What to Expect From Apple in 2017: iPhone 8, 10-Inch iPad Pro, Refreshed iMacs, and More

[justperry]

Thanks for showing us you haven't used Windows....
[doublepost=1483277359][/doublepost]I wouldn't apologize. You have nothing to apologize for. They are the problem, not you.

He's not wrong about any of his points.

Right....

Right, then tell what is so good about windows instead of telling me I never used Windows.


But, before you do let me tell you a few things which make MacOs so great.

● Installing software is a breeze, most of the time it's just dragging an App from a Disk Image to your disk, or even easier
is to install it from the AppSore.
● Updating System Software is easy and on command if you want it to install.
● No Virus Scanner needed.
● No open backdoors.
● If I run into problems which is rare it's easy to solve.
● Won't get slower overtime.
● No maintenance needed.
● Cheaper in the long run since people have lots less problems than on Windows, this is especially the case in Companies.
Link: IBM Says Macs Are Up to $543 Less Expensive Than PCs Over Time
● Easy to boot off an external disk, to troubleshoot for instance.
● Buit in Password Manager, Syncs with iPhone.
● If you also have an iPhone it will Sync Safari with the iPhone, Facetime calls are received on Computer, iMessages are
displayed on MacOS
● Lots of hardware features are also built in like the best trackpad one can imagine, and now also a reliable fingerprint
scanner.
● ..... and lots more.
[doublepost=1483295299][/doublepost]

You just whined

I should have left the backslash out in between the whiners/trolls.
I should have said Hope we get less whining trolls/trolling posts next year!
Seems to me it wasn't clear to some of you.
[doublepost=1483295523][/doublepost]

you started out by saying "there are too many trolls". What defines a troll in your mind? Someone who expresses criticism of Apple? How do you differentiate legitimate criticism from criticism with the intent to stir up contention?



Dissatisfied Apple customers have options. Given the current trajectory of Apple re: notebooks/desktops, my current stock of Apple notebooks/desktops will be my last. Where will I go? Certainly not Windows 10. Should the time arrive when I need to depart from macOS, I'll be moving over to Linux. Linux has come a long way from the days of spending days getting it to work. There are many easy-to-use, easy-to-install, plug-n-play distros that will serve my purposes just fine.

I've been doing plenty of research and experimenting in preparation for that day and have found Elementary OS to be a great distro for my wife... very clean, simple, polished... and very macOS-like. She'll feel right at home with it.

For myself, I have narrowed it down to a few like MX-16 and Linux Mint MATE. I've found great native apps to fill virtually all of my computing needs, media creation, etc. There are a few gaps, but I have been able to get those Windows apps running nicely with WINE.

That's my exit strategy, but not my preferred option. I prefer that Apple get their act together and get back to doing those things that drew me to their notebooks and desktops in the first place.

Bold, I already defined what a troll means to me in an earlier post here.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...d-imacs-and-more.2024798/page-4#post-24135065

 

[jlgreer1]

Why would one of the largest, arguably richest company in world not have enough engineering talent to focus on all of their existing product lines and enough design and engineering talent to focus on new products as well? They could even do what MS is famous for, buy new product ideas. I once read that Apple had so much money that they could afford to develop ideas and processes that no one else could afford to do.

 

[jlgreer1]

BTW, I am a watch person. I still have a real watch, with hands.... I typically wear an aging Polar Loop. I would love to have an Apple Watch. I have wanted one since they were first announced. I just can't justify one, yet. I like their heart rate monitor system. It is probably the best. I am sure I will use the Mickey Mouse face whenever I get one. (I had an original Mickey Mouse watch back in first grade. )

However, even my aging Polar Loop only has to be charged every couple of days or so. I have always wondered why the battery capacity can't be built into the band. Surely, Apple could make that work? Amazon increases the battery life for their most recent Kindle boon doggle by adding a battery to its case...

Jeff

Where did my original post go????? Oh well, it was too much to draft it again.

 

[I7guy]

Want a cookie?

Some WANT to stay in MacOS, and bcausof this, there are precious few choices, thanks to Apple.
[doublepost=1483294877][/doublepost]N

Non sequitur much?

Your response does not match the post you are responding to.

Please reread the posts. Nuff' said. Don't need a cookie but thanks anyway.

