What Do You Want to See From Apple in 2018?

[RecentlyConverted]

I would like an Apple battery case for all plus models. How hard can that be?

 

[TexGator98]

Bring back the MagSafe power cords for the whole notebook lineup - and adapt it for iPads - that was one of the best features Apple came up with - don't know why they got rid of them... I've gone thru several lightning cables for my ipads - but if they had a MagSafe adapter for them - I wouldn't have ruined so many...

And a matching space grey 5K display for the iMac Pro...

 

[Koh Phi Phi]

• A new Macbook 12". It needs a second USB-C, a bit more of power and, above all, more battery life. Right now, the battery life is only 5 hours, which is too short for an ultra portable.
  
  
• An updated Macbook Pro 15" without the gimmicky touchbar. It is an amazing laptop (I love mine), but it's clearly overpriced and the touchbar lacks real-world productivity use.
  
  
• An iPhone X plus. How on Earth did Apple launch the X without a Plus version?
  
  
• An iPad Mini refresh (no need to make it Pro, just update the internals and keep it affordable)
  
  
• And, above all... a new iOS! I personally found iOS11 to be disappointing. I really feel iOS falling behind Android as of lately.

 

[DesertSurfer]

Update the Mac mini!

VR. Glasses

 

[Jqky]

In our recent What to Expect post, we covered everything we think we'll see from Apple in 2018 based on the current rumors that are circulating about the company's 2018 plans.

Three new iPhones are on the horizon, one a followup to the iPhone X, one that will serve as an "iPhone X Plus" with a larger OLED display, and one with an LCD display that will be positioned as a low to midrange device with a cheaper price tag. Apple's first smart speaker, the HomePod, will come out in 2018, and we're also expecting a revamped iPad Pro, refreshed Macs, and new software, but there's always a chance for a wildcard update or new product that will surprise us all.

A high-end modular Mac Pro, new original TV shows, AR smart glasses, and autonomous driving software are all products Apple is working on, with no official release date known. We want to hear from the MacRumors community -- what are you expecting or hoping to see Apple release in 2018?

Are there specific features you're hoping Apple will implement in iOS 12, tvOS 12, watchOS 5, or macOS 10.14? Popular wishlist items for last year included a dark mode for iOS, a customizable Control Center (which happened!), animated icons, iPhone complications, a swipe-based keyboard, offline Maps and Siri, and more.

Let us know what you want to see in the comments, and make sure to check out our What to Expect post to get a glimpse at the current rumors. Apple's plans for 2018 will become more clear in the early months of the year, and as always, we'll be covering every rumor that pops up in-depth here at MacRumors.

The MacRumors forums are also a rich resource for discussing upcoming products and rumors, and with so many exciting changes on the horizon for 2018, our forums are the place to be for lively discussions on what's coming.

We'd like to thank all of our readers and forum members for making MacRumors the absolute best source for Apple news, rumors, and advice on the web. We wouldn't be here without you, and we look forward to yet another rumor-packed year in 2018.

Article Link: What Do You Want to See From Apple in 2018?

I would like to see the ability to sort my iTunes playlist alphabetically by artist on my iMac, then immediately sync it to my phone. Just like back in 2008

 

[Partron22]

A mini that's faster than my Lenovo, and comes with an OS that's worth the name.
Remember "Rock Solid"?
I haven't seen that since 2004.

 

[SteveW928]

Here's what I'd most like to see:

1) For Apple to dust off their hard-learned UI guidelines, and get serious about creating excellent UIs again (and lead by example, but also push software developers to follow them).

2) Get their act together and communicate between projects and get QC back under control, especially for software.

3) Aside from the Mac Pro and refresh of Mac Mini, etc. I'd like to see something along the lines of headless iMac-level hardware with a reasonable GPU and adequate cooling. (Basically, fill the gap between the Mini and Mac Pro.)

4) Fix the MacBook Pro!!!

 

[charlituna]

More Animojis etc so users can create more content like this

more animojis would be something I would put under my own plug ins idea. if we can have Marvel etc selling stickers why not also animoji faces.

and I would love to see 3rd party keyboards treated the same way as these stickers, direct download without needing a whole app on your device.
and make it all buy once use on all devices with redownloads as needed.

