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

[thewap]

Frankly under Cook, the whole mac line up has problems now IMO. the mini gimped, the pro trash can, the one port macbook, the MBP's laminated coated screens that can easily become an eyesore, the glued battery and soldered ram and HD , the badly designed keyboard that is prone to fail, the discontinued mac monitors, airport etc.. - combined with outdated components, none of it scream "premium anymore".

While one can argue that intel is slacking holding up the development of new macs, the most alarming issue to me is the blatant reduction of quality of build of the macbook line, and the hostile approach to user serviceability and upgradeability. The creative community does not want to be nannied by Nanny Care nor does it want to be dictated to as to how their workflow should match Apple's "vision"and dongle monopoly schemes.

Since Apple is determined to create content with Oprah, Cook should try running a film production and post production solely with ipads, and let us know how it went.. .







'

 

[almirramic]

I've been saying this for years now. The sad realty is that Apple post Jobs has switched their game to use the fame and glory Steve built to downgrade hardware over time while maintaining high prices. It is a profit margin orgy masked by emoji and aesthetic upgrades.

 

[sog1927]

Products do not need to be updated every year. That is financially impossible for the average consumer to update every year. Now the products that haven’t been updated in 4-5 years, that is a shame, but a year?

People who needed a RAM bump in the MBP have been waiting for 6 years.

 

[vladi]

Well Tim was handpicked by Steve not to invent but to sail and milk the cow until they become invincible conglomerate, kind of like new age Sony. I think that was their goal.

And I also believe it was Steve's ego that wanted Tim as a successor cause he couldn't be overshadowed by him as legend of Jobs would grow even more. Apple is full of over-talented designers and engineers but their vision will barely make it besides senior management with people like Ive and other pricks who think of themselves as some sort of creation Gods just because they did something right at the right time and never ever were they able to repeat the same success again. So they are still searching and searching to the point that they will self-destruct eventually with lackluster design.

 

[sir1963nz]

Yes and no. I will still keep my iPad and iPhone like I always have even when using PC's. There are no better alternatives than those. This means I will still be in the system with apple, and remain invested with iTunes.
I don't think it will be the effect you think to be honest.

For an example, I have worked in very large companies where we used PC's as the computers and were given iPads and iPhones as the mobile devices. Worked very well and didn't have many issues at all.

The tie in of the devices with Mac OS is a nice to have.

There are a tremendous amount of people who just use PC's for their computers but have iOS devices. Why do you think they are so popular !

Android is MORE popular.

Over the last 6 years or so I have been in about 9-10 different Apple Stores all over the world, and I have bought nothing. Last store in San Francisco I simply walked past.

I have used Macs since the 1980's.
My early 2011 MBP has finally succumbed to the GPU dying. I looked at what I could replace it with and came up with nothing, Apple does not have any hardware that interests me.
The 2 Mac Minis I have at home running OSX server, the plan is to replace them with Intel NUCs running Linux
I have already replaced one of the ATVs with a Kodi (Android) box
I had replaced my iPhone every 2 years, my first being the 3GS, until this year.
I have had $70 sitting in my iTunes account for over 18 months, there is nothing I want to spend it on. I have bought Mac software, just nothing through the store.
The watch I was given for my 13th birthday is over 40 years old, and it still works.
Years after its release Siri is still not available on the ATV4 in New Zealand, it is available for OSX/IOS

Oh, and I was asked at work about the 300 Macs I manage and I gave an honest answer, I don't know.
Apple does not allow OSX to be virtualised, I know I can get a 16 core, 256GB RAM VDI spun up for some short term number crunching based on Linux or Windows. Long term my employer is looking at having everything based on VDIs and having the client either based on BYOD or Intel NUCs, Apple is not in this plan.
I get a free 1TB of cloud storage from both Microsoft and Adobe for personal use though work, so loud holds no interest for me.

Does Apple owe me anything, Nope.
But likewise I owe Apple nothing.

 

[sog1927]

Everything is outdated before we open the box because we are told that every company is constantly working on the next best thing.

Not Apple, apparently.

 

[sir1963nz]

People who needed a RAM bump in the MBP have been waiting for 6 years.

Worse, the made it impossible for end users to do it themselves.

