Year in Review: Everything Apple Introduced in 2018

[GuruZac]

For the many things Apple can be criticized for, they have brought to market some great products in 2018. The iPhone lineup, Apple Watch Series 4, the new MacBook Pros, the new iPad Pros. They’re all arguably at the top of their markets. I enjoy each one of my Apple devices.

 

[chucker23n1]

Enterprise isn't using 10GB Ethernet. They're using 10gbps (or faster) SFP and SFP+ interfaces. Don't get me wrong, 10gb ethernet is better than 1gb Ethernet. and it's a nice inclusion if you're willing to spend the upgrade price (which is actually worth it for the price).

But 10Gb Ethernet is hard to come by right now.

Not to be too pedantic, 10 Gb/s over SFP+ is still "10GigE", even if it isn't the format Apple is pushing for. It's unfortunate that there are so many competing approaches, and a case can be made that Apple should've picked a more popular one.
[doublepost=1545945918][/doublepost]

It appears with MSFT adopting Chromium, that Nadella is going to bet on Progressive Web Apps.

Nadella really has no reason to care one way or the other.

If web apps work well enough, that's what they'll push everywhere; if native iOS apps continue to provide advantages as they currently do, that's the path they'll take.

PWAs have always been hindered by the fact that Chromium has been a layer or two away from the OS kernel.

Elaborate.

(No modern application is, or should be, less than several layers away from the OS kernel. And especially not in today's age of heavy sandboxing.)

Also a very weak rumor that Nadella may be deprecating Windows in favor of Linux. Makes sense though as MSFT has really started to gain momentum with their cloud strategy.

Yes, he has little reason to care about Windows any more, and it shows. If they were any more honest, they'd had put UWP to the grave long ago, let existing desktop app developers focus on WPF, and meanwhile tell a story that web apps are the future. Unfortunately, they can't even agree on that internally, much less admit it externally.

Apple is pretty much the opposite. They are likely betting their future on the continued growth and control within their walled garden. If PWAs finally do benefit from full support by MSFT, then Apple's ecosystem may end up looking pretty limited. Next few years may be very interesting for sure. Sadly after over 20 years fully immersed in developing on Macs, I think it is time to think about moving on.

Web apps (there really isn't a need to coopt a silly Google marketing term) are good enough for many purposes, and native apps are better for other purposes. There is no contradiction here. Apple needs to forge ahead and keep improving AppKit and UIKit, and make more first-party apps that show it.

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

2019 will be a big year i’m Sure. Air pods refresh for one and to see what more they do with the new iPhones. Technically the Xs was an S year so maybe something bigger

IOS 13 could be the most important upgrade if what they did this year about holding off on improvements.

And lest we forget the biggest "tease" of them all: An all-new, Modular Mac Pro!!!

 

[chucker23n1]

... and most importantly: Apple Pay in Germany!

With very few banks so far.

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

2018 in Apple in a nutshell:
•No new professional desktops...AGAIN.
•Reheated mac minis and laptop leftovers.
•More ports lost.
•Un-innovative iToys.
•Alexia knockoffs.
•Mass content editing/censorship.
•Unfulfilled promises on a new Mac Pro.

On the plus side, its never been easier to build your own hackintosh that outstrips anything Apple can cough up.

My, aren't WE the "Glass Half-Full" type?

 

[Greymacuser]

[QUOTE="Seems to me you just enjoy shaking your fist."[/QUOTE]

Seems to me you enjoy being taken advantage of.
Whatever floats your boat kid.

 

[chucker23n1]

unfortunately though tech doesn't work that way with inflation. as technologies mature, the cost of production generally goes down as efficiencies from scale are found.

True. However, we're seeing the same story with smartphones as we did with desktop PCs twenty years ago: major manufacturers are either doubling down on the high end, or they're losing the race to the bottom.

IBM used to sell their own consumer PCs.

HTC and Motorola used to sell their own smartphones.

