Out of curiosity, do you think Apple has made any bad/poor/stupid decisions recently?
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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 feel that Apple is doing the best they can given their current structure and given the resources at their disposal. It's not a question that can be answered with a simple yes or no.
What I feel is that people look at one aspect of Apple on its own, form their own opinions and then conclude that Apple is either winning or losing the plot because of it. The iPhone garnered 90+% of the phone profits! Airpods delayed! MBP delayed! Mac Pro possibly canceled! Apple is _______ because ________! None of us are wrong, but Apple too has its own long term plans and doesn't exist to serve any one of us in a vacuum either.
When I look at what Apple is doing in its entirety, I see a company who is slowly but surely gravitating towards what they believe will be the next big thing. The things we are criticizing Apple for, I feel they are simply growing pains as Apple prepares to leave older markets behind and enter new ones. And I feel we need to be understanding in this area.
Apple is rapidly growing its ecosystem (within such a short period of time, we have a new Apple TV, Apple Watch, airpods, Apple Music, revamped Siri, iMessage and iCloud photos). And the price to be paid for this is that Apple clearly has had to neglect the development of the Mac. One person might be willing to give this all up in exchange for a better Mac Pro. Others may not be so accommodating.
This doesn't mean that Apple is incompetent for neglecting the Mac, it just means that they made a conscious decision to prioritize the development of other aspects of the Apple ecosystem (such as iOS) which they felt were still in their infancy and so needed the attention more, over macOS and the Mac (which are, imo, pretty much mature and complete). In short, it's an informed decision, not one necessarily borne out of incompetence or hubris.
On a tangent regarding your point on bad decisions,
If it's one thing Steve Jobs brought to the organization, it was a healthy dose of "common sense". He somehow had a knack for being able to see what a product ought to look like at the end and guide people accordingly.
It's like someone coaching you on how to ride a bicycle vs you figuring it out yourself. Sure, without a coach, you probably might take longer, and maybe suffer more falls and injuries in the process, but in the end, you will still learn how to ride a bicycle, instructor or no instructor. So falling down and scrapping your knee might be a bad thing at that particular period in time, but when you consider that constitutes part of the whole learning process, maybe it's not such a bad thing after all when you look back at it in hindsight.
I don't think Apple is that much worse off with Steve. Yes, without a man like Steve Jobs telling Apple engineers what to do next, Apple will (and has) make more mistakes. And Apple will learn from those mistakes and become wiser for it. There are things that even a simpleton can teach a scholar, after all.
For example, watchOS 3 was essentially Apple rebooting the Apple Watch project after numerous false starts. Under Steve Jobs, the Apple Watch would probably have launched with the equivalent of watchOS 3 right from the start, saving Apple the hassle of having to redesign their software from scratch (which I am sure entailed no small amount of resources and manpower).
So in a sense, yes, it was a bad decision to release the original Apple Watch as is, but it's also part of the learning process. And ultimately, I feel that Apple will still end up at the same destination, with or without Steve Jobs. It might take longer without him, but Apple will still get there eventually.
I hope I am not babbling, but I find I can't really answer your question with a simple sentence.
No, no we don't.
I do appreciate your post. But ignoring the Mac/pissing off Mac people, is not the way to build the iOS part of the business for future growth. How do you think content gets to iOS?
It was a bit longer that I expected.
I was trying to find out more where you were coming from.
To find out if you personally saw any decisions that Apple took that you thought were bad in the sense that it impacted you in some way.
For example Apple soldering things in and removing ports and discontinuing software were bad decisions that impacted me. They may not be bad decisions for Apple or for others but did impact me directly.
It's not as though Macs are entirely unusable. The 2015 MacBooks Pros remain very useable products for such a purpose, and if you ignore the bad battery life, the new 2016 MacBook Pros should get the job done very well too, especially with the new 5k monitors on the horizon.
I mean, do you really need 32gb of ram for this? (Not an insult, just genuinely curious).
I guess we could go back to the whole "trucks vs cars" analogy. Macs will still be around, but they will be used for increasingly fewer, more specialised tasks like high-end video editing and app development. And the people who make a living off developing apps for iOS will still continue to do so even if their Macs aren't the latest and greatest.
For the record, just this year alone, I purchased the 9.7" iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Series 2 Apple Watch and AirPods. Plus another 3rd-gen Apple TV for my classroom (so I have 1 4th-gen Apple TV at home and 2 3rd-gen ones in school).
So I suppose my opinion could be coloured by the fact that my usage habits tend to favour iOS over macOS, and so I have actually benefited from Apple's increased focus on the iOS side of things. As a teacher, I find myself using my iPad increasing more for work and leisure. I still turn on my Macs (I have a 27' iMac and 11" MBA) for work but I definitely spend way more time on my iOS devices compared to my Macs. So I am not really bothered by the lack of new Macs because I am not in a rush to upgrade them anytime soon.
