Popular Mac Developer Slams Apple for 'Sad State of Macintosh Hardware'

[redheeler]

Does it even make sense for the Mac mini to exist in this day and age? It’s primary purpose - to serve as a cheap Mac for windows PC users looking to dip their toes in the ecosystem, doesn’t seem so relevant today. Especially when the iPhone now serves that key function of drawing users in.

I suspect Apple themselves isn’t entirely sure of what role the Mac mini ought to fill as well, and that’s why updates are on a hiatus while they figure it out (together with the Mac Pro).

I won’t be surprised if the next Mac mini update (if it will still be called that) will be nothing at all like its current incarnation.

The Mac mini's role today is different from its role ten years ago, true. Apple's reasoning might be that in terms of profitability, the Mac mini now does more harm than good by eating into iMac or MacBook sales.

That doesn't mean there aren't reasons to keep the Mac mini around as a viable small form factor PC.

 

[alien3dx]

1k apple X phone x million of user or 1k IMAC or 300 mac mini ... So go to profit channel.

They should separate the company instead phone / consumer product

 

[saintstryfe]

Just remembered steve job’s interview. He said, pcs and macs are gonna be like trucks, only few people use it but it’s still be here. Maybe tim cook just followed steve’s idea about that analogy.

Listening to the people here, it sounds like those people who are using F350's to move groceries or weekend wood shop-style projects.

 

[Fried Chicken]

That was true in the beginning, and your point that iOS would not exist without the Mac remains true. However, more recently it has been more the other way around, entirely because Apple is innovating more on the iOS side than the Mac side.

How badly is the Mac lagging behind? All you have to do is look at features that exist on both platforms, and when those features were introduced for each. Here are a few recent ones:

• Siri - iPhone: 2011, iPad: 2012 (1 year behind), Mac: 2016 (4 years behind)
• Touch ID - iPhone: 2013, iPad: 2014 (1 year behind), Mac: 2016 (3 years behind)
• Homekit - iPhone + iPad: 2014, Mac: 2018 (4 years behind)

You'd think that feature parity is a top priority at Apple, but apparently not when it comes to the Mac...

My point is apple should build the mac to be as good as it can be, and then take the best of that and simplify it to the iGadgets. Developing purely for the iGadgets is the wrong way to move.

 

[George Dawes]

I read on here a comment about Apple transitioning Macs from intel to A chips .

Looking at the sorry state of the mac I can see that happening

We keep hearing that the A11x etc is as powerful as a laptop , maybe they've got ultra powerful A chips in the labs that wipe the floor with anything Intel has ?

We'll find out soon enough

 

[Br1an]

Rogue Amoeba developer Quentin Carnicelli, who works on Mac software like Airfoil, Audio Highjack, Loopback, and Fission, this week penned a critique of Apple's Mac lineup and the company's recent lack of Mac updates, and that missive has been gaining some attention from Mac fans.

Using MacRumors' own Buyer's Guide, Carnicelli points out that it's been more than a year since any Mac, with the exception of the iMac Pro, has been updated.

It's been 375 days, for example, since the iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air machines were last updated, and it's been 437 days since the Mac Pro saw the price drop Apple implemented as it works on a Mac Pro replacement.

The Mac Pro has not seen a hardware update since December of 2013, more than 1600 days ago. Apple has promised its professional users that a high-end high-throughput modular Mac Pro system is in the works, but we thus far have no details on when it might see a release.

The Mac mini, Apple's most affordable desktop Mac, has gone 1338 days without an update, with the last refresh introduced in October of 2014. While Apple has made promises about a refreshed Mac Pro, no similar statement has been provided about a future Mac mini, aside from a comment from Apple CEO Tim Cook stating that the Mac mini continues to be important to Apple.

According to Carnicelli, the state of the Mac lineup is "deeply worrisome" to him as a person who works for a Mac-based software company. Customers are, he says, forced to choose between "purchasing new computers that are actually years old" or "holding out in the faint hope that hardware updates are still to come."As Carnicelli points out, Apple could reassure its Mac users with updates and speed bumps to its Mac lineup on a "much more frequent basis," calling the current lack of updates "baffling and frightening to anyone who depends on the platform for their livelihood."

Apple in 2017 refreshed much of its Mac lineup (iMac, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and MacBook) at its Worldwide Developers Conference, but this year, Apple opted to focus instead on software, with no new Mac hardware announced. With no new hardware in June, based on past release history, we could be looking at an 18-month upgrade cycle this time around, as pointed out by iMore's Rene Ritchie, with new Macs making an appearance in September or October.