 

[98winds]

Apple is swimming in a sea of profits. Why should they change their ways. It's classic. You'll have to wait for a new executive team for a major re-setting. It won't happen 'till Wall Street starts dumping Apple.

or... expecting a miracle.

... I would buy a 15" MacBook Air.

 

[DeepIn2U]

All those companies tried with other features and failed that Apple tried and had success with so that's not a reason. Even inventing a phone shouldn't have been attempted if we think like this ..although Apple selling iPads is a more likely reason to not introduce this feature. Shame.

That was my point. Other companies tried this desktop idea and failed. It’s not that the phone isn’t capable or software could get there justmarket and use case isn’t quite there yet.

 

[andrew999]

cheaper storage, cheaper storage, and cheaper storage. A good workhorse barebones macbook pro with affordable 1tb storage, no frills (like the touchbar). Something for musicians who aren't loaded and are trying hard to resist moving away to a windows machine instead. It seems like the base memory and storage in MBP's have been stagnant for years.

 

[macbookhair]

I would like to see them get a seriously bloody nose from the consumer through significant decreases in iPhone sales and a kick in the ass from Wall Street through deteriorating share prices.

That is what they deserve and is also the healthiest thing that could happen to them right now.

I'm not holding my breath, sadly.

 

[elvislives]

1. New Mac Pro.
2. New Upgradeable Mac mini.
3. New Wireless keyboard with Touch Bar and Touch ID integration.

+1

 

[genome2k]

For Macbook Pro:
1. get the glowing apple logo on the lid back!
2. Get MagSafe 2 back!
3. Using industrial standard RAM/SSD modules and user replaceable!
4. Get the ports back: Thunderbolt 2, USB3.0, SD reader etc.

For Mac Pro
1. get the old cheese grater chassis back!
2. SSD/RAM etc. upgradable.

For Mac mini
1. user upgradable
2. Server version.

FoR iPHONE
1. get the 3.5mm earphone slot back!

 

[UltimaKilo]

New iPad Mini

iPad Pro without bezels and a serious GPU and CPU bump with a slightly more open OS and FaceID.

More battery life from iPhone with improved speakers and support for 15w wireless charging.

AirPods 2 with better batter life, volume control and range.

Smoother Watch OS.

New Mac Mini and Mac Pro with a 5K monitor.

Faster Apple TV that can support real gaming on-par with current gen consoles.

Battery cases for iPhone X and a Product Red iPhone X.

New iPhone SE for emerging markets and those on a budget.

Two new Beats stations alongside an Apple Music makeover.

New original TV content and bundled services paid through iTunes for cord-cutters that includes single-team sports packages.

MacBook Pro with Ice Lake and dGPU options, 32GB of RAM options, better battery life and FaceID.

MacBook with 8th gen processor and price-drop.

iPods with LTE support, better headphones and even new Beats with improved sound.

 

[JimmerJabber]

Dear Apple

MacBook Pro
• Remove the touch bar (or at least allow removal as an option on the high end models). It was always going to be, and is, an expensive gimmick. Also wastes battery. No one will think any less of you for admitting the touch bar was a mistake.
• Reinstate the "[X] hrs: [Y] mins battery life remaining" to the battery menu bar. This allows computer usage to be tailored (eg brightness, apps open) to the amount of time you anticipate you will run off the battery, before you will be able to use a charger.
• Fix the keyboard. We don't want super thin computers at the expense of function. Typing of documents suffers. Seriously Apple - you shouldn't have allowed something so basic as the keyboard to be compromised ("oh yeah, but it looks great!").
• Fix the USB-C connections. I find often these are loose and don't connect well.
• Stop removing connectivity options and calling it a Pro machine. eg HDMI? Audio out?
• MagSafe - Would be good to see this again for the USB-C charger.

iMac
• Reinstate the ability to use the iMac as a screen (only) for the MacBook Pro. Maybe this inability would be understandable if you were trying to avoid cannibalising your standalone screen sales, but you no longer make any standalone screens (see further below)!!

