607 eventually too. LTSB is not, it will still get security fixes for 10 years, like Windows 7 did before it.

My initial fears of Windows 10 launching as the "last OS" have come true. Even on a fast SSD (around 500GB), the 1511 and 1607 updates take about an hour. Very frustrating.

And I actually encountered LESS bugs on the Windows 10 RTM build (forgot the number) compared to the bugs I find in 1607.

 

[hawkeye_a]

The Verge and a few other tech media outlets have been publishing opinion pieces on this topic regarding the future of the Mac and MacOS.

They all seem to acknowledge that in-order to write apps for iDevices, developers need a Mac and MacOS. I just had a scary thought.... what if Apple releases XCode(and other iOS dev tools) for Windows? (I hope no one at Apple is reading this)

While the Mac might represent ~10.5% of Apple's revenue (which equates to ~$22bn) (source:The Verge) , what does that mean for number of users and installed base? I suspect its bigger than it has ever been.

As long as they are selling more Macs than they were before, that's a good thing. But a business argument can be made that Apple has failed the Mac over the past few years, simply because they have not been able to capitalize on the "halo effect" of iDevices as much as they could have. IMHO

My recommendations:
1. Adopt something similar to the 'tick-tock' strategy have two team one working on iterating and testing current designs and putting out regular updates. and a second team working on overall design changes with new features, etc.
2. Trim the variations of the products being offered. Professional/Consumer. Desktop/Laptop. Good/Better/Best.
3. Every update does not need to be radically update with some new gizmo/feature.

Cheers

 

[Ethosik]

There is on thing that Windows still FAILS to get right.

I have used the Surface Pro 3 and 4. It looks HORRIBLE with that HiDPI screen. Running "legacy" (non HiDPI aware software) is ridiculous on that system. It is either too small and looks fine (not blurred), or the right size but blurred like crazy.

macOS does things right with HiDPI screens. I never have issues with my rMBP running in scaled mode and the text looks incredible.

 

[melendezest]

They were never creating in thinking outside the box in the last few years. And besides, at the age they're in now, they're way out of touch with today's consumers. They THINK they know what we want but they actually don't. They lost the ability to create a 'need' and focused on vanity design which destroys the essence of the company's mission statement.

I don't think buying AMD would solve the problem. In fact, buying out AMD would be a sign of 'admittance' that they can't do it themselves, unable to transcend the chip industry. The addage of 'if you can't beat them, join them' is true. But it's more true if ' you can't beat them, BUY them ' is much more relevant.

Buying Beats was a weak move. And Tim LOST control over his execs. And the ecosystem is weakening because they have not updated their desktop line. That, to me, is a HUGE mistake. Microsoft kicked their a$$es with their latest desktop innovation, a machine that could have been the new iMac. In regards to blinders, yes they've had those on for a long time and got blindsided with arrogance and ignorance, a dangerous combination. I had a feeling something was very wrong when the desktop has not been updated in the last few years, thinking it must have been related to management and engineer issues.

They don't have a choice but to build a new iMac that competes with the Surface Studio PC. They can't afford to keep the same design anymore. And Tim has less than a year to pull this off or there will be an Apple Meltdown come 2017.
[doublepost=1482332405][/doublepost]

Apple has NO choice but to bring out a new iMac design that competes with the Surface Studio and they may have to find a way to refresh the OS X user interface design, if they want to keep it dynamically interesting compared to Windows 10. But yes, Win 10 is one of Microsoft's best operating systems I've seen in a long time. They did a good job keeping it functional without the gloss and flash.
[doublepost=1482332833][/doublepost]

The modest update rumor is the most likely scenario. They screwed themselves over because whatever they're working on now was already started over a year or two ago. If the updates are going to be modest in 2017 with the same iMac designs, Tim's career as CEO is finished.

The only way to make this company competitive and rebuild the desktop team is to get rid of him and bring in a new CEO from the outside. We can't have an a$$kisser from the inside playing favorites. Diverting the OS X and desktop engineers to iOS is a mistake. Especially wasting 4-5 years on the Apple Watch. I suspect that is what siphoned off the desktop team.

They don't have a choice but to bring out a completely revamped iMac with a touchscreen for 2017. If they wait any longer, by then the Surface Studio PC will get cheaper by the next iteration and Microsoft will start to make more gains.

Cook made the huge mistake of pooh-poohing the Surface Pro and Satya's vision.

