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

[Chlloret]

It's not standard in Europe. Most things you buy, electronic or not, will come with 3 years or more of warranty, and some cheaper brands will come with just 2 years. Apple is definitely not a "cheaper" brand yet comes with only 1 year as standard. Apple care is not warranty (warranty is free), it's insurance.

The point of warranty is not just to get you a free repair, it's also to create a feedback loop to companies, actually making it their interest to create durable products, because they have to bear the consequences of their own mistakes (makes sense).

While the EU has forced Apple to comply with a compulsory 3 year warranty, they will do everything in their power to prevent you from knowing about it and to avoid having to honor it, by checking every little scratch on the computer and voiding the warranty if they find any. Should you ever have to claim their 3 year warranty through EU standards, you're in for quite a ride (shouting, calling the manager, putting up with months of wait time, having to bring legal documentation, them pretending they've never heard of this thing called "the law", threatening to sue, etc).

Sorry, there is no such thing then a mandatory 3year warranty in Europe. There is a limited 2year warranty but after 6 months it’s the clients duty to show, that the fault existed since day one. Impossible. Also, this warranty is to the seller, NOT to the manufacture.
A warranty from the manufacturer is entirely up to them, some do give two years, some 3,some 5 (cars, motorbikes) often none (Sony and others) so you habe to argue with the shop you bought the goods

 

[zulkiflim]

Mac Mini/ apple routers died with Steve jobs.

Anyone noticed the last refresh was 2012/ 2013?

Since then no more updates.

Macrumours, pls update your site, do not use the price drop as an excuse to reset the counter for Mac Pro.

Under tim Cook, such hardware that bring no uplift for the bottom line is obsolete.
The "services" sector is a more lucrative

 

[Abazigal]

Fine, then open the OS, let us build our own hackintosh machines, and let us build 'em to our own specs.

If Apple would just get out of the way, and even if we have to pay for the OS, there would be a HUGE onslaught of new hardware and software development for the Mac. Let the people breathe new life into Mac. I'd build a new dual i7 or i9, 128 GB workstation with multiple Nvidia GTX 1080 TI rendering GPUs and at least three IPS monitors. And then I'd turn around and put it on an i7, 64GB laptop.

Just because I can.

And if you understand Apple’s business model, you will know why they can’t and will never do that.

First, their profits come from high-margin hardware differentiated by custom software. Because macOS exists to sell more macs, Apple will never allow macOS to exist outside the Apple ecosystem.

Second, the advantage of macOS comes from close integration with their hardware and the rest of the Apple ecosystem.

What you want is a pipe dream.

 

[Flight Plan]

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.

I agree. Either license the OS, or just open the damned thing up wide so that the people can do some dental work on it.

I can’t believe how stupid this comment actually is. This is what almost lead Apple to bankruptcy in the 90’s and why they stopped doing EXACTLY that. Who the heck wants to buy cheap plastic crap? I know I don’t. It’s macrumors not junkyard 101.

Dude, it's not the 90s anymore. It's almost 30 years hence. The world is much more open.

I would. In a heartbeat. I would buy cheap plastic crap with the mac OS if they gave me the ability to use a decent GPU and get a decent VR experience.

And that is the problem. I've been reading this never-ending thread for a while and from what I have seen and experienced I can tell you one thing.

Apple has done EXACTLY the right thing to keep their business profitable and "elite".They are right.

MOST people DO NOT care, know, understand or even WANT to understand how the sausage is made.

They want to buy their great-looking products, have them work flawlessly for what THEY want them to do, while also being able to show off their "bling-ness" and hipster chic. As a content consuming culture Apple has, and STILL makes the perfect computer and computer platform for CONSUMERS. (Unless you are a gamer)

Amen to this. And to your closing comment, I also agree: Apple should tell us if they are done here. Stop keeping users in this hardware purgatory.

 

[gnipgnop]

Maybe but that doesn't excuse apple for letting the Mac Mini, the MacBook Air, and the Mac Pro to whither on the vines for years and years.

