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What to Expect From Apple in 2017: iPhone 8, 10-Inch iPad Pro, Refreshed iMacs, and More
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I am really scared of another sh***y Apple Event where they release a 2 yr old absolute piece of tech and call it great. I am tired of naysayers telling me Apple has lost it, even i am turning into an Apple critique. I use to love Apple products and a part of me still waiting for another magic moment where they release an awesome product. But their feature and pricing is abysmal at best. And now they have invented a $200 earphone. What were you thinking apple ? Who will pay for that ?
And Kaby Lake.
That would be nice and basically what Lenovo, Dell, ASUS and others will provide in a few months.
The Airpods are actually something good Apple has created, best new product in years. You may not appreciate them now, but I'm sure you will see the greatness in a couple of years when everybody has them and there tons of cheap copies. Expect quirks like lack of touch volume control and a bit too hard tap to activate Siri will be fixed in next revisions.
The price is not unreasonable if you compare with other earphones. Earin wireless earbuds costs $250.
I'm willing to pay if the product is extra ordinary, but not for hardware that competitors had on market for "years" and No, the Touch Bar is not something I want, I rather have my escape key.
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Please try to discern the past from the present. What Ive has contributed, was great. His talent is indisputable and for that he has received proper recognition (with all the laureates and celebrations, as he reported himself extensively)
But his contribution in the last 3 to 5 years has diminished. Under his tenure, the number of meaningful new designs has gone down to approx. a single per year. That's not just subpar, but an outright shame for a company of this size with 100k employees and a (formerly) healthy diversity of product lines.
Given the number of design talent on board, this lack of output is both incomprehensible and unacceptable. Apple should take a look at the automobile industry - if it really wants to play a role in it...
The way new products are hampered with minimal battery capacity, his designs - how well they are esthetically - have impacted functionality and are bringing down the company. Hundreds of millions of customers are engaged in a daily run from charging cradle to charging cradle now. His psychological profile (as I described) and his managerial position are both incompatible, leading to such dramatic consequences.
He cannot hold his position therefore, imho.
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Having two closely sized iPad Pro models does seem redundant. But without the 9.7 model, the cost of entry into non-mini iPads may be too high (assuming Apple does kills the iPad Air2).
Just as they've kept the MacBook Air around as a low cost option, I can see them doing the same with the 9.7 iPad Pro...at least for another year.
I like what is coming out of Apple and we are buying from iPhones to macs to Apple Watch to iPads to Apple TV. I don't know about minimal battery capacity, our devices last as long as needed.
So kudos to him and cook for producing products we want to buy.
So be it if your measure of success for him and your "psychological profile" is "based on the number of designs" you think are new.
I guess it's just as possible the new 13" iPad Pro (or next next year's) will also lose its bezel and restore the screen size difference "lost" by moving the smaller pro up to 10.5... The reverse of what happened with the mini when it came out (shrunk side bezels made it even more dramatically smaller looking than the iPad 3/4... Such that when the Air came out some people thought it was the mini!)
There was a time when Ive's revolutionary, clean designs were breathtaking. Long ago. But, he's now become a one trick pony that's been given way too much power in the decision making process. Bigger and better products are being brought to market while he stands still, too busy giving himself kudos. Nowadays, Jony is so full of himself that he's become a caricature of himself.
Fine. I am the last to disturb anybody's microcosmos if it feels OK.
My advise is to avoid Apple news in a broader context, however
I think Macrumors is wrong about the Apple TV.
I think 2017 (fall?) will see a 2 year update of the Apple TV 4th gen to a 5th generation model that while looking identical allows for 4K playback. I think this is the year iTunes offers 4K downloads and rentals and a whole host of applications can take advantage of this considering they support 4K on other platforms already (Netflix etc.) Nearly every TV sold in the USA over 32 inches during holiday 2016 is a 4K tv by default so I doubt Apple can wait longer considering all their competitors (Amazon, Google, Roku) in the space have had 4K options since 2015! This mid-cycle upgrade will be similar to how Apple replaced the 2nd generation 720p version of the Apple TV with an identical 1080p 3rd generation update at the same price.
