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Popular Mac Developer Slams Apple for 'Sad State of Macintosh Hardware'
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Exactly. My Mac Pro, MacBook Pro and Mac mini are all 2012 models. They're all user-friendly machines easy to update.
Must've missed that. I've seen one or two of the high profile macOS bugs. But "full of bugs"? I must be lucky. Day to day, I can't think of any bugs in macOS that I encounter (and I use two full time for work, and one at home).
I have so many clients and people I know who don't want the keyboard issue and don't want the (worthless/battery draining) Touch Bar and DON'T want to pay $3500 for a computer that's a year old or MORE, esp when a new one could come out "soon" and who I advised to wait until WWDC in hopes of being given any sort of clue as to when the update might happen so they could at least make an intelligent decision on what to do. WTF.
And the hardware they do put out anymore is ********. I asked someone at a Mac store why they'd put out a Macbook with only 8GBs of Ram, with no way to upgrade if you need it. His answer: we only make this for people who just want to check their emails. BUT APPLE DOESN'T TELL THEM THAT WHEN THEY BUY IT. Fast forward a month later and a client tells me he ordered that computer off Amazon, and I knew it wouldn't do what he needs with only 8GB Ram. Fortunately he was able to cancel the order. Then I told him to wait until the WWDC, that hopefully we'd hear something. Don't know what I was thinking.
And the hardware they do put out anymore is ********. I asked someone at a Mac store why they'd put out a Macbook with only 8GBs of Ram, with no way to upgrade if you need it. His answer: we only make this for people who just want to check their emails. BUT APPLE DOESN'T TELL THEM THAT WHEN THEY BUY IT. Fast forward a month later and a client tells me he ordered that computer off Amazon, and I knew it wouldn't do what he needs with only 8GB Ram. Fortunately he was able to cancel the order. Then I told him to wait until the WWDC, that hopefully we'd hear something. Don't know what I was thinking.
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Well, I can only say that I’ve upgraded both RAM and hard disk on my mid 2011 Mac mini, but on the 2014 model Apple decided to solder the RAM even though the chassis remained otherwise the same. At least to me it seems like a spiteful move.
Refreshing yes but keeping last year’s model around would be business malpractice! It would cannibalize sales of the newest model. I am sure that the MacBook Air results in lost sales of the 12” and base 13” MBP already. Some customers may not realize that the extra $300 offers much more value and longevity. They just see a MacBook for $999 that has a lit up logo. The only way this could maybe work is if they modified the design or offered a particular color only on the latest version.
It would also destroy Mac resale value and lower refurbished prices further. Be careful what you wish for.
Phones are a little bit different since people tend to get a new one every 2 years or so as there is usually a feature that is reserved only for the latest i.e. 3G, video recording, Retina display & FaceTime, 4” display, Siri, touchID, screen size & 4K video, 3D Touch, Portrait mode, FaceID, Animoji, etc.
The difference between a generation of Intel is not a big deal most of the time. Especially not for computer illiterate customers. Coffee Lake may as well be a real lake somewhere.
I think, the original that came with the mini, and 4gb mem
I can find out after my fresh install of CS4.
Oh high Sierra did not likey my ihome boothtooth keyboard while elcapitan loves that device.
I want to complain to Apple about this
Yeah just barely! I think we’ll see more in the coming weeks. It is brand new. https://www.google.com/amp/s/wccftech.com/first-look-at-intels-10nm-cannon-lake-cpu-die/amp/
That's an easy cop-out. There's a lot more to a computer than its processor. Like the chassis design on the iMac? Ancient and I guarantee they could engineer thinner bezels now. Their historical harddrives and RAM that they pick up from the dumpster to put in their computers? Those could also be upgraded. Like the HDD they put in the base iMac I literally don't even know where they would find that any more. Storage is laughable. The 1 TB fusion drive is WORSE in the newer iMacs than before, because they got rid of the SSD space. 24 GB is absolutely unacceptable and not at all sufficient, and I literally have a SSD taped to the back of my late 2015 iMac because the fusion drive is so absolutely garbage. The monitor on the Macbook Air? Where do they even find those ancient displays?? Is there a stock of ancient computer parts that Apple bought 5 billion of in 2011, and they refuse to make new computers until they've cleared out their old stock? What a joke. My wife's Macbook Air broke 2 years ago and I was like "oh but the MBA is old.. try and wait a little to buy a new one." Fortunately she didn't, because it's been THREE YEARS since the MBA was updated. (The tiny RAM upgrade 2 years ago is like laughing in the face of their customers.)
Ok maybe they can't update the processor, but what about ANYTHING ELSE? I mean even their touch bar is a joke; they don't offer a standalone keyboard with it, so who in the heck is going to bother developing any app that uses it? Touch bar is the worst thing I've seen Apple come out with since their awful hockey puck mouse. Everyone I know who has one -still- hates it, months later.
This...
We're well past the point of "Don't Buy" for the 2013 Mac Pro. ...even with the price drop, the 8-core machine is still over-priced by $2,000 compared to a new 8-core workstation...
On top of that, it's listed $1,000 less than the base configuration of the iMac Pro...
