Apple's Future? Lack of Awesome Updates

[iriejedi]

Just a weird though... Is Apple (and much computer/phone and other facets of the tech industry) at a precipice of financial distress?

As an Apple Fan boy since the earliest days with my Apple IIe and Macintosh 512k.... generally excited and rabid over each new product release.... can't tell you the number of models I've owned in the 90s and 2000s...gotta buy it as it is light years ahead of last years model. Donating $$$ annually - predictable cash flow for Apple....

But lately it seems nothing is 'exciting' anymore.

New phone... my old one is just fine...

New Macbook Pro... my 2013 Retnia is still outperforming even my new work Dell lap top....

My Mac Pro 2008 tower still has no issues with speed or usefulness.... (not everyone does 4K video edditting)

I'm just wondering if each new hardware release is really only a guaranteed revenue streams from the shrinking pool of people that need the latest and greatest... is Apple on the verge of a financial collapse with a larger and larger population of people not needing or buying the 'next release' and waiting 2, 3 or even 4 iterations between updates...

This thought is not just surrounding Apple, in general I was wondering if many tech things... have reached a stagnant phase where only tiny iterations are marketed as some amazing new thing... when in reality... little has changed.... will we see weaker and weaker launches.

What is behind the lack of AWESOME updates?

 

[thats all folks]

I thought, reading your thread title that this was about the fact that Apple keeps their customers in the dark even as the time between releases keeps getting longer and often include obsoleting/fracturing technologies. That is definitely hurting Apple as their professional customers grow weary of the lack of certainty and direction.

Most people have always waited several generations between upgrades. but there is only so much that a device needs to be able to do before it is just good enough. You mentioned the Mac 512K. as much as that machine was a marvel at the time it was still severely limited in it's capabilities. for the next many years (until about 2009/2012) every couple or few years brought real gains. now, those gains are both trailing off, but also less needed to have a usable machine. And even though the smartphone/tablet thing started much later, they have mostly reached that point as well.

I think moving forward, without knowing if it's really going to matter, people just wont get excited. what do we get now? thinner and lighter is great but it doesn't actually improve the computing experience, just how heavy my bag is. a bag that we still carried when computers were fat and heavy. A ten hour battery is nice, but do you really need more? I'll take it but I wont replace a machine just to get a 12 hour battery.

And then there is the internet. I have 120GB of music in iTunes and drives filled with movies and TV shows, but when I want to be entertained, Spotify and Netflix do a pretty good job. So many of the reasons to want a better computer is being replaced by better computers somewhere else while our devices are becoming terminals on the mainframe in the clouds.

Most everything else is about tweakers and gamers. but that's a small (if profitable) market, and one that Apple doesn't bank on. And lately, seems to despise as they continue to glue and solder down every piece of those machines.

typed on my 2012 MacBook Air while listening to music playing from my 2011 MacBook Pro while getting ready to go do some work on my (heavily upgraded) 2009 Mac Pro.

 

[maxsix]

But lately it seems nothing is 'exciting' anymore.

What is behind the lack of AWESOME updates?

The use of extreme marketing hype has been Apple's way of getting attention for years. Hype that has caused many people to have unrealistic expectations. All this nonsense and slogans like "It's Magical and Revolutionary" have driven Apple sales.

Now that Ringmaster Steve is dead and gone, the magic has died. Forced to compete without his showmanship, Apple is on its own.

 

[iriejedi]

Exactly my point. It seems to me we are reaching a massive saturation of 'good enough' - the nMP - yes a design innovation but functionally, compared to a 2012 MP tower, little different (despite the obvious lack of internal expansion). And just shy of 3 years since it was released w/o an update...

So, I am left to just keep wondering... what is the next big thing...what will make 'my stuff' not good enough...

 

[Rogifan]

What awesome updates did you get under Steve Jobs (and take off the RDF before you answer)?

