The comments about the public beta program are a little disappointing. The program is a progressive move that's a win-win for all (early adopters get early releases and Apple gets good feedback). I feel like Apple should own this and take credit for it. Instead they seem to be dismissing it as an extreme reaction to a single problem. I hope that doesn't mean that they feel like once the Maps fiasco is sufficiently in the past that they could dial back efforts like the public beta program.
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Apple Says 'You're Only as Good as the Last Thing You Did' Amid Sales Slowdown
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Unfortunately - quite true. But at the same time, the "creative industry" involves far more people than just those doing the video rendering, animation work and video editing.
I work in I.T. for a creative firm myself, and all of our "rank and file" employees are on Macs unless they have specific jobs requiring a Windows machine (such as the folks in Finance or H.R.).
At this time, machines like the Macbook Air 13" are still great solutions for the people who are going to spend more time in web-based apps and Office than anyplace else, but also do some design work in Illustrator or Photoshop. We need a lot more people doing the sales pitches to clients and writing the text that someone is supposed to speak, or building custom content to be used from inside iOS or Android apps than we do people rendering 3D content and such.
We went to a Windows based rendering farm for the "serious" 3D animation work because that's where the best bang for the buck is. Just like the back end server room, Apple seems like they're uninterested in competing in that space as time goes on. But I think Apple wants to focus more on the mainstream users. It's disappointing if you fondly remember Apple as the "platform to be on" for anything artistic or creative. But times change.
I work in I.T. for a creative firm myself, and all of our "rank and file" employees are on Macs unless they have specific jobs requiring a Windows machine (such as the folks in Finance or H.R.).
At this time, machines like the Macbook Air 13" are still great solutions for the people who are going to spend more time in web-based apps and Office than anyplace else, but also do some design work in Illustrator or Photoshop. We need a lot more people doing the sales pitches to clients and writing the text that someone is supposed to speak, or building custom content to be used from inside iOS or Android apps than we do people rendering 3D content and such.
We went to a Windows based rendering farm for the "serious" 3D animation work because that's where the best bang for the buck is. Just like the back end server room, Apple seems like they're uninterested in competing in that space as time goes on. But I think Apple wants to focus more on the mainstream users. It's disappointing if you fondly remember Apple as the "platform to be on" for anything artistic or creative. But times change.
Today the competition is just doing that. What's happening now I've seen before in the mid nineties. The only difference today is that Apple has billions on the bank. To know that, it's even more embarrassing.
Let me guess...most of those commenting on this interview haven't even read it. Perhaps MR should implement a system where comments are turned off for the first 30 minutes or so after an article goes up. Perhaps would prevent less knee jerk reaction. Quality discussion should be more important than number of posts.
As far as I could remember when it comes to Macs we don't go crazy with a new design. I like the way it looks now, maybe some little tweak on the design is fine. The most obvious one that Cook is trying to avoid to answer is the ones that matter in computing world. We need an updated processor, more RAM, better display, more ports, bigger battery, faster HDD. For awhile people got excited because these components got cheaper as the technology improves. Yet Apple is getting stingy and limiting their products to full potential. Obviously there's a reason behind which is monetizing every opportunity they can. But come on you don't have to cripple down the entry level macs. The same thing you did on the iPhone a freakin 16GB. You're putting too much of your resources on a new keyboard and trackpad. And that Ms. Cook is what we want in our computers.
I'm sorry, but Steve's Apple was a dictatorship. The proof is in the products, and the decline in "magic" since his departure.
Everyone at Steve's Apple did what they were told to do.
Apple is trying to implement vision, when their visionary is dead. It is plain to see.
Apple would have been fine with incremental improvements, I think.
It's when they tried to get creative without Steve, and try to reinvent the wheel, that the **** hit the fan.
And that is ALL on Timmy.
Samsung, and even Microsoft are the ones who are actually trying to do what Apple should have.
