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

[pl1984]

I primarily used Windows computers until 2015. I'm sitting in front of an excellent Mac computer right now and very much in the present, thanks.

None of which changes that you're living in the past. You may prefer macOS. That doesn't make it a better experience.

 

[Ladybug]

I agree with a previous poster, we haven't abandoned Apple...Apple abandoned us.

I made the switch back to PC 2 years ago. Windows 10 does everything I need it to. And for anyone wondering you can switch off automatic updates if you want. Win 10 never just reboots itself after it updates, you have the option to reboot later if necessary.

I have been waiting on Apple so I can update my husbands MBP. Personally I just have an iPhone, iPad, and AirPods that I use these days.

 

[pl1984]

There's a lot of truth here. Some Apple products (such as the iPhone and the iMac have attained a state of near-perfection, and it gets tougher and tougher to improve on that. Plus which, Apple products are notoriously rugged and you can count on them to have long lifespans. Now, Apple (like everybody else in the industry) has made a lot of money out of inducing purchasers to accept the premise of a three-year replacement cycle for computers and a one-year cycle for smartphones. But this old notion is getting harder and harder to sustain, plenty of folks are willing to hang on to their present stuff until Apple is able to produce updated replacements that are genuinely more desirable, or, failing that, that can at least run operating systems and maybe other software with genuinely more desirable features, which cannot be run on their present devices. This change in purchasing habits is going to revolutionize the economics of the entire industry and is creating certain optical illusions

One example of what I mean is that decreasing (or in the case of Apple leveled-off) sales of desktop equipment has induced some self-appointed pundits to write the obituary for desktop computing. Nuts. Just because purchasing habits for desktops are changing does not necessarily mean that desktops are being used any less than they ever were, just that the same desktops are staying in use longer. I have no doubt that same is about to start happening with smartphones, if it hasn't already. There are still plenty of Apple products (such as the Mac Pro, the Home Pod, the Watch and Air Pods) which can stand a whole lot of genuine improvement before they enter a similar state of near-perfection, and it is such products that I expect will continue to produce healthy sales figures for years to come.

I don't know which Apple products you're thinking of but their Macintosh line is, IMO, far from rugged. In fact I'd consider them some of the most delicate computers from a major manufacturer.

 

[gnipgnop]

Apple would regain a lot of Mac goodwill by re-adopting the 2015 and prior Macbook keyboard design. The "butterfly" keyboard has been a disaster, in both keyboard feel and reliability.

What disaster? Apple has the repair numbers for butterfly vs. scissor and no one else. Until they roll them out, it's all pure speculation. None of the lawsuits that have been filed provide anything more than anecdotal examples of problems.

 

[pl1984]

I agree with a previous poster, we haven't abandoned Apple...Apple abandoned us.

I made the switch back to PC 2 years ago. Windows 10 does everything I need it to. And for anyone wondering you can switch off automatic updates if you want. Win 10 never just reboots itself after it updates, you have the option to reboot later if necessary.

I have been waiting on Apple so I can update my husbands MBP. Personally I just have an iPhone, iPad, and AirPods that I use these days.

Only if you're using one of the special variants. For most people who use Windows 10 you can only delay the reboot, not avoid it. If there's any one complaint against Windows 10 this is it.

 

[AppleTLDR]

This article is the dumbest bunch of crap I’ve ever read. Apple has gone longer than a year between updates. They almost never announce new hardware at WWDC. Last year was an exception and they stopped announcing iPhone updates at WWDC 8 years ago. It’s a software developers conference.

If you don’t want to buy a Mac right now, then don’t! It’s simple. The argument that their isn’t a Mac suitable for daily use in my opinion is rubbish. I use a mid spec MacBook Pro from late 2016 and I edit 8K video, I render huge projects in AutoCad and much more. I highly doubt many put their machine through that kind of pace each day and I get by comfortably on a mid spec from 2 years ago.

If you want more up to date specs (that most of you will never need), go buy a PC. You’ll probably have to replace it every year but hey, at least they’ll have the latest specs innit bro.....

 

[brendu]

What disaster? Apple has the repair numbers for butterfly vs. scissor and no one else. Until they roll them out, it's all pure speculation. None of the lawsuits that have been filed provide anything more than anecdotal examples of problems.

The number of threads on here, Reddit, and other forums about people needing multiple keyboard replacements from Apple on 2016 and 2017 MacBook pros is a good indication that these keyboards are less reliable.

 

[pl1984]

This article is the dumbest bunch of crap I’ve ever read. Apple has gone longer than a year between updates. They almost never announce new hardware at WWDC. Last year was an exception and they stopped announcing iPhone updates at WWDC 8 years ago. It’s software developers conference.

If you don’t want to buy a Mac right now, then don’t! It’s simple. The argument that their isn’t a Mac suitable for daily use in my opinion is rubbish. I use a mid spec MacBook Pro from late 2016 and I edit 8K video , I render huge projects in AutoCad and much more. I highly doubt many put their machine through that kind of pace each day and I get by comfortably on a mid spec from 2 years ago.

If you want more up to date specs (that most of you will ever never need), go buy a PC. You’ll probably have to replace it every year but hey, at least they’ll have the latest specs innit bro.....

