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What Do You Want to See From Apple in 2017?

What I've been looking for for years is
Just fix as many of the annoying nonsense that never seems to ever get fixed.
1. IOS security- be able to turn off the requirement for endless password, fingerprint requirement... when I'm at home, 5 miles off the coast in a kayak alone with wet fingers! (Someday I'd like to be able to use my iPhone like a credit card, but mostly I would like to be able to use my iPhone for what I'm currently using it for without having to repeatedly pass through security to pause or back-track my audiobook, check Google Maps (just imagine how great an Apple Maps App could be...someday...when Steve Jobs comes back....)
2. Do something about iCloud's neediness. I've 'fixed' the daily password request twice now. Ha. I guess I've made it mad. It won't accept the password. If those overseas hackers were really smart, they'd form a computer security company. If Apple, MS and Google were so smart, they'd have gotten something back when they sold our souls to the NSA).
3. IOS: photo albums, and probably many other things, it's become more of a disorganized mess than my worst overstuffed drawer. Is it still an Upgrade if I have to explain to my girlfriend why my ex-wife's face is automatically on some auto-named auto-created (unnecessary and unwanted) folder with some treacly name like Loved Ones. And I can't seem to do anything about it.... and it scrambled the folder arrangement of the rest of my photos.
4. A new MacBookPro, waiting for years for this! My money is saved. One that has a great screen, no silly gimmicks, battery life more important than making it the thinest slice of Velveta ersatz cheese. Doesn't overheat (so I don't have to park my $3000 MacBookPro on a DIY wooden frame...)
5. Add attachment points to the new iPhone. (I'm a teacher, about half the phones my students use have cracked or shattered glass. I have an iPhone 6. I backpacked, mountain climbed and traveled for two months. My phone should also be shattered. It isn't. Instead I have it on a simple wire frame, piece of string around my neck--and yes I've been told 'that's stupid' and yes it is. But it is not broken. 2016 is the year I was better a better designer than Jon Ive.
Wouldn't it be terrific if all the tech monopolies decided that 2017 was the year they would all create Suggestions e-mail addresses, actually read them, actually do something about the real concerns of real customers?
 
MacBooks with touchscreen interface, as well as nifty glass function keys interface they just added. I've gotta say, it's Apple's fault for teaching me touch my screen ever since I became accustomed to an iPad Pro with a keyboard. Every time I switch back to my MBP Retina, I start touching the screen. Microsoft is right on this one in their adds. I would love a convertible MacBook that I could use my Amazing Apple Pencil on.
 
M2M said:
I would say avarage at best - but I don't like worlds most valuable company run by an avarage CEO ( B player in Jobs words)

There has not been one iOS update in the last year which Apple didn't pull because of bricking of some devices.

This is really inexcusable. Yes Apple has more devices out there then ever - but then Apple is also richer then ever so I expect them to invest more in QA!
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Maybe my memory is failing me. Wasn't Jobs the one who put Tim Cook in charge while Jobs was out on leave? You think Jobs picked someone he thought was a B player and put him in charge?

And if we are going to scrutinize buggy products/OS releases under Cook, are we forgetting that Jobs was in charge when the iPhone with the antenna fiasco was released?
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rgeneral said:
Sure. Why not.
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So what you are saying is that no matter how much memory they support in a computer, it will never be enough.

Which is probably why Apple chose 16 gigs as the number. Instead of choosing arbitrarily irrespective of consequence, they made a conscious choice balancing various constraints and needs.
 
jayducharme said:
I'd like to see a re-focus on the entire Mac line, with updated Minis and Pros. And I'd like to see them continue to develop the iPhone SE, keeping an option for a smaller form factor.
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Yes! Scratch out the new MacBook Pro's name and put MacBook on it. Then really intro a REAL 'MacBook Pro' for the real pro users!

Put the ports back in, removable SSD's, More RAM & better battery.

Forget the 'Thin is in' routine. Function First! Size & weight only after you have met the needs of the Pro's.
 
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What I want in first half of 2017:

New iMac - Which I will likely buy to replace my 2011 iMac.
New Mac Pro - So that power users who think the MacBook Pro isn't strong enough (likely without ever trying one) will have less reason to complain.
New Mac Mini - So budget buyer have something they can get to run MacOS on it.


Second half of 2017:
Normal iPhone, iPad updates.
MacBook with touch bar and second USB-C port.
 
Let's see...I thought about it for a while and these are all reasonable requests that comply with Apple:
Most of the people in here just yell useless hardware BS that doesn't mean anything, most of the innovation is in Software.

Branding:
  • Cheaper Macbook pricepoint
  • Improvements to product launch stock
  • Macbook Pro without Touchbar rebranded to Macbook

Hardware:
  • New iPhone in 3 form factors: 4, 4.7, 5.5 inch
  • New modular Mac Mini which is flexible and scalable

Software:
  • iOS 11 with modular hooks to native apps (Hooks to music, mail, photos, calendar)
  • Improvements to Apple Software like iWork & iLife
  • Improved Safari (MacOS&iOS) / iOS stability
  • WatchOS speed & optimisation
  • Better Apple Watch activity tracking for more sports (Cycling, Weight Lifting, Dancing, etc.)

