Ming-Chi Kuo: Apple's Biggest Challenge to Innovation in Recent Years Has Been Software

[buckwheet]

Underrated how? There's too many egos and confirmation bias going on at Apple. Apple is poaching top talent and buying out companies but it hasn't helped them one bit in terms of software.

My 2¢/guess is that Apple has actually been putting a huge chunk of its time/resources into API development. They've delivered an insane amount of functionality to the developer community in the last few years—so much so, that it's hard for us to keep up! So, as far as consumer-facing software output, sure, they've been a bit patchy. But what's happened underneath, for developers to dig into, has been pretty vast, imho.
Anyway, hopefully it's time for them to sit back a bit on that front, polish what they have, and start actually exploiting their APIs themselves, to kick up the level of their own platforms.

 

[69650]

With Apple taking a 30% cut of all App Store sales for doing nothing, there is no incentive for Apple to develop their own software. That’s why they’re not making any effort to develop decent software anymore.

 

[Lioness~]

As long as there is coming more Amojis we have nothing to worry about, right?

Bugs that Apple wont fix in their software, is equal to their own minds.
They can’t change themselves.
That’s where SJ were different. He had a vision. He had excellence. So he could demand it of people around him and in Apple’s products.

I have however stopped being disappointed.
I don’t expect excellence anymore. We wont get it. They don’t have it.
Apple is what they are today.

I’m enjoying what is working. What isn’t, I am searching and find in other ways, elsewhere.
.

 

[panjandrum]

Meh.. I think you have forgotten iOS 6.. it was pretty useless compared to iOS 11, even android surpassed it back then. iOS 6’s biggest feature was removing google maps, and introducing Apple maps.

Again, I was speaking specifically about one aspect of Apple's software in recent years, that being the dramatic degradation of the UI itself - a complaint basically unrelated to features (Apple certainly could have swapped Google Maps for Apple Maps without making the entire UI more difficult to see and more difficult to use).
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Come on...MS fixed things? Since Win95 Windows has been horrible in more ways than I can list. I think perhaps your protesting too much and accidentally substituting opinion for a concrete discussion of best practices.Maybe?

I'm speaking about the fundamental usability of Apple's UIs here, not about other aspects such as aesthetics or even features.

For example, one objective complaint is that the flatness alone is bad: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/09/05/flat_uis_designs_are_22_per_cent_slower_official/

Whether post-Win95 Windows is less horrible than later versions is a totally different topic.

 

[JosephAW]

There's a lot of good software out there that you can no long run on High Sierra. You can still run Windows XP software in compatibility mode on Windows 10. Apple need to learn from this mistake.

 

[JRobinsonJr]

I disagree with that statement. Look at Microsoft, they have 2 per year of rolling updates to their OS and for the most part each one gets better not worse. Apple could adopt that model instead of an entirely new rewrite that takes the entire year to squash the bugs they created just before its time for the next years version and starting the process over again.

Spot on! Move from a major-update-per-yearly-cycle to an agile approach where a few little changes occur each short cycle and they would have a winner. Plus the software teams might actually get to work on some of the small stuff for a change. One of my personal pet peeves is the inability to rename BlueTooth connections. How freakin hard would that be to fix?!?!

 

[pankajdoharey]

Apple's "biggest challenge in innovation in recent years has been in software, not hardware," according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

I think it is both hardware and software. Apple is taking unusually long time to release hardware or release hardware that cannot be hardware. Software that is buggy or is complete rewrites that lack so many features from the previous gen software. Also the newer software us damn slow. For instance the photos App currently sucks and so does iTunes.

Apple hasnt upgraded the pro hardware, what they gave was a bad hardware option that cannot be upgraded. Instead of upgrading the cheese grater they gave us Mac Pro trash can which cannot be upgraded. Custom GPU, soldered 64 GB ram. Same with iMac Pro that cannot be upgraded. Mac mini with hasnt seen an update for 5 yrs. Mac book Air hasnt seen an update since 4 yrs. Intead apple released a more expensive Macbook which is more expensive than Air.