I think 2017 (fall?) will see a 2 year update of the Apple TV 4th gen to a 5th generation model that while looking identical allows for 4K playback. I think this is the year iTunes offers 4K downloads and rentals and a whole host of applications can take advantage of this considering they support 4K on other platforms already (Netflix etc.) Nearly every TV sold in the USA over 32 inches during holiday 2016 is a 4K tv by default so I doubt Apple can wait longer considering all their competitors (Amazon, Google, Roku) in the space have had 4K options since 2015! This mid-cycle upgrade will be similar to how Apple replaced the 2nd generation 720p version of the Apple TV with an identical 1080p 3rd generation update at the same price.
You didnt disturb my "microcosm"
this is a board of differing opinions and you have yours.
Whatever Apple releases in the New Year. I think one thing is guaranteed is a long wait to get them. I don't think Tim Cook's Tim Cook is doing a good job lately.
Agree! And you did improve my English...You didnt disturb my "microcosm"
I recall reading something that talked about how Apple is trying to get people to move away from the expectation that every two years they will come out with something revolutionary. Rather, Tim Cook is trying to alter people's expectations and move them to be more iterative.
I think the dangerous thing for them is that people are getting progressively bored with them. I believe it will become increasingly harder for them to keep the general public excited about their newest item/iPhones. Their keynotes are just snoozers now. I used to love watching them, but now it's just the same thing every time, and everything usually has leaked before hand anyway.
I think the dangerous thing for them is that people are getting progressively bored with them. I believe it will become increasingly harder for them to keep the general public excited about their newest item/iPhones. Their keynotes are just snoozers now. I used to love watching them, but now it's just the same thing every time, and everything usually has leaked before hand anyway.
Tim seems to say "...roadmap" when in Mac answering mode vs. "...pipeline" for non-Mac stuff. Does a roadmap precede/follow a pipeline, or are they the same?
2017 Predictions:
Mac mini - Apple changes to the low-power "m" CPU in order to eliminate the fan. Might possibly make the external case thinner, as well. Why? Ask Jony Ive's therapist. Result: A more "mini" mini (watch Apple's ads for this slogan). Power requirements are down but with no significant improvement in performance. No upgrade possibilities at all as RAM and whatever you order for an SSD will be soldered down to the motherboard. Now that Apple's learned how -not- to leave any money on the table, expect nothing in the way of a machine you'd want to own. This is not Apple's version of a NUC or BRIX; rather, this is Apple's version of the "Compute Stick". If you approach it from that direction, it may make some technical sense but the pricing will be laughable.
iMac - Still 21' and 27" as the economies of scale are there. Probably will be a low-end 21" unit with the low-power "m" CPU so the size or number of fans may be reduced due to the lower power requirements. Motherboard video only. Again, this is not a unit any reader of MacRumors would want to put on his/her own desk but it might have some leverage in schools that haven't yet succumbed to the "1 child/1 computer" siren song; it might also be okay for your old Uncle Harold in Peoria if you set it for a lower resolution for his failing eyesight.
As for the "better/best" models in the iMac lineup, whatever AMD provides will have to be throttled back in order to prevent the video card from frying inside the tight confines of the iMac case. Apple has made its bed with tiny, frugal fans and this won't change until (unless) Apple sh-tcans that ridiculously thin case that serves no purpose other than to hobble future development of this model. However, don't look for this to happen as long as Jony Ive is in Apple's employ.
Mac Pro - Don't look for a new form-factor here; again, Apple's engineers are making products to Jony Ive's specs without regard for the wishes of its most loyal customers. Faster CPU? Possibly. Faster GPU? Available at $$$. Cheaper? Probably not although if you do see some dramatic reduction in price, that's your clue that the days of the Mac Pro are definitely numbered.