Didn't they announce the 6,1 Mac Pro at WWDC?

 

[brendu]

This article is the dumbest bunch of crap I’ve ever read. Apple has gone longer than a year between updates. They almost never announce new hardware at WWDC. Last year was an exception and they stopped announcing iPhone updates at WWDC 8 years ago. It’s a software developers conference.

If you don’t want to buy a Mac right now, then don’t! It’s simple. The argument that their isn’t a Mac suitable for daily use in my opinion is rubbish. I use a mid spec MacBook Pro from late 2016 and I edit 8K video, I render huge projects in AutoCad and much more. I highly doubt many put their machine through that kind of pace each day and I get by comfortably on a mid spec from 2 years ago.

If you want more up to date specs (that most of you will never need), go buy a PC. You’ll probably have to replace it every year but hey, at least they’ll have the latest specs innit bro.....

Maybe I’m just part of a super rare group of users but I want a desktop Mac without a built in monitor. It happens to be that the models Apple offers that fit my needs are quite old and quite overpriced for the hardware offered.

 

[AppleTLDR]

Didn't they announce the 6,1 Mac Pro at WWDC?

Yeah well...sort of. They gave a sneak peek but it was launched or made available for sale until a proper keynote event the following year.

 

[pl1984]

Yeah well...sort of. They gave a sneak peek but it was launched or made available for sale until a proper keynote event the following year.

I didn't say "launched" or "made available". I said "announced" (i.e. "sneak peek").

 

[AppleTLDR]

Maybe I’m just part of a super rare group of users but I want a desktop Mac without a built in monitor. It happens to be that the models Apple offers that fit my needs are quite old and quite overpriced for the hardware offered.

They have announced a new Mac Pro and quite some time ago and have been pretty open to say it will be a 2019 product. In the mean time their are some options available to tide you over.

 

[pl1984]

They have announced a new Mac Pro and quite some time ago and have been pretty open to say it will be a 2019 product. In the mean time their are some options available to tide you over.

2019 is FIVE YEARS since they started shipping, not announced, the 6,1 Mac Pro. I don't know how anyone can say Apple is committed to the Mac Pro when it hasn't seen a single update for, when the mMP may ship, five years.

 

[AppleTLDR]

I didn't say "launched" or "made available". I said "announced" (i.e. "sneak peek").

The same keynote they updated a bunch of Macs including announcing the first gen Retina Pro. No hardware in 2013, 2014, 2015 or 2016. It’s not a hardware event so again, I’m not sure what people expected. I always see a hardware announcement as a bonus at WWDC. Usually for smaller updates such as spec bumps a press release will suffice.

 

[dumastudetto]

Apple managed to update macs regularly, sometimes twice a year for many years before the iPhone took over as their priority. I agree with most of what you said but I don’t need or want a laptop. I use a desktop and have patiently waited for years for a new Mac mini. This past year I finally said forget it and built a hackintosh. Apple needs to wow me with an updated Mac mini or I’ll just keep on hackintoshing.

Yes at a time when the Mac was a much bigger part of Apple's overall business, and when they had far fewer products and fewer investments in different product categories. The updates were more justifiable back then too because there were genuine giant leaps forward in technology and big performance gains. This has all changed and no amount of wanting to go back to the good old days is going to make it happen.

The Mac still exists, but it is never going to come back and be high priority for Apple as consumers and prosumers continue shifting away from traditional computers in favor of iPhones and iPads.

The most popular Mac systems see updates every 12-24 months. This update cycle is pretty close to what is common with iPads too. iPads are typically now on 12-24 month update cycles. It's fine.

 

[brendu]

They have announced a new Mac Pro and quite some time ago and have been pretty open to say it will be a 2019 product. In the mean time their are some options available to tide you over.

Right but they don’t offer it and based on iMac pro pricing I’m not sure I’ll be able to afford a Mac Pro. I’m not spending more than $1500 on a Mac. Nothing they sell today is worth buying in my current position.

 

[pl1984]

The same keynote they updated a bunch of Macs including announcing the first gen Retina Pro. No hardware in 2013, 2014, 2015 or 2016. It’s not a hardware event so again, I’m not sure what people expected. I always see a hardware announcement as a bonus at WWDC. Usually for smaller updates such as spec bumps a press release will suffice.

You said:

"They almost never announce new hardware at WWDC. Last year was an exception"

Last year was not an exception as the announcement of the 6,1 Mac Pro shows.

Regardless this is a distinction without a purpose. The point is that Macintosh platform has stagnated over many years. Period. Stop trying to defend them.

 

[AppleTLDR]

2019 is FIVE YEARS since they started shipping, not announced, the 6,1 Mac Pro. I don't know how anyone can say Apple is committed to the Mac Pro when it hasn't seen a single update for, when the mMP may ship, five years.

What do you want them to do? They announced they’re doing a new one last year and they’ve given a release cycle. They want to develop a good product and one people actually want. They acknowledged they made a mistake with the hardware engineering of the most recent Mac Pro. They aren’t magicians lol and can’t magic it out of thin air. Most good quality products take at least two years to develop.