MacBook Air is a redundant product. Mac Mini has no real purpose in the Mac lineup anymore. Mac Pro is an example of a rare design misstep by Apple with the dual GPU approach and custom card size requirement. It's going to get a complete overhaul as a result. There are perfectly logical reasons as to why these products aren't being updated. I have no idea why people who think of themselves as tech enthusiasts would get so hysterical over it.

I had a 2009 Mac Pro and loved it, but my replacement 2017 5K iMac is far superior to it and allows me to do absolutely every "pro" use that the old Mac Pro did. Most people don't need machines like that anymore due to the advances in CPU/GPU performance. The reality is that the legacy "pro" software lags waaaaaaay behind the hardware. Gaming is really the only use where the software is constantly pushing the hardware on an annual basis.

 

[alien3dx]

my mail getting a lot of reply from this thread.. pretty scary

 

[DesertNomad]

Fine, then open the OS, let us build our own hackintosh machines, and let us build 'em to our own specs.

If Apple would just get out of the way, and even if we have to pay for the OS, there would be a HUGE onslaught of new hardware and software development for the Mac.

macOS would become Windows in that case - with all the associated problems. The reason the Mac is unique and works so well is that one company controls the hardware and software. If you take away that link, it changes everything.

 

[Kabeyun]

Stop with the "we know better than you do what you want."

Well, that is basically Jobs’ philosophy in a nutshell.

 

[EntropyQ3]

I’ve used macs continuosly since 1985, and currently have a 2009 27” iMac. It’s great. But it won’t run Mojave.
Problem is, I use the iMac as a monitor via Displayport for my PC and the iMacs don’t support that anymore. (Nor firewire for my minolta 5400 Dimage Pro.)

For quite some time, Apple has kept removing features/ports/functionality and we didn’t really gain much in the process. So as the time of my iMac draws to a close - do I buy a new iMac and a new screen for my PC, or just a new screen? I have no wish to clutter up my desk with two screens, no wish to pay for a new computer that I to be honest only use out of habit rather than significantly superior functionality.

Something needs to happen, their mac strategy doesn’t really work for me anymore.​

 

[iLLUMI]

Perhaps we are coming to the end of the Mac era? Or already at the end of that era?
Or maybe until there's some major leap in computing technology Apple are leaving the Mac on the back burner? Perhaps they'll bring Macs back into focus at that point.
Or Perhaps the next leap forward for Apple is already in progress and we'll see it in the next two years?
Perhaps with the ongoing global financial issues all companies are changing the way they do things, more so than ever?
I guess we're in that transition period ... hopefully.

 

[Ploki]

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.

yeh especially for mac minis and mac pros.
oh and macbook pros, with old quadcore chips.

 

[Flight Plan]

What people don't understand is that Mac computers are so mature, after decades of improvement, that actually they do not require regular updates anymore.

You're kidding, right?

I'm posting this on a three year old MacBook Air that is still incredibly fast. Buy a worthless HP or Lenovo laptops and we'll talk as well in three years...

Again, another person taking a small point or factoid (equating posting on a forum with adequate performance), and regardless of truth (or falsehoods) behind it, blowing it up into a false premise so big that they distract the main point? What the hell, do you just think we're dumb? Some of us want a machine that can actually DO THINGS, not just post to forums.

First off, many people have HP or Lenovo laptops and have had no problems at all. In fact, I have heard some good things about Lenovo designs. And both make a 17" laptop with an 8th gen core i7 processor. Apple doesn't make either one!

And if neither HP nor Lenovo float your boat, well at least you can choose from MANY other manufacturers.

And of course, I could point to several generations of MacBook Pros that have had their share of poor design choices (because the MBP is the one that is the least-farthest from the specs I want).

I could go on all day about broken screen hinges, super-expensive replacement motherboards, inability to add memory after purchase, and inefficient heat shunting designs, just to name a few. And Macs aren't even available with a 17" screen size. Any one of those drawbacks would be inexcusable and unacceptable on its own.