EDIT: Oh, and they really, really need to get rid of Jony Ive. They need a new design language from scratch. He's not the savior of this company. Never was. He has talent but only if given direction by one who has CREATIVE taste unlike Cook.

This. THIS.

I also think Apple needs to have REAL courage and get to work real fast in making iOS more powerful.

But I think that (at least in the short term) Apple needs to fragment their OSes and hardware; iOS and macOS are as integrated as they're going to be. Apple should focus work on turning iOS into a viable OS for iMacs, 2-in-ones, tablets and consumer laptops.

They need to make the Mac a truck again. Split the Pro and Consumer lines HARD. Again, in the short-term. On the HW side, I believe there really isn't that much work to "make the Mac great again": Build all Macs the same way as 2011 (with new ports, chips, Ethernet, MagSafe, etc).

But their "refrigerator and toaster" adage is flat-out WRONG. Microsoft proved that it is wrong. Universal apps, and hardware that can handle them are the future. With the increase in power and efficiency that the hardware side is pushing, it's a matter of a few years before Apple would be eclipsed significantly, given their current (non) trajectory.

 

[Chuck1980]

Apple is preparing modest updates to its Mac lineup for next year, including new iMac models with USB-C ports and new AMD graphics chips, and "minor bumps" in processing power for 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro models, according to Bloomberg.KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo likewise said new iMacs will launch in the first half of 2017 in a research note shared earlier this year, while current iMac models have not been updated in 434 days per our Mac Buyer's Guide, so updates to Apple's consumer desktop lineup would be unsurprising. USB-C ports on new iMacs would likely double as Thunderbolt 3 ports akin to the new MacBook Pro.

Apple designers are also said to be exploring standalone keyboards with a Touch Bar and Touch ID for desktop computers. The report claims Apple will decide whether to release the keyboards depending upon how well the touchscreen strip and fingerprint scanner are received on new MacBook Pro models released a few months ago. Apple's current Magic Keyboard was released in October 2015.

Meanwhile, some Apple engineers have reportedly raised the possibility of moving Mac Pro production back to Asia, as these people believe the supply chain workers have the "required skills" for "ambitious" products. Apple currently assembles the Mac Pro in Texas as its only "Made in USA" computer, but the professional-oriented desktop machine has not been updated in three years.President-elect Donald Trump recently said he will offer Apple incentives to bring manufacturing back to the United States, including a "very large tax cut" and reduced regulations. Apple CEO Tim Cook himself has said the majority of its products are made in China because the U.S. workforce has a smaller number of individuals with the "vocational kind of skills" needed.

Overall, the article suggests the Mac is "getting far less attention than it once did," partly due to "a lack of clear direction from senior management, departures of key people working on Mac hardware, and technical challenges."

Apple, for its part, told employees it has "great desktops" in its roadmap. Cook said the desktop is "very strategic" to Apple because the performance desktops can provide is "really important" to a lot of people and "critical" for others. 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. The fate of the Mac Pro and Mac mini is less clear.

Article Link: Apple Planning USB-C iMac and Faster Notebooks in 2017, Mac Pro and Touch Bar Magic Keyboard in Question

I have owned Apple PC's and products since 1980. Sadly I am now considering other alternatives. I was planning on upgrading my three year old iMac, but I do not foresee anything worthwhile coming down the pike. Apple has seemed to have lost their vision. I never thought this day would come. This year was the last Apple products that I will purchase. I hate to go to the dark side, but their products appear to be better focused on my needs.

 

[Dave245]

No.
Thank goodness.

Did you see the video for it? I'm not into hating on other products, it's people's choice to by them, but when he leaned over and wrote on the screen it looked ridiculous and I was waiting for the hinge or screen to break.

 

[melendezest]

I highly HIGHLY disagree. Windows 7 is and will always be the best OS Microsoft made.

I was ALL FOR Windows 10 EVERYWHERE when it launched. I made sure everybody I knew got the free upgrade, and I even got two copies from the Microsoft Store. However, the recent large updates make me wish we were still on a Windows 7 style system. 1511 and 1607 broke stuff when they were released. It is highly annoying when the update is pushed out at work because it removes RSAT and the anti-virus. Our camera system software fails to work in 1607, but it works fine in 1511.

This was EXACTLY my worry with using Windows 10 in an enterprise. I made sure the critical (development computers) got the LTSB version for reasons like I mentioned. I will need to put the LTSB version on the camera system computers too.

