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

[ksec]

And that’s so sad, because for a very long time it has been the best pc.

Yes. While what is best is subjective. But now even fans cant argue for it.

 

[emulajavi]

People and Apple should stop blaming Intel for the lack of regular updates.


Every PC manufacturer releases or upgrades its PCs (at least) yearly and with any new silicon Intel releases as soon as it is released.

When Apple releases or updates it’s Macs they do it with processors that are 6 or more months old....or even worse... that are from the previous generation despite Intel having released new ones, like it happened a couple of years ago.

Lack of nVidia is also ashaming.

 

[ericwn]

Without a Mac I do not buy or use an iPhone. I am not the only one.

But even the slightest amount of common sense tells me this does not scale, otherwise we’d see way more Mac sales.

 

[timborama]

Cook... “pipeline”...

 

[CmdrLaForge]

I really cannot understand why Apple doesn't keep its Mac line updated. Cannot figure it out. There is really no good reason and not one given in this thread. It just doesn't make any sense.

 

[wigby]

Without a Mac I do not buy or use an iPhone. I am not the only one.

The only users that can truly stand behind your statement are developers because they usually need both for their livelihood. Otherwise, I don't think your statement carries any weight.

 

[xalea]

I use a PC (desktop) but all my mobile devices (watch, iphone, ipad) are Apple. I would like a Mac desktop but it's just not worth it. Low specs for too much money, no way to upgrade, etc. I am a musician and am soooo glad I didn't jump on the "you have to use an Apple to make music" bandwagon (pun). You most certainly do *not* have to use an Apple to make music, as my excellent selling albums can attest to. Still, I would like to fully be in the Apple ecosystem, but it's never going to happen.

I also like to game a lot and can do this on the same computer with NVIDIA 1080 ti video cards and anything else I want to upgrade to. Only an idiot would buy an Apple desktop at this point. Sad.

 

[VulchR]

Apple might be ignoring one complaint from their user base too far. If I didn't use a Mac at work, iOS devices would seem irrelevant and expensive, and indeed a PITA to use with Windows or LINUX.

 

[xalea]

I really cannot understand why Apple doesn't keep its Mac line updated. Cannot figure it out. There is really no good reason and not one given in this thread. It just doesn't make any sense.

Maybe they don't have enough money.

 

[VulchR]

The only users that can truly stand behind your statement are developers because they usually need both for their livelihood. Otherwise, I don't think your statement carries any weight.

It does with me. You cannot have a coherent Apple ecosystem without desktops.

 

[wigby]

Biggest computer company in the world and they can't get this right. It really is pathetic.

They dropped the "computer" so they haven't been the biggest computer company in the world for years. I don't understand why so many people want to live in the past and complain about Apple are clear about their goals and ambitions with Mac. If you need a PC, shop around for the many alternatives. But if you want the future of tech, Apple is already waiting for the puck while a small portion of their customers complain about ports and CPUs.

 

[jimsong]

The only users that can truly stand behind your statement are developers because they usually need both for their livelihood. Otherwise, I don't think your statement carries any weight.

Without developers, there would be no software to run on your iOS devices, no? Even if you don't have a Mac, you should care about them, because a solid computer lineup is needed to keep the iOS ecosystem healthy.

 

[Altis]

The trend at the University of Texas at Austin, where I was in IT for 35 years, is that more and more students are shifting to PCs and Android phones in the last 3-4 years. The Apple laptops I now see being used still have the glowing Apple logo, meaning they are holding onto older machines. I'm starting to see more HP and Dell laptops than Apple laptops, and there was a definite shift toward Android phones after Apple abandoned the 3.5mm jack a few years ago on the iPhones. Another interesting phenomenon with the student MacBook and MBP users - it is becoming fashionable to cover up the Apple logos with various individual decals, almost as if they want to downplay the "trendiness" that has become associated with Apple. I agree with you that the shifting student market is a predictor of the near future with computer users.

At my university, Macs are only common in the arts/social programs (where they only really use a web browser and office apps). It's rare to see a current-gen MBP... most are MBA and some 2015 and older MBP.

It's surprising how many generic-looking PC laptops I see now. They seem to be the most common at this point, though some of them are gaming laptops as well.

There are a few Surfaces, though not many, and iPads are nearly non-existent on campus.