 

[jpine]

A significant update for the Mac Pro will be announced on the same date that Hell freezes over.

 

[rowspaxe]

I fully agree, it's ugly as heck. The point is Belkin probably only has a super tiny design budget. Apple has billions. Apple could design a USB-C magsafe that looks just like a miniature version of the original magsafe.

thats essentially what MS has done with Surface Pro and Surface Book. I am not sure of the precise bandwidth, but the Surface port mag connector supports via a hub displayport, power, and 3 usb3 ports.

 

[sudo1996]

That's why my family got me to do it. 4 iMacs, a couple Mac minis, several pre retina MacBooks and MBPs. Throw in my technical savvy friends who own Macs, and that is 100% of all upgradeable macs I know of, having been upgraded.

I call 100% a pretty significant number. But you can continue claiming this doesn't exist in real life.

BTW - guess who is telling their family members to move on from Macs, unless they want to spend huge $$$ upfront, unlike the past 15+ years?

As stupid and frustrating as it is that you can't upgrade some Macs, it's still not too bad now that even entry-level hardware is fast. If you're using your Mac for your job that makes income, it's worth buying new ones as needed anyway. And if you aren't making money with it, you're probably not using it for anything (e.g. video, big data, etc. processing) that actually requires upgrades, and buying a new computer every 6 years should be good enough if you set aside the desire to hot-rod your machine for fun.

Of course, I would still love for Apple to still sell an upgradable Mac Pro... or sell a Mac Pro at all. Or upgrade any of their Macs yearly. Geez.

 

[mlody]

iPhone is the only device I care about in 2017. I currently have 6S and would like to have something bigger, but not + size bigger and with ugly bezels. Apple, give us something like 5.1-5.2" in the current size of regular 4.7" iPhone and I will be happy to buy it.

 

[xlii]

I missed the iPod Nano and iPod Touch 2017 update review... did anyone else see it? Really want to update my IPod Touch 2 which is beginning to show it's age.

 

[Williesleg]

I missed the iPod Nano and iPod Touch 2017 update review... did anyone else see it? Really want to update my IPod Touch 2 which is beginning to show it's age.

Hee hee I still see these for sale at Walmart.
Could you imagine paying $200 for a new iPod touch? I think people only buy them by mistake.

 

[dilbert99]

If you want Apple to be like Samsung and spam the market with a dozen minor variations of the same product, then sure.

Seems like a bit of a strawman argument, switching the facts to suit your case. I was stating that Samsung can make phones, tv's, washing machines, watches, tablets, computers, tumble driers, memory cards and much much more and even has time to make screens for Apple, I fail to see how your argument is valid.

But if you want Apple to take the time to refine the small details and get it just right, it will take lots of resources and importantly, time.

Apple has a lot of resources compared to other companies and they have had a lot of time. Tim keeps on talking about that pipeline which has now changed to talking about a roadmap which is less imminent

Look at the 2016 MBP. For all its flaws, does it look like a minor update that Apple crapped out overnight? Just about every aspect of it was dramatically revamped, and I can only imagine the sheer number of man hours that went into making all this possible.

What is new on the MBP? A new touchbar, yes I personally think that is great, but many people do not. But from a technical standpoint what is great about putting a second screen on a device?, its an easy thing to do. What else is new?

The touchbar takes time.

No, it is just a simple oled display, nothing new there apart from its application

Force touch takes time.

Force touch is a confusing piece of tech that is not supported on every device so has to be an additional thought to developers because they have to add alternatives, how do they achieve this? They add a long press

Touch ID takes time.

Yes it takes time and Apple have a great implementation here, but how many staff does it take?

Doing something differently and better takes time. Especially for a mature product like the Mac, where incremental improvements require ever-increasing amounts of R&D.

So yes, if you want Apple to do it all at the same time, then quality will suffer because they won't be able to devote as much time to each product.

Apple have the resources, so much be something else creating a bottleneck, perhaps this could be My Ive?

And the disparity in design and quality shows.


As I mentioned above, some things, such as innovation just can't be rushed.

Dyson have more innovation than Apple and they are a much smaller company.

It's not as though this hasn't happened before. Apple delayed OS X tiger to concentrate on the iPhone. The people claiming that Steve Jobs would never let this happen clearly don't know their history very well.