If we only had Huawei and Oppo, we'd be left with far less innovation. We do need companies like Apple and Samsung willing to sell higher-priced items.

 

[Greymacuser]

My, aren't WE the "Glass Half-Full" type?

My, aren't we the rosiest of glasses type.
[doublepost=1545946413][/doublepost]

unfortunately though tech doesn't work that way with inflation. as technologies mature, the cost of production generally goes down as efficiencies from scale are found.

So while everything else being equal, the pricing should have a general decline over time. Not a dramatic increase.

Very true. Apple takes advantage of the fact that its users have nowhere else to go.
It's what the mac commentator Peter Chato refers to is as "brand raping".

 

[juanjohnjean]

More asininely priced iPhones.

More under-clocked, under-spec’d and obscenely overpriced non professional Macs.

More focusing on toys like the iPad instead of Macs.

More buggy software.

More pandering to causes, taking the focus off of making great products.

More disrespect for their customers.

Apple’s 2018 Year In Review....

Trust me, if this was my prospective of Apple, it would be time for my money and focus to go elsewhere.

Yet people like you keep complaining like this company is forcing you to buy their products. Teach Apple their lesson and go away.

 

[Greymacuser]

Trust me, if this was my prospective of Apple, it would be time for my money and focus to go elsewhere.

Yet people like you keep complaining like this company is forcing you to buy their products. Teach Apple their lesson and go away.

Some of us already have. That's why the hackintosh community is thriving now.

 

[needsomecoffee]

To Elaborate - this link provides good insights:
https://techpinions.com/microsoft-b...r-implications-for-software-and-devices/54137

excerpt:
"The primary reason for this is that by adopting Chromium as the rendering engine for Edge, Microsoft should finally be able to unleash the full potential of the platform-independent, web-focused, HTML5-style software vision we were promised nearly a decade ago."

Not to be too pedantic, 10 Gb/s over SFP+ is still "10GigE", even if it isn't the format Apple is pushing for. It's unfortunate that there are so many competing approaches, and a case can be made that Apple should've picked a more popular one.
[doublepost=1545945918][/doublepost]

Nadella really has no reason to care one way or the other.

If web apps work well enough, that's what they'll push everywhere; if native iOS apps continue to provide advantages as they currently do, that's the path they'll take.



Elaborate.

(No modern application is, or should be, less than several layers away from the OS kernel. And especially not in today's age of heavy sandboxing.)



Yes, he has little reason to care about Windows any more, and it shows. If they were any more honest, they'd had put UWP to the grave long ago, let existing desktop app developers focus on WPF, and meanwhile tell a story that web apps are the future. Unfortunately, they can't even agree on that internally, much less admit it externally.



Web apps (there really isn't a need to coopt a silly Google marketing term) are good enough for many purposes, and native apps are better for other purposes. There is no contradiction here. Apple needs to forge ahead and keep improving AppKit and UIKit, and make more first-party apps that show it.

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

2018 in Apple in a nutshell:
•No new professional desktops...AGAIN.
•Reheated mac minis and laptop leftovers.
•More ports lost.
•Un-innovative iToys.
•Alexia knockoffs.
•Mass content editing/censorship.
•Unfulfilled promises on a new Mac Pro.

On the plus side, its never been easier to build your own hackintosh that outstrips anything Apple can cough up.

I'm not sure why you would call the 2018 Mac mini "Reheated". Other than the GPU, it is a clear advance over every other Mac mini version, ever. And the fact that they didn't change the packaging is the genius that is Apple. Why change an already-optimal design? They fixed pretty much all of what needed fixing (weak CPU, insufficient cooling, insufficient power supply, non-upgradeable RAM, obsolete ports), and left the majority of what is GREAT about the mini alone. And, other than the FW Port, what "more ports" were "lost" with the Mac mini? It traded two of the USB-A connectors for 2 USB-C/TB 3 connectors; which is a more-than-worthwhile trade; plus it added the ability to have a BTO 10gigE port, eGPUs, and up to 52 legacy ports in just about limitless combinations AS THE USER SEES FIT.

