Is it just me or is there more hype for the Mac October event than the iPhone event??

[MauiPa]

I bought a MacBookPro16,1 last year(?), and it's been a rather disappointing thing in my life. Lagging, stalling, and downright seizures. Typing along, and the system is still on the word I typed over a minute ago. I haven't opened a case because others inflicted with the same diseases say all Apple does is want to swap it, and/or then deny there is a problem. It was an unexpected purchase due to me waiting until my butterfly keyboard got 'bad enough', and was outside their generous repair/replacement time. It generally works well, but goes through fits of obstinate behavior and sullen mood... Not impressed, disappointed actually, but at least the keyboard works. Small victory there... It does *seem* better with the new update, but I haven't been using it as much either.

This is my fix routine when something is quirky and unexplained (you can actually get incompatible OS files from time to time, and sometimes you download some software that is, ummmmm, suspect, so:

1) reset SMC, VRAM, PRAM. all you've got
2) backup - with iCloud, google and one drive this is easy.
3) clean install

I am on developer beta so I am updating with betas a lot, I do this with every major update. Last time I did not, I got a publicized safari quitting problem. the procedure above fixed it straightaway.

 

[scott911]

I have people, who were PC users forever, switching to the macbook pro 14" when it comes out.

These people - if they want a better than 1K screen for HP (elitebook) are forced to upgrade all the way to a 4K screen for about US$4000. For some reason, HP dropped the sweet spot 2K screen, and is loosing people to whom the display is a key decision point.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

I am most interested in the Mac mini with an affordable Apple monitor (32’ please, with 120Hz)… one can dream.

Love my Mini, and I have an LG monitor that looks just as good as the screen in my IMP. Same size, and I'm hard pressed to see much of a difference in image quality. A 32 foot monitor might be expensive, but... I haven't priced larger monitors, but I'm sure they are likely a lot more affordable. Probably not more available, sadly...

 

[scott911]

This is my fix routine when something is quirky and unexplained (you can actually get incompatible OS files from time to time, and sometimes you download some software that is, ummmmm, suspect, so:

1) reset SMC, VRAM, PRAM. all you've got
2) backup - with iCloud, google and one drive this is easy.
3) clean install

I am on developer beta so I am updating with betas a lot, I do this with every major update. Last time I did not, I got a publicized safari quitting problem. the procedure above fixed it straightaway.

Hi! Can you link to a resource that talks about the reset of SMC, Vram, Pram? I'm mostly PC, but coming over - and don't know about those items.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Hi! Can you link to a resource that talks about the reset of SMC, Vram, Pram? I'm mostly PC, but coming over - and don't know about those items.

This is what I just did, hoping it fixes my issues...

 

[fuchsdh]

I was referring to the event in Oct 2016, introducing the new design of the MBP.

The irony is that according to the rumors, this upcoming event will do away with all of the bad design decisions that was introduced at the hello again event.

I'm kind of with John Siracusa on not believing the rumors at this point, because it seems extremely unlike Apple to 100% walk back all their design choices, especially years after the fact. Too good to be true and all that. Next you'll be telling me they've brought back upgradable RAM!

As for me, while I love all new shiny tech I'll still always get more done with my personal computer than my phone or tablet, so I'll always be more interested in the Mac side of things. Everyone's taste of the Apple Silicon life being whetted with the impressive M1 and the expected redesigns of Apple's long-in-the-tooth products like MacBook Pros and iMacs undoubtably also factors into things.

 

[zachattack97]

I've been waiting for a design and new screen since 2016!!

 

[lederermc]

I believe the power in most smartphones is so far beyond what is needed for what the phones are being used for that a faster phone is not really a thing people are looking for or can get excited about. I usually upgrade for a better camera and I don't see a big reason to upgrade IPh12p to 13p. Sure the camera is better but it's not a big upgrade. However, what we use the laptops for is different, thus when a faster CPU or faster SSD or more memory comes out then it is a big deal. I will most likely be upgrading my MBP13" this year.

 

[senohpoxas88]

Definitely more excited for the Mac event for the plain reason of how long it's been since I've updated my computer. I'm very overdue

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Don't understand the focus of so many on iPhones, when this is the MACrumors site, not an APPLErumors or iPhone rumors site.

