Ok, sigh... Another article blows right by the substance and harps about tech features...
Anybody who really watched Jobs knows that, like any great IT/Tech guy, he knew that tech features and gadgets were merely a means to the end, but not the end themselves. It is that realization and understanding that have made Apple (and IBM) great.
That is, ultimately it is not this feature or that feature that makes a product a success. It's not the features and the gadget & gimmicks at all. Instead, it's DOES IT IMPROVE THE CUSTOMER'S LIFE? DOES IT MAKE IT BETTER?
As long as Apple can hold onto that understanding, they will do well. When they lose it, they will devolve into another Microsoft or Google.
This article shows the author does not understand that and instead chatters on about which tech features and gadgets succeeded.
I don’t think the Mac is going away. The problem with the Mac is that Apple isn’t in control of its core technology and Intel’s slowing pace of development is limiting Apple’s development headroom. Apple has already made highly successful Mac transitions from Motorola to PowerPC and then from PowerPC to Intel, remarkably seamlessly for users. It’s time to do that again and the A series processors may be the destination. Whether it will be the A series or a new processor, it must be a big job that will take a while. I’m looking forward to the day Apple announces new Macs that will outperform Intel PCs as much as iPhones outperform other phones.
Sorry, there is simply no excuse for Apple not updating core products like the MacPro and Mac Mini. They are leaving money on the table. They are not innovating. The PC is not dead. The Microsoft Surface Pro is more compelling than any iMac in the last three years. Come on Apple, you are leaving your customers high and dry.
(speculating out loud) I think the reason that Macs get less attention is that in Apple's future they probably see them going up into the iPhone.. But unlike Microsoft with Continuum, they'll only do it when the experience is actually better than the machines they intend to replace.. Which is why this is probably still years ahead.. Which is why Macs have to be 'maintained' in the meantime.. My point is not that Continuum v2 is a goal in itself of Apple, but that it is an inevitable consequence of an iPhone that gets ever more powerful. iPhones are already approaching desktop territory in terms of performance.. Give it a couple more years and you can have desktop-class computing in your pocket, and only a dumb keyboard and display away.. (when connected iPhone could provide macOS interface..) So my guess is that they are putting most of the effort in bringing iPhone beyond the Mac instead of leveling the effort between the two..
An image that strikes me is that Apple seems to be the kung-fu shaolin monk (David Carradine comes to mind) who can deal out deadly strokes, but only if necessary, never to show off.. The shaolin monk will remain calm and close-mouthed, analyzing his opponents and deciding for the best time of action.. The people disappointed in Apple for not bringing out a powerful Mac(Book) are like the junior apprentices that want the master to show his muscles and demolish adversaries just for being arrogant show-offs.. Whereas the master sees through the bullshit and conserves his efforts for more opportune moments..
Best Apple opportunity for 2017: make a true Mac tablet with Intel x86 inside for full compatibility with the rest of the world (read, 95% Windows).
I am assuming you forgot the " /s" or 'Joke'! Who would want compatibility with the 'rest of the world' you refer to, that isn't buying PCs in ever growing numbers? Did you read the part about the iOS / IBM and other corporate serving companies' collaborations? Or how about a simpler solution, how about Apple continues doing what actually succeeds, you know what the've been doing for a decade while the rest of the computer companies haven't.
Kudos once again DED. If only your articles were carried as lead articles on the Verge and Ars etc.. As you say, there would be no interest I suppose as sensationalist anti-Apple propaganda is the best click bait, no one wants the truth on their web sites. I truly wonder if there are any other clear sighted tech journalists out there? I used to read PED but he seems to have vanished. I think Tim should give you the position as the new Apple Evangelist Extraordinaire!
Sorry, there is simply no excuse for Apple not updating core products like the MacPro and Mac Mini. They are leaving money on the table. They are not innovating. The PC is not dead. The Microsoft Surface Pro is more compelling than any iMac in the last three years. Come on Apple, you are leaving your customers high and dry.