Unless you are enterprise, you are FORCED to install 1607 eventually, even if things are still broken. Even then, the Enterprise edition will be forced to upgrade to 1607 eventually too. LTSB is not, it will still get security fixes for 10 years, like Windows 7 did before it.

My initial fears of Windows 10 launching as the "last OS" have come true. Even on a fast SSD (around 500GB), the 1511 and 1607 updates take about an hour. Very frustrating.

And I actually encountered LESS bugs on the Windows 10 RTM build (forgot the number) compared to the bugs I find in 1607.

Windows 7 is also much simpler than Windows 10, no?

It's not unusual for new OSes (especially MSoft's) to have serious issues. But I've seen MSoft deal with issues relatively quickly. I cannot speak to your experience though, so you might have insight that I do not. FWIW, my company still uses W7 as well.

But at least conceptually, I think MSoft is heading the right direction.

They just need to add polish, fix bugs, etc, which is no small task given the enormous hw profile permutations they need to contend with.

 

[Ethosik]

Windows 7 is also much simpler than Windows 10, no?

It's not unusual for new OSes (especially MSoft's) to have serious issues. But I've seen MSoft deal with issues relatively quickly. I cannot speak to your experience though, so you might have insight that I do not. FWIW, my company still uses W7 as well.

But at least conceptually, I think MSoft is heading the right direction.

They just need to add polish, fix bugs, etc, which is no small task given the enormous hw profile permutations they need to contend with.

I never had any big issues with Windows 8. Some unhappiness (which was fixed with Start8), but everything worked like it should and no big issues like there have been recently with Windows 10.

 

[hawkeye_a]

Windows vs MacOS.

"Design", and I dont mean the icons or the desktop background, nor do I mean what the UI looks like.

As an example..... when I install an app on Windows/Mac, one puts files all over the place which requires careful removal via an "uninstaller", the other (the Mac) handles it far more elegantly for end users. It's the difference in the system's directory structure. It's the fact that one is still bound by a "registry" and the other is not. That "design" is something Microsoft has never copied (and I wish they had).

It's a shame that such a cornerstone of Apple's entire success is being neglected.

 

[Beachguy]

Tim Cook = the modern John Scully.

That's a TERRIBLE thing to say! Scully wasn't THIS bad!

 

[Since1987]

Entitled??? I think we're "entitled" to say "Apple used to be able to do this. Why can't they do it now?".

And when that answer is "because Cook and Ive DON'T WANT TO DO IT"... we have a right to ring the alarm bell. Apple lost the benefit of the doubt about 4 years ago. We don't complain to pile on, we complain because if it doesn't change we will be forced to use Windows 10 in very short order. There won't BE an OSX option.

 

[carrrrrlos]

Here’s a good article from Bloomberg: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...ac-loyalists?utm_source=digg&utm_medium=email

 

[smulji]

The Verge and a few other tech media outlets have been publishing opinion pieces on this topic regarding the future of the Mac and MacOS.

They all seem to acknowledge that in-order to write apps for iDevices, developers need a Mac and MacOS. I just had a scary thought.... what if Apple releases XCode(and other iOS dev tools) for Windows? (I hope no one at Apple is reading this)

While the Mac might represent ~10.5% of Apple's revenue (which equates to ~$22bn) (source:The Verge) , what does that mean for number of users and installed base? I suspect its bigger than it has ever been.

As long as they are selling more Macs than they were before, that's a good thing. But a business argument can be made that Apple has failed the Mac over the past few years, simply because they have not been able to capitalize on the "halo effect" of iDevices as much as they could have. IMHO

My recommendations:
1. Adopt something similar to the 'tick-tock' strategy have two team one working on iterating and testing current designs and putting out regular updates. and a second team working on overall design changes with new features, etc.
2. Trim the variations of the products being offered. Professional/Consumer. Desktop/Laptop. Good/Better/Best.
3. Every update does not need to be radically update with some new gizmo/feature.

Cheers

"what if Apple releases XCode(and other iOS dev tools) for Windows?"

What if Apple releases Xcode for iOS?
[doublepost=1482346474][/doublepost]

This. THIS.

I also think Apple needs to have REAL courage and get to work real fast in making iOS more powerful.