The math is simple. iPhone is a much bigger product than Mac with a far larger user base. iPad (an iPhone derivative) pulls in about the same revenue for Apple as Mac. Apple's ecosystem encompasses all these products.

So, a media website that began in 2000, pre-dating the introduction of iPhone by 7 years prefers to stick to its original name and identity rather than re-brand? Imagine that! (You could ask the folks who run 9to5 Mac the same question.) Is there any question as to why a media business would want to pull in an audience interested in any and all things Apple, rather than focus on just one part of Apple's product line? You may as well insist that the New York Times report only New York City news.

This thread has mostly drawn comments from people who are Mac-focused. There's nothing wrong with being Mac-focused, but get real, people. Year in and year out I read "Mac doesn't get enough love from Apple" threads. Many expect that, despite financial results that argue loudly that Mac does not rule Apple's world, Apple should devote more love to Mac than Apple's other products. In essence, they're arguing that Apple love its first child more than its younger children. Some even go so far as to say Apple should stick solely to Mac, to become a small, niche computer company again. Yep, Mac users would certainly have more influence, but it would go down as the dumbest move in the history of business.

Would an Apple that made only Macs have the financial resources to develop its own silicon? Would you all be huddled around waiting to learn the marvels of the M1X if there had not been a long series of A-series processors to pave the way?

Back when Apple was founded, Steve Jobs was inspired by the notion of putting the power of computers into every hand. The personal computing revolution began by taking computers out of the computer room and moving it onto desktops, but there were natural limits on how many desktop and laptop computers could be deployed. It could never be one or more PCs for every person. For Steve, iPhone and iPad were a natural progression of his dream - a way to literally put the power of a computer into every person's hand. Why not embrace that?

We'll always need different tools for different tasks. Hell, I'm writing this on a Mac. But get some perspective. Computing has evolved. You may as well wish for a return to the Mainframe Era.

 

[Bodhitree]

Not excited, saying goodbye to EGPU, saying goodbye to Bootcamp and Windows on a Mac. Lost internal upgrading a couple of years ago. At least Apple could have figured out how to add a SSD stick. Microsoft Xbox series X at least has this as an option. The only way Apple will win me back if they get smart and build a Mac mini tower or Mini Mac tower that has some upgrading of the product.

I am not going to spend $3000 every three years on a product that should last at least six years. The longevity is way too low now vs cost on the Apple products now. I can buy a Chromebook for $650 and has linux on it with a Intel 11 gen i5 processor.

I have been buying computers since 1995, and I’ve only once made an upgrade that noticeably extended the life of a machine (swapped a spinning HD out for an SSD). Just saying…

 

[Roadster Lewis]

I already bought an iPhone earlier in the year. I was ready to buy a MBP when the M1 came out but didn't as it was obviously a "consumer-grade" laptop, rather than a workstation. I didn't expect that the workstation would take this long to be released, so damn right I am excited about the event on Monday!

 

[whitby]

I have been a Mac user for only around 20 years, started with C/PM, MS DOS and Windows I am afraid. However now that I have fully adopted the Apple eco system, I am a committed Apple user and am quite excited about the 18 October event. I have some hopes and fears.

My 2019 16” MBPro with i9 processor and 4TB SSD is a power house but is both heavy, hot and eats battery power to the point where I use my M1 MBA most of the time. With the MBA I have no battery anxiety. I look forward to a new machine which is as fast, but consumes less battery power and thus lasts a lot longer without being tethered. However I worry that they will also move to a proprietray magsafe type connector and that the ubiquitous USB C power connection will be lost. I sprinkle my house with charging bricks with USB C cables attached which I can use to charge my MacBooks, iPad, cameras (Canon, Sony and Fuji cameras) and others devices that use the USB C connector. If they move to a new connector I will have to have a unique charger cable combination which will be a real pain. I will also miss the Touch Bar. Unlike some people who have a passionate hatred of this (I am not sure why) I have had ”I will give it a try” approach and have come to find it useful, such that its omission on the M1 MBA is a pain and constant irriration. But I suppose I will get used to it when, and if, they remove it. The demand for an SD reader is again a mixed blessing as cameras start moving to CFExpress cards and my Prodata reader is wicked fast for reading both CFExpress and SD cards, so I do not miss the SD card slot at all. So all in all there are pros and cons to rumored machine design. For: I am looking forward to a 16” fast, light and longer lasting machine. Against: I have mixed feelings about the projected Touch Bar removal, new MagSafe type connector and SD card slot.

