Apple's Notebook Sales Drop to Estimated 2.5M as Buyers Await New MacBook Pro

[ignatius345]

I would also say as Apple has given it's computers a 5 year life span now, as after this they drop all support for them, then why would anyone want to buy them?

Eh, progress happens. I've owned Mac laptops since the Powerbook days when they were much more upgradable -- and frankly I've never had one for 5 years. Software gets more demanding, driving hardware to get faster. Retina displays, multitouch trackpads, better graphics and faster wireless connections.

Also, given that Macs retain their resale value so well, you can usually upgrade fairly cheaply if you take care of it.

 

[Queen6]

Apple's reaction to their computer customer's complaints and requests:

Absolutely Right On Swear if I watch another Keynote with nothing more tangible than hubris & hyperbole about watch straps & pink notebooks, I shall have a fit

Q-6

 

[tampageek]

Very little has happened to the Mac lineup in the last few years, neither hardware nor software (iWork and iLife).

[doublepost=1462987354][/doublepost]Actually, a lot has happened. Apple changed their business model. Back in the day -before they started gluing everything down and dumbing down the OS, you paid more but you got something valuable in return, i.e. a solid machine that you knew would last for years. You could also upgrade or do simple repair (like HD replacement) yourself, and you got a reliable OS that just 'worked.' To top if off, you got outstanding customer service, and it was actually kind of nice to visit an Apple store where you could buy an upgraded Mac right off the shelf.

What's left of that business model?

No more in-store maxed out machines - unless you buy online
Can't upgrade ram or hard drive
Customer service can be hit or miss
Very buggy OS that's more walled-off than ever

Why pay top dollar for a machine that designed to NOT LAST because it's not serviceable?

IMHO Apple got greedy and thought the iSheep would follow no matter what. They were wrong.[/QUOTE]

 

[norae]

I wish Apple bumped up battery life with the Retina Pro's, made it thinner, updated the camera, and of course, dropped the Macbook's price point so it wouldn't be so close the Pro's. Then I'd upgrade without a doubt. I feel like the Air is no longer in demand, due to the size of the new Macbooks - Apple should consider discontinuing them. Oh and I wish that they'd run OS X El Capitan on the iPad Pro's. Although that would take sales away from Macbook's, but if you're spending $600-1000 on an iPad Pro with all of it's accessories - it would feel money well spent rather than it being, just a iPad.

 

[skinned66]

I'd be happy to buy a new MacBook Pro with latest in tech, great graphics chip and more....but apple isn't making one.

This is a real problem, I'm not alone in thinking Windows 10 is a viable alternative.

You certainly aren't; the thing is once my Macs are past their usability time frame and I go with something else because there's nothing Apple makes worth replacing them with I'll be a whole lot less beholden to iOS.

 

[ThisBougieLife]

Absolutely Right On Swear if I watch another Keynote with nothing more tangible than hubris & hyperbole about watch straps & pink notebooks, I shall have a fit

Q-6

I've always been a bit of a "fanboy" for Apple, but the day pink computers became "innovation" sort of lost me.

I almost sort of feel like Apple has one last chance with this June event in regard to the MBP...

 

[Zirel]

It seems you are living in a silo, because if you've seen what the competitors offer, its quite apparent that Apple laptops are nothing special.

This is 2016, competitors have got ahead of Apple laptops - better value for money. Apple have fallen behind - read through the posts, a lot of people feel this way. We will see what Apple release in WWDC. I hope the refreshes are *Good*.

Firstly, Keyboard - Your really trying to say the Apple laptop keyboard is Premium? Really - what is Premium about the Apple laptop keyboard? You answer me that, thanks.

Battery life - is nothing special.. a lot competitors offer the same.
Software - we are talking hardware, not software. ( OSX is good , as is Windows 10 )
Build Quality - Good better than others.

Connectivity is nothing special.. go look at the competitors, they also offer *exactly* the same connectivity as Apple. Bluetooth 4, TB, USB3 - these are no big deal in 2016. Some competitors offer USB3.1 in their latest and greatest .

What does it matter about Build Quality if the components of the machine are nothing special? Your wrapping a pig in nice clothes! Lipstick on a pig.

So Build quality and SSD maybe better than average.. still, doesn't justify higher prices. Macbook Pro is not a premium product vs what else is out there. Sure, you'll think otherwise.

You buy your over priced "Premium Product" Macbook Pro 2015 - I'm certainly not. If Apple can't can't provide Good Value For Money, there are better products out there.

Yeah, yeah, BS. If anyone wants to buy a good laptop, that person ends up buying a Mac...

You might see better things in other laptop tops, the complete package, Apple wins easily.

Which LAPTOP is better than a MBP, then?