If the Mac Pro is discontinued, that's the end of the Macintosh as we know it. Look for another CPU shift as Mac-on-ARM becomes the norm. It's a lot easier--both in technical and political terms--to switch when there isn't that last one Mac requiring Xeons.
What of the MacBook and MBP models? Nothing substantive will be changing except the price as Apple realizes it really screwed the pooch. Maybe by November of 2017 you'll see something you might consider a major improvement (beside price). But I really don't think this will happen. Again, Jony Ive's obsession with thinness has ruined the MBP's keyboard (and I invite those who have not laid hands upon it to do so - it's a disaster). No way will the MBP become thicker again (even though 2 mm or so would permit a decent keyboard to be installed and let the unit run cooler).
So, what would Steve do?
1. Fire Jony Ive; he outlived his usefulness and essentially became Apple's worst enemy by designing stage prop computers.
2. Have Apple's engineers make a Mac mini with expansion capabilities (RAM, HD). Add a third Thunderbolt port; after all, isn't that the future?
3. Have Apple's software engineers craft a macOS extension that permits multiple Mac minis, connected via Thunderbolt, to cooperatively process (similar to what they've already done with FCP Server but not over Ethernet).
4. Apple's "Pro" users could be served by an (optional$$$) Apple-designed Thunderbolt expansion chassis for whatever awesome double-wide video card can be made to work with macOS. In addition, these Pro users may purchase as many minis as they need. Let's imagine four Mac minis each with 32GB of RAM and a fast SSD interconnected via Thunderbolt with one or more minis in the chain connecting to expansion boxes with great video cards (or whatever else can fit in such a chassis). Four minis make a machine with four quad-core i7's, 128GB of RAM, and a fast video card. Or maybe that video card isn't even needed; after all, encoding video takes place on the i7 CPU so, with four of them divvying the work...well, you get the idea.
So, if Steve made this happen, we'd be able to reduce the Mac product line (which Steve always loved doing).
But Steve isn't there and the bean-counter king with his bulemic court jester are foisting off invisible clothing of magic cloth that only the "Mac faithful" can even see.
I call BS.
Mac mini - Apple changes to the low-power "m" CPU in order to eliminate the fan. Might possibly make the external case thinner, as well. Why? Ask Jony Ive's therapist. Result: A more "mini" mini (watch Apple's ads for this slogan). Power requirements are down but with no significant improvement in performance. No upgrade possibilities at all as RAM and whatever you order for an SSD will be soldered down to the motherboard. Now that Apple's learned how -not- to leave any money on the table, expect nothing in the way of a machine you'd want to own. This is not Apple's version of a NUC or BRIX; rather, this is Apple's version of the "Compute Stick". If you approach it from that direction, it may make some technical sense but the pricing will be laughable.
iMac - Still 21' and 27" as the economies of scale are there. Probably will be a low-end 21" unit with the low-power "m" CPU so the size or number of fans may be reduced due to the lower power requirements. Motherboard video only. Again, this is not a unit any reader of MacRumors would want to put on his/her own desk but it might have some leverage in schools that haven't yet succumbed to the "1 child/1 computer" siren song; it might also be okay for your old Uncle Harold in Peoria if you set it for a lower resolution for his failing eyesight.
As for the "better/best" models in the iMac lineup, whatever AMD provides will have to be throttled back in order to prevent the video card from frying inside the tight confines of the iMac case. Apple has made its bed with tiny, frugal fans and this won't change until (unless) Apple sh-tcans that ridiculously thin case that serves no purpose other than to hobble future development of this model. However, don't look for this to happen as long as Jony Ive is in Apple's employ.
Mac Pro - Don't look for a new form-factor here; again, Apple's engineers are making products to Jony Ive's specs without regard for the wishes of its most loyal customers. Faster CPU? Possibly. Faster GPU? Available at $$$. Cheaper? Probably not although if you do see some dramatic reduction in price, that's your clue that the days of the Mac Pro are definitely numbered.