 

[Roadster Lewis]

I agree, I'd rather have another USB-C connector than an SD card reader. I usually just plug my Fuji camera into my computer, that way I can download files AND charge it up at the same time.

 

[dumastudetto]

More people are excited for the M1X macs than the iPhones and I am one of them. I fully get the the M1X Mac is just way more interesting than an iPhone.

I won't be buying them anytime soon but I am VERY interested in the M1X as a tech nerd.
Anyone else feel the same??

Can't wait for next week!!

There's a lot of hype and excitement within the limited number of people still interested in Macs. People get way more pumped and excited for iPhone events.... even iPads events too.

We have to remember iPhones and iPads have replaced traditional desktops and laptops for most people now.

 

[DaftMonk]

Hyped????!!!! No WAY am I hyped. I am CALM. ABSOLUTELY CALM.

 

[Oatmaster]

Personally I am more hyped for the MBPs than the phones. I mean I just wait a few years for a new phone, Had a 6s and then went to a 11 max pro. All that I care about is the camera and 11 pro Max is still good, no reason to up date right now. I won't upgrade until my phone dies.

Computers on the other hand, I am in desperate need for a new computer. Mid 2012 15in MBPr here, and for the last 3 years I have wanted to upgrade but I could not get over the design of the current MBPs. I just made due waiting for a computer truly worthy of dropping money on. 9 years using my computer, that's good value! But in the last year it is really showing its age.

So many things keeping me from a new MBP over the years. The butterfly keyboard problems kept me away. The touch bar kept me away as I worried that it would be a point of failure for the computer that would be difficult to fix in the future. If I want a computer that will last at least 6 or 7 years I want as few points of failure as possible. The lack of mag safe, as a perpetual klutz I love mag safe for saving me many times. Having to have dongles with you to use the computer with HDMI and flash drives was a huge negative, because I am very forgetful and need ports. In my major we shared files and did presentations a lot so it was a hassle to share with other students who had the new MBPs because they had to remember to care a bag of dongles with them so we could use flash drives. The continued heating issues that plague the 2019 MBPs, and pretty much any MBP. Even though I want a new computer for the computing power, I also want it to be a hardware upgrade too. I'm tired of sounding like my computer is taking off into space every time I open Photoshop.

So yeah I'm hyped for these new computers. Regardless if they have everything on my wish list I'll be buying one, at this point I need an upgrade before my computer goes kaput. The new M1 chips are a big change that has me excited to buy a new MBP.

 

[ondert]

I'm too actually do care more about iMacs and MacBooks and get excited more for Mac line-up focused events. Actually, I'm not even sure if I would use an iPhone without a Mac.

 

[hybrid_x]

I have a 2017 MacBook Pro 13" with the TouchBar, and it's an amazing piece of technology that nobody asked for, and few people use. As I'm (touch)typing this, I'm glancing down and noticing that auto-complete words are flying by on the TouchBar. Never once have I used that. Actual useful controls like LaunchPad are hidden and require a second tap to access them. Developers haven't really embraced it either, offering no real solid use cases to use the TouchBar over other modes of input.

The amount of engineering resources they wasted on that stupid little strip is astounding. And I hate how it displaced the [esc] key.

I would have ordered a non-TouchBar machine, but needed the better specs, and really wanted Touch ID, and that only came with the TouchBar.

I've got half a dozen dongles and docks and will be very pleased if I can get rid of at least one or two of them. Come on, Apple… as great as USB-C is, a lot of us still have a ton of legacy USB-A devices, and we still use Ethernet and HDMI on a regular basis.

 

[deconstruct60]

I'm kind of with John Siracusa on not believing the rumors at this point, because it seems extremely unlike Apple to 100% walk back all their design choices, especially years after the fact. Too good to be true and all that. Next you'll be telling me they've brought back upgradable RAM!

So-DIMMs aren't coming back. Slotted SSD aren't coming back. Apple isn't likely to unravel those. If that is how get to 100% then yes. But the externally observable stuff is more swappable for BOM trade-offs.