 

[jozero]

The lack of updates, and the lack of any upgradeability, is a self fulfilling cycle. If you follow this stuff you simply can't buy a mid-cycle or late cycle Mac. They get updated so insanely infrequently you have to time the purchase when a refresh finally comes around to get maximum benefit.

Why ? Why not just get any machine and use it for work ? Because the ports / storage / memory / graphic cards get insanely out of date. For example if you want an all retina set up and push a 5K monitor correctly what machine are you supposed to buy ? Sure 4 or 5K monitors weren't a thing when the pros first came out years ago, but how about now. SSD storage in the current pros is a joke, but you can't easily update it. Lets not even mention the graphic cards.

This locked down tight machines and all the elegance it brought made sense when the machines were upgraded every 2 years. Now with 3 to 4 year gaps in between you get royally screwed mid to late cycle. You miss other changes in tech - greater storage amounts, external monitor changes, etc.

 

[BeSweeet]

No. Space Black color like the apple watch.

That would be even better. The space black milanese loop is simplistically stunning.

 

[linuxcooldude]

I would also say as Apple has given it's computers a 5 year life span now, as after this they drop all support for them, then why would anyone want to buy them?

Going on 7 years for most of my Mac computers and still supported pretty well so far.

You buy your over priced "Premium Product" Macbook Pro 2015 - I'm certainly not. If Apple can't can't provide Good Value For Money, there are better products out there.

Value has more to do with than just price. Support, longevity ( Most my Macs are 7 years old and still going strong ) Hardware/software integration...stability, no doubt to UNIX standards...build quality. None of my Macs have crashed except once.

 

[Muscle Master]

Hope the next generation will be faster and cheaper other wise my credit card is going towards Hawaii instead

 

[Zirel]

Apple's reaction to their computer customer's complaints and requests:

*MacRumors

 

[rocketz]

The Mac OS X ought not be a part time hobby for Apple, they need to have proper and ongoing product development with new models and updates across the product lines for each model at no less than 1x a year.
Nuts

Yeah. I'm beginning to wish for Apple to spin off OS X and the Mac into a separate company! It's a solid business as is, but imagine what a dedicated and focused team could do.

 

[Queen6]

I've always been a bit of a "fanboy" for Apple, but the day pink computers became "innovation" sort of lost me.

I almost sort of feel like Apple has one last chance with this June event in regard to the MBP...

Am right there with you, come WWDC if Apple fails to impress, others certainly do. Computers for me are a key component of my revenue stream, not a fashion accessory.

Q-6

 

[niun]

I'd be interested if they released a new Macbook Air although I don't think this is ever going to happen.
IMO it was criminal of Apple to shelve this and bring out the Macbook. Why adding an updated processor and retina screen to the Air was not an option I guess we'll never know but that was the best laptop I ever used. The size, power, weight. Perfect.

So my fear now is that they apply the Macbook style to the MacBook Pro. Thin it down, add that hideous keyboard and speed bump them just enough to rack up the price and retain the name, "Pro". Oh and make it Rose Gold.

It's honestly getting to the point - as others have pointed out - where I'm wondering if Apple see their laptops as actual useful machines or how they complement the iPhone in marketing material.

I wonder what this will do to the tanking share price?

 

[El Hikaru]

I have been disappointed since 2014 Mac Mini, and did not spend much on Apple product. I would buy right away a 15 inch MacBook Pro with Polaris 11 at around $2,000 and Skylake quad core CPU.

 

[ls1dreams]

I'm personally holding out until the kaby lake model.

Why? HEVC hardware decoding + optane memory.

Seems like that will be a much bigger jump than this tiny incremental update.

 

[Fancuku]

What is premium about a Macbook Pro in 2016?

CPU - Nope
GPU - Nope
Display - Nope
Keyboard - Nope
Connectivity ( Thunderbolt, USB, BT, WIFI ) - Nope
SSD - Yes, good quality.

CPU - Definitely yes even by today's standard. Apple uses high end quad i7. The 2.8ghz one is the highest scoring mobile i7 ever I believe.
GPU - Pretty pathetic for what you pay
Display - Display is still good
Connectivity - meh
SSD - on the 2015 model it's definitely good

 

[Stella]

Yeah, yeah, BS. If anyone wants to buy a good laptop, that person ends up buying a Mac...

You might see better things in other laptop tops, the complete package, Apple wins easily.

Which LAPTOP is better than a MBP, then?

Blind "Apple wins easily" is not a great argument - no justification of why that may be.

Even if I did suggest I few laptops, you'd come up with empty statements equal to "Apple Wins".. so I don't see any point.

However, you yourself go look at competition yourself... and compare, especially on $ per $ basis.

You'll soon see that other PC manufacturers have an edge on Apple - just better value. Often better GPU ( Nvidia 960M processors in some cases ), equally good connectivity - if not better - with USB3.1 / TB3 support, equally good keyboards, great displays - equal to Apple Retina ( retina is 2880×1800 on a 15" screen ) . You do realize PC laptops have retina quality displays, right?