Mac was difficult enough to use in engineering due to the lack of software. Life's gotten easier for me since having switched to a ThinkPad laptop, and it cost next to nothing. CAD$3200 for the dearest 15" Mac? How about no

 

[IWantItThatWay]

I'm not surprised, anyone could see this coming.

Apple is clearly trying to go mobile only. MacBooks will get some updates and iMacs every now and then, but the transition is occurring.

 

[strukt]

Understandable.

I have moved all my creative endeavors to a Windows PC. (Music production, image editing and some video editing). The hardware needed costs much less and there are good alternatives to Logic or Final Cut.

I have a MacBook Pro 15-Inch 2016, but my employer subsidize the costs of it.

Why pay more for something and get less? There is only so much I am willing to pay to get a fantastic trackpad, display and enclosure.

 

[Altis]

I use a PC (desktop) but all my mobile devices (watch, iphone, ipad) are Apple. I would like a Mac desktop but it's just not worth it. Low specs for too much money, no way to upgrade, etc. I am a musician and am soooo glad I didn't jump on the "you have to use an Apple to make music" bandwagon (pun). You most certainly do *not* have to use an Apple to make music, as my excellent selling albums can attest to. Still, I would like to fully be in the Apple ecosystem, but it's never going to happen.

I also like to game a lot and can do this on the same computer with NVIDIA 1080 ti video cards and anything else I want to upgrade to. Only an idiot would buy an Apple desktop at this point. Sad.

Hans Zimmer uses PC and seems to do alright. I switched to PC for my music production suite and it works just as well.

Plus, I can't really trust Apple not to abandon their software like they did with Aperture because they decide they can't be bothered with it anymore. Then there's the hardware...

 

[scoobs69]

Please explain where Apple is leading the world in tech?

It’s not just about ports and CPUs. But yes, some of us rely on CPUs and ports to do our work efficiently. But don’t let that detail wreck your argument.

They dropped the "computer" so they haven't been the biggest computer company in the world for years. I don't understand why so many people want to live in the past and complain about Apple are clear about their goals and ambitions with Mac. If you need a PC, shop around for the many alternatives. But if you want the future of tech, Apple is already waiting for the puck while a small portion of their customers complain about ports and CPUs.

ere

 

[jwestveer]

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

No statement made in the last decade can be more true.

Apple Computer changed their name a few years ago, and dropped the word "Computer" from their corporate name.

 

[Soccertess]

Yes, I am well aware of the noise this small but extremely vocal group of critics can make, having been on the receiving end more than once myself.


I bought an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Apple Watch and Airpods in 2016 alone. Speaks volumes about what I think about the mobile side of Apple.

Unless you mean their laptop wing. But I am more an iPad guy myself.


And this is precisely what I mean when I say that the people criticising Apple haven’t the faintest understanding about how Apple works.

Apple was never a tech company to begin with. Apple is, and always has been, a design company. That is why in the late 1990s, Steve Jobs shifted the power structure within Apple so that designers had control and influence over engineers. The logic in turning Apple into a design-led company was that design is the item that leads to great products. The iMac was the first product to be born out of this new power structure.

And their ignorance is all the more apparent when they openly mock the Apple Watch bands. Contrary to popular belief, this product is incredibly important for Apple. Watch bands are the primary reason Apple has been able to sell so many Apple Watches to date and become the wearables leader in the process. While there is value and convenience found with having a small screen positioned on the top of one's wrist, the key reason people are willing to wear that screen in the first place is because of Watch bands. It is not a coincidence that Apple Watch bands are the most frequently updated product at Apple.

So I do find it ironic when the people who claim to be the most passionate about the Mac (which is itself a product of the very design-led culture that they do hate) are the ones who don’t seem to understand the design process that led to its conception in the first place.


Perhaps we should. Perhaps we should.

I love how you dismiss people with rhetoric and no evidence. It’s Very trumpesic. I would say majority of the world using andriod, the return of Microsoft, and google’s dominance, that wouldn’t be considered small except in your eyes. But I like your spin

 

[Naaaaak]

Apple should spin off a Mac division (the hardware, software, and design teams chiefly responsible for it) into a subsidy that has its own executives who are responsible solely for Mac operations.

Apple's current executive team can't be bothered to care. They are too busy making watch straps, designing door handles, and approving new emojis.
[doublepost=1529167589][/doublepost]

I have moved all my creative endeavors to a Windows PC. (Music production, image editing and some video editing). The hardware needed costs much less and there are good alternatives to Logic or Final Cut.