But I think that (at least in the short term) Apple needs to fragment their OSes and hardware; iOS and macOS are as integrated as they're going to be. Apple should focus work on turning iOS into a viable OS for iMacs, 2-in-ones, tablets and consumer laptops.

They need to make the Mac a truck again. Split the Pro and Consumer lines HARD. Again, in the short-term. On the HW side, I believe there really isn't that much work to "make the Mac great again": Build all Macs the same way as 2011 (with new ports, chips, Ethernet, MagSafe, etc).

But their "refrigerator and toaster" adage is flat-out WRONG. Microsoft proved that it is wrong. Universal apps, and hardware that can handle them are the future. With the increase in power and efficiency that the hardware side is pushing, it's a matter of a few years before Apple would be eclipsed significantly, given their current (non) trajectory.

"Apple should focus work on turning iOS into a viable OS for iMacs, tablets and consumer laptops."

Reading between the tea leaves, that seems like the plan

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-20/how-apple-alienated-mac-loyalists

"In another sign that the company has prioritized the iPhone, Apple re-organized its software engineering department so there's no longer a dedicated Mac operating system team. There is now just one team, and most of the engineers are iOS first, giving the people working on the iPhone and iPad more power. "

 

[rumplestiltskin]

So Apple will continue to push USB-C and p@ss off people who have many devices that use USB-A, Thunderbolt, and miniDisplayport connections. Then those people will discover that USB-C's backward compatibility sucks and will have to scramble to find "compatible" adapters for their adapters. Then many of those folks will just tell Apple where to stick their "great new" but incompatible hardware and the mass exodus will continue (it's already begun). Finally Apple will kill the Mac because (they'll announce) so many people have abandoned the Mac in favor of their iDevices and wasn't Steve right, all along?

It's a self-fulfilling policy. Design Macs that have no real market except for the kool-aid drinkers and, when there isn't a large enough market any more for the garbage they call "Pro", declare that that market no longer exists.

Microsoft is only a few apps away from hammering the final nails in the Mac's coffin; actually, Apple's doing the hammering and only lacks the final few nails which Microsoft could provide.

 

[melendezest]

So Apple will continue to push USB-C and p@ss off people who have many devices that use USB-A, Thunderbolt, and miniDisplayport connections. Then those people will discover that USB-C's backward compatibility sucks and will have to scramble to find "compatible" adapters for their adapters. Then many of those folks will just tell Apple where to stick their "great new" but incompatible hardware and the mass exodus will continue (it's already begun). Finally Apple will kill the Mac because (they'll announce) so many people have abandoned the Mac in favor of their iDevices and wasn't Steve right, all along?

It's a self-fulfilling policy. Design Macs that have no real market except for the kool-aid drinkers and, when there isn't a large enough market any more for the garbage they call "Pro", declare that that market no longer exists.

Microsoft is only a few apps away from hammering the final nails in the Mac's coffin; actually, Apple's doing the hammering and only lacks the final few nails which Microsoft could provide.

This is EXACTLY what I think is happening. You nailed it.
[doublepost=1482351419][/doublepost]

"Apple should focus work on turning iOS into a viable OS for iMacs, tablets and consumer laptops."

Reading between the tea leaves, that seems like the plan

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-20/how-apple-alienated-mac-loyalists

"In another sign that the company has prioritized the iPhone, Apple re-organized its software engineering department so there's no longer a dedicated Mac operating system team. There is now just one team, and most of the engineers are iOS first, giving the people working on the iPhone and iPad more power. "

That's a HUGE mistake. What that tells me is that the Mac's days are numbered, sadly, and Apple is going consumer-only.

No more trucks.

They really are getting ready to Tim Cook the golden goose.

iOS better become POWERFUL if they decide to shoot the macOS in the head.

These next few years are going to be really interesting, and if I had Apple stock I'd sell it. No wonder Carl Icahn jettisoned. He knew something we don't.

 

[hawkeye_a]

"what if Apple releases XCode(and other iOS dev tools) for Windows?"

What if Apple releases Xcode for iOS?"

I shudder at the thought.

While i appreciate touch controls on my phone and pad, they cannot, supersede the keyboard-mouse-combo for programming. Touch is a good intuitive input mechanism for end users, just not all that great for developers. IMHO

But I agree with your point, if Apple ports dev tools to any other OS, it would do so at the peril of macOS. (In all honesty tho, most apps are cloud+browser-based these days anyway(exception being games; but that is shifting to the browser via WebGL, etc as well))

It is a shame that touch UI (specifically Apple's) hasnt evolved much in ~10 years. (Personally, I still consider Palm's WebOS more 'powerful' and consistent, even today).