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What Jobs' concept of Apple was is not entirely a mystery. When I try to imagine Jobs saying "hey, portables are selling well right now, let's flush the entire history of the mac and everything it took to build it and apple and unite the PC & Mac worlds under Intel, and the dedication of our customers, all of it, right down the drain because once people use a 12" iPad they'll never have a use for anything else", there is just no way we're talking about SJ. Jobs may have been a hard one to pin down, but the idea of him walking away from his Mac after everything he and Apple put into it, and what it has yet to become moving forward, is unthinkable.
As much as I like Cook personally, I never thought the board should actually remove him, until now. If he inherits an immensely popular computer company with one of the most dedicated followings in the world, and then kills off that computer line and turns it into a general consumer products brand, he'll be personally responsible for suiciding the company and worse, what WAS the best OS in the world.
Might as well create a division for the Mac & OSX and sell that off, with the employees dedicated to it, to someone with a greater ounce of vision capable of recognizing its value into the future. Then make your billions selling trinkets to teenagers with disposable income to be the ever present brand of every marketing depts wet dreams.
I can already see many years into the future some MR users saying to their grandchildren:
"Lissen'here Billy, when I was younger I even did some tech critique for a reputable tech website. So If I say that holo pokemon crap is the future you listen to me goddammit!"
The moment you get used to the back button, the app switcher, the stylus, and all the customization, is the moment you will realize that there is no going back.
I think the reason that upgraded laptops haven't been released is for one simple reason: The iPad. Apple (for some inexplicable reason) wants everyone using an iPad now with its Barbie Doll operating system.
One thing's for certain, if the iPad didn't exist, we'd get more timely laptop upgrades.
One thing's for certain, if the iPad didn't exist, we'd get more timely laptop upgrades.
Maybe start letting people add new hardware to the BTO options when they get released could be a good start if Apple dont want to waste time on innovating with Macs anymore, at least their customers can upgrade when they want without having to feel like they are sitting on ancient hardware or pay out of the nose for something completely outdated. Tim is ruining the Apple brand the way they are running it now.
The moment you get used to the back button, the app switcher, the stylus, and all the customization, is the moment you will realize that there is no going back.
If this coming iPhone isn't "holy crap, that's amazing" I'm going to be carrying a Note 7 as my personal phone. Leaks and rumors are already telling me I should just switch now while the specials/sales are ripe.
But these world-changing devices are what Apple's own marketing has taught us to expect. Somehow lately they've fallen short.
I think the key think that always seems to be ignored is that the these consumer devices such as iPhone, iPad, Watch, would not of been so successful, and simply cannot succeed going forward, unless there is a quality software ecosystem to power them.
What do developers need to write this software on? Macs! Macs are an integral part in the success of pretty much every Apple product, their continued development is essential to the success of Apple. Developers of all kinds have flocked to the Mac over the last few years due to OS X and great computers such as the MBP, so much so that at pretty much every conference, the vast majority of users in the audience flaunt glowing apple's from the backs of their lappys.
The idea of programming on an iPad is ludicrous. Maybe it's OK for simplistic stuff, but without the power of Unix under the covers, support for multiple displays, proper multi-tasking, mouse support, an abundance of developer tools, it's never going to work for real development.
I sincerely hope that this unprecedented delay in the introduction of new macs is a sign that some big improvements are coming to the mac lineup, and not just some weak component delay excuses. If not, we could see more and more developers being tempted back to Windows or Linux purely because better computers exist for those platforms. We can already see this trend happening in the high end graphics, video, and other pro spaces. The lack of a new Mac Pro for nearly 3 years has seen many pros move back to Windows based workstations purely because they can get their work down faster on newer machines, even at the cost of leaving their beloved OS X behind.
What do developers need to write this software on? Macs! Macs are an integral part in the success of pretty much every Apple product, their continued development is essential to the success of Apple. Developers of all kinds have flocked to the Mac over the last few years due to OS X and great computers such as the MBP, so much so that at pretty much every conference, the vast majority of users in the audience flaunt glowing apple's from the backs of their lappys.
