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

[jchap]

Are the people who complain about the lack of hardware updates to the Mac computer lineup actually finding the existing hardware insufficient, underpowered and inconvenient... or is it just that they want something new to satisfy their desire for shiny new things?

I enjoy shiny new stuff, BTW. Much more than I should, in fact. The thing is, I also realize that hardware is just that: a conglomeration of metal and plastic. Getting new metal and plastic in different packages and setups every year is cool... but in the end, it’s what you do with it, the software and the applications that makes the hardware meaningful.

My beef with the technology industry (and Apple is a prime example) is that the leaps in software development often outstrip the potential of the hardware... so the vicious cycle of needing to upgrade your hardware in order to support the software never ends. At some point in time, users need to dig in and say, “No further!”, and stop the cycle in order to make the best use of what they have. Apple could focus on reliability rather than added functionality. They could focus on making software that runs better on older hardware. Unfortunately, reliability updates and compatibility updates do not sell machines, but rather encourage users to keep what they have. The cycle is painfully evident on Apple’s phone lineup, but extends to the iPads now as well. First-gen iPads released in 2010 run much slower on new software. Apple does not seem to be optimizing iOS so that users of older hardware can take advantage of the latest security updates and functionality. To be fair, making iOS 12 run well on an iPad from eight years ago might not be a practical option. Still, we are generating a lot of waste in terms of manufacturing materials in particular just to feed the endless hardware-software cycle.

All this complaining, and I still use Apple products, and I still choose to upgrade my software up to the point where the device practically becomes a brick for slowness. I envy those people who still feel happy with their old machines and find them eminently useful.

 

[pete888]

macbook line-(what it should look like.)
13" macbook
15" macbook pro
17" macbook pro+

3 models, that's it.

upgrades/options constantly refreshed in BTO options. No stage show necessary. No NEW tag. Just the assurance that this is the best we can offer you right now. Period.

And, yes I am available for CEO position at Apple.

 

[LarryMcJ]

The integration between Mac hardware and software is one of it's greatest strengths. I have no desire to get back into the compatability nightmare that is PCs.

I couldn't agree more! Just last week, mainly out of disgust with Apple's current lack of new hardware, I purchased one of the top Windows laptops available for over $2K just to try it. After 15 years with Apple, I just thought I'd give Windows another shot. While the current version Windows 10 is FAR BETTER than what I left 15 years ago...it still sucks when compared to macOS. I've already returned the laptop and the experiment is over.

 

[iMcLovin]

I'm SO GLAD I switched to a windows PC for my main work computer. - now I can get the machine exactly with the internals I need...I feel I have not lost a single thing by switching...Today mac is ONLY phones, and ipads and computers for light usage - nothing for demanding work on a computer. iMac Pro is a bad investment as a work computer, particularly because of the horrible Apple repair abilities if something goes wrong and the fact that its all-in-one - and that's the ONLY serious powerhouse apple has to offer - THe Mac Pro is just a joke and embarrassment, it should have been removed from their lineup. I hope nobody is stupid enough to buy that today... And don't get me started on the badly designed MabBook pro where tiny keyboard travel is more important than convenience and durability, the idiotic useless touch bar and USB-C only (dongle hell) for an extremely high price tag with low performance....Apple is not what is was for serious work, they were slow before, but at least something happened....now it's just a sad place to be for anyone that needs a proper work computer. Switching to windows 2 years ago and building my own machine was the best decision I have ever made. and I have upgraded it with more ram and storage a few times all ready, that's the beauty of it. The machine I have today would cost $15.000 minimum with apples tax, and you wouldn't even be able to get anything near most of the stuff I have in apples current state. I feel sorry for those who aren't able to see past Apple and pick what you need based on what is offered across brands and what would be best for what you do for a living.

 

[Khedron]

Dell's latest XPS 13 (9370) comes only with 3x USB-C and 1x microSD card reader. They are following Apple's lead and have been widely criticized for it.

Only? That's 4 times as many ports as a MacBook

 

[Thrutheroofnunderground]

Agree or disagree, Mac value holds up extremely well and lifespan are increasingly pushing the boundaries...Look at MacBook Air from 10 years ago still fetching over $100 dollars on eBay. People are keeping their devices longer and longer no need for product refreshes every year. IMO.

If you're a professional using it for things like video editing you would definitely want an update. New chipsets, better screen and storage technology are everything to that community. You don't do those things on a MacBook air...

 

[LarryC]

Craigrusse11, Very well said, sir.

 

[drewyboy]

Agree or disagree, Mac value holds up extremely well and lifespan are increasingly pushing the boundaries...Look at MacBook Air from 10 years ago still fetching over $100 dollars on eBay. People are keeping their devices longer and longer no need for product refreshes every year. IMO.