 

[smulji]

This is EXACTLY what I think is happening. You nailed it.
[doublepost=1482351419][/doublepost]

That's a HUGE mistake. What that tells me is that the Mac's days are numbered, sadly, and Apple is going consumer-only.

No more trucks.

They really are getting ready to Tim Cook the golden goose.

iOS better become POWERFUL if they decide to shoot the macOS in the head.

These next few years are going to be really interesting, and if I had Apple stock I'd sell it. No wonder Carl Icahn jettisoned. He knew something we don't.

"What that tells me is that the Mac's days are numbered"

What this tells me is the days of macOS (as know it) are numbered. But the laptop / desktop form factor still has a future. Based on this, iOS will have to get more powerful.
[doublepost=1482352476][/doublepost]

This is EXACTLY what I think is happening. You nailed it.
[doublepost=1482351419][/doublepost]

That's a HUGE mistake. What that tells me is that the Mac's days are numbered, sadly, and Apple is going consumer-only.

No more trucks.

They really are getting ready to Tim Cook the golden goose.

iOS better become POWERFUL if they decide to shoot the macOS in the head.

These next few years are going to be really interesting, and if I had Apple stock I'd sell it. No wonder Carl Icahn jettisoned. He knew something we don't.

"No wonder Carl Icahn jettisoned. He knew something we don't."

So how do you explain Warren Buffet buying up more Apple stock? Surely, he's in a much bigger league vs Icahn

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/wh...ock-while-other-big-names-run-away-2016-08-15

 

[melendezest]

"What that tells me is that the Mac's days are numbered"

What this tells me is the days of macOS (as know it) are numbered. But the laptop / desktop form factor still has a future. Based on this, iOS will have to get more powerful.
[doublepost=1482352476][/doublepost]

"No wonder Carl Icahn jettisoned. He knew something we don't."

So how do you explain Warren Buffet buying up more Apple stock? Surely, he's in a much bigger league vs Icahn

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/wh...ock-while-other-big-names-run-away-2016-08-15

Maybe he can afford to gamble and has faith in Apple, where Icahn doesn't have faith in them.

We'll see where this goes, but I have to say I'm excited to see what happens, even if it is Apple tripping on its face.

Nothing forces change like pain.

 

[Thunderhawks]

I do think that making some devices (such as the new MacBook Pro's) thinner and lighter is a good thing, people have to often carry these devices around for extended periods of time a day. Thinner and lighter means more room in backpacks and less weight to carry. I do agree that Apple should have updated the Mac Pro, maybe they are having issues. I really don't know, and that's the point, a lot of people are jumping to conclusions, we don't know what Apple has in store for the next Mac Pro's, iMac's and so on. I believe people choose Apple products (myself included) because they are the best ecosystem and Mac's are so much better to use (in my opinion).

As for the MagSafe, I too liked the fact that it would save my 2011 Mackbook from falling on the floor, so again I agree, but that's not to say that Apple are failing for removing it or any less innovative. Personally I'm waiting for the next iMac, if it turns out to not be a big upgrade from my current 2012 one, I will wait. I do sometimes feel sorry for Apple in the sense that no matter what they do they can't win or please everybody. They iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are brilliant phones, the iPad Pro again a brilliant device. I'm not saying they are perfect, no one or no company is (has everyone forgot abou Samsung's Note 7 disaster) but I do think they still make great devices, maybe under a new leadership it's different from when Jobs was around, but I don't think it's a disaster. Just my take on it.

What is the point of thinner and thinner if you have to carry dongles with you? Same weight I would think.

Plus, everybody who was able to carry the 2014/2015s around with all needed ports and magsafe sure isn't going to cry over 17% more in volume.I wouldn't know how many users actually replaced their desktops with MBPs in clamshell mode, like I do, but in that context the weight is not an issue.
My 2008 17" MBP does feel heavy in comparison to the 2014 and 2015, so maybe the 2014/2015s were the optimum size.

Yes, we don't know what Apple has in store for the next Mac Pro, but after 3 years it looks like : ZERO!

They did the same (port removals etc,) there for design.
I don't think any PRO would care whether their machine is on the desktop or under as a tower. With all the cable connections the clean look Apple tries to achieve is actually better with a tower under the desk.