Some of the blame for Apple's lack of updates can perhaps be placed on its reliance on Intel, and in the past, some Mac refreshes have been pushed back due to delays with Intel chips. This is likely one of the reasons why Apple is planning to transition from Intel chips to its own custom made Mac chips as early as 2020.

MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, and MacBook Air upgrades are not in the dire state that Mac Pro and Mac mini upgrades are in, but increased attention on issues with the MacBook and MacBook Pro keyboards has left Apple customers eager to see those machine updated, especially as Apple has not acknowledged these keyboard issues despite their prevalence in the media.

"Apple needs to publicly show their commitment to the full Macintosh hardware line and they need to do it now," writes Carnicelli.

Carnicelli's comments on the state of the Mac lineup came just before Apple released a new Mac advertising campaign. Called "Behind the Mac," the campaign highlights creators who use their Macs to "make something wonderful."

The first ad spots in the series focus on photographer and disability advocate Bruce Hall, who uses his Mac for editing photographs, musician Grimes, who uses the Mac "from start to finish" to write all of her music, edit music videos, and more, and app developer Peter Kariuki who used his Mac to code the SafeMotos app, which is designed to connect passengers with safe motorcycle drivers in Rwanda.

These ads, while inspiring, may be seen as too little too late by those who have grown frustrated with Apple's Mac lineup and have come to see the lack of updates as an indicator of a lack of commitment to the Mac.

Article Link: Popular Mac Developer Slams Apple for 'Sad State of Macintosh Hardware'

What Apple has become is UNRELIABLE. I have a MacBook Pro 15" 2012 and MacMini 2011 used as a server. I want to update both, but will not until Apple provide some hardware certainty. Apple need to COMMUNICATE their hardware upgrade intentions. And that ridiculous Touch Bar (how are you suppose to touch type with that!)

 

[mithion]

I’m seriously contemplating going back to Windows. Macs are just too expensive and frankly windows 10is maturing nicely. Version 1803 has been butter smooth. Although i’d loose some of the mac platform features like messages on the mac and photo synchronization, I think I could live without those. I never really used stuff like pages and keynote since no one around me uses a mac that can read those. My bosses are all on PCs.

 

[Soccertess]

Let's be realistic guys. THE PROBLEM IS COOK!

Where are all the Apple die hards who normally defend him today though? I would expect even with some much evidence, they would still be defending Cook, using the state of Apple stock and profits that everything is fine.

Anyways, I'm sure will Tim will come out next week saying how Apple products are the best, and nothing wrong. Another tone deaf response a defiant Cook.

 

[CRoebuck]

You've got it backwards.

The chips do more with less now. They make significantly less heat, draw less power, take up less space.

You could resurrect the Cheese Grater and give it supercomputer internals without any fuss.

Heck hipsters would probably buy it because it looks retro.

However most manufacturers want to take advantage of that by going thinner and lighter in which case the thermal system needs re-working. The latest XPS 13 has some kind of heat dissipating Gore material inside.

But you're right, that's how MS made the Kaby Lake i5 Surface Pro 2017 fanless where as only the M3 was passively cooled on the previous generation Skylake. 15W TDP versus 5W (running at 7W I believe)

 

[BigMac?]

By the sheer number of comments here you can see how the lacking commitment from Apple to Mac hardware is frustrating apples die hard fans - us.
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Let's be realistic guys. THE PROBLEM IS COOK!

Where are all the Apple die hards who normally defend him today though? I would expect even with some much evidence, they would still be defending Cook, using the state of Apple stock and profits that everything is fine.

Anyways, I'm sure will Tim will come out next week saying how Apple products are the best, and nothing wrong. Another tone deaf response a defiant Cook.

I always don’t believe Cook when he says they are the best ... don’t know why ... it’s kind of a reflex... for me he doesn’t really stand for apple nor its hardware business.

 

[jdiamond]

Back in 2015 I was eager for updates because Dell had finally surpassed the Macbook Pro on just about every spec but casing material. (At the time I was most envious if the 4TB SSD option)

Fast forward 3 years and look at the P52!!! I’ll take plastic for a 6 TB Ssd, 128gb ram, too if the line hexacore ‭cpu, georgeous 4k display w 100% rgb coverage, and a VR grade nvidia GPU, plus both usb-c and legacy ports. And it’ll probably cost less than a top of the libe Macbook Pro. And Apple thinks this is ok?
[doublepost=1529131747][/doublepost]

Back in 2015 I was eager for updates because Dell had finally surpassed the Macbook Pro on just about every spec but casing material. (At the time I was most envious if the 4TB SSD option)

Fast forward 3 years and look at the P52!!! I’ll take plastic for a 6 TB Ssd, 128gb ram, too if the line hexacore ‭cpu, georgeous 4k display w 100% rgb coverage, and a VR grade nvidia GPU, plus both usb-c and legacy ports. And it’s under 6 pounds! And it’ll probably cost less than a top of the libe Macbook Pro. And Apple thinks this is ok?