Apple delayed a piece of software to concentrate on a piece of hardware? Am I reading you correct?

Your whole argument seems to stem from stating that innovation takes time and resources that Apple do not have and that the only other option is to churn things out at a rate of knots. How much innovation do you think that Apple have compared to any other field?[/QUOTE]
[doublepost=1483318447][/doublepost]

Meaning a thicker, heavier device for everyone.

Thickness in a laptop has little bearing on its weight. 1mm of height gives Apple a lot of room from a pc component point of view, but adds very little in terms of weight

 

[Abazigal]

@Martyimac You just typed your responses directly into the quote boxes, making it all but impossible for me to quote your responses and reply to them.

I acknowledge that multi-quoting might be very difficult in an app like Tapatalk, so here's what I do.

Download an app called Copied.

https://itunes.apple.com/sg/app/copied-copy-paste-everywhere/id1015767349?mt=8&uo=4

Create a list called "forum" and save the aforementioned snippets to it.

Every time you need to multi-quote someone's response, toggle the Copied keyboard, and insert the quote tags as necessary. It takes a bit more work, but I find it makes one's responses a lot more readable, and I think it's a simple of respect when you are posting in a public forum and want to make it easier for other people to view your posts.

 

[tcho100]

I just really want to feel the magic once again. For all my adult life I've used Mac products.

98 saw the purchase of my first Mac, Bondi Blue G3 iMac with 10G of memory. I was absolutely blown away by that machine, was like something form the future to me (my only computer pre to that was a 16K Sinclair Spectrum from the 80's) I'd always wanted a Mac, but meagre wages just had me dreaming. Jeez was it a love affair, was just in awe of that machine and the world it opened up.
Since then myself and my wife have owned and loved several Apple products including 4th Gen iPod with click wheel (freaking amazing), scrimped, scraped, saved and busted balls for a 12 inch G4 Powerbook (thought I'd died and gone to heaven when I opened up the packaging and booted up for the first time), iPod touch 2nd Gen (mind-blowing), iPhones 1,4 & currently 6 (loving the camera on this version), Mac Mini 2011 is my daily desktop (I show this to PC users who still can't believe its a desktop, again I totally love it) typing this on my 2011 15 inch quad core I7 BTO with matt screen, its maxed out with 16 RAM and 500G SSD and to this day it truly makes me smile every time I boot into it. Numerous ports and most parts easily user replaceable and or upgradeable. Agreed it doesn't have the Retina screen, but would I trade for my matt option, no thanks.

I hope I can continue to use this machine for another 5 years too, especially if Apple continue on the current trajectory.

Unlike some users on here I have no desire at all to turn my back on the Apple universe, being a daily PC user at work its really not an experience I care to replicate at home.

Please return to what what you (for my opinion) excelled at, which was making rock solid, computers.You know, Macs......

Release another great Pro desktop (not for me, but the stuff of legends), another fully loaded Mini (please, pretty please), to die for laptops. But please can you do it all with the customer at the heart of all the decision making. And can you please do it with user upgradeable parts.

 

[Abazigal]

Your whole argument seems to stem from stating that innovation takes time and resources that Apple do not have and that the only other option is to churn things out at a rate of knots. How much innovation do you think that Apple have compared to any other field?

Tons.

Looks at products like the Apple Pencil and Airpods. They are dead simple to use and work like magic, and this completely belies the sheer amount of resources and time I am sure went into making these products possible.

People don't seem to realize that simplicity is far harder than complexity. It's easy to add in a million buttons, toggles, switches, and features. What's hard is doing that in a dead-simple manner that is logical, coherent, and easy to use.

That's why I use Apple products. That's what I pay Apple to do. The things that no other company can or will offer me.

 

[dilbert99]

Tons.

Looks at products like the Apple Pencil and Airpods. They are dead simple to use and work like magic, and this completely belies the sheer amount of resources and time I am sure went into making these products possible.

People don't seem to realize that simplicity is far harder than complexity. It's easy to add in a million buttons, toggles, switches, and features. What's hard is doing that in a dead-simple manner that is logical, coherent, and easy to use.

That's why I use Apple products. That's what I pay Apple to do. The things that no other company can or will offer me.

A stylus and a pair of earphones and that took all of Apples resources?

