Mac Revenue Down 34% Year-Over-Year, But Tim Cook Expects 'Significant' Improvement With M3 Macs

[Velli]

I mean, they did kill off the iMac that everyone wanted, and seem to refuse to remake it in a 27” or 32” version.

Be careful with the use of “everyone”. Back when it was all iMac and no display for the Mac Mini, “everyone” wanted Apple to bring out a two-box solution.

Combining the 21.5 and 27 much iMac’s into one 24 inch solution for casual users, and a 27” display with two (not counting Mac Pro) options for the computer for power users, is a perfectly valid and sensible product lineup, in a segment that is in decline. We can all agree that the pricing is tough, but that is a different discussion.

 

[Velli]

The base model M3Pro only has 11 cores with 5 being performance cores.

I doubt that will beat an 8P2E M1Pro chip.

Wanna bet?

 

[bobdobalina]

I'm going to buy a m3 mac soon, because i need it to replace a very old intel mac of more than 10 years

I'm convinced that someone, somewhere, just upgraded directly from a 2009 polycarbonate Black Macbook and isn't sleeping much this week.

 

[sarga]

Mac sales ? The 8/256 combination is something crazy in 2023.
When choosing a mac (8/256 ) people often say I don't need more RAM or SSD. It's short sighted.Then they will sell the machine with great difficulty on the second hand market. I never had a problem because I always wanted 16 RAM and 500 SSD.But even so,I was unable to sell the last mini 2018,for more than 450 dollars. But I console myself that at least I sold it.

 

[Chancha]

Be careful with the use of “everyone”. Back when it was all iMac and no display for the Mac Mini, “everyone” wanted Apple to bring out a two-box solution.

Combining the 21.5 and 27 much iMac’s into one 24 inch solution for casual users, and a 27” display with two (not counting Mac Pro) options for the computer for power users, is a perfectly valid and sensible product lineup, in a segment that is in decline. We can all agree that the pricing is tough, but that is a different discussion.

Exactly. These guys are probably too new or wasn't paying attention back then.

I got a maxed out iMac 5k 2017 not out of choice but out of necessity:
The Mac mini at that time, the 2014 was widely considered the worst mini ever, crap CPU, soldered RAM, still on SATA drive
The next up was the trashcan Mac Pro, also widely considered one of the worst Apple desktop ever
It was also during the time when even the best maxed out MBPs were not all that great (that's performance-wise, not even considering the Touch Bar / butterfly KB / T2 issues)
In order to get the "decent" performance there was only this choice: the 27" iMac.

If a Mac Studio existed back then with the same i5/i7/i9 CPU, I would have bought that instead.
If a Studio Display existed back then in the form of that iMac 5K panel, I would also have bought that; in fact I would have paid the iMac price for it. (yes the LG Ultrafine existed, but do we have to go over that again?)

I am so glad Apple took their heads out of their asses with this current generation of Mac and display offerings.

 

[t0rqx]

I have been saying this a lot and Apple is forcing people upgrades. This is more prominent then ever. There is no flexibility anymore. If you go choose certain situations you either have to choose between 36GB or make the immediate jump to 96GB nothing between.

 

[Velli]

And this appears to be the plan. Why? Because so far it has worked, and worked, and worked again. It wasn't that long ago that margin was UNDER 40%. How much longer until it exceeds 50%?

As long as the masses find ways to rationalize higher prices, higher pricing for each unit sold can work. However, if those masses ever reach their "too rich for my blood" moment, watch out. History is full of this very same tale and it always has the same outcome once it reaches that point.

Look through this thread... on a site devoted to Apple, frequented by Apple fans who will passionately defend any Apple moves, even at their own expense. What percentage of people in this thread seem to be near that point? If fans can feel like RAM & SSD is too expensive, "making me hang on to my existing Mac for a few more years", etc... how do the NOT-fans feel not loaded with "good old days" goodwill accumulations?

That's a rhetorical question: I don't know. But their buying actions or inactions this year will very tangibly paint a picture of higher pricing acceptance or rejection. Is this yet another year of (whine loudly but) "just pay up" or do people unhappy at "insane pricing" vote with their wallets? TBD.

