Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

What Do You Want to See From Apple in 2019?

Software: further refinement of the OS with more features and a smarter Siri. Redesign incoming call interruptions to an optional banner instead of a full screen interruption. It would also be awesome to have Siri be able to answer and screen my calls. For unknown callers, she can get basic info and ask if I want to take the call, and ask them to leave a message or text me when I decline to answer. This would eliminate robocalls forever. She could also answer my calls at night when DND is enabled and ask the caller if they would like to send a text, leave a message, or if there’s an emergency I should be woken up for. Siri could also be improved in a LOT of other ways. I want a VERY smart personal assistant that makes anything from google or amazon look like crap.

Macs: FaceID. Touch ID was a stupid way to go, except with Mac mini and Mac Pro. Lower prices would be nice, and since these computers are mostly in their “ultimate form”, they just need to be more upgradable so we can easily upgrade/replace things that need to be replaced every 2-4 years like the processor, RAM, Storage, and battery. Also, bring back MagSafe for laptops. With how many times my son, my mom, my wife and myself have tripped over the cord and MagSafe saved me from having to buy a new laptop, there’s absolutely zero chance I would buy a laptop without it.

HomePod: a lite version for $50, please. Definitely worth the $20 premium over the echo dot or google home mini.

Apple TV: also needs a lite version to compete properly with chrome cast/fire stick. Keep the full 4K version, but give that little black box more capabilities. It would be an amazing gaming platform if Apple would just put in their most powerful processor and let developers have their fun. It would probably kill PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox within a few generations. Why Apple is pissing on this opportunity is beyond me.

iPhone: my iPhone 8+ is still an absolute beast. I honestly have no idea what Apple could possibly do this year to convince me to upgrade. For me to upgrade, I’d really like a combination of Touch and Face ID, reduced or non-existent notch, and much better battery. Improved camera is obviously going to happen over the next few years while I wait for these features so that will be awesome when I finally upgrade. But for now, this camera rocks and this phone rocks and I don’t see myself upgrading for another 2-4 years, and I don’t see any of these features coming for at least 2-4 years. In fact, I never would have bought my 8+ and I would still be using my 6+ if I had known that a new battery was going to make it this much better. Stupid batterygate...
 
Last edited:
Might be slightly off topic but what I wish to see from Apple in 2019? Come off their high horses and ridiculous high prices. I’m one of the early adopters of the 2012 MBP. Back then prices were high but I was never priced out for a mid to high spec 15” machine. It’s silly to see their laptops in the above $2.5K and up to $4k range even for Professionals. And iPhones at $1000?

There’s a newspaper article today on this very issue. Dwindling sales for Apple and reduced projection for production. I’m keeping my iPhone 8 and 2015 mbp until Apple come to their pricing senses or switching camps when my devices die. No doubt consumers are fighting back.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
JDW said:
Amusingly, your own post is a "response" and therefore falls into the same category.

Unluckily for us, you are correct that Apple refuses to listen to its most loyal fan base and ignores message boards like this one. If Apple did put its ear to the ground and create something for The Rest of Us once again, the global Mac community (people of all age groups, and not just Millennials) would rejoice and start buying Macs in droves once again.

To praise the status quo at Cupertino is to say the single USB-C port on the MacBook is all anyone could ever need, that the butterfly keyboard feels good on anyone's hand, and that the lack of MagSafe will help us feel safer about our Mac investment. In other words, to close one's eyes and say what we have now is perfection is a recipe for disaster down the line, not for Apple as a company but for the Mac most of us still love and care about.

Steve Jobs was pretty accurate about knowing what most of us want. Apple today doesn't really care about what we want and is instead listening to the advice of Angela Ahrendts who has been doing her best to transform Apple into a luxury brand (e.g., solid gold Apple watches included) which puts significantly more priority on form over function, beauty over durability, longevity, upgradability and practicality.
Click to expand...

I don’t completely agree with your post as I remember a lot of complaints about Steve Jobs in the 2001-2008 time frame. But I do think Apple has become overly tone deaf to customers without having an unified vision of where it is heading and why.

At the prices they charge people have a right to expect quality and durability, and not excuses. If I want to buy a pre-bent tablet or a sticking keyboard or defective batteries then I can spend a lot less money to get one. I don’t know what type of product testing Apple is doing but a lot of battery/durability problems seem to be happening across all Apple product lines, so whatever they are doing isn’t working very well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
I would like to see the following from Apple in 2019:

Get back to designing products for a better user experience. Apple products are no longer the intuitive, user friendly option for tech. There is little difference from the competition.

Better quality in HW, SW, and services. Apple has never been known for high quality services, but both their SW and HW quality has suffered over the past 4-5 years.

More attention given to true tvOS. It was once rumored to be a console-killer, now it is basically unheard of to most people outside of the tech community. And where is Safari on the ATV?

Stop the notifications for updates, at least give an option to disable it.

Make the RAM and storage replaceable on Macs.

Design the new Mac Pro like the cheese grater MP. Is there anyone that wants a non-upgradable Mac Pro?
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
Keyboards with less travel that break faster. Slower, buggier software. Make touchbar mandatory on all machines. Higher prices.