Services:
  • Expanded iCloud storage (10 Gb)
  • Better Siri integration with contextual recognition
 
tmajamaki said:
In 2017, I want to see Apple admit they made a mistake with their Macbook Pro release (yeah right), that they should have listened to their user base and created a laptop that is a true "PRO" workhorse with all day battery life, has the latest technology specs, can be upgraded, and has the ports needed to get work done. Admit that nobody asked for a thinner and lighter Pro laptop that is under spec'd and over priced (That's what the non-pro model is for). The price wouldn't have been such a big deal if we got a real Pro laptop.
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That isn't a laptop, that is a desktop. A laptop is a portable machine and size/weight is its most important characteristic.

magicschoolbus said:
Being able to plug in your 600 dollar iPhone into your 2k MacBook Pro without an adapter would be a good place to start.
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Yep making their customer have to buy a $5 adapter or a $10 cord is an incredible thing for Apple to overlook. Folks who have a MacBook Pro and an iPhone can't be expected to have that type of cash just lying around. And they would need the technical skills to use Amazon and get the stuff delivered. What happened to making stuff that just works!
 
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My short list?
  • Longer battery life (all products)
  • Removable batteries (all products)
  • Headphone jacks (iPhone)
  • Thicker phones that are easier to hold and that sit flat on their backs instead of resting on the camera bump with no real traction
  • Thicker cables that are more reliable
  • Ditch Lightning for standards-compliant USB-C
  • Mac Pro machines with a couple of internal bays for spinning storage so you don't need a separate RAID array next to them
  • MacBook Pro machines with a couple of internal bays for spinning storage so you don't need a stack of external hard drives in your laptop bag
  • Bring back the four-core server Mac Mini and give it proper ECC RAM
  • ECC RAM EVERYWHERE.
  • Move to OLED (all products)
  • Improve product reliability by ensuring that all flash drives are removable (so you can attach them to a new logic board and not lose data)
  • Improve product reliability by putting discrete GPUs on a separate board, and standardize them so that when they fail, Apple can replace them with a different model that won't just fail again in a year or two
Unfortunately, basically all of these involve moving in exactly the opposite direction from the way Apple is moving, with the possible exception of replacing Lighting with USB-C and moving to OLED....
 
In all seriousness the headphone jack back on the iphone. I personally think it was premature to remove it. To have to rely on a dongle to listen to music on the go, for a device thats made to be on the go 100% of the time, is insane to me. The phone already has bluetooth capabilities for wireless devices. So why remove the port?

Also a MacBook Pro with 32 GB of ram.
 
What I would like to see is a change in emphasis in the design of Apple products:

1 Battery life and overall performance are more important than form factor (thinness)
2 Being able to modify / repair a hardware device is more important than form factor (thinness)
3 Improving stability and performance of iOS / MacOS is better than adding new fancy features (think Snow Leopard)

Follow these rules and Apple's 2017 products will all be winners!
 
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What do I want to see? What I've been clamoring to see for years: a taser-equipped iPhone!

In all seriousness, I would like to see an upgrade to the entire Mac line, but a slow down on how often macOS is "updated". The last several releases of macOS have been very sub-par in what improvements or additions they offer, and I do not feel that there is a great need to release a new update every year. Every two years would be fine. I can understand the desire to keep pushing forward with iOS and the iPhone, since those are key products right now.

Another thing I would like to see is an updated iPad mini. Having some of the "Pro" aspects would be nice, but having the smaller size would be ideal for reading and transporting.
 
H2SO4 said:
Products that actually live up to the ‘Pro’ moniker.
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Yes. This.
A Mac Pro that can be updated like the classic (Pre Trash Can) Mac Pro could. A Mac Mini update that can do the same. It would be nice to see a return of Aperture and other pro apps. Not holding my breath on any of this, unfortunately...
Oh, and one more thing. If Apple keep pushing iPads as replacements for full computers, they need to incorporate mouse/trackpad/pointer support to the iOS system. I love my iPad, but the minute it is sitting upright with a keyboard in front of it, it needs to work with a mouse and pointer. Mocking the idea of adding touch functionality to MacOS while simultaneously pushing iPads as full repalcements for PCs makes little sense to me.
 
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Apple's product line for 2017 and beyond in an ideal world:

1) New Mac Pro and Mac mini. remember you are a computer company that adapted to consumer electronics.... meaning renewed focus on Mac products. I understand waiting for Kaby Lake with Apple's current direction / marketing but these products need to hit the shelves immediately (or not long after) the Kaby lake release. It cannot be 1 year later like the Skylake MacBook Pro.