Apples new policy, need more RAM, buy a new Computer

 

[buckwheet]

Hmm... this thread seems to have degenerated into empty speculation. I don't think Apple has any plans to abandon macOS, or "computers" in general, and I don't think they ever wanted it seem that way. I think it's been a series of genuine miscalculations. They've been very vocal about the misstep they made on the Mac Pro, and have promised something new that will be more appropriate for pro users. We'll see. They may miss the mark again, but to jump to all sorts of conspiracy theory-like conclusions about where they're headed is a bit bizarre, when they've been so uncharacteristically transparent about their intentions to get pro users back on side. I'm not against Apple as a company at all. I'm just frustrated that my $4k machine hasn't been worth the price tag. We need better. Apple very much knows this, and have said so on numerous occasions. Unfortunately, we just have to wait and see.

 

[meme1255]

Worse, the made it impossible for end users to do it themselves.

Apples new policy, need more RAM, buy a new Computer

Well, there are no LPDDR3 SO-DIMMs. And the memory controller doesn’t support more than 16G of it...

 

[sir1963nz]

I think you overrate the importance of the Mac (and other products like the Airport Express) with regards to the overall stickiness of the Apple ecosystem. The majority of people who buy iPhones don't use Macs. Other products like AirPods, Apple Watch and Apple Music work far better at keeping users in the Apple ecosystem.

Maybe in the USA, but in other countries not so much. And the USA is only 4% of the worlds population.

I know that I am one of the people who is likely walking away from the Apple ecosystem, and I had been a Mac user since the 1980's.
ALL of my music I play is either from CDs I own, or an the Radio. iTunes has zero hold on me.

 

[richinaus]

Does Apple owe me anything, Nope.
But likewise I owe Apple nothing.

Exactly right.

I am pretty sure my next business computer will be a PC.
I have been using Macs for 20 years now. Doesn't really worry me in the slightest.

As I have said a lot of times now, Apple are a B2C business, not B2B.

 

[sir1963nz]

Well, there are no LPDDR3 SO-DIMMs. And the memory controller doesn’t support more than 16G of it...

And they are soldered in as is the SSD.

 

[JimmyHook]

MacBooks are refreshed about every 2 years on average. What’s wrong with that? An annual release cycle isn’t even close to being necessary for laptops. Intel’s tick-tock cycle doesn’t do enough to justify it.
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I was hoping at the year mark given the issues with the keyboard and the fact that coffee lake is out

What makes you think they aren’t?
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People who needed a RAM bump in the MBP have been waiting for 6 years.

Nope. That’s not true. Not true at all.

 

[Flight Plan]

Nope. That’s not true. Not true at all.

I think it IS true. So...your source or evidence?

 

[Abazigal]

Hmm... this thread seems to have degenerated into empty speculation.

That is what hate does to someone.

 

[Flight Plan]

MacBooks are refreshed about every 2 years on average. What’s wrong with that?

I'll tell you what's wrong. There's nothing useful offered in these "refreshes". See my signature for some of the things I would love to see in an MBP, just for one example...

 

[lcseds]

1. Don’t call the man Timmy. It’s Tim and you sound like child mocking someone probably twice as intelligent as you.

2. If you think hardware doesn’t need updating and your 2012 MacBook Pro is just as fast as today’s systems, then send me a snapshot of your 1987 Chevy. What? You bought something newer? Why? it still got you to work right?

3. I want a new high tech MacBook Pro with all the latest technology to surf the internet and do email. It’s what I want. And my money should mean something for that. Don’t judge. Nobody can tell me what I want. It may not match what I need. Same as the awful car analogy on #2.

4. I truly believe the iMac Pro was to be the new Mac Pro. Then it landed with what seems like a thud and they raced back to the drawing board with the “we’re studying workflows” crap. My how rediculous that sounds. But they will come out something interesting to make up for it. Great? I don’t know, but interesting.

5. They misfired on the MacBook Pro. The resounding negative feedback from all over the web showed them that. But they have so save face. They will make this right also, but now abruptly which would be an admission. Rather, “new, improved” etc that will work it’s way in with the 2018 and especially the 2019.

6. I do think they have heard us. But you can’t turn a ship on a dime. 2019 I hope will be a great year for Mac, even if it was supposed to be 2017 or 2018 with the same story.

7. Long term Mac users that are going to windows will be back in the next year or two. Not a fact but a prediction. I will probably be one of those but will not admit it. There, I admit that.

8. Jeez Apple. You have an awesome software base. Is there something so embarrassing about building a basic mini tower or full tower with expandability? Don’t worry about looking “mainstream”, you have the advantage!

