Tim Cook Says Apple is 'Very Committed' to the Mac and to 'Stay Tuned'

[danielwsmithee]

We will know a lot better what very committed looks like in October. The last time Tim Cook said something like this was his infamous "some really cool things coming" and proceeded to release a single new prodcuct the MacBook and leave the rest of the product fairly stale.

They need a significant update to the Mac Pro, MacBook Pro, and Thunderbolt Display. They also need to refresh the Mini, iMac, MacBook Air and some other accessories like the TimeCapsule/AirportExtreme.

I'd love to see a TimeCapsule based on the A10 with 4 3.5" drive bays running the OS X server packages all integrated with Back To My Mac & iCloud/iTunes caching etc.
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The new 7 maxed out, runs close to a grand.

I'll bet the margin is better than on an iMac.

Of course it is, intel eats up 1/2 the iMac's margin.

 

[Larry-K]

Of course it is, intel eats up 1/2 the iMac's margin.

You'd think Apple would get good discounts on outdated processors.

 

[danielwsmithee]

You'd think Apple would get good discounts on outdated processors.

ha ha, very true for all the others. I think the iMac is the only one using the current generation Skylake processor though. I guess the rMB.

 

[macintoshi]

I consider a touchscreen a negative, not a plus on a laptop... if you want a touchscreen: buy a tablet.

Yes you do, not me! I don't want buy two items, were i can just use one that is both at once and cheaper!

 

[MH01]

Doesn't target mode still work over thunderbolt? I thought I tried it on a whim and found that it still worked...

I think 2014 were the last ones. Retina and newer are not supported

I'd have copy and pasted the link, but safari on iPad is doing it think of failing to copy..... just google iMac target mode

 

[jblagden]

After the iPad 2 came out, I actually tried going w/o a laptop for a couple of years. It's a completely different workflow, which is only remotely efficient if you do a limited set of things. Beyond that, they are very much each their own platform with advantages and disadvantages. (And, I'd very much like it to stay that way instead of M$ kludge merge-attempt. But that means keeping both platforms w/ shared data, not dropping the Mac and pushing people to iPads.)



Marketing mostly. We're hitting a physics ceiling, so more cores is going to become less and less limited to the high-end. Most Macs have 4 cores already. Intel is moving towards more in upcoming chips, even on the lower end. Heck, your iPhone or Apple TV has 2-4 cores.

I'm pretty sure most low-end Macs still use dual-core CPUs - they just look like they have 4 cores due to hyperthreading.

 

[Gameboy70]

The argument isn't that a workaround doesn't exist, but that it wasn't a good trade-off, given the practicality of the 3.5mm port. Sure, I can easily use that adapter... even leave it attached to my ear-buds cord, etc. Or, I can remember to bring it along, so I can plug it into the car audio system when I go for a drive.

The adapter is a workaround. The included Lighting headphones aren't. Like I said, that's changing an implementation detail of wired headphones, not their functionality.

But, it isn't, IMO, an equivalent port. I very often have the device in my pocket with wired ear-buds plugged in, so I can listen to podcasts, etc. while I work in the yard or around the house. Others put it in their backpack or elsewhere while they listen. The problem with this is that there's a pretty big mechanical difference between a 3.5mm and Lightening.

When a 3.5mm jack gets stressed (especially over and over), typically it fails where the cord bends. When a Lightening connector gets stressed, it may very well do damage to the connector or port on the device. I don't know how much it costs to replace the Lightening connector, but I'd rather not find out.

I would expect the Lighting connector's stress response to be closer to MagSafe. It will disconnect more easily than mini jack, though not as easily as MagSafe; but I'd be surprised if the port or connector would be more damage prone.

To be clear, I'm not getting an iPhone 7 or going wireless. The mini jack is good enough for me until the next iPhone loses the bezels. It's obvious that the jack removal wasn't anything that consumers asked for. All I'm saying is that at some point, the jack and its supporting circuitry impede further device miniaturization and can't be maintained indefinitely when there's already a perfectly functional audio outlet on board.
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Hey, that's great you and some "Web" designers read some HTML books in the '90s, sounds like a virtual intelligentsia.

In a way, that's true. People who read books on HTML and web design were pretty much the only ones in the 90s, outside of CompuServe, who pronounced GIF with a soft G. I quickly grew tired of being the pedant who told everyone, "It's pronounced 'jif'".

Try inventing your own lame Graphics (hard "G") format, and you can pronounce its acronym anyway you want to.

I'll bow out of this cul-de-sac with the immortal words of Beethoven: "Does Albrechtsberger forbid parallel fourths? Well, I allow them!"

 

[Bacillus]

How much progress is needed to bring us from the post-PC into the post-Cook era.......?

 

[SteveW928]

I'm pretty sure most low-end Macs still use dual-core CPUs - they just look like they have 4 cores due to hyperthreading.

Most of them used to use 4-core CPUs (a few years ago), until Apple started cheap-ing out more recently, I suppose to increase profit margin even more. But, yes, the 2 core ones look like 4 core on the Activity Monitor.

I would expect the Lighting connector's stress response to be closer to MagSafe. It will disconnect more easily than mini jack, though not as easily as MagSafe; but I'd be surprised if the port or connector would be more damage prone.

I guess we'll see, but it sure doesn't seem as stout to me. Also, even a slight movement, I'd think, will interfere with the tiny 'pins' in there. 3.5mm would take a lot of abuse and movement to break the connection. I won't find out for some time, though, as I'm sticking with the 3.5mm as long as possible.