2) Universal and extended Siri support. any Siri command should work universally between ALL devices in my home (I am looking at you HomeKit, among other things)

3) There should be a home hub by now. So if it is delayed to the extent of being released in late 2017 it must do more than the amazon echo and google home. What exactly that is I am not sure.

4) In my opinion the 4th generation Apple TV was an attempt by Apple to get 3rd parties to fix a product that had very little direction. They were hoping that apps could make the device relevant. And while the jury is still out on this I think long term there needs to be more going on here. (Perhaps integrate the home speaker into the Apple TV....). The Apple TV needs 4K and HDR support as well. Universal voice command support through HDMI control protocol might be a cool idea but implementation may be complex. Remote play apps for PS4 / Xbox and controller support would also go a way to help this but those are both exceptionally unlikely.

5) If Apple does not want to make products like monitors and routers. They need to develop certification / approval programs for these devices. It is a method to generate revenue similar to the MFI certification program.

6) Apple needs to produce an official time capsule device that can handle larger home networks and enable time capsule support on devices like iPads and iPhones (in effect a local home / office iCloud).

7) iCloud or local computer backup of Idevices is no longer a sufficient option. Unless apple is prepared to give unlimited storage to accommodate Idevice backups (If I buy a 256GB iPhone I should be able to back it up to iCloud... a 5GB free account is a joke. ). This plays in with number 6 to an extent.

8) Universal touch bar support for all Macs. - This one may score some backlash but if apple wants to market a device like the touchbar as a "revolutionary" and "magic" device then they need to put all the chips on the table and have that functionality for all Macs. Putting the touch bar on MacBook Pro's and nothing else and only on some MacBook Pro's makes the touch bar a "luxury" item. Luxury items never get massive support in the computer industry because they are not on every machine, it costs too much money to invest development in a feature that a very VERY limited number of people will receive benefit from. Apple likely subsidized development of some application's touch bar support. (Adobe and Microsoft I am looking at you.... and my Microsoft Office 365 still doesn't have touchbar support).

Wishful thinking / honorable mention section. I don't see any of these going anywhere except maybe number 10.

9) A return to hardware that is actually user serviceable. Just making it thinner and locking customers into your pricing / testing system for upgrades and only allowing them at the time of purchase is NOT a way to earn long term customers. It turns computers into the equivalent of a light bulb, use it and throw it away and at the price point of Mac computers and hardware users should not be forced into that position.

10) Apple Watch that works completely independent of an iPhone. This will require many things to get to this point. and I really do like my Apple Watch but it is dead weight without my iPhone. I would settle for WiFi support with Imessage / VOIP calling capability. and the ceramic white one shouldn't cost $1300.... I understand it isn't cheap to make but that is a bit severe.

11). iPad... just give me a reason to use it. I have an iPad Air 2, an iPad mini 2 and an iPad Pro. They all collect dust 99% of the time. There is NO compelling reason to use them anymore. They are good for children. The iPad Pro might have some hope as a professional device. I can use it in place of my MacBook if I need to. but there is no good compelling reason to use it as a substitute. smaller screen, no mouse, lackluster keyboard. and a price that rivals a MacBook...... What is the point??

12). App Store. This will get me no love from developers but in app purchases should be banned if they are used to unlock full products. This is primarily a dig at Nintendo and Super Mario Run's (successful) attempt to circumvent family sharing. I understand the need for in app purchases but they were not meant to be the gateway to unlock full functionality in an app. You can't applaud a company like Apple for providing the infrastructure and policy for a feature like family sharing and then give content providers a way to circumvent that policy at their discression.
 
Updated mail app: I want to set a font and color for EACH contact, so that all I have to do is begin a new email to a contact, and automatically that person's color and font theme comes up. I also think they could greatly improve and update the mail app.

For IOS, I would like to have a different background screen/photo for every single page of apps. I would also like the option of having my lock screen randomly change from a preselected set of photos/background that I choose.

In photos, I would like to bring back the feature where you can hover over a folder/album, and see the pictures scroll through whatever is inside, without having to click inside. That was the BEST feature of iPhoto, and they eliminated it.

I would also like to see a major improvement to photos. iPhoto was so good, had finally got there, and then they scrapped it all for photos. the name "photos" is also terrible, does not suggest anything related to mac. iPhoto was better.

MacBook pro needs to be quickly updated with a much better battery and improved/increased use of touch bar.

I am very excited about the iPhone 8, and everything I hear about it takes care of any thoughts I might have about my current iPhone. So I guess we have to wait and see. I hate the home button for the iPhone 7 models, and preferred the button for all previous models, but maybe iPhone 8 will be different.

SCROLLING!. In many programs on my macs, and even many PDFs, the scrolling is jerky, not smooth. The pc world has it figured out, but mac is lagging way back. Also, the interface with pdf's, like editing, is not as smooth as with pcs. I primarily use a mac, both at work and home, and this needs to be fixed. I have seriously considered using a pc for work, and I really don't want to have to do that, not after most of my life using macs.
 
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