People are keeping them longer because there isn't anything worth upgrading to, which is half the story. People would upgrade if there was something compelling to upgrade to. I know I'd upgrade from my 2012 MBP to a new one if there was something compelling, which there is not since in my opinion, they've made way too many compromises in functionality in the name of fashion (thinness).

As for the $100, part of it is because apple still sells a super old Air as "new" which is creating a false base price.

 

[nvmls]

Agree or disagree, Mac value holds up extremely well and lifespan are increasingly pushing the boundaries...Look at MacBook Air from 10 years ago still fetching over $100 dollars on eBay. People are keeping their devices longer and longer no need for product refreshes every year. IMO.

People are keeping them longer because there isn't anything worth upgrading to, which is half the story. People would upgrade if there was something compelling to upgrade to. I know I'd upgrade from my 2012 MBP to a new one if there was something compelling, which there is not since in my opinion, they've made way too many compromises in functionality in the name of fashion (thinness).

As for the $100, part of it is because apple still sells a super old Air as "new" which is creating a false base price.

Lol that's the apple consumer today, imagine trying to re-sell those 16/17 mbp/mb with 2-3 keyboard replacements under 1 year warranty, no magsafe, smaller battery and the most useless invention in the face of the earth, a led strip bar on a keyboard so you can finger and make use of multiple displays out of the box (?). They actually think they hold resale value.

 

[Guda.FL]

Ill chime in. Emojis and latest apple events are just fillers, there isnt much they have to release now.

As it comes to macs. my late 2013 custom iMac is still dominating today and is rock solid. compared even to my other 2017 PC workstation...slowdowns etc. Even the 2015 macbook pro is fantastic right now.

On the other hand, it be nice to have an option to purchase updated mac mini etc that I do need to replace. It just under my skin that I have to pay todays premium prices for 2-4 year old hardware. But then again this is apple.

 

[scoobs69]

That's one nice thing abut Windows - you can basically build your own and don't have to wait for a company to give you exactly what you need.

Even better, it's easy to upgrade the CPU, memory, video card, internal storage, and power supply without having to buy an entirely new system. If you buy an iMac Pro with 8-cores, then decide two years later you want 14 cores, you have to buy a whole new minimally spec'd $6,600 computer.

I just pop out the 7820x and drop in a $1,200 7940X - might have to add a new $120 850w power supply - don't have to worry about transferring/installing applications and data. I just drop in the the new CPU and (essentially) hit the ground running.

I still have two NVMe slots and two SSD bays open to expand. Speaking of which, gotta order a 1TB SSD.

For photo editing, Windows 10 is perfectly fine for my needs. I miss columns view a bit, as well as file previews when you click on the file. But for photography, I have Photo Mechanic, and use that to preview the files as browse through my client folders. It's an easy work around, and doesn't take any extra effort to do what I need.

The performance boost I have within the application when I'm working - that's wildly different compared to my 2009 Mac Pro. The trade off from OSX to Windows vs. a 2009 2.66GHz 4-core machine with a 7950 Mac Edition Radeon GPU to my 7820x with the Radeon RX 580 is easily worth it for me. This Windows 10 workstation is so smooth and effortless -- especially with multitasking (running a Capture One Export, and doing retouching work or a batch in Photoshop), it never skips a beat or bogs down. It just keeps going...

 

[utelme]

While we all would like to see new Apple hardware, including those mention plus a new Cinema Display, we tend to forget that Apple makes over 80% of its hardware revenue from iOS devices, so they're not incline to worry so much about the other hardware. I do think this fall will bring a lot of new hardware in addition to new iPhones/iPads.

 

[dantracht]

It sure seems like we get an article like this every year. Complain, complain, complain. You don't like it? Don't buy it!

Your opinion may vary, but as for me: I'd rather overpay for an outdated Mac than a brand new up to date windows machine any day of the week. I went all Mac 2 years ago after a lifetime in windows and I'll never ever go back to windows again.

 

[Rafterman]

Lol that's the apple consumer today, imagine trying to re-sell those 16/17 mbp/mb with 2-3 keyboard replacements under 1 year warranty, no magsafe, smaller battery and the most useless invention in the face of the earth, a led strip bar on a keyboard so you can finger and make use of multiple displays out of the box (?). They actually think they hold resale value.

I disagree about touchbar. Hard coded function keys are the most useless thing we have going now. This isn't 1980s IBM PCs here, the function key is long dead. At least with the touchbar, you can make that line of keys somewhat more useful again, even of its underutilized.

 

[Naimfan]

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'

Apple's entire Mac hardware lineup is pathetic relative to what is available elsewhere and what is possible.

Ive needs to retire - his obsession with thin-at-all-costs has put Apple in a design abyss. Form must follow function.

 

[Raketemensch]

What can't this guy do with his current Mac? He just says, "They don't make new products fast enough," he doesn't give any examples of what he thinks these new machines would do that the current models can't.

I'm posting this on a late-2013 MBP that does everything I need and more. I game on it, record 16-tracks of music on it with tons of VSTs and effects running, while playing video on a projector -- more horsepower would be wasted at this point.