2019 will be a good year for me!
 
I’m going to be very selfish and say the only thing I’d like to see in 2019 is a fix to these random BridgeOS crashes on the 2018 MacBook Pro. Even though they have started recently, nearly every time I plug in (or leave plugged in) my 2x 4K UltraFine displays, my MbP crashes. Hard restart.

Other than this one issue that has seemingly been ignored, I’m fine with the other devices and their current state.

However, iOS is beginning (in my opinion) to lose some of what used to make it appealing. If you think I’ve lost the plot, just look at the new software features packed into the Pixel 3... flip to shh, always on music id, call screen, night sight, etc. all of these could be implemented in iOS, though I doubt we will ever see them. It seems that Apple is more concerned with selling me a new phone each year with minimal hardware upgrades, rather than a more robust feature set in the OS.
 
(1) Lower prices
Apples price increases in Europe are out of control.
iPhone 6s/7 was around 6.000,- DKK - in comparison the Xs is around 10.000,- DKK. (=1522 USD!)
Even die-hard Apple fans are looking elsewhere now.

(2) Nvidia support
eGPUs with official Apple support for Nvidia cards would be wonderful. Laptops switching back to Nvidia would be awesome too.

(3) An Apple monitor
27-inch-ish. 4K. Super slim bezels.

(4) No more touch-bar
The way of the new Air is the way to go. (No Touch-bar but Touch-ID is the way to go on all Mac laptops).
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel, Spectrum and Instrumentality
Since i got recent hardware I am mainly my wishes are mainly on the software and services side of things.

- decouple stock iOS apps from the OS updates for faster updates
- Hand-off for Apple Music
- A fast performing, great looking webplayer for Apple Music that is PWA and can be installed as 'Music' app for Windows and Mac. I hate hate hate iTunes.
- Complete rework of iCloud.com as PWA so it stays logged in, performs fast, notification support and has basic functionality for photo's and drive management
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
Repairable, upgradeable computers that aren't underpowered and overpriced.

The MacBook, MacBook Air and Mac Mini have become absolute jokes. Poor performance and ever-increasing prices. Pick one, Apple: either make bad computers, or increase the price, but you really can't do both and get away with it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: cashboxz02, nt5672, 09872738 and 2 others
APPLE DARES TO PUT FOCUS ON EMF AND HEALTH

I would love to see that Apple dares put focus on the issue of health related issues when talking about EMF-radiation (SAR-levels) from iPhones and through corded resp. Bluetooth Headsets
 
a few things

1: Simplication of the MacBook lineup that makes sense and is more consistent.

The MacBook "Air" is essentially dead. the new MacBook air is just a larger MacBook. So time to drop the "AIR" moniker. there's just 12" MacBook, and 13" MacBook. Since they're basically same device, just ones larger than the other. In addition, the pricing needs to come down. the 12" MacBook is not a $1300 computer. There are plenty of competitors who are offering super thin and lights with similar specs, for $500 less.

The MacBook Pro is ... sorry, not truly "pro" when you put things like form (thickness) as a higher prority than performance. This product needs a bit of a re-work. as it stands the current "pro" is more of a mid range workstation at most due to it's limitations that the thinness have put in.
Beef up the cooling even if it means re-adding 1-2mm of thickness overall to the device. And time to throw away the new keyboard. Apple's old keyboards were some of the best mobile keyboards in the business. Throwing those away for "thinner" was a mistake.
split the line into "touch bar' and "non touchbar" fully. there are many of us who would have absolutely loved a 15" fully loaded MacBook Pro, but without the touchbar and a normal function key row. Especially since if you dock your laptop, the touchbar becomes useless anyways.

So the linup would look:
MacBook 12": 899
MacBook 13": 999
MacBook Pro 13 TB": 1399
MacBook Pro 13 n/TB": 1199
MacBook Pro 15 TB: $2199
MacBook Pro 15 n/TB: $2,099

This should make the lineup clean and concise and bring the prices more in line with the industry standards, but still being "premium" priced.

The new MacMini is technicaly great and doesn't really need much other than a re-adjustment of the pricing.

A proper Mac Pro that focuses on performance and lengevity of use rather than the trend of Form over function.

The mythical Mac X desktop that is more than the Mini, but less than the Pro. the Mac for us gamers.

The iPad Pro needs a re-work entirely of iOS. the issues here have been beaten to death though. The iPad needs to get the redesigned look/feel from the Pro.

iPhone needs some price readjustment and tweaks but not terribly off the current lineup.
iPhone 11: 899
iPhone 11+: 999
iPhone 11r: 699
iPhone 11SE: 499 (a 4" or similar sized device with border to border display like the bigger devices)

As for other stuff?
HomePod price is keeping it out of reach of many. bring it down $100. OR alternatively release a $150ish price point version.

More cross platform services, with the introduction of web UI for many of those services. Requiring iTunes on the desktop to use Apple music is evil and the prime reason I don't subscribe to Apple Music. it NEEDS a web UI.