 

[Br1an]

Rogue Amoeba developer Quentin Carnicelli, who works on Mac software like Airfoil, Audio Highjack, Loopback, and Fission, this week penned a critique of Apple's Mac lineup and the company's recent lack of Mac updates, and that missive has been gaining some attention from Mac fans.

Using MacRumors' own Buyer's Guide, Carnicelli points out that it's been more than a year since any Mac, with the exception of the iMac Pro, has been updated.

It's been 375 days, for example, since the iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air machines were last updated, and it's been 437 days since the Mac Pro saw the price drop Apple implemented as it works on a Mac Pro replacement.

The Mac Pro has not seen a hardware update since December of 2013, more than 1600 days ago. Apple has promised its professional users that a high-end high-throughput modular Mac Pro system is in the works, but we thus far have no details on when it might see a release.

The Mac mini, Apple's most affordable desktop Mac, has gone 1338 days without an update, with the last refresh introduced in October of 2014. While Apple has made promises about a refreshed Mac Pro, no similar statement has been provided about a future Mac mini, aside from a comment from Apple CEO Tim Cook stating that the Mac mini continues to be important to Apple.

According to Carnicelli, the state of the Mac lineup is "deeply worrisome" to him as a person who works for a Mac-based software company. Customers are, he says, forced to choose between "purchasing new computers that are actually years old" or "holding out in the faint hope that hardware updates are still to come."As Carnicelli points out, Apple could reassure its Mac users with updates and speed bumps to its Mac lineup on a "much more frequent basis," calling the current lack of updates "baffling and frightening to anyone who depends on the platform for their livelihood."

Apple in 2017 refreshed much of its Mac lineup (iMac, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, and MacBook) at its Worldwide Developers Conference, but this year, Apple opted to focus instead on software, with no new Mac hardware announced. With no new hardware in June, based on past release history, we could be looking at an 18-month upgrade cycle this time around, as pointed out by iMore's Rene Ritchie, with new Macs making an appearance in September or October.

Some of the blame for Apple's lack of updates can perhaps be placed on its reliance on Intel, and in the past, some Mac refreshes have been pushed back due to delays with Intel chips. This is likely one of the reasons why Apple is planning to transition from Intel chips to its own custom made Mac chips as early as 2020.

MacBook, MacBook Pro, iMac, and MacBook Air upgrades are not in the dire state that Mac Pro and Mac mini upgrades are in, but increased attention on issues with the MacBook and MacBook Pro keyboards has left Apple customers eager to see those machine updated, especially as Apple has not acknowledged these keyboard issues despite their prevalence in the media.

"Apple needs to publicly show their commitment to the full Macintosh hardware line and they need to do it now," writes Carnicelli.

Carnicelli's comments on the state of the Mac lineup came just before Apple released a new Mac advertising campaign. Called "Behind the Mac," the campaign highlights creators who use their Macs to "make something wonderful."

The first ad spots in the series focus on photographer and disability advocate Bruce Hall, who uses his Mac for editing photographs, musician Grimes, who uses the Mac "from start to finish" to write all of her music, edit music videos, and more, and app developer Peter Kariuki who used his Mac to code the SafeMotos app, which is designed to connect passengers with safe motorcycle drivers in Rwanda.

These ads, while inspiring, may be seen as too little too late by those who have grown frustrated with Apple's Mac lineup and have come to see the lack of updates as an indicator of a lack of commitment to the Mac.

Article Link: Popular Mac Developer Slams Apple for 'Sad State of Macintosh Hardware'

The MacMini is an excellent form factor and as a server very portable. I believe the server software is no longer available on the App store (Once upon a time, the server functions were all built into a single OS).

 

[Malus120]

Frankly, as someone who has been a Mac user for literally as long as I can remember, this article is so on point it hurts.

As the article says, If someone asked me today what Mac to buy the only thing I could, in good faith, recommend is for them to wait.

Some people try to defend Apple by saying “Mores law” has slowed down, but this is highly disingenuous, particularly in light of the very significant developments in the CPU space in the last year.