It's not that Apple can't win, but they have stopped to find well thought out solutions for real issues and steer us there.

No mag safe
No wireless numerical keyboard
No upgrade paths for many Macs
Glue everywhere
Obsession with thin
Graphic chip issues

Just to mention a few.

While I never bought a mini (looked at it a few times), I would now if there was a powerhouse coming.
Headless MAC , so we can decide what size monitor is very important.
That mini would sell like hot cakes.

I can't follow them right now and they will have to admit they are wrong about what "PRO" means.

They'll do it with a magical device bringing back the slot and call that courage. A simple we f*d up would be very much appreciated by all.

All in all I just hope some unpleasant to deal in terms of product ideas with creative person with half a vision is hired.
Tim Cook is clearly not it!

 

[coderman1]

I registered here just to say this:

The people on this website whining, saying "I don't believe Tim Cook..." and "... mediocre updates... whinnee" need to get a life, as well as understand this:

I know you've drank the "amazing, magical, best evarrrr" Koolaide and train of thought where every Apple product release has to be magically maginificent and somehow "so different from the last..." but hear this. We no longer live in the age where a computer, or owning a new computer is some goal to achieve. It is no longer the 1980's where the promise of home computing would "change the world". Apple updates are no longer magical - because none of this **** is quite frankly, amazing to us at all anymore... because we ALL have access to technology for very low prices.

Here's a hint: Apple still makes the best hardware out there, with extremely well put together software. The entire ecosystem is the absolute best available of any competing company ... of which there are very few. All you can hope for in updates for the near future are basically this: "better version of the same". Don't hope for much more than that - the stuff is already pretty awesome, and the pace of progress on the CPU and GPU front for all but mobile at the moment has slowed down greatly in recent years. When Apple doesn't release a completely new design with these systems, it's because everything needs to be in place... Thunderbolt 3 native support, the new Intel CPU's, updates to GPU's to support Thunderbolt integration with multiple 4K and 5K output streams etc. etc. The biggest changes you'll see are things like single-cable support for 5K external monitors (which is actually a very nice upgrade if you don't have your head up your ass), better thermal performace, better connectivity (USB-C for example) and other refinements.

These things are all awesome - and we do not NEED a new "magically earth shattering" computer every 1 or 2 years anyhow, because as I've said above.... it's already amazing, and progress has slowed for a reason.

 

[melendezest]

What is the point of thinner and thinner if you have to carry dongles with you? Same weight I would think.

Plus, everybody who was able to carry the 2014/2015s around with all needed ports and magsafe sure isn't going to cry over 17% more in volume.I wouldn't know how many users actually replaced their desktops with MBPs in clamshell mode, like I do, but in that context the weight is not an issue.
My 2008 17" MBP does feel heavy in comparison to the 2014 and 2015, so maybe the 2014/2015s were the optimum size.

Yes, we don't know what Apple has in store for the next Mac Pro, but after 3 years it looks like : ZERO!

They did the same (port removals etc,) there for design.
I don't think any PRO would care whether their machine is on the desktop or under as a tower. With all the cable connections the clean look Apple tries to achieve is actually better with a tower under the desk.

It's not that Apple can't win, but they have stopped to find well thought out solutions for real issues and steer us there.

No mag safe
No wireless numerical keyboard
No upgrade paths for many Macs
Glue everywhere
Obsession with thin
Graphic chip issues

Just to mention a few.

While I never bought a mini (looked at it a few times), I would now if there was a powerhouse coming.
Headless MAC , so we can decide what size monitor is very important.
That mini would sell like hot cakes.

I can't follow them right now and they will have to admit they are wrong about what "PRO" means.

They'll do it with a magical device bringing back the slot and call that courage. A simple we f*d up would be very much appreciated by all.

All in all I just hope some unpleasant to deal in terms of product ideas with creative person with half a vision is hired.
Tim Cook is clearly not it!

Agreed. I'll add that I'd take my 17 over ANYTHING they've put out since 2011, hands DOWN, weight and all. The Razer Blade Pro will be my next desktop replacement (it really is designed that way), unless Apple amazes me (unlikely). I'm not a weakling that whines about 6-7lbs. An iPad would suffice as my daily driver, if they introduced power features to it.

Anyhoo, I think that when Apple took "Computer" off their name, they MEANT it.

I wonder how long they can go before changing gears...