Apple is focusing too much on iPhones, it may be good for the company now but Apple should realize it is not a phone company. Now instead of releasing the upgradeable Mac pro hardware which they announced last yr we will get it not before 2019. WOW! How long does it take to design a new Computer? Everyone including Dell, HP even the chinese can design a new motherboard and hardware in a few months. But apple seems to be taking 2 yrs or more. This is nonsense.
And then they are blaming it on Intel.

Any pro hardware has to be upgradeable, people are doing a wait and watch on iMac Pro, because even though it may have a pro hardware, sooner or later it will become old, no body wants to throw it away, most people want to use it as a monitor. But without target display mode working it becomes a unusable hardware. Please Apple Wake up. Reduce your product lineup , become lean and focus. Screw the special speaker.

 

[krazzix]

In what way is Apple's software lacking compared to competitors? This is a serious question. If there is something I've been missing, being locked in apple's ecosystem, I would really like to know. Please give me some examples, except from the ones mentioned in the article.

 

[alexhardaker]

I really do hope they work out all the bugs and UI inconsistencies with the next releases. If the annoying software issues are still occurring 2 years down the line, then i’ll be annoyed. We used to pay extra money for peace of mind and ease of use. I really don’t know where I’ll go. I don’t want to go to android because I don’t like Google.

Maybe firing Scott Forstall was not such a good idea!

 

[canonical]

I disagree.

I think hardware is way behind the software.

Look at the hardware. The bad design speaks for itself.

Mac Pro- a complete failure. After 12 years still nothing until 2019. Really?
Macbook Pro with a Touchbar- Another big failure
Mac Mini- Not upgraded in years...
iMac- The design was not upgraded in years. not user upgradable.
iMac Pro- for a 6k+ machine it is ridiculous that you cannot upgrade the internal HD.

It is not a case of BAD design - but failure to UPDATE the design. Just lazy.

The cylindrical Mac Pro is a beautiful and magnificent machine - everyone who has one loves them. It has vastly better thermal properties than the the new iMac pro - but Apple put a faster video card in the iMac Pro - it put faster RAM in the iMac Pro, - faster ethernet in the iMac Pro etc. Apple could EASILY update all of these features in the cylindrical Mac Pro - but too lazy to do so.

Much the same for the Mac Mini.

No Apple Monitor anymore - Nothing. Zero. Just hopeless. What happened to Steve Jobs' mantra of an ecosystem - of integrating hardware and software - of Apple being the ONLY one being able to do that.

 

[Elijen]

Then why is iOS highly favored for those who want simplicity and stability? I Would never consider going back to Android ever and I can attest to many others around me who share similar thoughts.

iOS has been garbage for a while now. It used to be simple yet functional compared to buggy and ugly Android, but Android got so much momentum when Google started releasing Nexus phones and I would say that the latest Android is far superior to the latest iOS (and I am an iPhone user).

I still wouldn't switch back to Android because of the ecosystem lock-in but I am seriously considering it.

 

[fathergll]

For once, I agree with him. I also think that the year-to-year OS release badly damaged sw quality.

Seems like every tech company is going with Agile methodology.
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Apple hires the worst software developers and UX/UI designers.

Their UI is very good and looks slick but can be dumb down too much especially by default settings. I find MacOS unusable with its default settings for anything besides using the internet.

 

[tresmith]

Bring back Forstall.

 

[Michael Goff]

Dear People who Want macOS to be more like Windows 10:

https://twitter.com/bdsams/status/984383122631548930?s=21

Isn’t it great that Microsoft pushes out two updates a year so they can break things two times a year?

 

[EvilEvil]

Dear People who Want macOS to be more like Windows 10:

https://twitter.com/bdsams/status/984383122631548930?s=21

Isn’t it great that Microsoft pushes out two updates a year so they can break things two times a year?

/shrugs. I've never had any problems with Windows updates on my gaming PC.