Apple needs to come up to speed or AT LEAST get out of the way and let the people take over. We've got this...

 

[needsomecoffee]

While the EU has forced Apple to comply with a compulsory 3 year warranty, they will do everything in their power to prevent you from knowing about it and to avoid having to honor it, by checking every little scratch on the computer and voiding the warranty if they find any. Should you ever have to claim their 3 year warranty through EU standards, you're in for quite a ride (shouting, calling the manager, putting up with months of wait time, having to bring legal documentation, them pretending they've never heard of this thing called "the law", threatening to sue, etc).

Disturbing. Since 2012 Apple has bought back about $272 Billion in stock. Given the windfall from 2018's US tax forgiveness, Apple is repatriating its foreign profits, and has announced another $100 Billion stock buy back. In all, Apple will have bought back nearly $400 Billion in stock. Apple also substantially increased dividend payments with the 2018 windfall. May be a good argument next time you need it (e.g. anyone in the EU with a 2016 or later MBP keyboard). Forsaking real compliance with EU laws in order to boost share price. Not nice at all.

 

[Easttime]

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

Without an affordable Mac I do not buy or use an iPhone.

 

[imageWIS]

That’s correct. Apple has always been a design company from day one. That’s why Steve Jobs removed the “computer” from Apple when he returned. So people would not forget what Apple’s real business model was.

Not to sell computers, but to create differentiated experiences which users are willing to pay for.

W T F are you babbling about??

"Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in April 1976 to develop and sell Wozniak's Apple I personal computer. It was incorporated as Apple Computer, Inc. in January 1977, and sales of its computers, including the Apple II, saw significant momentum and revenue growth for the company. "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.

 

[Flight Plan]

...Stop with the "we know better than you do what you want."...

I'm a developer, and no, nothing in the iWorld is ever going to replace the computer for that. I split my time at work between Mac and Windows. I don't *want* to go Windows full time, use it as my main development platform. But Apple may force that on me.

Apple's ignoring of the developers is very dangerous indeed. Dangerous to Apple.

The PC has matured far beyond those days of the Mac and PC ads. I now envision the Mac guy as an unshaven, unkempt fat couch potato living his past glory days. He needs a shave, shower, and really should start waking up before 1 pm every day.

Meanwhile, PC got a health club membership, actually used it, bought contact lenses, upgraded his suits, and improved his skills and reliability, and is in wide demand to employers...like me. As a user, I'm akin to being an employer. I've hired PC. Mac? After making demands for a signing bonus and 6 weeks of vacation, he never even showed up to the job interview.

Well, that is basically Jobs’ philosophy in a nutshell.

That philosophy ("we know what's good for you") is fine, as long as you're right. Maybe they were right 25 years ago, but now times have changed. All decisions should be reviewed periodically.

 

[DjanSeriyAnaplian]

I always chuckle heartily at some of the mental gymnastics people engage in when defending Apple on this front.

 

[kevink2]

dont forget them doggy ears and the tongues!!1

Anyways I've since switched to a hackintosh since 2016 and pretty happy with it

When I bought my Mac Pro 2008, the pricing was more than competitive. I used and upgraded that for many years until a couple years ago when there were no competitively priced Apple models to replace it, so I went Hackintosh.

I sometimes regret having to worry about things working properly. My thunderbolt doesn't work, and sometimes I have USB issues. And I had strange shutdown issues for a year that were hard to diagnose, I was blaming drivers, and it turned out to be the new power supply.

But the only desktop Mac I would like is the iMac Pro, but I can't convince myself to overspend by that much.

When not using the Hackintosh, I normally use my MacBook Pro. Currently a 2015 model.

 

[SarcasticJoe]

Quite famously one of the first things Steve Jobs did when he came back to Apple was that he realized they had way too many products to support with their current staff levels and then massively scaled back their computer line-up. This allowed them to focus on a few good products and keeping them all up-to-date.

