Microsoft Says Windows PC Makers Seeing 'Continued Growth' in Premium Market Led by Apple

[KPOM]

The USB-C only ports turned off a lot of people. Whether it's a limitation is not my argument, but many see it that way.

But I don't really understand why, particularly after Apple dropped the price of the adapters. Sure, they could have thrown one in (and am surprised they didn't, given that they anticipated mostly non-existent outrage over dropping the headphone jack on the iPhone 7), but it's not like most people will need more than one or two of them.

 

[Art Mark]

If you haven't yet switched to a Microsoft Surface, do so now! Apple is train running straight into bankruptcy from bad products and overpriced watch bands no one asked for, with its stupid train conductor Tim and coal shoveling minion Johnny

?????????

 

[genovelle]

Same goes for Apple. Why won't they release the number for macs like Mac Pro.

When have they ever broken out individual macs? They always release real sales numbers though.

 

[Sam_S]

My iMac has been broken for the last two months. I haven't replaced it with anything yet because Apple's current lineup is so completely disappointing.

I've been getting by with my Windows 10 laptop from work instead. It's not awesome, but it does everything I need it to and saves me a few thousand.

Macs used to last, they don't seem to anymore, my 2013 MacBook Pro is slowly dying...

However my first Mac an iBook G3 last 7 years.

 

[Labeno]

Look up the specs again... you'll be up for a surprise. SB has always been dual core no matter i5 or i7

Good thing I'm a GPU developer (CUDA and OpenCL) and all of the performance I do comes from that. Too bad it doesn't have 4 cores, cause that that would help multi-core based applications.

 

[KPOM]

Far from 10 hours of battery life when doing pro related things (remember it called a pro device), lack of magsafe, lack of Nvidia GPU, lack of detachable touch screen that goes into iOS mode when detaching.
Are you under the impression that Apple is really innovating it MBP?

The first is an issue with many "pro" machines. It's simple physics. The NVidia GPU you desire would have taxed the battery even more.

As for the detachable touch screen, why would anyone realistically expect that? iOS runs on ARM processors. MacBooks run Intel processors. It would be like the Surface Book, which gets only 2.5 hours battery in tablet mode, only worse, since it would have to emulate ARM. Or it would be bigger and bulkier for having to accommodate a battery and an ARM CPU in the screen. The Surface Book uses a MacBook Air-class processor to stay within an acceptable weight and battery life.

Had Apple come out with the 6.5 lb monstrosity you suggest, THAT would have been the sign that they had lost the plot.

 

[Juicy Box]

why hide it if it is that good. it is amazing marketing materials.

Exactly

 

[2010mini]

IMHO it's still Apples to Apples...
When you detach the SurfaceBook screen, the OS changes from desktop mode to tablet mode. All Apple would need to do is if they innovated and created a detachable touch screen, then when it's detached, then change from OS X, to iOS. Do you see how simple that is, and how it's not trying to use OS X for the tablet mode? So I am comparing Apples to Apple. It's just Apple's reality distortion field that got you convinced that you need to buy two expensive devices. This is how Apple is running for profit, and not innovation. Again, IMHO.

No distortion field here. I view iPad as just an iPhone with a larger screen. And I use it as such for drawing floor plans. Surfing web and watching content to name a few. Nothing I do with iOS requires a mouse or physical keyboard.

macOS however is where the magic happens. I much prefer if Apple keeps them separate... IMHO mobile and desktop computing are not the same.

 

[KPOM]

There are plenty of limitations to a laptop in general, but if want 2016 MBP limitations, I have an obvious one.

Ram - non-upgradable, and limited to 16GB Max.

There are plenty others.

But so are many notebooks these days, even "Pro" notebooks like the Surface Book.

 

[Centris 650]

I've been a Mac user since 1988 and have never owned a PeeCee. HOWEVER I was sorely tempted by the MS surface. I needed a machine I could use for work and draw on. I procrastinated on the rumors of the 12.9 IPP. While it's a GREAT machine I still kinda wish I had bought the MSS.

 

[linuxcooldude]

If you haven't yet switched to a Microsoft Surface, do so now! Apple is train running straight into bankruptcy from bad products and overpriced watch bands no one asked for, with its stupid train conductor Tim and coal shoveling minion Johnny

Funny. Apple probably makes more from its watches than all the Surface lines combined.

 

[andreyush]

So many complaints that Apple doesn't innovate anymore but 90% of the complainers don't even need 16gb ram, quad-core last generation procesors and many other useless things for a f@#1 Macbook that runs so smooth MacOS.
Why would you complain about the last models if you just use Office and Safari? Just because

Let the hate come .