The idea of programming on an iPad is ludicrous. Maybe it's OK for simplistic stuff, but without the power of Unix under the covers, support for multiple displays, proper multi-tasking, mouse support, an abundance of developer tools, it's never going to work for real development.
I sincerely hope that this unprecedented delay in the introduction of new macs is a sign that some big improvements are coming to the mac lineup, and not just some weak component delay excuses. If not, we could see more and more developers being tempted back to Windows or Linux purely because better computers exist for those platforms. We can already see this trend happening in the high end graphics, video, and other pro spaces. The lack of a new Mac Pro for nearly 3 years has seen many pros move back to Windows based workstations purely because they can get their work down faster on newer machines, even at the cost of leaving their beloved OS X behind.
Interesting... I have been using Apple Maps almost exclusively in iOS 9 for both driving and walking directions. Quite excited by the advertised changes, I started using the PB and as far as the new Maps go, they still need a lot of work, both in design & functionality. I have been reporting the bugs/suggestions to Apple, but for now am using Waze for driving, which gives me a much smoother experience. I will be revisiting Maps with every new released beta, but imho t is not fit for the real use as yet.
Meh, the real problem is that the pace of innovation in the industry as a whole has slowed. That was already happening to the PC market (I'm on a 2012 RMBP and it's still blazing fast. An upgrade would be nice but is not 'required' by any stretch).
A similar thing is happening to smartphones. The software demands have basically plateaued - there isn't really a pressing need for more raw compute power, as current phones can handle all mainstream tasks without a stutter. Unlike desktop computing, more power "for the sake of it" (e.g. for scientific/developer applications) doesn't make sense, so the tweaks are happening in power-efficiency.
Hardware demands have also basically stagnated. As above, the need for ever more power isn't there. The iPhone's electronics are so thin that it has to sport an ugly camera bump. Screen sizes have been iterated and there's now a selection Apple and their customers are comfortable with. There isn't really a massive advancement (like Retina display) that they could integrate to really push the product forward. It's all minor stuff like waterproofing and bezel reduction; that's all that's left. (Apple Pencil support would be nice, though).
There are incremental improvements to make, though: iOS10 does more local indexing, so better multicore performance and perhaps some kind of optimised hardware mode (or co-processor) for background indexing would be beneficial to battery life. They could work on bringing the cost of higher-performing flash storage down; that would be benefit basically everything on the phone, including those indexing tasks.
So yeah, you're all wanting this revolutionary new iPhone, but there's nothing to do to it; it's already basically state-of-the-art. They've been working on improvements, and we'll see what those are very soon, but there is no mythical game-changing smartphone technology around the corner which Apple isn't already researching.
A similar thing is happening to smartphones. The software demands have basically plateaued - there isn't really a pressing need for more raw compute power, as current phones can handle all mainstream tasks without a stutter. Unlike desktop computing, more power "for the sake of it" (e.g. for scientific/developer applications) doesn't make sense, so the tweaks are happening in power-efficiency.
Hardware demands have also basically stagnated. As above, the need for ever more power isn't there. The iPhone's electronics are so thin that it has to sport an ugly camera bump. Screen sizes have been iterated and there's now a selection Apple and their customers are comfortable with. There isn't really a massive advancement (like Retina display) that they could integrate to really push the product forward. It's all minor stuff like waterproofing and bezel reduction; that's all that's left. (Apple Pencil support would be nice, though).
There are incremental improvements to make, though: iOS10 does more local indexing, so better multicore performance and perhaps some kind of optimised hardware mode (or co-processor) for background indexing would be beneficial to battery life. They could work on bringing the cost of higher-performing flash storage down; that would be benefit basically everything on the phone, including those indexing tasks.