I do understand (not being patronising here), and I think that is what makes Apple so polarising - their penchant for marching to their own beat and not caring two hoots about what everyone else thinks (or at least give off that vibe).
I don't think Apple removes ports and solders stuff in to profit from the sales of adaptors and to force product obsolescence. Apple just wants to make great products, and to Apple, a thinner and lighter product is a better one and soldering parts in is simply a means to an end (to enable thinner and lighter devices).
Apple has no reason to neglect anything. They are the most valuable company in the world. Take a few people off the watch band projects. Hardware refreshes for all Macs at 12 months or less. Just the internals is fine - car companies tweak the cosmetics every 5-7 years. That's all you need. We use your computers to do our jobs. Act like you care.
As an enterprise customer that has built their entire business on Apple products the past 30+ years, We do not have the luxury of being understanding in this area. Unfortunately, for us pro's, "the next best thing" doesn't put food on our plate. For the time being we must rely on those old things called computers.
The point of paying a premium for Apple products is the problem free (well less problem free lately) ecosystem between all products. From our iPhones and iPads, to our Mac mini servers and airport routers, right down to our work horse MacPro's. Allowing us to concentrate on our work rather than the technology more than makes up for the extra costs we pay Apple.
The problem is we've been waiting 6 years to update our aging and dying 12 core 2010 MacPro's. We purchased one 2013 MacPro to try out and there was virtually no improvement in rendering speeds, yet they were double the price of our 2010 models. So month by month we kept waiting for a speed bump. Both Dell and HP have updated their workstations twice since 2013 and currently offer 44 core systems. When Apple announced their Mac Event at the end of 2016, we were sure a Mac Pro update was imminent. Nope, not even a mention... That silence was deafening to us and triggered a stop order on all future purchases of any Apple product.
We use iPhones and iPads to automatically sync notes and photos to our pro machines. If we have to switch our Mac Pro's to Dell or HP workstations, we have no reason to buy Macbook Pros, iMacs, iPads or iPhones. We will be switching those to surface's and window phones for easier integration and lower cost. I know, windows sucks and we don't want to leave, but as other pointed out, Apple is pushing us out the door by neglecting us.
So I get that consumers who are okay with outdated tech and slow updates get upset at seeing all the negativity. Trust me, I use to be a die hard fan boy too. But when your PC using competition is blowing you out of the water because their tech is far far superior to yours and it starts costing you big dollars, you would show a little displeasure too.
2017 is the year that things better start popping out this long dragged out pipeline or I really won't care any more. More specifically, no Mac Pro by March and you can put a fork in it. Thanks Tim for ruining Apple.
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Hey Jony,
Is that you?
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Sir,
You get "it". Unfortunately, Tim either doesn't get "it" or does and simply doesn't care.
My instincts is that he's just marking time until all of his stock options are vested. On his worst day such as being fired for cause, he'll still win. Hence, he could work his ass off like Steve did or he can just drive the company into the ground and bail with a golden parachute. Either way, I just don't think it matters to him.
RIP Apple Inc.
LOL, Mac Mini and Mac Pros are left on the back burner again. They most certainly need some kind of refresh a lot more than the macbook pro. If these are being discontinued then I guess that settles it. Apple is a mobile company. Video / photo editors, web developers, programmers, animators, mixers, etc. are out of the question.
When you say he's been a disaster for Apple, do you mean he's taking the company to four times the value it was under Steve? Because that's reality.
I guess a few things to consider here are
- People may not need 32GB ram at present, but may in a couple of years as updated software tends to use more ram.
- Computers more and more are making use of ram as a cache. As your needs approach the limit of 16GB, the size of your cache diminishes and thus slows your machine down. Having 32GB gives you breathing space.
- Apple soldering ram in means some people have to max their ram at purchase. My current needs are usually about 10GB
Lots of tasks are easier on a PC, video editing, managing picture libraries, playing games, writing, surfing the web, so I don't think PCs will be going away anytime soon. I'm sure I've heard somewhere that PCs are making a comeback compared to tablets. (And by PC, I mean PC or Mac).
No doubt and listening to people on here it sounds like it would be nice if they made both thin and not so thin products.
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What if they gave you an iMac with no ports
Your multi-quoting is a little screwed up, by the way.
I don't think PCs will go away in their entirety, but I do believe that more and more tasks will eventually be outsourced to tablets and smartphones as they become more capable. I am in the iPad productivity camp, and I find there is a lot that can be done comfortably on a tablet if one is inclined to learn.
Sure, Apple could have created a thick 17" 4k laptop with 32gb DDR4 ram, high-end graphics cards and an array of legacy ports, at the expense of it being thicker and weighing a ton. But this would have severely limited the appeal of such a device to only the "power user" group who want the most powerfully-specced laptop for their work and don't mind sacrificing portability for it. At the end of the day, the number of people buying such a product might not be enough the justify the resources that went into putting together such a device in the first place. We are already seeing such a problem with the Mac Pro.