 

[stockscalper]

Macs used to last, they don't seem to anymore, my 2013 MacBook Pro is slowly dying...

However my first Mac an iBook G3 last 7 years.

That's so true and the fact they used to be so well made and lasted a long time justified the higher price. But no more. Apple doesn't innovate any more and Cook is obsessed with cutting costs. Having used a touchscreen Windows laptop I can honestly say it is much more useful than Apple's touch bar. I hope Apple can turn things around, but the current leadership reminds me of the Scully-Amelio days of lameness and cost cutting crummy products.

 

[imronburgundy]

No matter how much you polish a turd, it will always be a turd.

Keep on polishing, Microsoft.

Hur dur dur

 

[kurtb]

The another issue is ... I don't see anyone mention this here but I have used a Surface Book ( not mine ) and it broke because the display (tablet) can no longer detect the performance base because the hinge is faulty. It's an ultimate design failure, you can take a look at Microsoft Forums for this. And you want to charge the SB? no you can't cause you have to charge through the base. You want to plug in USB and try to reinstall drivers? Sorry you can't because all the ports is on the performance base. I don't understand.

You can charge the tablet portion without the base. Plug the charger into the connection on the hinge side of the tablet--it's the same port that is found on the base for charging. As for USB ports, it may not be convenient, but you could connect the tablet portion to the Surface dock (using the charging port on the hinge side of the tablet). The dock does contain USB ports as well as displayports and a gigabit ethernet port in case you need wired network access.

I love Apple products and own many, but the SurfaceBook outperforms a MacBook Air or MackBook at a similar cost, if you can live with Windows. And Microsoft's industrial design (IMHO) is almost to the point where it can compete with Apple's.

 

[andreyush]

Macs used to last, they don't seem to anymore, my 2013 MacBook Pro is slowly dying...

However my first Mac an iBook G3 last 7 years.

And how is your macbook pro 2013 dying? It has a technical flaw or ? Even a Macbook Pro 2010 it's still a decent device nowdays.

 

[Ursadorable]

Competition is always good, however, I'm concerned that Apple will just give up the Mac and say "Here you go, Microsoft!"

Hopefully Apple releases Mac OS X for generic PC hardware before that happens.

 

[crsh1976]

Good thing I'm a GPU developer (CUDA and OpenCL) and all of the performance I do comes from that. Too bad it doesn't have 4 cores, cause that that would help multi-core based applications.

Not sure how using a MBP with Radeon GPU works for you when it comes to CUDA, tho.

 

[imronburgundy]

I might do this, as I have been checking out a lot of information about it lately.

I was also considering Windows because of some of the stuff happening with the Mac OS lately. Many things I use to like about it are changing. The new Photos app is horrible, iTunes gets worse and worse, and generally, there seems to be more bugs/errors/crashes than I ever remember.

Apple removes settings, and functionality to the OS, and things are slowly getting more of an iOS look and feel.

Anyways, I was thinking of giving Windows 10 a shot, as I hear lots of good things about it, because if Apple continues on this path, their will be little keeping me in their ecosystem.

It's honestly pretty great. Windows 10 has been totally fine and seamless for the most part. I do use mine for gaming mostly, so there's that to consider, but honestly my PC build has been the best machine I've ever used. You don't need the old anti-virus programs like you used to and everything is super quick.

Edit: Also, iTunes runs better on my PC than my MBP's FWIW.

 

[MI MacGuy]

If you haven't yet switched to a Microsoft Surface, do so now! Apple is train running straight into bankruptcy from bad products and overpriced watch bands no one asked for, with its stupid train conductor Tim and coal shoveling minion Johnny

This post genuinely got me to laugh out loud.

 

[Ludatyk]

All Apple would need to do is if they innovated and created a detachable touch screen, then when it's detached, then change from OS X, to iOS.

Whaaaaa??

It's a cool idea... but to say it's simple to implement, not so sure about that. I like what Microsoft is doing with the Surface Book... I was in the market for one, but decided on the MBP w/ TB. I've done my research and came to the conclusion that I rather go with Apple.

 

[Appleaker]

My girlfriend just bought a pc WITHOUT the touchscreen after having one with the touchscreen because it had better performance/features and didn't want the finger prints all over the screen and many of the screen in pc laptops leave something to be desired.
Apple should make a touchscreen laptop so as to grab that segment but to me they are different missions.
But when apple does something it is usually does it better so who knows?
And I said usually ;( the last MacBook pro not so much .

Yeah, i found the same thing but I think it is different with the Surface Book as it is detachable. For many people the tablet is their primary computing device for most things but they still need a computer. If Apple managed to implement a Surface Book system in a better way they would win over a lot of customers that might not be interested in a MacBook at this time.
While the Touch Bar is different to a touchscreen and is good as acting as a secondary control display, I think Apple are considering touch screens on Macs more than they ever have now.