9. Does this make me a Trump supporter somehow? My how these threads veer and sway!

10. Blame Intel? Really? See I don’t follow tech news and did not realize Intel has not released anything that would have improved the performance of the mini or Pro the last few years. I also did not realize Intel mandated soldered memory on systems like the mini. Or non upgradeable ssd’s (Within reason).. but now I’m going after Intel. I was wrong all these years! I thought Apple had something to do with this!

 

[femike]

This article needs to stay at the top / get stickied until Apple pulls it's head out of it's ass.

I also would like to see MacRumors keep this article pinned to the top for the same reason... 'until Apple pulls it's head out of it's ass'.

 

[Naaaaak]

ALL of this reminds me of the Apple that was killing its self just before Steve Jobs came back, this time there is no Steve .

They coasted off of Steve's efforts for a few years and now their leadership and vision problems are obvious.

I think now I am going to have to accept that Apple has become an IOS company because I really doubt they have the will, the drive, or the talent to be anything else anymore.

Apple became The iOS Company many years ago. It's sad that they couldn't let go of a little control and spinoff the Mac into a child company and let people who actually cared grow it and operate it somewhat independently. The Mac has suffered for almost a decade on the altar of all things iOS.

 

[Flight Plan]

That is what hate does to someone.

I'm sorry, it's not hate. Again, taking a small thing or making a false statement as fact and trying to explode it into a big premise that is no more true than the false statement.

Why do that? Is it because you can't stand it when people disagree with you? I'm not angry with you and I don't think anybody else is either. We just want better and more advanced hardware choices; why don't you want that too?

Even so, I'm okay with you even though you disagree with me. I won't just stand here and do nothing about it of course, but I certainly wouldn't accuse you of hate.

 

[DesertNomad]

5. They misfired on the MacBook Pro. The resounding negative feedback from all over the web showed them that. But they have so save face. They will make this right also, but now abruptly which would be an admission. Rather, “new, improved” etc that will work it’s way in with the 2018 and especially the 2019.

Yup. I can't bring myself to buy one of the new TouchBar MBPs, even for testing our software with. I'm not sure it's even worth it to spend the time to make our software take advantage of it. I'm sorta hoping the TouchBar was a mistake that will fade into history.

 

[WhatUp?]

Boo...hoooo... I want a new Apple toy.
Stop soiling your diapers and go get a life children.

 

[pgwalsh]

MacBooks are refreshed about every 2 years on average. What’s wrong with that? An annual release cycle isn’t even close to being necessary for laptops. Intel’s tick-tock cycle doesn’t do enough to justify it.

I try to get the best for my dollar when making purchasing decisions. When buying a computer I want the latest tech, especially when paying top dollar, not something 2 years old and it doesn't matter if it's only marginally better.

When you go buy a new TV do you buy a 2 year old TV or something a little more current. If you do buy the 2 year old TV do you expect a discount or to pay the same as the new models.

Why should Apple be the exception.

 

[JimmyHook]

I try to get the best for my dollar when making purchasing decisions. When buying a computer I want the latest tech, especially when paying top dollar, not something 2 years old and it doesn't matter if it's only marginally better.

When you go buy a new TV do you buy a 2 year old TV or something a little more current. If you do buy the 2 year old TV do you expect a discount or to pay the same as the new models.

Why should Apple be the exception.

Because literally every other computer manufacturer follows the same cycle. The only difference is they have so many lines of laptops that at any given time something is due for a refresh. But seriously, redesigning the internals of a laptop just for a marginal unnoticeable increase is just a terrible idea and could drive prices up

 

[nt5672]

To summarize it I would just say that

Who said you had to do heavy tasks on a MacBook Air? That's not what I am trying to explain.
To put things simply, let me show you the possible configuration of the current iMac Pro.
Intel Xeon W 18 cores
128 GB of RAM
Is that not sufficient enough? Do you need 256 GB of RAM? Do you need 32 cores?
You guys are all complaining about the Apple computers not being fast enough, but I'm guessing none of you is having this configuration. Apple is still selling the low-key low-resolution MacBook Air that is sufficient enough for like 90% of the population. They also have Pro material that definitely provides enough capabilities to Pro like yourself. But people complain because they don't release right away the latest CPU whatever. Get a life.

Except the thermal design is so bad that those 18 cores will not run anywhere near the rated clock speed. Sure compared to an iMac 5k quad it is faster because iMacs have the same poor thermal design. But put some real 18 cores in a metal machine with proper cooling and the Apple iMac Pro is a toy. Sure, a better toy than anything else Apple makes, but still a toy, when you can get twice the computer for the same cost as Apple;s iMac Pro.