Apple Screen
• Introduce a 5K screen that's made by Apple and not LG! You sell me a MBP that can drive two 5k screens, but where are the Apple 5k screens? The LG screen is a hideous compromise and has a much larger form factor than the iMac, which includes a computer in it!

All products
• STOP using cheap plastic for your expensive cords (eg power cord on the Apple TV, USB-C cord and charger for the MBP, cords for the iPhone etc). They have a "crumbly" texture to them, rather than a glossy and firm feel. The plastic comes off on your hands. After a few years, the cords deterioriate even more. I cannot touch my Apple TV power cord without getting black plastic all over my hands. But this probably ticks some eco-friendly box that the plastic is degradable, so at least that makes me feel good (once I've washed the plastic off my hands)!

iPhone
• Reinstate the ability to turn off wifi and turn off bluetooth in the control centre. Just because you think the phone works better if the wifi and bluetooth are always on, we don't all want that. Many times I will be in a remote or regional area, where there is no wifi and no bluetooth devices. I don't want my phone emitting maximum radiation and using maximum power trying to extend its range to find wifi networks and bluetooth devices which I already know aren't there! I also have two phones, so this is happening twice! Stop trying to think for us! If you must insist on this functionality, make it so you can cycle through these options in the control centre. Tap - disconnect [wifi/bluetooth]. Tap again - turn off [wifi/bluetooth]. Tap again - turn on [wifi/bluetooth] and connect to last used network/device. Repeat.
• 3.5mm headphone jack. I won't bother explaining this one.

Please Apple! Support your customers that have supported you all these years. Thanks!

 

[DeepIn2U]

• In general, clean the line-up and reduce pricing. Other than that, here’s what I’d like to see.

Laptops:

• MacBook 12” and 14”, all should come with 2 USB-C ports and FaceTime HD cameras. 480p is not acceptable.
• MacBook Pro 13” should start at 256GB base, just like the cheaper MacBook. The Touch Bar should not be forced on us, so introduce 15” models without it.
• The MagSafe and SD card slots should be brought back.

Desktops:

• Make fusion drives standard across the line-up, with 256GB SSDs a no-cost option for those who prioritise speed over storage space.
• New Mac Mini and Mac Pro. The Mac Mini should remain a budget friendly product at a similar price point as today.

iPhone:

• Realize that not everybody wants a 6”phablet! It makes zero sense for a new 6.1” model as the budget-friendly iPhone X option. What would make sense, would be:

• iPhone X Mini 4.7” display in 4” form factor
• iPhone X (5.8” in 5” form factor)
• iPhone X Plus

Other:

• Bring back an Apple branded display and stop selling those ugly, plasticky LG displays. I don’t think they belong in an Apple Store.

This is perfection ! I completely agree on every point.

With this roadmap, why do we need Rim Cook!!??

 

[JonHal]

I'd like to witness the resurrection of the previous physical body of the iMac.

Seriously, who cares about how wafer-thin a desktop machine appears from side view? Besides, when you stick your head around the back the bulging exterior just looks stupid. I'd so hate to think about all the nice things that could have been put into a body of sense and not of glue. Like more power, possibility of upgrades, easy access for repairs and peripherals, for example.

And they've done it to the new iMac Pro, too! Unbelievable. And unforgiveable.

 

[saudade]

An iPhone of solid PURE 24k gold.

 

[mdbradigan]

Apple Base Station for iPad Pro

A vertical sleeve that you would slide your iPP into onto your desk, which would connect using smart connector, thereby powering the device and having a boatload of inputs on the rear of the port, allowing me to:

• Connect IPP to an external (up to dual-screen) display
  
• Power the IPP
  
• Connect the IPP to an external mouse and keyboard (yes, add mouse support Apple... if it's a "computer", that's a must)
• Connect to external drives
  
• Connect to ethernet
  
• Connect to any other peripherals, etc.

This would be a near-perfect device for a lot of people who don't need massive amounts of RAM, etc.
For productivity (creation) at home - slide into dock, get to work. For on-the-go or around the house - pop out of the dock, use as a handheld tablet.