It's almost as if you didn't get past the article title…
Five years from now we won't be arguing Android vs. iOS like we do now. The OS on a device will be of less importance to users than the voice assistant. That's why you see so much emphasis on Google Assistant, Alexa, Viv, and Siri.
As somebody who's interested in the products, not the financials, and actually owns an old Mac Pro, I'm still allowed to want an up to date Mac Pro, right? Or should I just shut up about it, because I should care more about Apple's profitability?
Either way, monster of an article!
But yes, even though Peter Thiel and Wired are sensationalists who are not as intelligent or prescient as El Steve, it is looking like Apple's best days are behind it.
And all you really have to do is read the first part of the article. -Backwards-rationalizing everything in the name of profit.
One day Apple will have cut-out so many non-phone product lines & grass-roots in the name of bean-counting, they'll turn themselves into soon-to-be-dead, "Watson-or-Bust" IBM.
Doomed, aaaaannnnyyyyy day now. That's basically what you're saying. 40 years later.
Selling phones is not going to improve the focus, features, or quality of macOS or the computers we use as our main tool for work.
Not only will it in the future, but it's already done so with most (if not all) macOS upgrades since the 2007. Then you have iOS going through a simpler deduction from macOS to become watchOS. Now Watch can used to unlock your Mac and use with Apple Pay. Those are improvements for the Mac. Then you have all the iCloud-based services that interconnect macOS, iOS, and watchOS so that your pictures, iMessages, phones calls, and even a shared keyboard are seamless between devices. Even more crazy is that watchOS was further reduced and built into the version of OS X that resides on the T1-chip to control the Mac's new Touch Bar, with Touch ID, and built-in Apple Pay. All those technologies first started with the iPhone. These are not trivial innovations.
While I am still confident myself that Apple has plenty left up its sleeve to wow me away I do believe those concerns are legitimate. The recent issues with erratic power consumption (that become apparent in consumer testing) and the heavy memory usage at idle are some of those small imperfections that could easily have been noticed and fixed during QA testing. If Apple still cares as much as it claims it does about macOS then it should step up its game a little and show that to the users, a new Snow Leopard-eqsue update might just do the trick.
What erratic power consumption? The batteries were fine. CR was using a developer setting which in turn triggered a bug which would only yield an issue during automated looping testing -- and would not impact normal developers much IRL or normal users at all.
Sorry, there is simply no excuse for Apple not updating core products like the MacPro and Mac Mini. They are leaving money on the table. They are not innovating. The PC is not dead. The Microsoft Surface Pro is more compelling than any iMac in the last three years. Come on Apple, you are leaving your customers high and dry.
Nonsense. The hardware innovation in the latest iphones, ipads, macbooks and airpods is astounding. They don't improve themselves.
But MS makes yet another surface, this one for the the ultra niche of illustrators, and you're impressed? Show me the sales numbers, which prove people are actually buying them (which they will if they truly add value).
Five years from now we won't be arguing Android vs. iOS like we do now. The OS on a device will be of less importance to users than the voice assistant. That's why you see so much emphasis on Google Assistant, Alexa, Viv, and Siri.
most people don't want to talk to their phone.
the only reason there is so much emphasis on Google Assistant/Alexa is because Google/Amazon is graphing at straws. They know they can't compete with Apple regarding design, OS, and hardware. So instead they try to put all their eggs into the AI basket.
Most people wouldn't ever consider wearing glasses with cameras in them just three years ago. They wouldn't send an email instead of snailmail 20 years ago. Most people wouldn't ever think of sharing every intimate detail of their life with total strangers 10 years ago like they do on Facebook now. They wouldn't trust paying bills online instead of mailing a check 10 years ago. Most people wouldn't think of trusting their docs and pictures only to cloud storage with no local just 10 years ago. Would never consider an electric car over a gas-powered one 5 years ago. Could not see themselves trusting autonomous driving/safety features just 5 years ago. Would not chose a camera phone over a standalone camera for vacation pics 10 years ago. Most people would not consider watching their TV streamed over the internet instead of cable just 5 years ago. Most people may not be ready for some of the things I mentioned now. Heck, most people wouldn't even buy an Apple product. But enough do. Times change and so do consumers.