 

[pl1984]

Yes at a time when the Mac was a much bigger part of Apple's overall business, and when they had far fewer products and fewer investments in different product categories. The updates were more justifiable back then too because there were genuine giant leaps forward in technology and big performance gains. This has all changed and no amount of wanting to go back to the good old days is going to make it happen.

The Mac still exists, but it is never going to come back and be high priority for Apple as consumers and prosumers continue shifting away from traditional computers in favor of iPhones and iPads.

The most popular Mac systems see updates every 12-24 months. This update cycle is pretty close to what is common with iPads too. iPads are typically now on 12-24 month update cycles. It's fine.

Bingo! As has been discussed...the Mac is no longer of interest to Apple. Thanks for confirming.

 

[brendu]

Yes at a time when the Mac was a much bigger part of Apple's overall business, and when they had far fewer products and fewer investments in different product categories. The updates were more justifiable back then too because there were genuine giant leaps forward in technology and big performance gains. This has all changed and no amount of wanting to go back to the good old days is going to make it happen.

The Mac still exists, but it is never going to come back and be high priority for Apple as consumers and prosumers continue shifting away from traditional computers in favor of iPhones and iPads.

The most popular Mac systems see updates every 12-24 months. This update cycle is pretty close to what is common with iPads too. iPads are typically now on 12-24 month update cycles. It's fine.

I just don’t understand why they can’t update the Mac mini... just take the iMac guts and stick them in the mini.

 

[AppleTLDR]

You said:

"They almost never announce new hardware at WWDC. Last year was an exception"

Last year was not an exception as the announcement of the 6,1 Mac Pro shows.

Regardless this is a distinction without a purpose. The point is that Macintosh platform has stagnated over many years. Period. Stop trying to defend them.

I’ll defend as much as I like. It’s a software conference and the clue is in the title. You set up your own expectations. Just read the poster, it’s four letters. WWDC.

 

[pl1984]

What do you want them to do? They announced they’re doing a new one last year and they’ve given a release cycle. They want to develop a good product and one people actually want. They acknowledged they made a mistake with the hardware engineering of the most recent Mac Pro. They aren’t magicians lol and can’t magic it out of thin air. Most good quality products take at least two years to develop.

What do I want them to do? How about just putting current parts into their Macintosh computers? No one is asking for a complete overhaul. Many would be happy for Apple to take the 5,1 Mac Pro enclosure and update the internals with current technology It wouldn't take Apple years to do that.

If Apple wishes to release some grandiose Mac Pro...fine. Update the current offering and offer the grandiose product when it's ready.
[doublepost=1529192536][/doublepost]

I’ll defend as much as I like. It’s a software conference and the clue is in the title. You set up your own expectations. Just read the poster, it’s four letters. WWDC.

Then explain why they announced the 6,1 Mac Pro during the DEVELOPERS conference. We'll be here...waiting.

 

[AppleTLDR]

What do I want them to do? How about just putting current parts into their Macintosh computers? No one is asking for a complete overhaul. Many would be happy for Apple to take the 5,1 Mac Pro enclosure and update the internals with current technology It wouldn't take Apple years to do that.

If Apple wishes to release some grandiose Mac Pro...fine. Update the current offering and offer the grandiose product when it's ready.
[doublepost=1529192536][/doublepost]
Then explain why they announced the 6,1 Mac Pro during the DEVELOPERS conference. We'll be here...waiting.

They just won’t ever do that, it’s a nice sentiment and I agree it was a good chassis design, modular, easy to upgrade. Apple doesn’t often go back to old designs. The only recent exception I can think of is bringing the SE to light with the 5S design.

 

[dumastudetto]

The same keynote they updated a bunch of Macs including announcing the first gen Retina Pro. No hardware in 2013, 2014, 2015 or 2016. It’s not a hardware event so again, I’m not sure what people expected. I always see a hardware announcement as a bonus at WWDC. Usually for smaller updates such as spec bumps a press release will suffice.

It's also getting harder for Apple to find room for hardware announcements during a WWDC keynote, because they are now maintaining so many different platforms. We have iOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, Siri, AI, etc. So there's so much software stuff to announce around all these different platforms.

 

[pl1984]

They just won’t ever do that, it’s a nice sentiment and I agree it was a good chassis design, modular, easy to upgrade. Apple doesn’t often go back to old designs. The only recent exception I can think of is bringing the SE to light with the 5S design.

I understand they won't...now you know why people are frustrated with Apple. The 6,1 was a failure from the beginning. There was a huge amount of discussion to that effect when it was released. The Apple apologists told us the 6,1 was the wave of the future. Apple told us the 6,1 was the Mac Pro for the next 10 years. Little did we know they meant the current technology is what they meant.

There's no excuse for the Macintosh product line to be so far behind. I'm amazed people are defending them.
[doublepost=1529192922][/doublepost]

It's also getting harder for Apple to find room for hardware announcements during a WWDC keynote, because they are now maintaining so many different platforms. We have iOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, Siri, AI, etc. So there's so much software stuff to announce around all these different platforms.

Then find some other avenue. It's not as if no one would attend something other than WWDC.