The Mac platform has had the most steady sales of any manufacturer for like a decade now. It's not in decline like others. There's clear data on this.

Why the constant need for something new when what you have does everything you need it to?

 

[sers]

Apple wants you to buy an iPad Pro instead, with a keyboard and pen. The state of the Mac Mini is truly dreadful.

 

[merkinmuffley]

Yeah, but check out all those colored watch bands.

 

[lec0rsaire]

MacBooks are NOT okay!

What’s wrong with them? The 15” is a great machine. 13” is always weaker. You can go back to 2010 when the 13” still came with Core 2 Duo while the 15 and 17 had i7 and SSDs. If anything blame Intel not Apple.

 

[Abazigal]

What, exactly, is "this point in time"? Steve's been dead almost seven years.

A steady hand was good seven years ago. Continuity. I get it.

But now? Seems like an effortless way to coast into irrelevance.

https://stratechery.com/2017/apple-and-the-oak-tree/

This article perhaps explains it better than I ever could.

The way I see it, Apple is all grown up now. Just like when you are an adult and have mouths to feed, you can't afford to be as cavalier as you were back when you were a teenager with nothing to lose. You have settled down with a stable job, your finances are in order, and with it comes its own share of responsibilities and obligations.

Apple has far more to lose today then it did a decade ago.

That, though, is my point: Apple has had a special run, thanks to its special ability to start with the user experience and build from there. It is why the company is dominant and will continue to be so for many years. Apple as an entity, though, is not special when it comes to the burden of success: there will be no going back to “Rip. Mix. Burn.” or its modern equivalent.

In short, Apple is no longer the little reed they were when Jobs could completely change the company’s strategy in mere months; the push towards ever more lock-in, ever more centralization, ever more ongoing monetization of its users — even at the cost of the user experience, if need be — will be impossible to stop, for Tim Cook or anyone else. After all, such moves make Apple strong, until of course they don’t.

Such is life, and time, inexorably flowing past oak trees standing and fallen alike.

Apple needs a steady hand now more than ever. You will unlikely see Apple pull the same sort of stunts that Steve Jobs did back when Apple was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and as such as willing to bet everything on the iPhone, simply because it had nothing to lose.

 

[Rafterman]

What’s wrong with them? The 15” is a great machine. 13” is always weaker. You can go back to 2010 when the 13” still came with Core 2 Duo while the 15 and 17 had i7 and SSDs. If anything blame Intel not Apple.

I think we all get into the trap where you think you need a quad core and 16GB to check email and browse the internet.

 

[lec0rsaire]

Well said. By now, Apple should have 4C/8T CPUs in their 13" MBPs and 6C/12T CPUs in their 15" MBPs.

They will by the end of the year. I’d say October launch and release. They may even come with Vega in the 15”. This would provide a huge increase from the 80GB/s bandwidth. They may even squeeze another hour of battery life out of this solution.

 

[oldmacs]

Are the people who complain about the lack of hardware updates to the Mac computer lineup actually finding the existing hardware insufficient, underpowered and inconvenient... or is it just that they want something new to satisfy their desire for shiny new things?

Its more that if you're going to be buying a new Mac, why would you want to buy an outdated model? Apple don't give Macs that long in terms of MacOS support and if you were in the market for a Mac mini, a near 4 year old model isn't that appealing giving that its probably only got 3 or so years left of MacOS support.

 

[johnrlaporta]

Apparently all that focus doesn't really produce much since the iPhone also only gets one update per year as do MBPs and iMacs. And the iPad release date is also all over the place in terms of in which month in occurs and how many month the iPad is out-of-date after a new A-series chip is released.

Definitely agree with you there. I have a feeling that many there are running around in circles, barely able to see what the other parts of the company are doing, and it takes forever for them to develop one, coherent product since one arm does software, one hardware, one design, etc.

 

[sirozha]

Considering the margins involved, introducing new hardware with radical approaches might cost a bomb (like Mac Pro) and probably attract limited number of consumer professionals. Or, Apple is going along the ARM or its own processors(already Apple has mastered graphics in mobility space with super powerful processors). I also suspect that there will be growing convergence between OSX and iOS wrt MBP and iPad. No point in updating Mac line when big changes are in the pipeline. Mere hardware upgrades at regular intervels might suit OEM licensing models but as a owner of complete ecosystem, it would not be possible to keep pushing both hardware and software, especially when portfolio getting bigger.

I own late 2013 15 inch MBP 16GB RAM,512 GB HDD and I don't see any immediate need to replace it. It just works fine. 10 years is the minimum life time of Mac Books, if you use it properly.

That’s a ridiculous statement. Ten years is a maximum lifespan of a Mac. Five years is a reasonable lifespan. Apple discontinues macOS upgrades after 7 years. At about 10 years Apple abandons the platform altogether.