Apple's Mac Sales Down in Q3 2018 Amid a Lack of Updates

[macsimcon]

I think it's more than a lack of updates. There are no parts available for the 2018 MacBook Pros, so any damaged units have to be completely replaced from the factory, which takes weeks.

You can't keep forcing people to buy features they don't want (no 17", TouchBar, inferior keyboard, huge trackpad, soldered memory, soldered storage, flimsy USB-C ports) while overcharging them for the privilege. Eventually, they're going to decide that a $4,000 throwaway computer is not a good investment. People might put up with that for an iPad (they shouldn't), but definitely not in a computer.

And Tim has nickel-and-dimed those same customers by forcing them to buy adapters, cables, and power cords, when many of those were previously unnecessary, or included with the purchase.

Perhaps the worst insult is the removal of older versions of macOS from the App Store. Even if you bought them, they're not available for download. Why would Apple do this? Well, if the only version still available in your account is Mojave, you'll need a newer Mac to run it.

Is Tim taking lessons from John Sculley?

Still, my 2017 MacBook Pro was the fastest computer I'd ever used...until I got a 2018 MacBook Pro, which was perceptibly faster. Nevertheless, our company leases them now, we no longer buy them because we don't expect them to last seven or eight years like the previous Macs we've bought.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Look at the numbers from everyone else. Everybody is down for the most part. It's not a lack of updates. It's a lack of consumer interest in desktop and laptop computers and it's been a trend for several years now. Mobile is the future and it's what most are buying into.

 

[sfwalter]

Am I the only one worried about no keynote in october?!

I wonder if they’ll do one of those things of inviting select set of journalist to a secret location to reveal the products. But then again the MacBook Air is probably going to be a big deal

 

[dannyyankou]

They need to make a touchscreen Mac with Apple Pencil support. I think they can hit a home run with one.

 

[Azygos85]

Good.

There is no excuse for the current line-up. It's a pile of crap.

Mac Mini hasn't been updated since 2014, and the 2014 version was weaker than the 2012 version.
iMac hasn't been updated in a while and doesn't have powerful graphics to power its 5K display and doesn't use the latest generation Intel chips.
The iMac Pro is $5000. Although it is fairly priced for what it is, it's obviously not going to move a lot of units.
The Mac Pro hasn't been updated since early 2014, and it's a literal trash can.

The MacBook Air hasn't been updated since 2014 and is woefully out of data.
The MacBook is an extremely underpowered machine that certainly is not worth the money. It's also got a terrible keyboard.
The MacBook Pro is alright, but it's very expensive and I don't like the keyboard.

So yeah, Apple deserves declining Mac sales. Give us something decent already, for ****s sake! We wanna use your OS but there is literally no useful hardware we can put it on. Come on!

I'm liking my new 2018 MBP 15". I thought I wouldn't see that much of a difference coming from a late 2013, but there is a big one.

 

[dgdosen]

The Touch Bar - or more precisely, the lack of options to buy an acceptable laptop without a Touch Bar affected my purchasing decisions...

 

[pier]

There is a major slowdown from the growth between 2007 and 2012 which can be easily explained:

1. Less attention to quality in mac software
2. Terrible hardware decisions (Trashcan mac pro, touchbar, butterfly keyboard, etc)
3. Lack of updates in many products (Mini, Mac Pro, Macbook Air)
4. Increase in price with no increase in value

IMO the only good line of Macs in the past years has been the iMac 5K.

 

[falainber]

Look at the numbers from everyone else. Everybody is down for the most part. It's not a lack of updates. It's a lack of consumer interest in desktop and laptop computers and it's been a trend for several years now. Mobile is the future and it's what most are buying into.

Nope. Market overall grew 0.1% (if I am reading the table correctly). All first tier vendors are up. Second (and lower) tier is a different story.

 

[[AUT] Thomas]

Well of course they will prefer cheaper. Particularly if it means they get the Function they need over the Form that they don't. Clearly you don't run your own business

I'd put it the other way round: You get unibody design from other vendors as well. And even in the smallest models they still have an USB-A, HDMI,... Apple went too far with their USB-C crazyness on so-called Pro devices. Especially when said devices don't even support Displayport MST over USB-C, rendering almost any multimonitor USB-C Dock useless. If you think that isn't bad enough: The limitation isn't with the hardware. Install Windows 10 on the machine and it will work. OSX is the bottle neck. That's the Apple of 2018. Software limitation... Also they brick DisplayLink every second update. OSX has become a PITA for multi-screen users...

That's why I can't consider any of their laptops "Pro" anymore. Lack of committment to the Mac and OSX.

 

[Tommy c]

I still like my 27inch 5K over any PC I've used. It's a nice all one solution. Yes, things happen, but it's part of owning electronics. Apple should update this stuff once a year like their iPhone and watch.

 

[iTuna]

Either they have some awesome updates coming or they really don't give a crap about the Mac anymore.

Or they're milking every penny out of what they have until they absolutely have to put in new chips.

 

[rembert]

Three reasons why I didn’t upgrade my 2015 MBP:

1. I do not want a touchbar. My laptop should be pro
2. I do want a pro grade keyboard. The last macbook with a pro keyboard is the one I own
3. I do want more ports, it’s a pro, remember?