Actually start to see the results of some of that R&D in products outside of their existing categories. For years we've heard about the CAR, we've heard about AR expansion. We've heard about so many things, and yet, Apple R&D seems to have nothing to show for itself in the last few years except for slightly faster silicon and "thinner" products. the purpose of R&D is to actually research and develop new things for products. They've spent billions in the last few years and really don't seem to have much in the way of results (Aside from their silicon business)
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel and Instrumentality
I don't want them to lower the prices since lowering them would ultimately result in a lower quality.
Apple prices are high, but their margins are reasonable, meaning, you get what you pay for.

What I would like to see:

1. Refresh of the iOS home screen, maker it more Andorid like, more customisable with widgets etc.
2. Remove the notch please
3. Completely new Files application, should be much more powerful that the current one
4. Major refresh of the MacOS, all menus, settings windows should be brought up to date and get a modern design.
5. At least double the battery life of Apple Watch (should be easy, just make it a bit ticker).
6. Bring all Apple services in Europe to the same level as in the US.
7. For all the MacBooks, make bezels smaller, start using the Infinity Screens.
 
So what do I want to see? Guess there is no hope since Apple screwed up every single product.
But suppose we all live in a wonderland, and Tim Cook would ask me what to do:

macOS:
- Bring back OpenGL support, throw away Metal and switch to Vulkan
- Implement some nice things like Docker support

cloud:
- where is my Docker build container that integrates easily into a r.g. Jenkins CI/CD environment?

MacPro:
Start a new age of hardware and remember the good old days of the cheese grater
- Standard M2 SSD slots
- SD RAM slots
- Possibility to install "some" Nvidia cards
- reasonable price

Notebook line:
- bring back a decent keyboard
- kick the TouchBar
- Stop soldering everything, introduce M2 slots for SSD
- Give us at least some ports, SD Card slot for the pro models
- powerful GPU, forget about eGPU stuff
- bring back a reasonable price

iPhone:
current iPhones are just uber expensive and super breakable
- reasonable price
- combine TouchID and FaceID
- audio jack
- score 10 out of 10 for reparability
- and the price!!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: wib and RandomDSdevel
Overall I would like to see Apple make a company-wide commitment to keep the entire product line fresh with consistent, defined update cycles. Just like the iPhone that get a yearly update, Mac's need the same TLC. EVERY Mac, including the Mini and the Pro. They don't necessarily need a yearly cycle, but certainly not longer than 2 year. An organization with as much cash in the bank as Apple should be able to afford the product teams to keep that active.

Specific feature/functionality would include:

iMessage in the Cloud (e.g. www.icloud.com) for those times I'm not on an iOS or MacOS device

Better integration of family services (Find-My-Friends). For example, I want to ask "Hey Siri, where is my wife?" and have her answer "She's at home"... because FMF knows here current location, and through the magic of my address book it also has access to Home, Work and other addresses. Also, Apple Maps knows the location of lots of public places, so "She's at Walmart in XYZ" or "She's in transit to ABC". Note that for those of you who think this to be creepy/stalker-ish, this would only work for those who've already shared their current location.

Improved core MacOS apps (Mail, Calendar, etc.) to meet or exceed current competition.

For iOS, I want to see the ability to have background services as well as foreground apps. Anything around security, monitoring, etc. should be able to auto-load in the background without me (the user) having to remember to load it. For example, I use "Hiya" for robo- and spam- call identification. I find it slightly annoying that I have to manually run it every time I reboot and/or unload my apps. It should be able to run as a service.

Removal of artificial fences between family shares. This is true for apps as well as media content. To better understand, consider purchased movies. Whether in iTunes (MacOS) or the TV app (iOS and tvOS), I currently view MY movies, then have to switch to PersonA's content, then PersonB's content. Given that I already have access to all of it, it should just appear in the "Purchased Movies" list.

Finally, I would love to see the Apple TV finally grow up to be what it's truly capable of: a real iOS platform. This would include better screen real-estate management when showing lists of content, the addition of FaceTime to the device (a real puzzler to me), and seamless support of multiple accounts via voice recognition.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
Iphone mini.

An ipad for proper applications, it has to happen at some stage.

Stop obsessing with thin devices.

Make things fixable at a normal price.

Cheaper products, it is hard to enjoy a new product if you are worrying about breaking/losing/insuring it.

Apple needs to innovate to stay relevant, people are waking up to the fact that other products are often offering better value and functionality - Surface pro, Samsung, even Xiaomi...

Sort out the ridiculous limitations on iTunes in many territories (tv/movies)

A download of movies function that accommodates poor wifi.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
That's easy!
Just three little things:
- iPhone SE 2 (Without that annoying Notch Design)
- Less Bugs after Updates
- Durable products
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
Password protected apps! An example would be messages with the ability to password protect individual threads, and the ability to assign "mailboxes" in messages which can be password protected. It'd be great to keep my personal messages separate and secure from my work messages that often contain sensitive information! A private lockable photo album would also be ideal for the same reasons being built into the system would with reliable iCloud backup would be great and so much easier than using a third party app that fails most of the time...
 
  • Like
Reactions: RandomDSdevel
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back