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Apple's Most Questionable Design Decisions in Recent Memory
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Uh, if you read my post you’d notice I did discuss design choices and alternatives.
Please do the same.
I’m not sure Apple aims the Pro lines to any particular profession, rather ruses it to differentiate products in the market place. The design choices they make, such as getting rid of 3.5 audio jacks, seem to reflect their worldview of one BT to rule it all.
Yea, I don’t like their choice of adding ports other then USB-C / TB ones, which are a lot more flexible.
I’m not sure they actually have a coherent design philosophy across product lines, they seem to jump from one set to another. I wonder if it because they don’t have an Ivey figure anymore? Like or hat his designs, at least their was one vision.
*sigh*
I love my 'trashcan" Mac Pro.
I didn't have any issues with it when I received it, and it worked like a mule without issues until 2019. I ran VMs, I did work, I code on it... I threw everything at it.
2019 I updated to High Sierra and started having glitches. A few updates later, it was mostly resolved. I have bought an iMac Pro in 2020 and have switch the majority of my work over since, but the Trashcan Mac Pro still works. I powered it on a couple times in 2021 just to update it and check on a few things.
I think I'm a "Pro" user, but not in the way that needed a lot of IO expandability. The trashcan Mac Pro was perfect for me. I needed Portability and yet still really powerful. With 8-cores at the time and 64GB RAM, it was easy to move around (when I need to clean it, clean my desk, my office space, etc.).
Not a big fan of the newer Mac Pro... that thing is HEAVY. Would have love Apple to offer both form-factors.
I love my 'trashcan" Mac Pro.
I didn't have any issues with it when I received it, and it worked like a mule without issues until 2019. I ran VMs, I did work, I code on it... I threw everything at it.
2019 I updated to High Sierra and started having glitches. A few updates later, it was mostly resolved. I have bought an iMac Pro in 2020 and have switch the majority of my work over since, but the Trashcan Mac Pro still works. I powered it on a couple times in 2021 just to update it and check on a few things.
I think I'm a "Pro" user, but not in the way that needed a lot of IO expandability. The trashcan Mac Pro was perfect for me. I needed Portability and yet still really powerful. With 8-cores at the time and 64GB RAM, it was easy to move around (when I need to clean it, clean my desk, my office space, etc.).
Not a big fan of the newer Mac Pro... that thing is HEAVY. Would have love Apple to offer both form-factors.
Magic Mouse charging is only a big deal until you realize that 5 minutes of charging will last the rest of the day. Plug it in and take a bathroom break. Then remember to charge it fully overnight, and it's good for a month.
I still love my trashcan. It's still the most beautiful object Apple has ever designed, and thanks to Intel's terrible progress over the last decade, is still a decent performer.
Too bad I can't upgrade to Monterey without finding buying an OEM Apple SSD off of eBay first.
not reading all the replies but the most major one not on the list is the damn rounded iphones.
they went right back to the flat sided (5s etc..) because rounded sides on a phone is a brutal choice.
they went right back to the flat sided (5s etc..) because rounded sides on a phone is a brutal choice.
Same, I love my trashcan Mac Pro for its portability (and unique design). I got a bag that some San Francisco-based company designed when I got it, and used to carry it when moving for a few months from time to time. I didn't need much storage (have a NAS for that), didn't need much GPU power, just needed a powerful CPU and a decent amount of RAM, which the Mac Pro provided. Still using mine daily as my main computer, but it is starting to show its age GPU-wise. Looking forward for the AS-based Mac Pro.
The current Mac Pro is too big and too pricey. I would love for Apple to have both a Mac Pro "Mini" and a Mac Pro. Not everyone needs the same amount of IO expandability, and I don't think the high-end Mac Mini is the best solution for people needing less expandability.
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For the Magic Mouse 2, a few users have said it, it isn't that problematic with real use, but when it is discharged at a critical/important moment you remember how bad that design is. Yes, you can charge it for a few minutes, but it will get discharged again soon enough to be annoying.
The original Apple Pencil was a bad design. What was Apple thinking in making it charge that way? Also, it has nowhere to attach to, so it gets lost so easily...
I have two. One charged, and one being used. When it gets low, I just swap out.
Oh the endcap! An invitation to get lost.
I lost two (or three, I do not recall it exactly) Apple Pencils before completely giving it up.
It’s funny, all the silly things people get worked up over on this forum. No sense of history, remember the completely circular mouse Steve Jobs made?
I liked the original remote on the earlier Apple TV models, but haven't really had any major problems with the Siri one.... other than the one and only time I've ever had to recharge it, as noted. And then it provided a good laugh.
We had half a dozen Mr. Fusion Mac Pros at work, and every one of them did a great job, as well as allowing us to replace older Mac Pros that used a lot more electricity. Unfortunately, Apple apparently never thought about upgrade paths, or even replacement models for far too long.
My memory of Macs extends back to the Cube, and well before. We had three of those (iirc), and on the one carrying the heaviest load, I replaced the CPU, the memory, and the graphics card. IMHO, a brilliant design.
We had half a dozen Mr. Fusion Mac Pros at work, and every one of them did a great job, as well as allowing us to replace older Mac Pros that used a lot more electricity. Unfortunately, Apple apparently never thought about upgrade paths, or even replacement models for far too long.