You seem to think Apple only has a few employees.
You also take every argument and try to apply extremes such as a million buttons or throwing a thousand features and seeing what sticks.

You wear rose coloured glasses in your views of how Apple impacts other people than yourself. Apple can do no wrong.

Apple should not force things on people, things like only USB-C. It is not for them to try to force anything.

If I wanted to force anything then perhaps Apple should ditch lightning and move over to USB-C
[doublepost=1483320329][/doublepost]

What's hard is doing that in a dead-simple manner that is logical, coherent, and easy to use.

Probably a good idea might be talking about use of things like you say rather than actual hardware.

So how does my usage stack up

1. I need to plug in a dongle to get anything done today so that I have the ability to plug things in tomorrow.
2. I have to use the right software to get up to type hours of usage.
3. iMovie - Apple doesn't allow me to delete the middle of a clip to save space
4. iPhone - I cannot forward my phone to a number in my contact list, I have to type it in
5. MBP - constantly trying to free up space, you can no longer swap out SSDs
6. RAM - cannot upgrade if you run out.
7. Battery - cannot replace
8. iPhone - how do I copy files on and off the device
9. iPhone - how do I get music on and off easily

I could go on. For all the Amazing things that Apple does, there is always an equally large list of negative things.

 

[robeddie]

I am not paid a cent by Apple (whether you believe it or not), nor do I own any Apple stock. But hey, if believing otherwise will make you feel better and help you sleep better at night...

I don't sleep at night because apple is abandoning what a huge number of us have relied on for decades. As far as your concerned, good thing you don't own apple stock, because what happens to it in the next few years won't be pretty.

 

[Abazigal]

A stylus and a pair of earphones and that took all of Apples resources?

You seem to think Apple only has a few employees.

And you seem to think that the Airpods were conceived by two engineers over lunch.

There's the custom W1 chip, the sheer amount of engineering to make all the parts fit into such a small form factor, and the software backend to make the Airpods play well with the Apple ecosystem (or did you think the music playback portion of the control centre on iOS was changed for no good reason?)

It's a monumental feat of engineering which requires very close collaboration between Apple's hardware and software divisions. And it shows, because no other company has done what Apple has done here. And they will find it no easy feat to replicate what Apple has done here either.

Remember - the simpler a piece of technology is, the harder it (very often) is to do.

You also take every argument and try to apply extremes such as a million buttons or throwing a thousand features and seeing what sticks.

That's the difference between Apple and another company like Samsung. Samsung gets an idea, they implement it as is. Apple takes the extra step to ask themselves whether the feature makes sense and how it might be better implemented.

The end result is fewer new features from Apple (because each new feature on average takes more time and resources to implement), but it also means that each feature is better designed and implemented and offers a better user experience overall.

It's a tradeoff I am willing to make.

You wear rose coloured glasses in your views of how Apple impacts other people than yourself. Apple can do no wrong.

Apple isn't perfect, but Apple isn't run by idiots either.

I could say the same for the other people here. It's like to them, Apple can do no right and will always be criticised for every single thing they do.

Apple should not force things on people, things like only USB-C. It is not for them to try to force anything.

If I wanted to force anything then perhaps Apple should ditch lightning and move over to USB-C

If not Apple then who? Microsoft? Dell? Lenovo?

It is Apple's every right to do so as well. And what I respect about Apple is that when they make a move like this, they go all in. None of this "I am going to leave behind a single USB A port just in case" or "I will offer an iPhone 7 with a headphone jack and one without".

They want to do something, they go all the way and don't look back. Of course, pushing for a new standard doesn't automatically mean Apple will succeed. It just means they tried.

And at least Apple dares to try.

 

[robeddie]

A stylus and a pair of earphones and that took all of Apples resources?

You seem to think Apple only has a few employees.
You also take every argument and try to apply extremes such as a million buttons or throwing a thousand features and seeing what sticks.

You wear rose coloured glasses in your views of how Apple impacts other people than yourself. Apple can do no wrong.

Apple should not force things on people, things like only USB-C. It is not for them to try to force anything.

If I wanted to force anything then perhaps Apple should ditch lightning and move over to USB-C
[doublepost=1483320329][/doublepost]

Probably a good idea might be talking about use of things like you say rather than actual hardware.