What's not to like about THAT?

I also wouldn't call the new MBA a "Laptop Leftover". There is a bit of product-placement tension between it and the 12" MacBook; but that will work itself out next year. And the inclusion of two USB-C/TB 3 Ports alone makes this MBA much more attractive than previous versions.

There are NO "unfulfilled promises" on the Mac Pro. Apple SAID it would NOT be coming this year, and it hasn't. Who broke what promise there?

The rest of your diatribe is just noise. I won't even give it the dignity of a rebuttal.
[doublepost=1545947551][/doublepost]

My, aren't we the rosiest of glasses type.
[doublepost=1545946413][/doublepost]
Very true. Apple takes advantage of the fact that its users have nowhere else to go.
It's what the mac commentator Peter Chato refers to is as "brand raping".

You and Peter Chato are both VERY wrong.

No one has "Nowhere else to go". That's just a pure fantasy.

And my glasses have no tint.

 

[dantroline]

2018 was the year our local school network switched from Apple (MacBooks and iPads) to Chromebook or BYO, saving the school and families hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

 

[Greymacuser]

I'm not sure why you would call the 2018 Mac mini "Reheated". Other than the GPU, it is a clear advance over every other Mac mini version, ever. And the fact that they didn't change the packaging is the genius that is Apple. Why change an already-optimal design? They fixed pretty much all of what needed fixing (weak CPU, insufficient cooling, insufficient power supply, non-upgradeable RAM, obsolete ports), and left the majority of what is GREAT about the mini alone. And, other than the FW Port, what "more ports" were "lost" with the Mac mini? It traded two of the USB-A connectors for 2 USB-C/TB 3 connectors; which is a more-than-worthwhile trade; plus it added the ability to have a BTO 10gigE port, eGPUs, and up to 52 legacy ports in just about limitless combinations AS THE USER SEES FIT.

What's not to like about THAT?

I also wouldn't call the new MBA a "Laptop Leftover". There is a bit of product-placement tension between it and the 12" MacBook; but that will work itself out next year. And the inclusion of two USB-C/TB 3 Ports alone makes this MBA much more attractive than previous versions.

There are NO "unfulfilled promises" on the Mac Pro. Apple SAID it would NOT be coming this year, and it hasn't. Who broke what promise there?

The rest of your diatribe is just noise. I won't even give it the dignity of a rebuttal.

The "new" Mac Mini is another un-expandable, welded in place brick that offers no longevity to the user. Plus its lack of any proper heat management means thermal throttling will hamper its performance.
Its a poorly made product for those who don't know what a real computer needs.
Not to mention the puny graphics cards it's sporting. Nowhere near the lowest of PC cards.

As for the MacBooks, they have the same thermal throttling issue due to poor thermal management, horrible airflow and slowed down fans to appease Apple's fetish for quieter computers.
They also suffer with welding in components, 0 expandability and disappearing ports. A sorry excuse for a desktop

Apple said it would have a Mac Pro in 2018. Then pushed it back to 2019. I quarantine we will either see another date push back or a very lack luster product pushed out the door in 2019.

Also, don't bother trying to address the rest. It's above you anyway.

 

[johncarync]

For comparison purposes, here are links to last year's "2017 Year in Review" and "What to Expect in 2018."

Year in Review: Everything Apple Introduced in 2017
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/12/28/everything-apple-introduced-in-2017/

What to Expect From Apple in 2018: Three New iPhones and iPad Pro With Face ID, HomePod, Refreshed Macs, and More
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/12/29/what-to-expect-from-apple-in-2018/

 

[Greymacuser]

Really, kid? And just what is the other Apple computer manufacturer thats out there cranking out desktops? Hmm?
But you're right. Blacked out lenses aren't a tint. They're what blind people wear.