 

[emiaj]

I've been a Mac user for over 10 years because they were awesome.
The MBP is proving Apple is running for profit and not innovation.
Here's some key differences between SurfaceBook and MBP:

• SB - 16 hours of battery life. MBP - 10 hour. In reality, SB is a little less with pro usage, but MBP is only about 2 to 3 hours. Pathetic.
• SB - Has magsafe like connector for safety. MBP - got rid of Magsafe, one of the best inventions ever. This is ridiculous.
• SB - Has touchscreen. Once you use it you never go back. MBP - no touch screen, but has touch bar, that once you use it, you tend to avoid it.
• SB - Has detachable screen, where when detached, the OS changes into a tablet mode making it great for simple things like games, email, and browsing. MBP - can't detach screen, so if you wan't a tablet, it need to buy an expensive iPad. Obvious money grab.
• SB - Has the option for Nvidia GPU, which is great for CUDA developement, which I do. MBP - does not offer this option. So stuck with non CUDA development.

Please let me know if I'm being over critical, but please justify you reasoning. Remember, I was a hard core Mac lover, and Apple makes more money than anyone, so there's no reason that Apple should be 4 years behind the competition. Tim Cook may be fantastic at organizing production, but he would be fired if Steve Job's came back to life for what he has done to the company. Yes, the stock is good, but that cause the company is running for profit. It won't last.

Please be fair about the comparison, and don't believe in the numbers claimed by the media so easily.

• The SB with performance base has the combinations of batteries of 18.0 Wh + 51.0 Wh = 69 Wh, and the 13" MBP with touch bar has 49.2 Wh battery. The SB has about 40% more battery. With the worse power management of Windows and an addition of touch screen, there's no way the SB can reach its 16 hours as claimed. Also, with the same processing power, the SB weighs 3.68 lb, much more than the 3lb of the MBP. Also, the 2-3 hrs of battery life of the 2016 MBP is clearly not true. I own an 2016 MBP, and the battery does lasts about 8-9 hours.
• Also, the SB with performance base and Core i7 features the U series with 15W TDP (i7-6600U) and 8GB RAM for $2399, which is about the same power as an 13" MBP. There's currently no SB with the HQ series Intel Core processors (which is the ones used by the 15" MBP, much more powerful with 45W TDP). The base model of Touch Bar MBP 15" also costs $2399, but with much better specs and performance.
• MagSafe was decent, and I actually miss it. But MagSafe is just a power adapter, and thunderbolt is multifunctional with less space occupation. Ditching MagSafe is more of a design choice. (Making it thin and light with Jony Ive, LMAO)
• Only the UWP apps in Windows works with the tablet mode, and the app quality of UWP is much lower than iPad. That means, most of the pro apps like Adobe Creative Cloud are not adapted in this mode, makes the touch screen not so useful to power users. The Touch Bar, in comparison, is a decent addition to the current desktop interaction, and a los of pro apps like Sketch, Adobe Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, and even Microsoft Office are already taking advantages of it.
• The CUDA of Nvidia GPUs is a great plus for the windows PCs. MacBooks never had a decent GPU, it would be nice if we can see Nvidia GPUs in the Mac.

The PCs may have made a lot of progress lately, but it's far from what they claimed to be IMO. In my work, there were some colleagues who have bought the SB, but have already regretted because of the weird problems they're having, like light leaking of the screen, like the laptop doesn't goes to sleep normally, etc.

Maybe the new MBPs are disappointing as they're not revolutionary, but according to my experience using it for 2 months, it's still a decent machine and one of the best high end machines you can find in the market.

 

[cesko]

Microsoft also said that each version of Windows was "faster and safer than the previous version".

Similar to Tim Cook's, "The best is yet to come" unfortunately.

 

[Stella]

Upsurge of PC Gaming is also contributing to increase in PC sales, which very often exceed $900...

http://www.pcgamer.com/pc-shipments...utive-quarter-but-gaming-pcs-are-on-the-rise/
http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/pc-market-grew-in-2016-led-by-mobile-and-pc-gaming/
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Yeah, I can feel people. I've tried to switch and Win 10 is now a competitive choice against MacBooks Pro.

For me though, MacOS is still ahead to development work. Better unix integration, better terminal. Brew is a breeze.

I am looking forward to have the Linux subsystem for windows improved and I will definitely not look bad. Apple is not what it used to be.

Windows 10 has Ubuntu support in Beta. Windows 10 may be a compelling alternative soon.