So how does my usage stack up

1. I need to plug in a dongle to get anything done today so that I have the ability to plug things in tomorrow.
2. I have to use the right software to get up to type hours of usage.
3. iMovie - Apple doesn't allow me to delete the middle of a clip to save space
4. iPhone - I cannot forward my phone to a number in my contact list, I have to type it in
5. MBP - constantly trying to free up space, you can no longer swap out SSDs
6. RAM - cannot upgrade if you run out.
7. Battery - cannot rep
8. iPhone - how do I copy files on and off the device
9. iPhone - how do I get music on and off easily

I could go on. For all the Amazing things that Apple does, there is always an equally large list of negative things.

My friend. All your points are dead on. But at this point realize, people like Abizagal will keep arguing against whatever you say. Doesn't matter how logical or reasonable, or factual you are. He will come back with some reply that attempts to discount what you say. It's like spitting in the wind. In this case, the wind you're getting is coming out of his --s.

 

[Abazigal]

I don't sleep at night because apple is abandoning what a huge number of us have relied on for decades. As far as your concerned, good thing you don't own apple stock, because what happens to it in the next few years won't be pretty.

I can imagine. I have heard this argument a hundred times and the critics have been proven wrong a hundred times.

As Apple continues to defy all criticism levelled against it and prosper, I can only picture the increasingly rabid howls of butthurt critics everywhere.

And I will be here to drink in their tears of humiliation when that happens.

 

[robeddie]

I can imagine. I have heard this argument a hundred times and the critics have been proven wrong a hundred times.

As Apple continues to defy all criticism levelled against it and prosper, I can only picture the increasingly rabid howls of butthurt critics everywhere.

And I will be here to drink in their tears of humiliation when that happens.

Good lord, do you ever sleep? I come by here an hour every day but you seem to actually live here. What's your deal?

 

[businezguy]

I haven't had time yet to read through this thread and any responses to this post. But I wanted to say I find it to be well reasoned and well written. Some haters are going to hate what you wrote because many of us have had our share of disappointments and frustrations with Apple for the past few years. However, if we step back and try to analyze logically and put our emotions and expectations aside, it's not that hard to see the merit in your thoughts on the subject.

People want Tim Cook's head on a platter. I've been frustrated with him myself. But he's pulled off something of a personal and professional miracle in not only keeping Apple going in the wake of the loss of its founder and visionary, but also transforming it from a computer company from California to a global presence, inserting itself into some extremely protectionist territories. I see signs that he is trying to establish a long range vision for Apple.

Anyway, time will tell.

I don't think very many people are around that can step into his position with the myriad of complex responsibilities and challenges he has faced and do that much better. What Steve had and what Steve was is simply irreplaceable. Any person trying to fill those shoes would need time and some trial and error to do things even half as well as Tim Cook has managed.

However, I do think a lot of the ill will Apple is garnering these days could be avoided if someone would just stuff a sock in Phil Schiller's mouth. Just sayin'.

I don't disagree with what you're saying. When Jobs died, it was a difficult time for Apple, and Tim handled it. But it seems like he'd have made a better interim CEO while Apple searched for a new visionary.

A recent article about how Apple has handled the Mac indicates that Tim basically pillaged the MacOS division so that Apple no longer has a dedicated MacOS team. The folks who design Macs are also getting less access to Jonny Ive's team for design purposes as well. It seems like Tim believes Mac users are a bunch of idiots who will pay an extreme premium for products that have little to know improvement just because they contain the Apple logo.

I'm not going to go into detail here, but it appears Apple is trying to simply be a fashion company which ironically is going to make Apple less fashionable. Apple was cool in the past because they offered a level of innovation other companies could only dream of. Apple's control over both hardware and software made them unique and eventually brought their profits above other companies. Now Apple is losing that focus and has no clear path.

One can argue this is likely to happen to all companies when they reach a certain size, but I believe that Steve Jobs would have not have risen profits as quickly as Tim, but due to LONG TERM VISION, Apple would have remained more profitable LONG TERM. With the way Tim is running the company, I believe the new iPhone that comes out in 2017 will lead to record profits for Apple and than I believe that will be the LAST TIME Apple has record profits going forward.