I wouldn’t care about it being a bit thicker. I’d buy a MB or Air if that would matter. Instead I choose for a Pro and accept it being thicker and a bit heavier.

By the way, I won’t buy any of the current phones either. The formfactor of the SE is perfect. I’d buy the SE2 even for a more premium price. The SE is for me the only pro-grade phone Apple has, and they terminated it.

What the hell is Apple doing? Turning Apple into a very expensive fashionbrand? That won’t last. Do not chase away the professional users, again.

 

[Tommy c]

I'm hoping the new Air, will have same amount of ports.

 

[dilbert99]

I guess more businesses buy cheaper and uglier Windows 10 PC's lol

Got any sources for that?

Your logic is way off.

Apples market share is declining because of lack of new products combined with higher prices and product strategy of soldering in ram, ssd, gluing battery, removing slots etc all which makes your workflow or ownership that bit less palletable and repairs more expensive, your machine has planned obsolescence
[doublepost=1539210706][/doublepost]

I'm hoping the new Air, will have same amount of ports.

I’d be hoping it has some ports

 

[dirtylilhobo]

Mac sales down..? Well, no surprise since Apple intends to focus on iPhone, iPad, Watch and dumb emojis. Without regular Mac hardware updates and continual port removal, the interest, even by stout Apple Mac customers, will begin to erode. As it is, many desktop users are abandoning Apple to seek other, more reliable and innovative vendors. Soon enough, the Mac lineup will be just a memory...

 

[Tommy c]

Three reasons why I didn’t upgrade my 2015 MBP:

1. I do not want a touchbar. My laptop should be pro
2. I do want a pro grade keyboard. The last macbook with a pro keyboard is the one I own
3. I do want more ports, it’s a pro, remember?

I wouldn’t care about it being a bit thicker. I’d buy a MB or Air if that would matter. Instead I choose for a Pro and accept it being thicker and a bit heavier.

By the way, I won’t buy any of the current phones either. The formfactor of the SE is perfect. I’d buy the SE2 even for a more premium price. The SE is for me the only pro-grade phone Apple has, and they terminated it.

What the hell is Apple doing? Turning Apple into a very expensive fashionbrand? That won’t last. Do not chase away the professional users, again.

Got any sources for that?

Your logic is way off.

Apples market share is declining because of lack of new products combined with higher prices and product strategy of soldering in ram, ssd, gluing battery, removing slots etc all which makes your workflow or ownership that bit less palletable
[doublepost=1539210706][/doublepost]
I’d be hoping it has some ports

LOL, yea.

 

[falainber]

I still like my 27inch 5K over any PC I've used. It's a nice all one solution. Yes, things happen, but it's part of owning electronics. Apple should update this stuff once a year like their iPhone and watch.

I still do not understand the attractiveness of AIO design for desktop computers (especially for the high end).

 

[pier]

Am I the only one worried about no keynote in october?!

It sound less likely with every day that passes.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[Dozer_Zaibatsu]

Decent? Are you kidding me? The MacBook(pick any) is still better than all the other windows laptops. Case closed my friend.

You don't like the keyboard? That's your problem. I think it's the best keyboard out there, trying going back to the old keyboard is like cutting the bread into slices again.

I like the new Apple Keyboard butterfly switches. And I agree with Apple that touchscreens aren't all that.

I still ordered a Dell XPS for my laptop at work. I got more oomph for the price, even more resolution. And I'm not a huge fan of the touch screen, but I don't find the touchbar useful enough to bother. The Apple touchpad is good, but it's also too big to be cumbersome.

Also, the insistence that "Apple is better than Windows" is old dogma. I used all OSes all the time constantly. For the first time, I find Windows has aesthetic advantages over MacOS. Odd, I know. But it's a relief to me to use Windows 10 after trying to get around a Mac.

 

[pilgrim2812]

Give us an ultra thin MacBook Pro 17", real touchscreens, and give us a break on the dongles.

 

[Tommy c]

I still do not understand the attractiveness of AIO design for desktop computers (especially for the high end).

I'm not a high end user. I use it for photoshop and Lightroom. I love the screen and it's big enough for me to watch stuff on it and be happy. If I was to build this in a PC, It would be too expensive I would bet. How much is a 4k screen at 27"?

Maybe I don't need a k4 screen, but I like this all around. Ive been using a 21 inch iMac at work for 7 years and it's the only computer left not replaced. All other PCs crapped out.

I'm not a computer person that tinkers. Give me something nice and I'm good for a while.

 

[dilbert99]

They need to make a touchscreen Mac with Apple Pencil support. I think they can hit a home run with one.

We have a new touchscreen whiteboard pc at work which is just amazing. The kind of thing you would expect Apple would make.

 

[BeamWalker]

That not surprising when you look at the starting prices of Macs with halfway recent hardware in it.

 

[falainber]

Am I the only one worried about no keynote in october?!

Not if they release new models (you know, like most other vendors do - fewer events and more updates)

 

[dannyyankou]

We have a new touchscreen whiteboard pc at work which is just amazing. The kind of thing you would expect Apple would make.

You mean a smart board? My local schools have had those since 2008. The technology isn’t really new.