It feels to me like Apple is trying to create a product that simultaneously appeals to both power-users and average consumers, and they walk a fine line when it comes to focusing on features that consumers like but which might not necessarily appeal to power-users, and omitting features that average consumers might not need but which power users may find indispensable.
So you get 16gb ram because that's what most people will need, and longer battery life is something that is always welcome. You get soldered parts because most users are not going to crack open their laptops to upgrade the innards. You get a butterfly keyboard and force-touch trackpad because these contribute towards allowing a thinner laptop and a thinner, sexier form factor sells to consumers moreso than higher specs which they might not always need.
As such, it makes sense that the Mac Pro will get discontinued and pro users will have to make do with a souped-up iMac, assuming one exists.
I don't think PCs will go away in their entirety, but I do believe that more and more tasks will eventually be outsourced to tablets and smartphones as they become more capable. I am in the iPad productivity camp, and I find there is a lot that can be done comfortably on a tablet if one is inclined to learn.
It seems to me that Apple is trying to broaden the appeal of their products to a wider customer base. To put it bluntly, it simply isn't profitable to market a product solely to "pro users" and this market is gradually being folded into the mass consumer market.[/QUOTE]
Sure, Apple could have created a thick 17" 4k laptop with 32gb DDR4 ram, high-end graphics cards and an array of legacy ports, at the expense of it being thicker and weighing a ton. But this would have severely limited the appeal of such a device to only the "power user" group who want the most powerfully-specced laptop for their work and don't mind sacrificing portability for it. At the end of the day, the number of people buying such a product might not be enough the justify the resources that went into putting together such a device in the first place. We are already seeing such a problem with the Mac Pro.
It feels to me like Apple is trying to create a product that simultaneously appeals to both power-users and average consumers, and they walk a fine line when it comes to focusing on features that consumers like but which might not necessarily appeal to power-users, and omitting features that average consumers might not need but which power users may find indispensable.
So you get 16gb ram because that's what most people will need, and longer battery life is something that is always welcome. You get soldered parts because most users are not going to crack open their laptops to upgrade the innards. You get a butterfly keyboard and force-touch trackpad because these contribute towards allowing a thinner laptop and a thinner, sexier form factor sells to consumers moreso than higher specs which they might not always need.
As such, it makes sense that the Mac Pro will get discontinued and pro users will have to make do with a souped-up iMac, assuming one exists.
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I'm not entirely sure we see the Mac Pro updated. Perhaps, but it seems lost in translation to me.
And the SE was and is a great iPhone. Very affordable with the great battery life, portability, and powerful. It likely won't SE an update in 2017, but has the popularity and niche market to move forward.
The iPhone rumors are somewhat stagnant at this point. But if they implement a 5" iPhone with the latest technology, I think it's a huge bridge for those who want a larger iPhone without keeping to the 5.5 variant.
The Apple Watch is likely due for a refresh in March 2018. This will be the next major overhaul with a new design, health advancements, perhaps a larger screen, ect. Maybe even a round option as well.
"Apple Computers" doesn't exist - its Apple Inc now and glad it is. Honestly I know you were being sarcastic, but I do hope they can get rid of the rest of the ports. Ports are dumb. Thin products are good, I hated old school thick laptops and such.
People will bitch and moan about the "pro audience", but why spend any time on a minuscule piece of the market? Go build a PC if you want a geek machine. I'm happy with Apple's direction and as a consumer with an Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, Mac Mini, MacBook Air, iMac 27" Retina and Apple TV, plus Apple Music subscription, and extra iTunes storage, I think I'm the consumer they're working for - sorry you're not anymore. Go buy an inch-thick Lenovo and plug all your geek toys into the multitude of ports.
Just so you all know, when Steve Jobs used the 'trucks vs. cars' analogy, he was talking about desktop macs (trucks) vs. laptop macs (cars). NOT iPads vs. macs.
iPads vs. macs is more like a golf carts vs. a cars
Just so you know - you're wrong.
From c-net at the time of the quote:
"PCs are going to be like trucks," Jobs said. "They are still going to be around." However, he said, only "one out of x people will need them."
Jobs said advances in chips and software will allow tablet devices like the iPad to do tasks that today are really only suited for a traditional computer, things like video editing and graphic arts work.
The move, Jobs said, will make many PC veterans uneasy, "because the PC has taken us a long ways."
Edit: here is a link to the full article so you can see he was obviously talking about iPads: https://www.cnet.com/news/steve-jobs-at-d8-post-pc-era-is-nigh/
Thanks for the correction. Still, I think it's more like golf carts (ipads) vs. cars (macs)
In a way, I think it's become calculated on their part and this might be a good idea. I'd rather have them not release something until they are ready, rather than just bust out stupid revisions. As long as they're at the drawing board trying to make something better...
Forgot the iPhone Xs and "The New iPhone S". And the Emoji S because - why not?
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and 20% more expensive, because white just costs more to produce!