The externally visible stuff isn't extremely unlikely. The keyboards have already been rolled back. The touchbar was driven by two factors. First they wanted to slide in the T-series to handle the SSD , security . That actually gets them something to run the touchbar "for free". Second, it was an "add on" to crank the price higher and do price differentiation on the 4 port models from the 2 port MBP. It also got them more "apple watch screen tech" sales.

Apple Watch is doing fine now in terms of volume and ecosystem.
the T-series is now the M-series which consumed all the primary system application and OS running duties.

If Apple is rolling miniLEDs to the 14" and 16" versions then they have a more expensive primary screen tech to do product differentiation with. Also need to save some costs also. Going back to cheaper buttons.

Mag-Safe Allows them to only need 3 TB controllers in the SoC instead of four ( probably saves them some die space; and money).

Where the design decision might be barrier to making more money Apple isn't that ego driven. Dropping the touchbar will save them component costs ( money). Dropping at TB port will also.
Not that the MBP 14" or 16" will get more affordable for customers. Apple will just add other components that are either more expensive or more high margin or both.

This isn't going to be an "oops we made bad design decisions" introduction. It will be " look at this new shiny tech that is an irresistible buy" dog and pony show. It is an amazing XDR screen; beyond HDR. Better than 4 year old upper end desktop performance , etc. etc.

 

[Omek]

I cannot speak for anyone else, but I am always more excited for the Mac events than the iPhone events.

but…

I am also more let down, or disappointed by the Mac events than the iPhone events.

The Oct 2016 “hello again” event still hurts.

PREACH

 

[BuddyTronic]

More people are excited for the M1X macs than the iPhones and I am one of them. I fully get the the M1X Mac is just way more interesting than an iPhone.

I won't be buying them anytime soon but I am VERY interested in the M1X as a tech nerd.
Anyone else feel the same??

Can't wait for next week!!

More of us fanboys, yes. But I dunno about the general public if they really care.

Let's see if they give us any hints to future products, or if this event is all focussed on MacBook Pro and AirPods or what

 

[maswriter]

More people are excited for the M1X macs than the iPhones and I am one of them. I fully get the the M1X Mac is just way more interesting than an iPhone.

I won't be buying them anytime soon but I am VERY interested in the M1X as a tech nerd.
Anyone else feel the same??

Can't wait for next week!!

I think more is expected of these announcements than the ones for the iPhone. iPhone 13 was going to be just a spec bump. (Think of it as an iPhone 12S, using the old naming system.) The MacBook Pro rumors point to more substantial changes that could appear in other Mac models in the future. With the way Windows and Chromebook computers follow Apple design cues, similar features can show up in those devices too.

Even if you're not in the market for a new MacBook Pro right now, the announcements next Monday should interest you.

 

[clevins]

well, the iPhone event, like most of them recently, have been incremental changes. "here's the new iPhone. It's a little faster, the camera is nicer." But for most of us, the cameras have been fine for years and speed is nice, but relatively few things push performance. My XS Max doesnt lag or feel slow at all.

IF these were new Intel Macs, I think the excitement would be muted... but they're not. They're the new Apple Silicon machines and likely the new Pro level machines. It's likely we'll see new designs and even if we don't, these will almost certainly push performance and capabilities (more RAM, etc) and bring new sizes. Been waiting on a replacement for your 16" Intel MBP? Very likely it arrives on Monday. Really want to move to Apple Silicon but you do stuff that needs 32g of RAM? Ditto.

Then add in the possibility that we see new Minis or new displays and, yeah, this event brings more to the table than the yearly iPhone event does.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

More people are excited for the M1X macs than the iPhones and I am one of them. I fully get the the M1X Mac is just way more interesting than an iPhone.

The population, “in general” are more excited about what goes on with iPhones. Those devices have touched WAY more lives than even the top selling Mac. BUT, for any suitably popular device, you WILL be able to find a group that’s more excited about that device than anything else. If you find a Mac subreddit, for example, there’s a very good chance they’d be more excited about what’s going on with the Mac

But, yeah, to anyone that doesn’t own a Mac (which is most of the world), there’s not much going on Monday that could cause them any measurable level of excitement.