Both Intel & AMD now offer chips that can put quad cores in a notebook smaller than a MBA. In spite of the TDP limits the performance jump is still well over 50%. The jump in the desktop / high end laptop space, moving from 4C/8T to 6C/12T /8C/16T is even more extreme.

We saw the same situation in the GPU space two years ago when Polaris and Pascel came out but Apple didn’t see fit to release new machines for almost a year.

The idea that It’s ok for Apple to just sit on their hands and not refresh their lineup in spite of such massive jumps being available is just illogical.

Of course, again as the article says this isn’t something that began last year but a sad trend of neglecting the Mac that’s been processing since at least 2013 if not earlier.

It’s depressing and like many others it’s forced me to evaluate other HW options, something I would’ve found unthinkable just a few short years ago.

 

[2010mini]

why are people constantly bellyaching over this? Have you not been paying attention?

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple he put a roadmap that Apple is currently on. It only seems that Apple is letting the Mac fall by the wayside. But this has been the plan all along. Macs today are the furthest away from Steve Job’s vision on Apple.

 

[Abazigal]

Let's be realistic guys. THE PROBLEM IS COOK!

Where are all the Apple die hards who normally defend him today though? I would expect even with some much evidence, they would still be defending Cook, using the state of Apple stock and profits that everything is fine.

Anyways, I'm sure will Tim will come out next week saying how Apple products are the best, and nothing wrong. Another tone deaf response a defiant Cook.

I have posted a few responses about my thoughts as to why the state of the Mac is what it is today. You are free to search my comment history and read them should you so desire.

I don’t think Tim Cook is the problem here. I guess it’s more that Apple’s vision for the Mac (and for the future of Apple) just doesn’t gel with that the rest here want. But then again, I am not as passionate or as reliant on the Mac as some of you evidently are, so I guess my words aren’t going to go down well for many of you here.

You are not wrong to want updated Macs, but Apple is under no obligation to make them the way you want them either, especially when they have more pressing matters on their plate to dedicate resources to. I guess the only thing you can do is make more noise (and annoy many other forum members along the way) and hope that someone at Apple takes notice.

I wouldn’t hold my breath.

 

[architect1337]

The only people who need to update their Mac's regularly are creators, who need better performance from Final Cut etc. They have been fairly well catered for - with new Macbook Pro's and iMac Pro. The home user (like me) bought a Mac Pro in 2009 and Mac Mini (for the wife) in 2012 and both are going strong, running the latest version of Mac OS.

I don't really want to spend out unless I have to (I did upgrade the Mac Pro 2009 by adding a new video card, USB3 card and SSD drives) but all in all, I'm happy with the lifecycle of a Mac. It may cost more, but appears to last well.

 

[Marshall73]

Apple are basically too greedy. They want to maintain margins on Macs of over 30%. Best way to do that is bulk buy chips cheaply then spit out the same hardware for years with the margins ever increasing the longer the product line remains unchanged.

They say it’s all about the customer but it’s not. It’s all about the shareholders. They need to stop thinking ONLY about the bottom line.

 

[ch1ptune]

Apart from a few valid points (5400 RPM HDD in the most recent iMacs and perhaps the very outdated Mac Pro), I don't really get all the fuss. The buyer's guide reference only shows that Apple doesn't necessarily follow the same PLC for its products as they used to. While disappointing to some, this is probably a good thing when it comes to the environmental impact of Apple's production. Also, it's pretty amazing to read about people's 2008+ iMacs which are still going strong here, a decade later. Just my two cents..

 

[Malus120]

The only people who need to update their Mac's regularly are creators, who need better performance from Final Cut etc. They have been fairly well catered for - with new Macbook Pro's and iMac Pro. The home user (like me) bought a Mac Pro in 2009 and Mac Mini (for the wife) in 2012 and both are going strong, running the latest version of Mac OS.

I don't really want to spend out unless I have to (I did upgrade the Mac Pro 2009 by adding a new video card, USB3 card and SSD drives) but all in all, I'm happy with the lifecycle of a Mac. It may cost more, but appears to last well.

The problem isn’t that it costs more, it’s that it costs more and you’re essentially buying 1-3 year old tech. You bought both of your machines at a time when Mac HW was still relatively up to date (and user upgradable!) and so it feels like “a whole lot about nothing.” The reality is though, that Apple’s irrational decision to sell old tech means if you bought the same machines today they’d age significantly less well.

