Phones are also a declining market: just like PCs, everybody who wants one already has one
Phones are starting to mature, yes, but there's a HUGE difference: they're displacing PC's; PC's aren't displacing phones. Also, there's still room for growth, especially as developing nations roll out 4G and grow their middle class. The question is, can Apple continue to innovate before the copycats commoditize it completely.
However, "fashion-driven" markets are also more fickle: tomorrow, some reality TV star could sign an endorsement contract with Xaomi or HTC, pose in a swimsuit with "their" phone and grab a huge chunk of iPhone sales.
There's a fashion element with phones, absolutely, but there's a stickiness due to the ecosystem... we're not talking going from Coach to Michael Kors. There are a LOT of older iPhones out there. iPhone 7 is a 3 year old design with the biggest new tech being a dual lens and it's selling well... imagine what a brand new design with even half the rumored features will do for sales.
The iPhone today seems to be about where the iPod was when the iPhone was launched - still selling well but with the writing large and clear on the wall for anybody paying attention. If Apple hadn't launched the iPhone when it did, someone else would have made a half-decent media player/phone and destroyed the iPod market a few years down the line.
iPod was about to be displaced by superior technology. Apple recognized that which is why they paused iPad development and focused on the phone. They even partnered with Motorola on the ROKR. However, I see nothing on the horizon that will displace the smartphone. If you know what that is, please share because I would invest in whatever that is in a heartbeat.
If you're coming from an 2008 MBP, my 2011 quad-i7 MBP could show it a clean pair of heels performance-wise and a 2014 rMBP will stomp it into the dust size- and power- wise.
I've also said I had 3 PC's (all laptops) in that timeframe. I also bought my wife a 13" MB Air less than 2 years ago. I also work for a Windows OEM so it's not like I haven't been around more modern laptops. I've seen nothing new that compares to the latest MBP.. the combination of design, speed, weight, battery life, screen, speakers, trackpad, Touch ID, 4 TB3 ports with ability to drive 2 5K monitors and yes, the keyboard makes the MBP best in class.
Problem is, c/f a 2014/2015 rMBP, the new model is barely faster, to the point that a slight difference in settings (e.g. the new default 'scaled' screen mode) can actually leave it slower... Odds are the graphics glitches already being reported are overheating issues.
Sounds like you're making a lot of assumptions. SSD speeds are off the charts. It's FAST! And it runs amazingly cool for such a thin machine. They clearly put heavy emphasis on thermal engineering. You don't have to take my word for it. You can read reviews and see videos of it in action online. Here's one that compares 2015 and 2016 MBP's:
http://appleinsider.com/articles/16...acbook-pro-with-touch-bar-vs-2015-macbook-pro
Woo-hoo you can run two 5k displays off it - but what is the performance of a thermally-limited ultra-mobile GPU going to be like with that many pixels to push?
Like I said, performance is great. Being able to connect two 5K monitors is awesome for editing music, 4k videos or even just basic productivity. I can do it all on ONE machine that weighs a mere 4 lbs and is whisper quiet most of the time.
...and, along with all of these compromises, they've racked up the price significantly.
I'm not happy about the higher price, but I don't see the new MBP as a compromise. All products make trade-offs. Apple, as usual, did a nice job of balancing, power, weight, battery, thermal and features. It's not for everyone (what product is?), but the new MBP will appeal to the vast majority of users... if they can afford it.
Have to say, that if i needed a new Mac tomorrow I'd probably either get the old model (which can drive a 4k/5k display if needed) or go with an iMac + MacBook Air combo.
Hey, whatever makes you happy... Different strokes for different folks. I'm extremely happy with my new MBP and expect to use it for another 5 years or so before iPad becomes my main computer.