My memory of Macs extends back to the Cube, and well before. We had three of those (iirc), and on the one carrying the heaviest load, I replaced the CPU, the memory, and the graphics card. IMHO, a brilliant design.
Number 1 of all errors of judgement that Apple made is also the number 1 in the entire history of computers:
The Escape key on the Touch Bar. They could have marketed it as the Magic Key since it regularly makes hours of work disappear in a puff of bad design. Appalling.
The Escape key on the Touch Bar. They could have marketed it as the Magic Key since it regularly makes hours of work disappear in a puff of bad design. Appalling.
Couldn’t agree more. I have the 8 core, 64Gb and as you say ‘still a decent performer’ - and beautiful. I code and run heavy simulations and it handles everything. Even multi-hour runs are quiet and fuss free.
This year I do plan an AS Mac, Mac mini or Mac Pro for the extra power but I’m still likely to find a place for this old machine.
I would personally add the Magic Trackpad. It seems like a good idea, but if I use it for more than a few seconds it leaves my wrist in agony. It's an ergonomic disaster for me.
Here's my mandatory comment on this news. That nobody will read or care about, but still.
1) The mouse. I tried it and I didn't like it, so I don't care. But yeah, it's silly.
2) The remote. I never had an Apple TV either, but I can understand the complaints.
3) The Pencil. Am I the only one who noticed it comes with an adapter? My non official cover even has a slot for it.
4) The airpods sleeve. Again, I never had those. But I would definitively think there's something weird if I saw someone carrying that, and doesn't look protective at all.
5) The butterfly keyboard. My daily driver is a rare Cherry G80 with MX Clear switches. It sports a design almost unchanged since the 80s, so you can imagine what I think of THAT abomination.
6) The trashcan. Well, it is an interesting design... just not suited for a workstation. It could have worked as a "regular" Mac (as in non-Pro, non-Mini, non-i), but Apple doesn't make "regular" Macs since the 90s - ok, maybe the low end G5s may be considered as such.
BUT.
BUT.
BUT.
The MOST questionable design decision Apple ever, ever, EVER made isn't listed.
The one that a lot of people, me included, hate the MOST:
THE
FREAKIN'
NOTCH.
I refuse to upgrade from my 8+ until that THING is gone - or at least they redesign the UI so that the two horns are used only by status icons and nothing else.
And my feeling about the new MBPs are mixed. I don't find it so offensive, but still quite ugly, and they don't have a valid excuse for making it so large - it's a pure design decision. If nothing else, full screen apps do not extend around it, so it doesn't annoy you.
1) The mouse. I tried it and I didn't like it, so I don't care. But yeah, it's silly.
2) The remote. I never had an Apple TV either, but I can understand the complaints.
3) The Pencil. Am I the only one who noticed it comes with an adapter? My non official cover even has a slot for it.
4) The airpods sleeve. Again, I never had those. But I would definitively think there's something weird if I saw someone carrying that, and doesn't look protective at all.
5) The butterfly keyboard. My daily driver is a rare Cherry G80 with MX Clear switches. It sports a design almost unchanged since the 80s, so you can imagine what I think of THAT abomination.
6) The trashcan. Well, it is an interesting design... just not suited for a workstation. It could have worked as a "regular" Mac (as in non-Pro, non-Mini, non-i), but Apple doesn't make "regular" Macs since the 90s - ok, maybe the low end G5s may be considered as such.
BUT.
BUT.
BUT.
The MOST questionable design decision Apple ever, ever, EVER made isn't listed.
The one that a lot of people, me included, hate the MOST:
THE
FREAKIN'
NOTCH.
I refuse to upgrade from my 8+ until that THING is gone - or at least they redesign the UI so that the two horns are used only by status icons and nothing else.
And my feeling about the new MBPs are mixed. I don't find it so offensive, but still quite ugly, and they don't have a valid excuse for making it so large - it's a pure design decision. If nothing else, full screen apps do not extend around it, so it doesn't annoy you.
New Siri remote isn’t perfect , why on earth did they move the pause and mute buttons ?
I agree re the iMacs , fiddling about at the back , scratching away , trying to plug / unplug stuff is just very very annoying
Iphone - a bit wider would help with keyboard and typing
I agree re the iMacs , fiddling about at the back , scratching away , trying to plug / unplug stuff is just very very annoying
Iphone - a bit wider would help with keyboard and typing
Yup, I brought it up above somewhere. An infuriating piece of crap.
You're supposed to lay it on its face...
One of Apple's bad design choices is their obsession with keeping the front of desktops free of ports. While many items will stay plugged in, there are still things like drives, etc. that will get plugged in at various times, necessitating either an extension cable or fiddling with the back.
Apple should have licensed Graffiti and created a full screen input area. Once you learned Graffiti it was an intuitive and quick way to write on the Palm. Combine it with some gestures for return, etc. and it would have been perfect for finger input.
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I completely agree. It's like people forget that sleep is something that happens. It's not particularly difficult to plug it in before you leave for the day once a month.
Plus they included the adapter that would allow you to use a regular cord if you wanted.