What are the alternatives you use?

 

[weezer160]

So, no PowerBooks next Tuesday?

 

[curtvaughan]

To be fair, Macs (and PCs in general) don't become obsolete as quickly as they used to. I'm using a 2015 iMac 27" and it still feels fast as hell and is not lacking for anything. And I use the hell out of it, for hours a day. Macs don't need to be updated every single year! The 2017 iMacs and iMac Pro can't really be improved upon that much this year based on the hardware that's out there. There's just not much of a point in updating them.

That said, the Macbooks could certainly use improvement; Apple has acknowledged this and I'm hoping that they greatly improve their notebook line soon. I'm hoping they've learned their lessons and give us new Macbooks soon with great keyboards and reliability.
[doublepost=1529115852][/doublepost]

One thing I definitely noticed is that there was a HUGE jump in reliability when the "slim" iMacs came out. The "fat" iMacs prior to that were often having problems where I work, but we've had exactly zero failures out of many dozens of the "slim" iMacs we've been buying since.

I definitely don't want to defend the lack of a modular Mac, but component failures in iMacs are definitely not anywhere near as big a problem as they used to be. In fact the iMacs are the one computer line Apple makes that I'm completely happy with right now; I really want to see them improve the Macbooks (crap keyboard), Pro systems (like you said, we need something truly modular) and a new Mac Mini.

I'm on my third iMac. I purchased my first one around 2010, the second in 2014, and my newest in late 2017. The first one ran fine until it finally had display failure in its 5th year. It was of the "thin" design, but was about an inch thick at the sides. My last two iMacs have been of the "very thin" design (about 1/8 inch on the sides). The 2014 model began having cooling problems in its third year, and I think that is due to its thinness. The fans started ramping up to full speed to compensate, causing the noise to be unacceptable. I probably should have just opened it up and vacuumed it out, but didn't want to bother, so gave it away and bought what will likely be my last iMac. Its main improvement over the 2014 model was in doubling the memory and switching to a "fusion" drive (SSD + HDD). I've gotten to the point that Apple's high prices and declining hardware reliability for Macs don't justify my continued purchase of them. I shifted to HP/Dell laptops running various flavors of Linux, and I'm quite happy with those (I refuse to go back to Windows for anything), and the hardware is quite nice for the price. I also have come to enjoy tinkering with the Linux systems. My recent iMac purchase was more for my wife's benefit than for me, as she is familiar with MacOS and software, and likes storing her photos there. She doesn't care about laptops, and is shifting over time to phones (Android) for most things, with occasional use of her iPad. As she moves farther away from daily desktop usage, I'll probably make my next desktop a PC with Linux on it. Macs just aren't Apple's priority any longer.

 

[truthertech]

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.

Truth is your conclusion is the opposite of what usually occurs. It's the tens of billions of dollars in R and D that make all of their systems possible. Because of the need to realize a return, logically more resources are devoted to developing technology for something you are going to sell hundreds of millions of units each year, i.e., the iPhone, and that knowledge/technology is then later transferred to other products. Processors, for example, developed for the iPhone and iPad are starting to find their way into the Macs and may ultimately replace all of their Intel processors. Ditto for screens. You saw Retina first in the iPhone and then later the iMac. Same is happening with OLED.

Same is with software, Apple is wisely making it easier to port apps over to Mac's from iOS as by the end of this year there will be over 1.5 BILLION iOS devices, so the much smaller macOS system isn't attractive enough for many of them to develop apps for it, but thanks to iOS, macOS should have a much healthier app system.

If you care about the Mac system, you should be bowing down to the "iGadgets" and thanking them.

 

[firewood]

I really cannot understand why Apple doesn't keep its Mac line updated. Cannot figure it out. There is really no good reason and not one given in this thread. It just doesn't make any sense.

Reason is obvious. Mac sales and market share haven't changed that much (up or down) over the past few years, and didn't change that much when Apple last did update stuff in the Mac product line. Why should a business spend engineering resources on a product line when it doesn't seem to have much positive effect on annual revenue or on market share?

 

[hans1972]

There is a fair share of complaining on any forum, especially one for a company such as Apple, which seems to traffic in polarizing decisions as of late. But to click on a link that is clearly critical of Apple and its Mac road map, or lack thereof, when you admit you're not that invested in the Mac, doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

It makes more sense than those who complain about the Mac in every article about watchbands or emoticons.