 

[Tech198]

Coming from a MBA 2013-14 approx. that was supposed to be discontinued long ago, (at least that's what many were thinking), then Apple surprised us all with an update.

So the "Air' continues to be strong. Apple was all about surprises more than ever this year. Just when you think something is long in the tooth, all of a sudden a major update comes up for "Retina for MBA"

 

[sirozha]

2018 in Apple in a nutshell:
•No new professional desktops...AGAIN.
•Reheated mac minis and laptop leftovers.
•More ports lost.
•Un-innovative iToys.
•Alexia knockoffs.
•Mass content editing/censorship.
•Unfulfilled promises on a new Mac Pro.

On the plus side, its never been easier to build your own hackintosh that outstrips anything Apple can cough up.

Who is Alexia?

 

[Greymacuser]

Amazon's talking pod Echo. It has an AI called Alexia. Came long before Apple's gizmo.

 

[chucker23n1]

Its a poorly made product for those who don't know what a real computer needs.

Ah, yes, a "real" computer.

Aren't we over this silly trope?

We get it: the Mac mini isn't for you, and you're sad Apple doesn't have an offering for you. That's unfortunate. It doesn't make the Mac mini "reheated" or an iPad a "toy". You could've made a good case that you want Apple to put more energy into the Mac platform. You could've complained that the iMac is a year and a half old. Instead, you had to make an elitist, myopic, misguided attempt to badmouth the vast majority of computer users as "not real".

I'm sorry we aren't hardcore enough for you.

 

[Attirex]

A-L-E-X-A

 

[chucker23n1]

Amazon's talking pod Echo. It has an AI called Alexia. Came long before Apple's gizmo.

Alexia[sic] launched three years after Apple Siri. (The pre-Apple version of Siri launched almost two years earlier than that.)

 

[Mainsail]

This whole thread reminds me of something:

 

[birnando]

I liked what they did in 2018.
I got myself a MacBook Pro 2018 just a week ago. 2,6ghz with Touch Bar.
Upgraded from a 2015 make of the same, without the Touch Bar of course.
Not that big a diff really, but I do mislike what they take away each iteration.
With that I mean MagSafe, battery indicator on the side and charging indicator on the MagSafe connector.
To name a few.
The keyboard however, I really like. And the humongous touch-pad.

Earlier this year the Xs Max impressed me, so I got that on launch.
I have bought a new one each and every year, and the Xs Max is one of those that really made sense to me.

I bought a HomePod as well. That is not all that as of yet.
My Devialet Gold Phantoms see more use than the HomePod.
It is a timer and weather station to me.
Hope that improves quickly.

Finally, I did the same with the AW series 4.
I kinda gave up on AW after gen 1, that was a crappy product.
Now it is a usable product I have found able to replace my Suunto Spartan, Garmin-crap and Fitbit SW.

Next up for me is the iPad Pro.
I have a 12,9 inch gen 1 that I love and use a lot.
The new one looks impressive, and it will be ordered in January.

So yeah, a decent year for me when it comes to Apple products..

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

https://www.amazon.com/DLseego-Screwdriver-Security-Controller-Repair-Green/dp/B07JMS4TS1/

https://www.amazon.com/TECKMAN-Screwdriver-Security-Screwdrivers-Precision/dp/B07BYCPMR5/

https://www.amazon.com/Mini-Torx-Security-Screwdriver-Tool/dp/B072KWVVM9/

Oh, and I guess Microsoft must have copied Apple again: Here's the screwdriver needed for the XBox One and XBox 360. Look familiar? :

https://www.amazon.com/Torx-Security-Screwdriver-Xbox-Controller/dp/B06XTCK8CQ/

Or, if you have your own "driver" handle:

https://www.amazon.com/Yakamoz-Magnetic-T6-T40-Security-Screwdriver/dp/B078LXZPZ2/

...there are more; but I think I've sufficiently embarrassed you already.


Or, you COULD just order one from iFixit:

https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Tools/TR6-Torx-Security-Screwdriver/IF145-225-4