Unfortunately this is what has happened again with Apple now that Jobs is gone again (permanently). Sure, the iPhone and iPad lines get all the attention they need and as a result have a considerably higher market share of the markets they're in. However on the computer side Apple really needs to cut down their model range or add way more staff because even their vanity projects, the AppleTV and AppleWatch, are way better supported than any of their computers.

When you look at where Apple makes it's money these days it does make sense, but the fact that it makes sense doesn't mean that it's a good idea. Particularly in the long run. Then again it's not like we're talking about a new problem as I remember people being frustrated with particular models being neglected for years already not to mention all the frustration with how badly they neglected the AirPort WiFi base station line for the few years before they recently killed it completely.

Against that background I get the distinct feeling that Apple simply doesn't want to grow to the (staff) size that would actually be required to properly support everything they make. They want to be small enough to be nimble, but at the same time make and support more products than their staff size will allow them to do, at least properly. This contradiction and refusal to make the hard decision to either give up trying to nimble or drastically reducing the number of production doesn't exactly speak well of Tim Cook's abilities as a leader. However it does fit in with what I've heard of his management style.

I recently spoke to someone who used to work first for NeXt, then Apple under Jobs and finally Apple under Cook and boy did he not have a positive view of Cook. The man tries to have an incredibly non-confrontational and hands-off approach where independently run departments are essentially told to try to not argue with each other and come to compromises rather than come together in an effort to figure out who's right and who's wrong whenever there's a disagreement. The reason he does this is probably because he was originally hired to manage supply chain, which he did a spectacular job with, and still does that so he obviously has limited time to actually manage the different departments.

All in all Apple really needs to either staff up in the hardware department or then do what Jobs famously did as one of his first acts returning to Apple and massively slash the number of products.

Also, consider that they have about 130,000 full-time employees. That's a lot. But it's actually very few compared to companies like IBM and General Electric that make a lot less money than Apple does.

You're forgetting that the majority of those work in their physical retail division. As far as I'm aware IBM and General Electric haven't wandered into the incredibly (human) labor heavy physical retail space (at least recently).

 

[TComm]

Tim Cook's Apple is all about making profits for stockholders so that explains why the focus is only on iPhone. Apple was reduced to just a mere cell phone company. This article is not really a surprise.

 

[jinnyman]

Atleast a luxury car uses the best of parts.
What is Mac? Hyundai with Porche cover on it.

 

[ianneub]

Apple has already lost me and they'll keep losing more and more customers as their Mac hardware gets worse and worse. The choice of hardware is already too bad for me to keep using Macs, as much as I love macOS as an operating system (but even that is getting worse).

What did you switch to? I’ve been thinking about switching as well but I’m not sure what hardware would be worth switching for. I guess the most important piece to me would be the trackpad. Last time I used a PC (10 years ago?) the trackpads were horrible.

 

[imageWIS]

Mac Mini/ apple routers died with Steve jobs.

Anyone noticed the last refresh was 2012/ 2013?

Since then no more updates.

Macrumours, pls update your site, do not use the price drop as an excuse to reset the counter for Mac Pro.

Under tim Cook, such hardware that bring no uplift for the bottom line is obsolete.
The "services" sector is a more lucrative

Tons of people buy iOS products because they own Macs... and if they stopped buying Macs, iOs would suffer.

 

[Roadstar]

I thought security updates continue for at least a year?
Edit- p.s. I am the problem. Apple TV 3.... my internet access is 3mbs ($20) so everything is in standard definition. I’m using an iPad mini 4 like I never thought I would(Best Buy $100 off), love my iPhone se on it’s $15 plan, and run a Mac mini 2010 that I bought used when it was about a year or two old (living room computer hooked up to tv for communal access). I’ll check back in a year hardware wise and decide then.

They should continue for around two more years, but there’s the question of whether they fix all the vulnerabilities also to older versions. I think it was the rootpipe vulnerability where they fixed only the then-current version as porting the fix to older versions would’ve taken too much effort.

 

[chatin]

Apple is going to powerful up-scaled ARM chips in Macs. Why would I put money in my car when I will trade it in?