 

[page404]

I think we all are spoiled the last few years. We have come so far with technology in a couple of years, that nothing surprises us anymore. Most electronics have become commodies too. Remember the first iPhones? Wow, that was something. Now everyvody owns one, even kids in primary school. Apparently we need a new, awesome, extremely expensive product to be awed again and make other people green with envy

 

[iriejedi]

What awesome updates did you get under Steve Jobs (and take off the RDF before you answer)?

This was more a exaggerated generalization on the lack of need to spend money with Apple and other device makers over the past few years. (wife is happy about that)

It was referencing Year over year performance improvements across all major components, memory, CPU, video etc... things that appealed to the "Y" chromosome that said horsepower and Geekbench scores that made you wonder how you survived with last years system....

G3, G5, all the intel upgrades... buying new was never even a question, it was a must... but circa 2008-2010 it cam to a grinding halt. Now it seems the industry as a whole has hit a wall... improvements are connectors (i.e USB-C) and gadgets.. my ceiling fan has had a remote long before blue tooth was invented... yay I can use my phone now... yawn

I'm just wondering what is the next big thing that will make many look at their current systems like an ex girl friend and have themselves say WTF was I thinking....

 

[Tech198]

Updates will still be 'Awesome''... just less (hope this word isn't catching)

 

[thats all folks]

What awesome updates did you get under Steve Jobs (and take off the RDF before you answer)?

nah, he didn't do nuthin.

iPod, iPhone, iMac, OS X, Apple Stores, and hundreds of other little things along with the intangibles like rigor and a coherent, focused vision. there were certainly negatives but for around 16 years Apple was one of the best run companies, ever.

 

[richinaus]

doesn't help that CPU speeds haven't increased much.
Also do people honestly expect amazing life changing devices each year. The iPhone was massive and the iPad an iteration of it - I doubt we will see another development like this for a while.
I do get a little tired of the expectation people put on Apple now and the negativity I read in the press. No other tech company has come out with any amazing innovation so why should Apple? I am sure they are working away on some amazing products but these things take time to develop and will be released when ready.

The macbook is the nicest designed laptop out there and I have no doubts at all that the new pros will be too with reasonable CPU and graphics upgrades, and new ports.
The iMac is still a beautiful computer and is fast.
I like my Apple watch and is one of my favourite designed products I own [and I own a few]
iPad pro - great pencil interface, IOS needs work and so do the apps [on the 13"]. I can't stand the keyboard flip flopping everywhere though - the single worst Apple product I have used in a long time.

For me everything is fine overall and they still have a giant lead on every other company and will still take quite an effort to beat them.
Yes the Dell XPS is a very nice computer and others have some nice product but nothing earth shattering innovative.

I can't wait for the 'Awesome' updates I am sure they will be great, productive and work as advertised.

 

[monstruo]

I guess we are at the state of technology maturity where most of updates are mere increments.
How long more before the big leap — what exactly is the big leap? Who knows but one thing is for sure: Tim's apple ain't gonna whoa us anymore!

 

[loby]

I guess we are at the state of technology maturity where most of updates are mere increments.
How long more before the big leap — what exactly is the big leap? Who knows but one thing is for sure: Tim's apple ain't gonna whoa us anymore!

Sad, but probably true.

 

[maflynn]

I guess we are at the state of technology maturity where most of updates are mere increments.

To a degree that's is the issue, but I will say Apple has dragged their feet on new designs.

On the phone, we don't have wireless charging, or fast charging, while the 7 may be water proof, its a setup that Samsung has employed for a little hile

On the Mac side of the fence, updates are much more stagnant. While the competition rolled out Skylake equipped computers, Apple continues to sell Haswell based MBPs for 2,000 dollars. While the state of the desktop/laptop sector is much more mature then the cell phone, Apple has opted not to include features that other makers are.

 

[sunapple]

I really think that looking at Apple right now is a bad example since it has been so long since updates. It's the day of seeing what the future of the iPhone and Watch are about and later this year / next year the Mac might get a whole new lineup. Right now everything is just... outdated.