One thing is for certain: Apple has better data than our anecdotal "evidence". Apple knows exactly how the customer reacts to pricing, long before they put out financial results, and they have a pretty good idea on how customers are going to react, long before they launch the product. People have been whining about Apple pricing ever since I started to be interested in computers in the mid-90's, and it is probably why I never bought one until 2007. Yet here they are, the most profitable company in the world. I don't see a reason why this would suddenly change now.

The easiest thing to update on a product is it's price. It's just a number in an Excel sheet. If a company believes it would make more money by changing the price, it's the first thing they will do. Apple will not be killed by too high pricing. If the complainers on this forum turns out to be right, all Apple has to do is lower the price and regain the market share (which is a LOT easier to do, than raising the price to increase margin). This will not happen over one quarter, but if we see Apple struggling over a period of a few years, Apple will react.

I personally had a dream that because Apple's income in services is increasing, and because taking the processing in-house should lower per-unit cost (albeit greatly increase fixed costs for R&D), Apple might decide to aim for large market share, which would also make them more interesting for the gaming market. I'm sad that Apple didn't do that, however, I don't pretend that I know how to make money better than Apple. They decided to keep focusing on the small but lucrative premium segment. That's their choice, and I don't blame them if they believe that's where the money is. I don't need Apple to make mass-market products, because lots of mass-market products already exists. However, if Apple didn't exist in the premium segment, the premium segment would be pretty sad - all the same computers as the mass-market products, just faster (and some of them with RGB lights).

 

[Velli]

See, now, this was a human error due to ADHD, sleep deprivation, and stress from my environment.

And your nitpick still doesn't answer the question.

humor noun (AMUSEMENT)​

the ability to be amused by something seen, heard, or thought about, sometimes causing you to smile or laugh, or the quality in something that causes such amusement:
He has a wonderful sense of humor.
Fortunately, she saw the humor in the situation.

 

[Steve-Jobz]

8GB+256GB…Haha

 

[Velli]

The Space Black option is only on the higher end model so that anyone looking at your machine will know you didn't splash out for the super expensive model, or you are running a previous gen model (M1 or M2). Apple are using this tactic to compel you to not look cheap, and it's quite a hostile move to users (especially in combination with their insane SSD and ram prices). Apple don't care if you spent a fortune on a maxed out M2 pro just months ago, now everyone knows it's not the top spec because it's not Space Black.

That's a pretty good attempt at the longest stretch yet to complain about a company giving you more options.

 

[Will Co]

I’m glad to see people holding on to M1 hardware. As others have said, for 95% of use cases it’s good enough and holding onto your money is the only way to signal Apple about their pricing.

 

[Semio]

That's a pretty good attempt at the longest stretch yet to complain about a company giving you more options.

There is probably a better way to frame it.. But I think you know what I mean, if it were about more options like you said, they would also include the Space Grey in the high end machines, but they don't. Apple made this decision intentionally – Anything other than Space Black = not the best/most current machine.

 

[Velli]

There is probably a better way to frame it.. But I think you know what I mean, if it were about more options like you said, they would also include the Space Grey in the high end machines, but they don't. Apple made this decision intentionally – Anything other than Space Black = not the best/most current machine.

So, if I buy the M3 Max in Silver, I'm a total loser?

 

[Bcn]

People are just unhappy that a $1600 pro laptop comes with just 8 GB of RAM and one external monitor support.

People are unhappy of so many things, it’s like a sport to be unhappy. Well then they can leave this upgrade or buy another Mac. It’s the same whining every year.
This update looks amazing for people like me, who has old intel machines.

 

[Semio]

So, if I buy the M3 Max in Silver, I'm a total loser?

No, only if you buy a Space Grey model. Silver and Space Black are both Acceptable

 

[User 6502]

The M1 series were just too good.

Nah, the M2 were just too lacklustre.