Voice assistants will be more important than the OS they're on in just a few years IMHO.
Sorry, there is simply no excuse for Apple not updating core products like the MacPro and Mac Mini. They are leaving money on the table. They are not innovating. The PC is not dead. The Microsoft Surface Pro is more compelling than any iMac in the last three years. Come on Apple, you are leaving your customers high and dry.
Nonsense. The hardware innovation in the latest iphones, ipads, macbooks and airpods is astounding. They don't improve themselves.
But MS makes yet another surface, this one for the the ultra niche of illustrators, and you're impressed? Show me the sales numbers, which prove people are actually buying them (which they will if they truly add value).
A lot of Pet Rocks were sold too, but it doesn't prove people found they added value afterwards.
As for sharing sales numbers it looks to me like most techs prefer to avoid specifics and avoid mentioning how much of a particular product sold for the most part. Numbers end up coming from educated guesses via analysts and market studies instead of the manufacturer.
Comments
Anybody who really watched Jobs knows that, like any great IT/Tech guy, he knew that tech features and gadgets were merely a means to the end, but not the end themselves. It is that realization and understanding that have made Apple (and IBM) great.
That is, ultimately it is not this feature or that feature that makes a product a success. It's not the features and the gadget & gimmicks at all. Instead, it's DOES IT IMPROVE THE CUSTOMER'S LIFE? DOES IT MAKE IT BETTER?
As long as Apple can hold onto that understanding, they will do well. When they lose it, they will devolve into another Microsoft or Google.
This article shows the author does not understand that and instead chatters on about which tech features and gadgets succeeded.
Maybe be that's why the Mac Pro hasn't been updated?
IPhones help sell iMacs, not Mac Pros.
thank you again Dan
I think the reason that Macs get less attention is that in Apple's future they probably see them going up into the iPhone..
But unlike Microsoft with Continuum, they'll only do it when the experience is actually better than the machines they intend to replace..
Which is why this is probably still years ahead..
Which is why Macs have to be 'maintained' in the meantime..
My point is not that Continuum v2 is a goal in itself of Apple, but that it is an inevitable consequence of an iPhone that gets ever more powerful. iPhones are already approaching desktop territory in terms of performance.. Give it a couple more years and you can have desktop-class computing in your pocket, and only a dumb keyboard and display away.. (when connected iPhone could provide macOS interface..)
So my guess is that they are putting most of the effort in bringing iPhone beyond the Mac instead of leveling the effort between the two..
The shaolin monk will remain calm and close-mouthed, analyzing his opponents and deciding for the best time of action..
The people disappointed in Apple for not bringing out a powerful Mac(Book) are like the junior apprentices that want the master to show his muscles and demolish adversaries just for being arrogant show-offs.. Whereas the master sees through the bullshit and conserves his efforts for more opportune moments..
I am assuming you forgot the " /s" or 'Joke'! Who would want compatibility with the 'rest of the world' you refer to, that isn't buying PCs in ever growing numbers? Did you read the part about the iOS / IBM and other corporate serving companies' collaborations? Or how about a simpler solution, how about Apple continues doing what actually succeeds, you know what the've been doing for a decade while the rest of the computer companies haven't.
What erratic power consumption? The batteries were fine. CR was using a developer setting which in turn triggered a bug which would only yield an issue during automated looping testing -- and would not impact normal developers much IRL or normal users at all.
Except it's based in fact, while all the anti apple propaganda is based on FUD.
Apple has said many times such a product sucked in their testing. What do you have to offer that shows otherwise?
But MS makes yet another surface, this one for the the ultra niche of illustrators, and you're impressed? Show me the sales numbers, which prove people are actually buying them (which they will if they truly add value).
Voice assistants will be more important than the OS they're on in just a few years IMHO.
As for sharing sales numbers it looks to me like most techs prefer to avoid specifics and avoid mentioning how much of a particular product sold for the most part. Numbers end up coming from educated guesses via analysts and market studies instead of the manufacturer.