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

[shrfu31]

I went from being the biggest Apple Fanboy/Stockholder to building 2 Windows machines in the last 3 months. I had been out of Windows for at least 15 years and am simply shocked at the prices I used to so willingly pay. For what I paid for my 8 core 2013 Mac Pro and subsequent 3 month wait for its arrival, I can build a variety of machines that offer superior graphics and support. Tim Cook has a completely different vision for Apple than Steve Jobs. But by sacrificing power users for instant cash, it feels like they have lost the long term vision. I sincerely hope they bring back a visionary like Scott Forstall or the like who can see a creation and purpose first rather than dollar signs.

I didn't abandon Apple. Apple abandoned me.

One good thing about having been in Apple's corner (still am in many ways), all those years overpaying has made Window's "high" prices easily swallowed. Seriously, the difference in prices for top tier power supplies are almost nothing compared to "bottom" tier. I can get the best stuff and it comes to $1500. That is amazing. It was scary at first, but I am already planning the next build for my nephews.

 

[CWallace]

It's really sad. I wish apple would realize that, while the profits come from iGadgets, it's the technologies from the Mac that makes iOS possible, not the other way around.

The Mac division is still a Fortune 500 company in terms of quarterly revenue. Which in itself might be the problem - as long as every quarter 5-7 million people spend $7-10 billion on "current" Macs, does Apple feel a strong pressure to update the most-popular models on a more regular schedule and the least-popular models at all?

 

[Rogifan]

Just what the site needs. More complaining about the Mac. Sigh.

 

[meme1255]

Only dinosaurs like me will probably be buying another Mac.

Yes, content creators are kind of dinosaurs these days... However, they are necessary. There are many things you need computer for.

 

[Appleaker]

Of course it's true right now but perhaps speaking a few months too soon.
A statement that will always be true is that the Mac lineup should have never gone through this period of problems and neglect.

 

[Nermal]

Apple should just start licensing/selling Mac OS on standard PC hardware and stop fooling themselves and everyone else with hardware. No reasonable person would buy a brand new Mac mini today and think to themselves that they made a smart purchase.

A couple of weeks ago I was actually wondering whether the time is right to open source MacOS. Apple doesn't seem to care enough about it anymore, and with some of the weird bugs of late it might be beneficial to let more developers in there.

 

[jermwhl]

For me, I know if Apple doesn’t update the Mac lineup this year I’m going back to windows for my next computer purchase. As much as I’ve wanted to stick with a Mac, the lack of updates is something I can no longer deal with.

 

[blackcrayon]

A couple of weeks ago I was actually wondering whether the time is right to open source MacOS. Apple doesn't seem to care enough about it anymore, and with some of the weird bugs of late it might be beneficial to let more developers in there.

Hmm yeah, but of course that would mean open sourcing huge parts of iOS by proxy... So I don't see that happening any time soon.

 

[lunarworks]

Whoever is in charge of Mac hardware needs to make a public explanation, because their entire product line, aside from one new and very niche product, not getting an update in over a year is inexcusable. People are rapidly losing faith in the Mac.

It's not as if they lack the talent or resources, they can hire anyone and are spending more money on R&D than ever. What the hell is going on in the Mac division? (I refuse to blame this on stuff like emoji and TV shows, because that stuff operates completely separately.)

 

[lilrush]

Mac lineup is sad and outdated. No excuse.

 

[lunarworks]

Just what the site needs. More complaining about the Mac. Sigh.

Well, this thread is a rare one where it's actually on-topic.

 

[firewood]

Moore's law is slowing down. Dennard scaling is just not happening any more. There's less and less gain from spending money on new high-profit-margin hardware every couple years, like there used to be a decade or two ago.

The only Mac that seems really out of date is the Mac Mini, which can be out-performed by a 4k AppleTV at a much lower cost in a package with a fraction of the volume. I'd buy an arm64 Mini running macOS (essentially a 4k+ ATV with a bigger SSD and a slightly different OS).

 

[lec0rsaire]

The MacBooks are all still fine except for the MacBook Air. What Apple is lacking is a traditional tower with upgradability for a reasonable price like $2k and $2.5k. The Mac mini should either be updated with Kaby Lake or simply retired from the lineup.

Another valid criticism is the lack of nVidia GPUs but now that OpenGL will be deprecated in favor of Metal it makes sense that they’re sticking with AMD. AMD gives Apple a level of control that nVidia simply refuses to agree to. Their partnership with Intel can be a game changer providing a rather strong GPU in a highly energy efficient package.

It’s now up to devs to fully adopt Metal. It may take a while before every major pro app takes advantage of it.

 

[meme1255]

The MacBooks are all still fine except for the MacBook Air. What Apple is lacking is a traditional tower with upgradability for a reasonable price like $2k and $2.5k. The Mac mini should either be updated with Kaby Lake or simply retired from the lineup.

.

The MacBooks are not OK. If they were, they wouldn't have so many keyboard issues and Apple wouldn't be the only company which is not offering 6C/12T CPU in their Pro line.

There is some Vulcan/Metal bridging API, I have forgotten the name, this will help a lot if Apple doesn't make some counter-steps (cutting it off).

 

[lec0rsaire]

Moore's law is slowing down. Dennard scaling is just not happening any more. There's less and less gain from spending money on new high-profit-margin hardware every couple years, like there used to be a decade or two ago.