I believe that in 2018 and beyond, sales will slow down for Apple and Apple will fail to provide any real innovation. I hope I'm wrong, but frankly I don't believe I'm going out on a very big limb here.

 

[dilbert99]

And you seem to think that the Airpods were conceived by two engineers over lunch.

I don't think that and never have.

There's the custom W1 chip, the sheer amount of engineering to make all the parts fit into such a small form factor, and the software backend to make the Airpods play well with the Apple ecosystem (or did you think the music playback portion of the control centre on iOS was changed for no good reason?)

It's a monumental feat of engineering which requires very close collaboration between Apple's hardware and software divisions. And it shows, because no other company has done what Apple has done here. And they will find it no easy feat to replicate what Apple has done here either.

Remember - the simpler a piece of technology is, the harder it (very often) is to do.

Monumental is sending a man to the moon, to get a self driving car, to get an MRI machine.
Putting a custom chip in a pair of earphones is not by any stretch of the imagination.

That's the difference between Apple and another company like Samsung. Samsung gets an idea, they implement it as is. Apple takes the extra step to ask themselves whether the feature makes sense and how it might be better implemented.

The end result is fewer new features from Apple (because each new feature on average takes more time and resources to implement), but it also means that each feature is better designed and implemented and offers a better user experience overall.

It's a tradeoff I am willing to make.

Apple has plenty of resources compared to most companies out there a fact you like to ignore.

Apple isn't perfect, but Apple isn't run by idiots either.

Apple is polarizing and that is a long term issue. If lots of long term fans are switching and bitching on here, then there is either a problem or Apple is happy to be an iPhone/iPad company.

I could say the same for the other people here. It's like to them, Apple can do no right and will always be criticised for every single thing they do.

Perhaps, but you take things to the extreme and dismiss every critisism that people make.

If not Apple then who? Microsoft? Dell? Lenovo?

Without competition there would be less innovation

It is Apple's every right to do so as well. And what I respect about Apple is that when they make a move like this, they go all in. None of this "I am going to leave behind a single USB A port just in case" or "I will offer an iPhone 7 with a headphone jack and one without".

What is wrong with having 3 usb-C and 1 usb-A?
What is wrong with leaving the 3.5mm jack in?

Apple make too many compromises, you might be happy with them, doesn't mean that others are not. You dismiss this as progress. I live in the hear and now. I have 3.5mm headphones. I also have a car with a 3.5mm jack where I like to plug that in and charge my phone so that it is charged at my destination. When I go on a plane, I also like to charge and listen at the same time. But hey, please dismiss my needs if you like.

They want to do something, they go all the way and don't look back. Of course, pushing for a new standard doesn't automatically mean Apple will succeed. It just means they tried.

And at least Apple dares to try.

Do you ever listen to what you write? Every company tries. They have shareholders that they have to meet the expectations of.

Just because a company is making healthy profits is no guarantee of future performance. Only time will tell...

 

[marty11]

Really looking forward to 10th anniversary iPhone!

Me too, but I'm fully expecting to see a 7s.

 

[tentales]

I just really want to feel the magic once again. For all my adult life I've used Mac products.

98 saw the purchase of my first Mac, Bondi Blue G3 iMac with 10G of memory. I was absolutely blown away by that machine, was like something form the future to me (my only computer pre to that was a 16K Sinclair Spectrum from the 80's) I'd always wanted a Mac, but meagre wages just had me dreaming. Jeez was it a love affair, was just in awe of that machine and the world it opened up.
Since then myself and my wife have owned and loved several Apple products including 4th Gen iPod with click wheel (freaking amazing), scrimped, scraped, saved and busted balls for a 12 inch G4 Powerbook (thought I'd died and gone to heaven when I opened up the packaging and booted up for the first time), iPod touch 2nd Gen (mind-blowing), iPhones 1,4 & currently 6 (loving the camera on this version), Mac Mini 2011 is my daily desktop (I show this to PC users who still can't believe its a desktop, again I totally love it) typing this on my 2011 15 inch quad core I7 BTO with matt screen, its maxed out with 16 RAM and 500G SSD and to this day it truly makes me smile every time I boot into it. Numerous ports and most parts easily user replaceable and or upgradeable. Agreed it doesn't have the Retina screen, but would I trade for my matt option, no thanks.

I hope I can continue to use this machine for another 5 years too, especially if Apple continue on the current trajectory.