 

[Michael Goff]

/shrugs. I've never had any problems with Windows updates on my gaming PC.

And some people have never had any problems with iOS 11, but we all know problems exist?

 

[sbailey4]

Windows 10 updates don’t go out to everyone at once, though.

Not sure how that is relevant but OK. Users DO get the same version though maybe just not the same day.

iOS also does more than it did when Forstall was around.

Yeah like the calculator can now add 1+2+3 and get 21. Never could get that in Forstall days. JK (but serious at the same time)

Iconoclasm. Anchor. Just a couple tweaks jailbreak devs developed to be able to do this.

If Apple opened iOS to allow options for user customization, that would just be f***ing lovely.

Goodbye home bar, goodbye full screen phone calls, goodbye massive stock app headers, goodbye obtrusive volume indicator, hello customization of battery indicators, way more control center customization, quick composition for messages, lock screen customization.

iOS is capable of so much more than Apple allows for it.

But then it would be called 'Android chocolate marmalade orange meringue pie' not iOS.

With Apple taking a 30% cut of all App Store sales for doing nothing, there is no incentive for Apple to develop their own software. That’s why they’re not making any effort to develop decent software anymore.

Not sure that is 100% accurate statement. Just sayin.

Dear People who Want macOS to be more like Windows 10:

https://twitter.com/bdsams/status/984383122631548930?s=21

Isn’t it great that Microsoft pushes out two updates a year so they can break things two times a year?

Might need to fact check your link. That was NOT the spring update which is version 1803. 1803 was not pushed out to general public yet. This guy states it was an update to 1709 which is the older version. Maybe revise your statement to once a month...... lol

 

[Michael Goff]

Not sure how that is relevant but OK. Users DO get the same version though maybe just not the same day.

Yeah like the calculator can now add 1+2+3 and get 21. Never could get that in Forstall days. JK (but serious at the same time)

But then it would be called 'Android chocolate marmalade orange meringue pie' not iOS.

Not sure that is 100% accurate statement. Just sayin.

Might need to fact check your link. That was NOT the spring update which is version 1803. 1803 was not pushed out to general public yet. This guy states it was an update to 1709 which is the older version. Maybe revise your statement to once a month...... lol

It’s relevant because Apple can’t get away with that sort of thing. They’d be blasted by everyone. But Microsoft can hold off on updates because nobody cares.

Also, the patch was the most recent one on my sisters machine. Did they finally get around to pushing out 1803? And how many people are they pushing it to?

 

[harriska2]

O

As a Google Glass owner, yeah, I want AR to succeed (especially the vision Google displayed in their initial advertisement for Glass), but I don't think the killer app for AR will be on mobile device. AR still needs a viable wearable rig.

That said, at the very least I was expecting Apple to release something like a Sir Jon Ive narrated breakout of an Apple product. It would have been a nice demonstration of a new way of doing a spec 'sheet' and helped keep ARKit in the news.

Ooooh, google glass. Lucky dog. Can’t wait for it to be better, smaller, faster, cooler.

 

[Merkie]

Care to give an example? While I think there are some good things in Windows 10 (window management), I still think macOS is more coherrent and doesn’t really look dated. If you look below the surface of Windows 10 there are many areas with Windows 95-ish user interface and icons. Especially if looking at third party apps.

It's impossible to use the OS properly without gestures. Window management is terrible compared to Windows (Spectacles helps, but should be native feature). iOS 6 style widgets still present in modern OS X. Ugly 90s style context menus for pinning (or removing) an app to the dock. The whole dock is weird. No way to mute notifications except using Do Not Disturb (that will re-enable itself every day). And have you ever tried to switch a user account? Be prepared for a very weird ugly rotating cube animation that does not resemble anything else in macOS.

These were my findings after using macOS for a few hours. A big part of macOS is pretty good ofcourse, but Windows 10 somehow feels more modern to me. Also, I love Linux Subsystem for Windows, which is a lot better than the terminal in macOS (full Linux compatibility).