 

[JKAussieSkater]

Almost nothing have happened on Mac area since Steve died.
They just put in some more stuff in an iMac and made it pro.

Steve Jobs was bizarrely resisting USB 3 ports in the entire Mac line—probably because he was trying to push “Thunderbolt” as the new standard people should adopt instead. Meanwhile, USB 3 ports had been standard in Windows computers since 2008. Also, Steve rejected the idea of making iPhones with screen sizes larger than 3.5”.

As soon as Steve died in late 2011, Macs from mid-to-late 2012 finally received USB 3 chipsets, and we received the iPhone 5 with a larger screen (a modest size increase, at 4”, but their first step in the right direction).

I have forgotten the specifics, but there were other stubborn Steve Jobs decisions that were gladly reviewed post-mortem, where Apple users benefited.

It’s true that Apple have let the Mac and macOS ecosystem crumble into a state of disaster, and they have no good excuse for this. They should have delayed iPhones instead of obsessing over making them marginally better each year.

But I think our Apple community has an unhealthy obsession with demonising Tim Cook in comparisons to a glorified Steve Jobs. We can’t assume Steve would have done things better.

 

[chatin]

Apple doesn't want to have people waiting for improvements on great products. Even though Intel's roadmap says great stuff in the future, Apple operates in the cold vacuum of present space.

 

[Falhófnir]

It’s clearly a perfectly deliberate strategy to move their products to multi- year cycles in order to really wring every last penny out of them before they begrudgingly invest in updating them again. Greed pure and simple... it’s not going to do them any favours in the long term

 

[corebeliefs]

Gosh, what a depressing regurgitation of negativity that springs fourth on these forums.

I really enjoyed the video posted along with the article. I don't disagree Apple could do more with their hardware to instil confidence in Mac users for the future, but it's obvious they care about the Mac.

Some people depend on the Mac for their livelihood. Seeing that disrupted or even threatened by Apple's seeming disinterest in the Mac is a cause for alarm. I don't see that as negative, I see that as smart for users to recognize, and anticipate, their workflow being disrupted, which is how they make money. Not every poster has the same problem with every Apple situation, and I would caution someone to get judgemental over an issue that is as bedrock as the usefulness, relevancy, and even future of the Mac.
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Hopefully never (pick up from Drudge Report). Next you'll want feeds from InfoWars.

You don't seem to be aware that Drudge links mostly to the New York Times and Washington Post. Infowars it's not.

 

[mdgm]

If Apple does a decent refresh of the Mac Mini with Intel Quad-Core CPUs I'd probably buy at least 2 of them, maybe 3.

As it is I'm still using older Minis none of which will be supported by the next version of Mac OS X.

 

[Scottsdale]

I bought a SurfaceBook 2 with Nvidia GPU - amazing hardware. I truly love it. I also have bought Galaxy S8 and S9+ phones. I love them, kinda. The real problem is the ecosystems don't mix. With my iPhone 8, MacBook Pros, and trusty iPad, I have an amazing ecosystem where everything works together nicely.

Apple has made it easier to use Macs with the famously popular iPhones. It really could be so much more, if only Apple would also take a portion of its employees and decide that Macs are a substantial portion of its profits and they could be a larger portion, like services, if it only gave people a real reason to believe.

Make the hardware far more compelling. Hire an innovator who wants to pull a Mac out of an envelope that blows people's minds. Make the software work flawlessly. Apple is wasting so much money upgrading its MacOS annually, but only upgrading some Macs after four plus years!

Steve Jobs used car and truck analogy for using iPads, but now we are on the cusp of using new technologies that transform transportation and shipping. Apple needs to revolutionize something again. To do that, it needs an innovator at the helm. Sorry, but Tim's social agendas aren't going to grow anything. He maximized shareholder value but not stakeholder value. It's all about money to this CEO, and it all can come tumbling down.

Right now, people simply want a better port selection, the fastest or most updated processor, and a real Nvidia GPU. Forget thinner bezels and revamping everything, just update RAM, GPU and CPU selections annually. Then, bring in an innovator who can help grow Mac sales by innovating and teaching iOS users what's possible by switching to the Mac. The people need to be able to do the same types of things they do on Windows, but much more.

Hire Forestall or Elon Musk, and swing for the fences. Go for stakeholder value rather than just shareholder value. Make an iPhone I want to upgrade to, as I cannot stand using the X ams holding it up to my face and smiling like a jackass in a meeting for my damn iPhone to unlock. Just my gripe, but put TouchID on the back of the iPhone and give people a choice.