Unlike some users on here I have no desire at all to turn my back on the Apple universe, being a daily PC user at work its really not an experience I care to replicate at home.

Please return to what what you (for my opinion) excelled at, which was making rock solid, computers.You know, Macs......

Release another great Pro desktop (not for me, but the stuff of legends), another fully loaded Mini (please, pretty please), to die for laptops. But please can you do it all with the customer at the heart of all the decision making. And can you please do it with user upgradeable parts.

Spoken like a true nostalgic.
Good job on getting the most out of your 2011 MM. I still regret selling my quad 2012 MM, but I've come to live with my 2014 MM. At least the SSD and HD are still swappable, albeit, RAM is now soldered on.

Unlike you, I've moved past hope and am currently educating myself on https://www.tonymacx86.com to decide which small form factor PC components will make my next-gem "MacMini" with upgradeable components.

Even if Apple were to refresh the MM or MPro, which at this point is very unlikely, it will have no user serviceable/upgradeable parts at all. So the price for staying with Mac OS *and* wanting higher performance hardware, is the beauty factor. Although, more and more case manufacturers are designing prettier mini-ITX cases.
[doublepost=1483324338][/doublepost]

Good lord, do you ever sleep? I come by here an hour every day but you seem to actually live here. What's your deal?

I come here every other day for an hour or 2 while waiting to finish running a few transcodes in the background.
I admire your and others' tenacity and patience with Miss Argue. It's becoming comical at this stage.

 

[Abazigal]

I don't disagree with what you're saying. When Jobs died, it was a difficult time for Apple, and Tim handled it. But it seems like he'd have made a better interim CEO while Apple searched for a new visionary.

A recent article about how Apple has handled the Mac indicates that Tim basically pillaged the MacOS division so that Apple no longer has a dedicated MacOS team. The folks who design Macs are also getting less access to Jonny Ive's team for design purposes as well. It seems like Tim believes Mac users are a bunch of idiots who will pay an extreme premium for products that have little to know improvement just because they contain the Apple logo.

My understanding is what while some engineers at Apple may have been more passionate about the Mac, Apple never had dedicated teams. They have a hardware team and a software team, and the people are redeployed to wherever resources are needed at any one time.

The upside is that if Apple wants to say, drop the Mac to focus on the iPad because they believe it is in Apple's long term interests, there's no one to get in their way (which was precisely the problem at Microsoft - the Windows and Office teams held all the power).

The downside is of course, if Apple wants to dump the Mac, there isn't a dedicated Mac team to protest.

It's both good and bad.

I'm not going to go into detail here, but it appears Apple is trying to simply be a fashion company which ironically is going to make Apple less fashionable. Apple was cool in the past because they offered a level of innovation other companies could only dream of. Apple's control over both hardware and software made them unique and eventually brought their profits above other companies. Now Apple is losing that focus and has no clear path.

Apple has always been a design-led company (in which form enables function, rather than form follows function).

Nothing's changed.

One can argue this is likely to happen to all companies when they reach a certain size, but I believe that Steve Jobs would have not have risen profits as quickly as Tim, but due to LONG TERM VISION, Apple would have remained more profitable LONG TERM. With the way Tim is running the company, I believe the new iPhone that comes out in 2017 will lead to record profits for Apple and than I believe that will be the LAST TIME Apple has record profits going forward.

My guess is that Apple believes we are still firmly in the era of the smartphone and is thus content to continue milking the iPhone for all it is worth, while laying the stage for the next big thing.

I predict another 3-4 years of record iPhone profits. After that, Apple should hopefully have another platform to replace it with. It could be the car, a cellular-enabled Apple Watch, something.

I believe that in 2018 and beyond, sales will slow down for Apple and Apple will fail to provide any real innovation. I hope I'm wrong, but frankly I don't believe I'm going out on a very big limb here.

Sales of what exactly?

I mean, just this year alone, I got an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Apple Watch and Airpods. And I am enjoying them very much. It's real, meaningful innovation I can get behind, even as I realise not everyone is as enthusiastic about them as I am. Just the money spent alone is no less than a Mac, and these products serve a much larger addressable market.

Heck, even Androidcentral calls the Airpods the best wireless earbuds you can get for Android phones!