 

[gctwnl]

Sorry, software? What about hardware? Where is the Mac Pro (2019 now) or a new Mac mini (in limbo)?
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Bring back Forstall.

Maybe. Wasn't he the guy with a nonexistent feeling for aesthetics? Maybe Ive for look & feel and someone else for actual soft- and hardware guts?

 

[The Deepness]

Indeed, those were the days. The hardware was somewhat original but the OS is what defined the Apple brand. Cook and company are squandering the brand’s legacy.

I used to upgrade to the newest OS within a month or two. The delay insured third party products updated their products to work with the new OS. Now, you have to wait for Apple to hone its software. I still haven’t upgraded to High Sierra. The new file system incompatibility with fusion drives was a huge misstep on Apple’s part.

Now there’s rumors that Apple wants to merge iOS and MacOS. My fear is that Apple will dumb down MacOS to improve compatibility with iOS. That would be the final nail in the coffin for me.

I fell for Apple's BS that macOS High Sierra would work with fusion drives without implementing the new file system. Less than a month after "upgrading" to 10.13.2, High Sierra killed my 2013 27" iMac. Won't boot or even let me put any OS on it. It's out of warranty so I ordered a kit to break it down and get to the HDD so I can try to recover my lossless music files that I HOPE are still on there. Selling it and my other failed-fusion-drive 2012 27" iMac to Gazelle afterward.

My 2013 13" rMBP remains a far more reliable computer than either of its bigger, and far more expensive, cousins, but it's starting to show its age. I fear it will start giving me problems before I'm ready to invest in a new MBP.

 

[Lioness~]

I fell for Apple's BS that macOS High Sierra would work with fusion drives without implementing the new file system. Less than a month after "upgrading" to 10.13.2, High Sierra killed my 2013 27" iMac. Won't boot or even let me put any OS on it. It's out of warranty so I ordered a kit to break it down and get to the HDD so I can try to recover my lossless music files that I HOPE are still on there. Selling it and my other failed-fusion-drive 2012 27" iMac to Gazelle afterward.

My 2013 13" rMBP remains a far more reliable computer than either of its bigger, and far more expensive, cousins, but it's starting to show its age. I fear it will start giving me problems before I'm ready to invest in a new MBP.

I am sorry that happened to you.

I have 27" 2013 too, and am very glad I stayed on Sierra, but that was never a question really.
As my trouble started immediately with iOS11 at first download on my devices.
Wont 'downgrade' to APFS on this iMac. Is not that far away that I will buy a new iMac ~next year anyway.
I want to hear and read a lot more about this new filesystem anyway. Haven't got time enough.
Regarding all other drives, SynologyNAS, Time Machine etc.
I don't want more trouble. I had enough with iOS11. No hurry. No problem with Sierra .

 

[sbailey4]

It’s relevant because Apple can’t get away with that sort of thing. They’d be blasted by everyone. But Microsoft can hold off on updates because nobody cares.

Also, the patch was the most recent one on my sisters machine. Did they finally get around to pushing out 1803? And how many people are they pushing it to?

No not yet. Its been delayed for a bit. Only insiders have it currently and got a cumulative update on Tuesday for it. And I guess the "nobody cares", if true, may be because typically its behind the scenes security updates that no one really notices whereas iOS has some dumba** issue that affects usability or battery life or reboots or......... a handful of other usability issues and folks clamor for an update in hopes it fixes something for them.

 

[Michael Goff]

No not yet. Its been delayed for a bit. Only insiders have it currently and got a cumulative update on Tuesday for it. And I guess the "nobody cares", if true, may be because typically its behind the scenes security updates that no one really notices whereas iOS has some dumba** issue that affects usability or battery life or reboots or......... a handful of other usability issues and folks clamor for an update in hopes it fixes something for them.

No, it’s because they’re not clear as to when they’re going to update and because nobody actually cares about Windows. People use Windows because they have to. Very few actually like it.