2017 iMac Pro specs ($5,000 USD):
8GB Vega 56 video card
3.2 GHz CPU - with turbo boost up to 4.2GHz
32GB of 2666MHz DDR4 RAM
1TB Flash boot drive
5K Display
2013 iMac Pro's specs ($4,000):
3.0 GHz CPU - turbo boost up to 3.5 GHz
16GB of 1866MHz DDR3 RAM
dual 6GB FirePro D700 GPU
256GB Flash boot Drive
My computer - 2017 build ($1,950):
7820x - 8 core 3.6GHz CPU - 4.3 GHz turbo boost
8GB Sapphire Radeon RX 580 Nitro+
32GB of 2400MHz DDR4 ram
250GB SSD boot drive - still have 2 NVMe slots and 2 (2.5") SSD spots available
And before anyone explains to me my build isn't a Xeon build, I get that. I don't need a Xeon workstation, and Apple doesn't offer a non-Xeon 8-core machine. And I also understand my computer can do the exact same work as either the iMac Pro and the Mac Pro... so to that end, they're entirely comparable for me and my needs...
This is a big issue. Unfortunately there are many people out there that just don’t have the curiosity to look up what these components do and what is necessary for their needs. Many people also take prescription drugs without ever bothering to read up on what it does, side effects, etc. When it was harder to obtain this info I could understand but with resources like Wikipedia and simple google searches it just boggles the mind.
Totally agree, I have wanted to switch to mac, but looking at the line of macs available right now, decided to wait... and I have been waiting for over a year already...
It had gotten to the point where I ask myself, if they treat their mac line up like this, is it even worthwhile to switch.
It had gotten to the point where I ask myself, if they treat their mac line up like this, is it even worthwhile to switch.
I can think of no reasonable defense for the lack of Mac hardware updates. Apple generates a substantial amount of money and could easily invest in keeping the entire Mac line current, or better yet, innovating and iterating faster. Their Mac hardware literally feels like an afterthought at this point rather than a strong division that could grow with investment and focus.
Dear Tim,
You don't know me, may not even miss me. I am a pro, and have been using macs since 1992. The neglect of the mac has forced me to relook at the computer state of affairs. Please update now, and continue to update in the future - in a timely manner. Other workstations are catching my eye!
Signed
Will you miss me?
You don't know me, may not even miss me. I am a pro, and have been using macs since 1992. The neglect of the mac has forced me to relook at the computer state of affairs. Please update now, and continue to update in the future - in a timely manner. Other workstations are catching my eye!
Signed
Will you miss me?
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They keep this around for schools and students just like they kept around the non-retina MD101 forever. They are high margin items that sell well because of the price. Supposedly they will replace it with a new 13” notebook for the same price.
Don’t agree that cars should come out every year either. Sometimes it pays to breathe a little so you know what you add on is going to work and be the best.
This is true, and Apple has been able to hold out this long for this very reason... Macs are well designed (hardware and software), and have unmatched maintenance-free longevity. PCs can get just as much life, but not without spending extra time and money to keep them operational.
But I find a certain arrogance in Apple still charging the same full price for a 4-year old computer. At least lower the price for aging hardware. Surely the profit margin has improved over those four years.
All the mobile phones I have owned:
1994 - Motorola MicroTAC flip phone
2002 - Nokia 3310
2005 - Sony Z520a flip phone
2008 - iPhone 3G (for software development - bought unlocked in the Czech Republic)
2017 - iPhone 7.
I expect to have my iPhone 7 for 8-10 years. I use it to make phone calls. I guess at 46, I am just too old to understand the emoji era. My iPhone does not connect to the internet and I have no apps.
I do have an iPad which has internet access and aviation apps (I fly small planes).
But that’s exactly the point. You can’t compare consumer and server grade hardware even if performance is really about the same in some cases. Of course the latter costs more and not everyone needs that sort of reliability. Same thing with ECC RAM. Buying parts is always cheaper since no one is paid for assembly and the OS is not included in the price. I wonder how much Apple charges for years of macOS updates in their prices. Nothing is free and we’re definitely paying for those yearly releases.
Unless you have a specific reason to do so the answer is: No.
Yep. Especially for folks who don’t know how to fix their OS problems macOS is more likely to be running well years later compared to a Windows install that is filled with junk and hasn’t been properly maintained. For us it’s not a problem but Geek Squad wouldn’t exist making any money if tons of people didn’t need help constantly.
They are working on arm based laptops. It should be interesting.
Personally, I switched to android and I sold my MacBook Air. My Moto E4 cost me $125 and it does everything I need it to do. And it has a micro sd slot and a headphone jack. For $1,000,I’d rather have a new tv, gaming pc, projector, or a number of other things. But I’m always curious what the next ipad looks like since it is my primary device. I use it way more than I use my phone.
Personally, I switched to android and I sold my MacBook Air. My Moto E4 cost me $125 and it does everything I need it to do. And it has a micro sd slot and a headphone jack. For $1,000,I’d rather have a new tv, gaming pc, projector, or a number of other things. But I’m always curious what the next ipad looks like since it is my primary device. I use it way more than I use my phone.
Those differences do not matter to me. My Mac is thin and light enough, and i’m Not fussed by the lack of Retina display. I also don’t need the speed, I need the space so the slower SSD is fine.
For my intents and purposes it’s a huge price jump, with too many drawbacks, and so few advantages.
There's a sales and marketing reason they do this. If they continually lower the price over time, then release a new model back at the original price, consumers will complain because they'll see that the widget is getting more expensive, even if the price (at introduction) was unchanged. Plus, most consumers that buy don't know about Intel generations, GPU benchmarks, etc, so they don't have much incentive to lower their average order value.
Not that I agree with this terrible lack of focus and lack of updates mind you. It's very obvious that the Mac in general is not important to the company.
Do you have any recent studies to confirm this? Or are you relying on the Gistics study from way back when?