I got my first Mac in September 2002, it was a Ti667 PowerBook ad after that it was love at first sight, February 2003 I ordered a DualG4 PowerMac and the marvelous Cinema Display 23" HD (anybody knows where can I get a foot stand for the Cinema Display?), they lasted ages and the G4 went to pension when they switched to the Intel platform, besides fans noise it was and still is a beast of a computer and after the Ti I got a bunch of other Macs, iMac G5, PowerBook G4, MacBookPros in various sauces and a few MacBookAir, a couple Mini and least but no last a 2009 27" iMac, of course there have been a bunch of iPods, a few iPads and iPhone from 4 all the way to 7 in both S and Plus versions so, well, I guess I am an Apple fan but I have to say that past the G4/G5 family the improvements on the computing side of Apple have been quite poor, most of the business concentrated on the big sales numbers of consumer hardware, iPod first then iPhone and little or no attention at all to the pro share which I understand being very small and, also, I have to say that from 5-6 years to nowadays the improvements on the computing share are quite poor (no more proper words come to my mind but I am sure there is some more appropriate), some whistle and bells but, computing power wise, they are stuck and also MacOS, which in my opinion is what makes the difference, is stuck after ElCapitan.
I feel somehow sad to see how the business is only concentrated on consumer hardware while computing is almost forgotten not to mention computer quality have been decreasing the more and more, I regret the G4/G5 era where we had no reason to look at the PC/Windows world...
Just a rant ;-)
Apple has transformed from the 'rebels', the 'square pegs in the round holes', the 'Think Different' crowd, to manufacturers of exquisitely designed, gorgeous looking, useful, fun to use, and well-integrated products of mass appeal, with spectacular, conspicuous and unquestionable market success.
That would never have happened if they had continued to cater to small-market-segment special interest groups. Whether that's good or bad depends on which market segment you fit into. Yes, they undeniably cater less to professional users, artists, musicians, etc., to wit, the demise of X-Serve, the less frequent Pro gear updates etc., but by today's metrics that is a relatively small portion of overall revenue.
As for the improvements in computing power, they are vast if you compare a ten year old system with one of today's offerings, but on a year to year comparison the differences obviously are often less impressive. Currently still using mostly third party CPUs and GPUs, Apple still depends largely on the Intels, nVidias, AMDs, etc of the world for speed and computing power improvements, but that trend is changing as Apple seems to have ambitions in that arena. Their custom chips for iOS devices are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and together with hardware and software optimizations they are already blowing away the competition.
Has Apple changed from yesteryear? Absolutely, and I too sometimes miss some of the old Apple, but overall the changes are overwhelmingly positive imho.
The products are still often at the top of their market segments (not talking about gimmicks here that competitors try to lure us with, or items that appeal to 'spec-whores'), their warranties are still superior to the rest of the market, Apple's attention to minor details, and elegant product design is still unmatched by their closest rivals, and last but not least their concern for the factory workers who produce these products, as well as for the environment are commendable indeed.
Most importantly, Apple still can attract, and continues to employ, a very talented, motivated and hard-working pool of individuals and is led by an excellent executive team of very dedicated professionals, so the sky is not falling yet.
Will they stay at the top forever? Of course not, no company does. But I'm not worried about their immediate future.
Not one bit.