Homepod
Surprise! the $399 price point includes a wifi mesh networking modem. Every homepod you buy increases your music and wifi range around the house.

Macbook Pro
Add a "pro" version - thicker, heavier, more powerful, configurable port choices.
Either:

1. Make TB an option across the line (this will never happen, as it means the death of touchbar)
2. Ditch touchbar (unlikely)
   
3. Best option: Move touchbar to above the function keys, and prove that you care about it damn it, by supporting it with some Dev love.

Magic Keyboard
Now has TB and touch id option.

Mac Pro
Base price of ~ $2k or less, headless, user configurable to the nth degree; actually modular and user-accessible. Updated cheese grater would be just fine. (this too, never going to happen; goes against Apple's "planned obsolescence" user upgrade money-making scheme)

 

[gatearray]

FIRE TIM COOK. Then fire Cue, Schiller, and Ive.

 

[fanboiz]

A decent Macbook Pro with the number of ports commensurate with the price we are paying. Bring back HDMI, and SD, USB-A, and if we must have the disastrous USB-C, give us more of them.

 

[ChrisCW11]

All I want to see is a massive improvement in overall quality, software and hardware, from a company with a near 1 trillion in market cap and 300 billion in the bank. Focus less on gimmicky features or product rehashes and just focus on rock solid OS, software and improve things like battery technology. I don't care about facial tracking on an iPad or adding touch bar displays on other MacBooks, just focus on delivering the quality expected of a product that sold at the highest price price point in nearly every product category they ship.

Apple has a quality issues which cannot be ignored and allowing this problem to persist will erode the shine on Apple's brand past the point where all it takes is a trivial new animated emoji feature to boost a financial quarter sales figures a bit.

2018 should not focus on vapid and naive growth, the way Apple has governed operations for the last 5 years, instead they should reinvest their profits into improving internal Q/A, development, testing and innovating on less fancy and shiny features like batteries and charging so their product quality can catch up to their expectations of selling products with the highest profit margins in the market. Perhaps Apple's quality can also match or finally exceed that of their competition in 2018. I know long term Apple fanbois that have dumped Apple and gone to Android last year.

Also, perhaps, focus less on a stunning new campus and go back to first principals of investing REAL MONEY into the actual product development because virtually every product Apple has sold in 2017 has either had lackluster customer interest or massive software quality issues, and investors are starting to notice that.

 

[DanBig]

On a serious note. Not joking.

Apple screwed us, pure and simple. Now that I know it will not happen to my family again. I am not stupid enough to give them a another chance to steal food out of my family's mouth.

I want nothing from Apple but extreme financial retribution for its victims..
Supporting a company that was 100% willing to screw over my family - and did - is not acceptable.

So, no, Apple. I don't wish for anything from you.

I see it as Apple or my self respect as a man,

F*ck Apple.

OK, I'll bite how did Apple mess you and your family up?
[doublepost=1515001686][/doublepost]

The future is indeed wireless. As we move to 5G and beyond, also with distanced wireless charging, the need for cables lessens. Have you seen what the EMS around you looks like? Wires are for noobs who don't understand improvements in antenna design, propagation, and power/radiation levels. I agree people need to put the devices down longer than 2 secs feeding their narcissism, but we're in the digital age and that is unfortunately a byproduct.

My girl friend made me a knit sweater with UTP wire ;-}

Sorry guy wired connections will always be faster than wireless! Yes! Wireless comm has its place so does the wired world.

Here in the city I have over a 100 AP's screaming around me so finding a channel thats not congested it getting tough. So in the suburbs or wide open country thats not an issue! Then theres security, a wired connect is safer from interlopers listening in.

As for emissions a wired world is less emissive!

 

[tonkydesigns]

PLEASE an iPhone X - MINI with the best possible camera and a smaller screen. I loved the SE for it's size - I'm using the iphone X now, but these phablets are clownish. I want the 4K video in the palm of my hand. PLEASE!
[doublepost=1515019270][/doublepost]ABSOLUTELY - these big phones are goofy - I'm a professional filmmaker and want to be more incognito.

1) A 2018 model of the iPhone X with a 4" (or better a 3.5") screen.