The only Mac that seems really out of date is the Mac Mini, which can be out-performed by a 4k AppleTV at a much lower cost in a package with a fraction of the volume. I'd buy an arm64 Mini running macOS (essentially a 4k+ with a bigger SSD and a slightly different OS).

Yep, they will hit a wall when the process shrinks to 7nm with Sapphire Rapids.

 

[mooreaa]

Don't blame Intel, Dell keeps coming out with great hardware, HP keeps coming out with hardware, hell even Microsoft is coming out with great hardware. I'm in the same boat, Apple abandoned me.

Have tried to stay current using Hackintoshs but to be honest, Mac OS is starting to get full of bugs and the possible switch to proprietary ARM will be a deal breaker. I'm not saying that Windows is any better (automatic updates rebooting your machine!), but as a developer/creator, I just want good tools.

How can one of the wealthiest companies in the world, built around the image of creativity, abandon its core users?
[doublepost=1529104782][/doublepost]

The MacBooks are not OK. If they were, they wouldn't have so many keyboard issues and Apple wouldn't be the only company which is not offering 6C/12T CPU in their Pro line.

There is some Vulcan/Metal bridging API, I have forgotten the name, this will help a lot if Apple doesn't make some counter-steps (cutting it off).

Thank maybe they should have added 0.5mm more and made the damn things work. Novelty concepts like touch bar are not enough value to "delay" and saving 0.5mm is not enough value to lose valuable interfaces (sd slot, usb-a)
[doublepost=1529104914][/doublepost]RIP Apple / Apple Computer. Time to reincorporate to Apple Phone Company Inc.

@MacRumors you should probably rename your site to iphonerumors.com

 

[nwcs]

Yes, content creators are kind of dinosaurs these days... However, they are necessary. There are many things you need computer for.

I don’t deny it. I make my living with computers. Even so, the world is changing and desktop computers are not as relevant as they once were for consumers. It’s just a fact. I think if you looked at the proportion of content creators vs consumers you’ll see it parallel the shift going on now.

 

[Glavin]

I would be all in on resurrecting Steve Jobs just to have him reprise his MobileMe tirade with Mac Hardware as the subject.

 

[Windlasher]

Well, we all knew that Tim Cook's priorities were not going to be Steve Job's priorities, nor his management style. Did you really expect Tim Cook to walk into a meeting and scream "WHY THE **** DONT WE HAVE A MAC PRO THAT KICKS THE CRAP OUT OF EVERYTHING ELSE OUT THERE?" Because if he did that, there would be a new Mac Pro on the table two days later.

 

[npmacuser5]

Define a majority of Mac Users. Would you classify the majority as power or as everyday users. The latter comes to mind, including education. The current line up more then meets their needs under the hood. The Mac OS software seperates the Mac from others like Windows OS. The need to refresh the hardware, not a differenator as it would be with different Windows systems. My 3 plus year old Mac Book doing just great, more speed then I need. Not everyone needs a heavy lifting system.

 

[Dave-Z]

Couldn't agree me.

Also frustrating is the pricing for the current lineup.

Not to start a war, but I actually just built a custom Linux machine because I needed to upgrade after holding out for years and couldn't justify the prices for the hardware Apple delivers. Debian isn't as pretty as macOS, but it's just as functional and works for my uses.

 

[lec0rsaire]

The MacBooks are not OK. If they were, they wouldn't have so many keyboard issues and Apple wouldn't be the only company which is not offering 6C/12T CPU in their Pro line.

There is some Vulcan/Metal bridging API, I have forgotten the name, this will help a lot if Apple doesn't make some counter-steps (cutting it off).

I’d rather call it their high-end line. “Pro” is really user overused by the entire industry. It’s nothing more than marketing. As for the keyboards some have problems and some don’t. The MBP keyboard is much better than the shallower one on the MacBook. There is still no other machine on the market with 4 TB3 ports besides the iMac Pro. Competitors include 2 at best combined with 2 3.1 Type A porta. While Apple got a lot of criticism for transitioning to USB-C early, that just means these will have a longer useful life. Once everything is USB-C, type A will be good for nothing but old peripherals.

 

[Windlasher]

Part of the issue is the state of the industry. People aren’t buying home computers at the rate they previously did. It’s now possible to live entirely with your mobile devices. In some ways the Mac (and PC) are relics in the consumer world. The situation will look more dire in 10 years. Only dinosaurs like me will probably be buying another Mac.

I agree, however, my 2008 Mac Pro is still the beast I go to when I want to crunch some SERIOUS data. My 2012 MacBook Pro cant keep up even with that. Were there a new beast of a Mac Pro out there.. (Not that silly little round thing) I would buy it Immediately.

 

[dirt_farmer]

Many, if you can't use THAT old chasis without redesigning cooling system because you have designed it for less heat than the new generation generates.

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.

 

[lec0rsaire]

Couldn't agree me.

Also frustrating is the pricing for the current lineup.

Not to start a war, but I actually just built a custom Linux machine because I needed to upgrade after holding out for years and couldn't justify the prices for the hardware Apple delivers. Debian isn't as pretty as macOS, but it's just as functional and works for my uses.

Prices are pretty fair. The retina iMac 5K is really not expensive considering the I/O and amazing display. The iMac Pro is reasonably priced and the MacBooks as well except for the 12” which costs $1949 for the fully loaded config. $2-3k is a reasonable price for a modern, well-built aluminum machine. Besides they can be picked up used in great condition for much less or refurbished through Apple.