 

[Torty]

8GB+256GB…Haha

For 2k Euros. Not really attractive. 3600 Euros for the 16 inch 18GB/2TB 🤔🫣

 

[Macalicious2011]

Not sure M3 will save sales. Still on M1 Mac Mini and M1 MBA and they are more than powerful enough already... need something more exciting than CPU upgrades.

Of course a new computer is always nice, but the total prices including needed RAM and drive upgrades are insane.

Some tech YouTubers used to upgrade their macs every year, but since the launch of M1, some of them haven’t upgraded to M2 which is quite telling. This included MKBHD who has a MBP M1 Max. M3 performance isn’t transformative enough to warrant an upgrade.

Furthermore if you own an intel macbook, you are better of buying an M1 or M2 with upgraded RAM and storage than a base M3 with 256GB storage and 8GB RAM.

 

[Macalicious2011]

The M1 series were just too good.

Yupp. Epic big win for customers but a loss for Apple’s Mac division.

 

[Velli]

No, only if you buy a Space Grey model. Silver and Space Black are both Acceptable

I think you have insecurity issues if you actually believe that

Your suggestion is to either A: Never bring new colours, or B: Change the colours on ALL the new models, so that everyone can see that you have a brand-spanking shiny black new totally killer M3 MBP with 8 GB of RAM, and not the totally loser old-school space gray M2 Max 64 GB from last year.

Keep in mind that the Space Black is a new process, not just a new colour. It totally makes sense to keep it exclusive to the top of the range in the first year. It's also not very different to, say, every other product on the market, to make sure that the top of the line looks different than the low end.

But I'm sure Windows PC manufacturers stopped putting i7 stickers on their laptops.

No? Huh. Okay.

 

[laptech]

I'm going to buy a m3 mac soon, because i need it to replace a very old intel mac of more than 10 years

I am curious to what you wrote. You mention you have an old intel that you want to replace. So why didn't you buy and M1 or an M2 mac if your current machine is THAT old.

 

[Velli]

Some tech YouTubers used to upgrade their macs every year, but since the launch of M1, some of them haven’t upgraded to M2 which is quite telling. This included MKBHD who has a MBP M1 Max. M3 performance isn’t transformative enough to warrant an upgrade.

I'm taking a lot of bets today: MKBHD will be buying an M3 Max. M3 Max over M2 Max is a bigger upgrade than M2 Max was over M1 Max.

In any case, it's just a testiment to Apple Silicon as a whole, that these people (and me) still find the M1's that capable. It implies that they realized they like it for what it is, and not for how much better/less bad it is than last years model. Buying something for what it is, and not for how much improvement it brings, is healthy. "Better than eating dirt". Hallelujah.

Furthermore if you own an intel macbook, you are better of buying an M1 or M2 with upgraded RAM and storage than a base M3 with 256GB storage and 8GB RAM.

Probably, yes.

 

[mateo124]

$1800 for a 8GB MBP lol. How can people still defend this crap…

 

[Macalicious2011]

I'm taking a lot of bets today: MKBHD will be buying an M3 Max. M3 Max over M2 Max is a bigger upgrade than M2 Max was over M1 Max.

Or…….he’s just buy a M3 Max because he wants a matt black MPB. 😄

However he might choose another colour if scratches are too visible.


Other than that I agree with you. For video editing I think there’s tangible value in upgrading if you are a professional creator.

 

[Semio]

I think you have insecurity issues if you actually believe that

Your suggestion is to either A: Never bring new colours, or B: Change the colours on ALL the new models, so that everyone can see that you have a brand-spanking shiny black new totally killer M3 MBP with 8 GB of RAM, and not the totally loser old-school space gray M2 Max 64 GB from last year.

Keep in mind that the Space Black is a new process, not just a new colour. It totally makes sense to keep it exclusive to the top of the range in the first year. It's also not very different to, say, every other product on the market, to make sure that the top of the line looks different than the low end.

But I'm sure Windows PC manufacturers stopped putting i7 stickers on their laptops.

No? Huh. Okay.

It was a joke, sent from my Space Grey relic.