OSX vs Windows 10 - that is very subjective.

Have a great day. Enjoy your Premium Macbook Pro 2015 - Apple's latest and greatest.

End note:
I really want Apple to refresh with good, competitive machines, but the way they've been treating their computer lines in the last few years, there is more discouragement than encouragement.

 

[ThisBougieLife]

^Apple does make the world's greatest trackpads, at least. It's 2016 and I've come across some brand new PC laptops that still have "jumpy" trackpads that hardly even work. Apple always had the competition beat there. They also use excellent displays, though comparable displays can be found in some PC laptops.

But as much as I've always liked the MBP, it's always been overpriced for what you get a (an upgrade from 8 GB to 16 GB memory is not worth $200, not to mention the piss-poor cooling MacBooks have had for a while now).

 

[Fancuku]

^Apple does make the world's greatest trackpads, at least. It's 2016 and I've come across some brand new PC laptops that still have "jumpy" trackpads that hardly even work. Apple always had the competition beat there.

I don't think anyone can deny that. The trackpad was a major selling point for me when I bought my first MBP a year ago.

 

[RiverOak]

However, you yourself go look at competition yourself... and compare, especially on $ per $ basis. You'll soon see that other PC manufacturers have an edge on Apple - just better value. Often better GPU ( Nvidia 960M processors in some cases ), equally good connectivity - if not better - with USB3.1 / TB3 support, equally good keyboards.

Going purely by specs I'm sure there are laptops out there who offer better value. There usually are.
But I think many of us value the user experience we get with macs a lot too. This is of course subjective and cannot be measured in teraflops or gigabytes. Lots of people are happy with their Windows machines and that's great, I know that I would never be and that Macs provide me with a better experience. I'm more than willing to pay extra for that.

 

[TechZeke]

Everyone saying that the pricing right now is too high for what is being marketed are spot on. I have been waiting for a substantial update to the 15" Macbook Pro Retina line, but nada. It's sad seeing Apple decline like this. I really hope they have something up their sleeves.

Meanwhile my Surface Pro 4 tablet is great, but really hoping Apple gets their **** together.

Enjoying the SP4 as well. Excellent product so far. Hoping for a proper rMBP refresh, as the current state of the Mac line is rather pathetic. I can't even recommend buying a Mac right now to anyone.

Yeah. I'm beginning to wish for Apple to spin off OS X and the Mac into a separate company! It's a solid business as is, but imagine what a dedicated and focused team could do.

The Mac branch splitting off from Apple like VAIO and Sony is an interesting scenario.

Yes. Personally I think TimCo have dipped their collective fingers in too many projects to the point where all the existing products suffer and who knows what's going on in the lab. We keep hearing (for years it seems) about Apple's rich product pipeline but those new, exciting, insanely great products never make an appearance. WWDC 16 is the time if Apple is going to make a showing. So here is to hoping the 2 hour keynote doesn't consist solely of vignettes about back end features no developer will adopt for years. WWDC needs some flash and pop to reignite the brand's excitement.

Tim Cook said himself that he has to keep from taking on too many projects. This might be exactly what has happened. Taking on too many projects wouldn't be a hard thing to accidently do when you have nearly infinite cash and the best engineers on the planet. Unfortunately, there is a finite number of engineers.

 

[sracer]

I keep waffling back and forth (honestly) whether or not my next computer will be a Mac (latop or iMac) vs going back to a PC. I love my MacBook Pro and iMac - but really the only software I use that is Mac exclusive is Final Cut/Motion. I also use Aperture - but that eventually will lose it's shimmer given it's now defunct. Bang for the buck though is what makes me waver. On the flip side - time/energy migrating everything over to a PC doesn't excite me...

Wow.

I've owned Windows 8.x and Windows 10 notebooks alongside OSX devices. My experiences with Windows 8.x and 10 have resulted in my concluding that if OSX ever ceases to be a viable option for me, I'll go Linux before Windows. I'm not going to engage in an OS-fan fuel flamewar, my reasons are just those... mine.

Hopefully Apple will improve the OSX-equipped product lines so that it won't be a concern.

 

[samcraig]

Wow.

I've owned Windows 8.x and Windows 10 notebooks alongside OSX devices. My experiences with Windows 8.x and 10 have resulted in my concluding that if OSX ever ceases to be a viable option for me, I'll go Linux before Windows. I'm not going to engage in an OS-fan fuel flamewar, my reasons are just those... mine.

Hopefully Apple will improve the OSX-equipped product lines so that it won't be a concern.

No war (from me anyway). It's not that I don't like MacOS or the equipment. I do. I am just not "tied" to it as much as I used to be.