So yeah, you're all wanting this revolutionary new iPhone, but there's nothing to do to it; it's already basically state-of-the-art. They've been working on improvements, and we'll see what those are very soon, but there is no mythical game-changing smartphone technology around the corner which Apple isn't already researching.
Hmm, that is an interesting observation regarding iOS.
I posit that Apple has been undergoing a "feminization" process ever since Timmy took over. The obsession with pink, with weight, with thinness, garish, pastel colors in the OSes, thin fonts, fashion accessories, the entire
Watch...Coincidence? Maybe.
The fact it's the only choice is the (only) thing that bothers me about it.
Too much Lifetime and not enough Spike.
Had the iPhone changed the world in 2007? Hell no. Research in Motion reported record Blackberry sales in 2009.
We now have a new product, the Apple Watch. Give it time to grow, let's not make the usual mistake to dismiss Apple stuff until all of a sudden it becomes ubiquitous.
Going back on MacRumors forums, to 2001 and even before, clearly shows this attitude never dies and no amount of contrarian evidence can change it.
i think all of you guys with your count down to doom clocks are being a bit ridiculous. You're saying that in a time period less than 447 days Apple needs to update the processor (assuming that's what you're referring to as a update) in their computers or they will loose millions of sales. How often do you buy a new computer? - because I'm fairly certain the average customer isn't buying a new computer every 447 days. You're also ignoring the fact that Intel had a crap processor in the middle of that time period. The only type of consumer this could possibly affect is someone doing high end graphics work - and I doubt even they are THAT affected. My 2011 iMac works like a charm for me and I have no need to update it - that's Apple's biggest problem. The bigger picture is, when Apple builds a computer it last a whole lot longer than a PC - and that's a good thing!!!!
Mac's are clearly being phased out. IMO we'll get 1 more gen of Mac's that then won't be updated again for years. This will aid the transition to an all iOS device product line. The writing has been on the wall with this for years.
1.Displays discontinued. (Who thinks they're going to keep selling computers without displays?)
2.No updates for Mac's
3.OS X/ MacOS locked down more like iOS - giving complete control over how the device is used.
4.Mac's no longer upgradable - hard to repair/disposable (so much for longevity)
5.Having only 1 OS is easier and cheaper to maintain
Apple is going to be a services/phone/solar power company. They will be profitable without Mac's and that's all Tim is really interested in.
Because the people designing watchbands would otherwise be working on computer hardware. Not (unless you believe that the holdup for new Macs is that Jony Ive's team hasn't finished the external design).
No ports will force the sale of dongles and/or cloud storage. No magsafe means more broken computers. More $ for TimInnovation innovation where is??? Rather than inventing something new they are removing the features that million of people use every day
Yet conversely and bizarrely, Apple's share price is rising. How does that work?
You do realize that share prices have almost nothing to do with Mac sales, right?
Apple should be ashamed of releasing iMacs about once per year as it has done for many years?
Apple should be ashamed of stretching the annual release cycle of MBPs and MBAs by a couple of months?
While the above contribute about 90% of all Mac sales.
Apple should have updated the Mac Mini also from Haswell to Broadwell so it could gain the battery life improvements the laptops got from that change?
The difference is that Steve was a marketing guy. He had good design aesthetics, and an innate sense of what people wanted.
Tim however, is a logistics guy. He hedged his bets on the Apple watch, a product he could call his own. While not a complete failure, it hasn't caught on with the masses. The reasons have been discussed ad naseum here. But resources that could have gone to shoring up other product lines were spent on the watch. Perhaps he's come to his senses, but now it's playing catch-up on so many fronts.
Tim however, is a logistics guy. He hedged his bets on the Apple watch, a product he could call his own. While not a complete failure, it hasn't caught on with the masses. The reasons have been discussed ad naseum here. But resources that could have gone to shoring up other product lines were spent on the watch. Perhaps he's come to his senses, but now it's playing catch-up on so many fronts.