If the Mac Pro is discontinued, that's the end of the Macintosh as we know it. Look for another CPU shift as Mac-on-ARM becomes the norm. It's a lot easier--both in technical and political terms--to switch when there isn't that last one Mac requiring Xeons.
What of the MacBook and MBP models? Nothing substantive will be changing except the price as Apple realizes it really screwed the pooch. Maybe by November of 2017 you'll see something you might consider a major improvement (beside price). But I really don't think this will happen. Again, Jony Ive's obsession with thinness has ruined the MBP's keyboard (and I invite those who have not laid hands upon it to do so - it's a disaster). No way will the MBP become thicker again (even though 2 mm or so would permit a decent keyboard to be installed and let the unit run cooler).
So, what would Steve do?
1. Fire Jony Ive; he outlived his usefulness and essentially became Apple's worst enemy by designing stage prop computers.
2. Have Apple's engineers make a Mac mini with expansion capabilities (RAM, HD). Add a third Thunderbolt port; after all, isn't that the future?
3. Have Apple's software engineers craft a macOS extension that permits multiple Mac minis, connected via Thunderbolt, to cooperatively process (similar to what they've already done with FCP Server but not over Ethernet).
4. Apple's "Pro" users could be served by an (optional$$$) Apple-designed Thunderbolt expansion chassis for whatever awesome double-wide video card can be made to work with macOS. In addition, these Pro users may purchase as many minis as they need. Let's imagine four Mac minis each with 32GB of RAM and a fast SSD interconnected via Thunderbolt with one or more minis in the chain connecting to expansion boxes with great video cards (or whatever else can fit in such a chassis). Four minis make a machine with four quad-core i7's, 128GB of RAM, and a fast video card. Or maybe that video card isn't even needed; after all, encoding video takes place on the i7 CPU so, with four of them divvying the work...well, you get the idea.
So, if Steve made this happen, we'd be able to reduce the Mac product line (which Steve always loved doing).
But Steve isn't there and the bean-counter king with his bulemic court jester are foisting off invisible clothing of magic cloth that only the "Mac faithful" can even see.
I call BS.
This.
I really do miss when they were called Apple Computer. Now we are left with another iPhone where people value design over anything. A design that will grow tiresome after a year or two when Apple rehashes it twice. We are left with iPad Pros which can't read a thumb drive or access a folder system to move files.
What I expect from Apple? More disappointments, complaints, and emptier pockets from users who are still slaves to the brand.
Absolutely. Whenever one of us real laptop users complain that a 10 hour battery only last 3 hours, they always seem to say "we get 10 hours with reading emails and browsing websites." So where's the testing for creators. My 2012 rMBP is 4 years old and apparently will last more hours per charge than the new tbMBP. I understand why Apple does it... 90% of the customers are only users, and very few of us are creators. Business 101, cater to the 90% group. I hate being in the 10% group.
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I wonder if when the revenue and profit for Apple mainly came from the iPhone, that they decided to phase out computers. So they changed the name, and haven't really done anything with the computer lineup for 4 years. Coincidence?
I'm with you. Except for the earbuds...I don't really care about those at all. I really want to be enthusiastic about Apple again and to stop stalking and posting at MacRumors. Unfortunately for me what I want to see is an updated MBP line that moves beyond current critiques. Since Apple seems unable to update every line once a year that seems unlikely. I think I'll have to stew with the current MBPs for another year and a half.
I did. The airpods are awesome, and I don't see myself using a normal pair of headphones ever again.
This.
I really do miss when they were called Apple Computer. Now we are left with another iPhone where people value design over anything. A design that will grow tiresome after a year or two when Apple rehashes it twice. We are left with iPad Pros which can't read a thumb drive or access a folder system to move files.
What I expect from Apple? More disappointments, complaints, and emptier pockets from users who are still slaves to the brand.
MacRumors (not that many MAC rumors though) does say DON’T BUY ... ;-)
http://appleinsider.com/articles/16...onslaught-of-fake-news-and-failed-competitors