Key Apple execs Ive, Federighi, Schiller talk future of Apple, new MacBook Pro
In an interview, Chief Design Officer Jony Ive, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi, and Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller dole out the details on decisions made during the new MacBook Pro development process, convergence of iOS and macOS, and more.
"We challenge the teams to do great work and sometimes that great work can be done in one year, sometimes it takes three years," Schiller told CNet. "What we really care about is creating new innovations in the Mac and continuing the story that has really defined Apple for so many years."
The late 2016 MacBook Pro revision may not be widely heralded as revolutionary, but a big change that the device brings to the platform is the Touch Bar. The Touch Bar is a multi-touch Retina-class bar, replacing the physical function keys on the keyboard, which Apple calls a vestige of computing days gone by.
Ive, the head designer of the product, considers full touch screens not particularly useful, and mentioned that the decision to not implement the technology was made years ago.
"We unanimously were very compelled by [the Touch Bar] as a direction, based on, one, using it, and also having the sense this is the beginning of a very interesting direction," Ive said. "But [it] still just marks a beginning."
"It is great to provide two different ways to solve some of the same things, but they also do very unique things that the other doesn't," said Schiller. "Having them separate allows us to explore both, versus trying to force them into one -- and only one -- model."
"You can't try to turn MacOS into an iPhone," Schiller added. "Conversely, you can't turn iOS into a Mac.... So each one is best at what they're meant to be -- and we take what makes sense to add from each, but without fundamentally changing them so they're compromised."
"We don't design for price, we design for the experience and the quality people expect from Mac," said Schiller. "Sometimes that means we end up at the higher end of the range, but not on purpose, just because that's what it costs."
Schiller may not be completely correct in his assessment. Recent market share analyses quoted by CNet say that while Apple is the world's fifth largest PC maker, with 8 percent of the total marketshare, it accounts for half of the PC industry profit.
While Apple's focus has made this shift apparent, Federighi and Schiller differ on the timetable of the extermination of the laptop. The pair believe that Apple laptops will be around for at least 25 more years.
"The idea of a laptop ... with a surface on the table that you can type on and a vertical screen has made sense for 25 years," said Schiller. "As far as our eyes can see, there will still be a place for this basic laptop architecture."
"We challenge the teams to do great work and sometimes that great work can be done in one year, sometimes it takes three years," Schiller told CNet. "What we really care about is creating new innovations in the Mac and continuing the story that has really defined Apple for so many years."
The late 2016 MacBook Pro revision may not be widely heralded as revolutionary, but a big change that the device brings to the platform is the Touch Bar. The Touch Bar is a multi-touch Retina-class bar, replacing the physical function keys on the keyboard, which Apple calls a vestige of computing days gone by.
"We don't design for price, we design for the experience and the quality people expect from Mac." -- Apple SVP Phil Schiller
Ive, the head designer of the product, considers full touch screens not particularly useful, and mentioned that the decision to not implement the technology was made years ago.
"We unanimously were very compelled by [the Touch Bar] as a direction, based on, one, using it, and also having the sense this is the beginning of a very interesting direction," Ive said. "But [it] still just marks a beginning."
MacOS and iOS, never the two shall meet
The executives consider other additions to macOS that interact with iOS better replacements for full-screen touch on the Mac."It is great to provide two different ways to solve some of the same things, but they also do very unique things that the other doesn't," said Schiller. "Having them separate allows us to explore both, versus trying to force them into one -- and only one -- model."
"You can't try to turn MacOS into an iPhone," Schiller added. "Conversely, you can't turn iOS into a Mac.... So each one is best at what they're meant to be -- and we take what makes sense to add from each, but without fundamentally changing them so they're compromised."
On the MacBook Pro pricing
Apple is facing some criticism about the new MacBook Pro pricing, with the Internet apparently suddenly tone-deaf about Microsoft's offerings on Wednesday being considered overly expensive as well, if only briefly."We don't design for price, we design for the experience and the quality people expect from Mac," said Schiller. "Sometimes that means we end up at the higher end of the range, but not on purpose, just because that's what it costs."
Schiller may not be completely correct in his assessment. Recent market share analyses quoted by CNet say that while Apple is the world's fifth largest PC maker, with 8 percent of the total marketshare, it accounts for half of the PC industry profit.
The first post-Jobs MacBook Pro, but the influence is still felt
The quartet of executives have clearly leaned on one of founder Steve Jobs' last presentations. In 2010, Jobs famously said that the world was in the "post-PC" era, and users would soon vastly prefer mobile devices to desktop computers chained to an office, or laptops open on a desk.While Apple's focus has made this shift apparent, Federighi and Schiller differ on the timetable of the extermination of the laptop. The pair believe that Apple laptops will be around for at least 25 more years.
"The idea of a laptop ... with a surface on the table that you can type on and a vertical screen has made sense for 25 years," said Schiller. "As far as our eyes can see, there will still be a place for this basic laptop architecture."
Comments
Maybe they should take a brief look at price. Even I, a 30-year Apple vet, am starting to question why Apple keeps delivering 2 year old hardware specs at 2 years from now prices.
The price is very difficult to justify. Certainly in the UK at the moment. A like for like model is £600 more expensive overnight. Making the spec of machine I was wanting to order £3300 when it was £2700.
Its too much, I can see our clients scaling down.
Part of me thinks that is what Apple wants. Kill of the Mac lineups slowly by pricing people out of them.
Pleasant even if it is only lip service to hear they expect the laptop to stay. Shame they can't be bothered to update the Mac Mini and the other one.
That could make it much easier to eliminate the trackpad and sense gestures directly over the virtual key surface.
Even less wasted motion that way. But only if it improves the experience of using the keyboard.
Ballmer thought Apple was moving toward unifying iOS and OS X.
He saw a few cosmetic and functional changes being shared between iOS to OS X.
I can just see him bellowing "Apple is going to do a mash-up of iOS and OS X. Let's beat them to it."
"For once, Apple will be copying Microsoft", he must have said, triumphantly.
Well, no.
Merging the mobile and desktop Windows experiences was a sucker move.
How 'bout them Clippers?
Apple will just soak the profit up as the chip prices fall.
I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it
Intel has already announced that high end Cannonlake will be delayed even further, and Coffee Lake will be produced to fill in the gap, meaning they'll have had four CPU's on the 14nm process. (Broadwell/Skylake/Kaby Lake/Coffee Lake).
And its its basic architecture will be around until MAN is gone.
Just because a design has been around a while doesn't mean it isn't the absolute best way to do something.
Is there something special about Kaby Lake? Will it provide noticible battery life improvement or faster processing?
Actually, I can.
From their video today:
PowerBook 170: $4600
PowerBook 540c: $4840
PowerBook G3 Wallstreet (250 14.1"): $4399
iBook (FireWire): $1499
Titanium PowerBook G4: $2499
MacBook: $1099
MacBook Air: $1799
MacBook Pro Retina: $2199.
None of those are adjusted for inflation, so charging $1799 and $2399 for significantly better laptops in 2016 is reasonable, and on average they're still cheaper than the historical trend.
THE OS and the hardware are capable of supporting more than 32.
It it is bordering on inexcusable to leave it at 16 max. Hopefully this is addressed in a quiet update early 2017.
Im working with a loaded iMac 5k and I exceed RAM capacity daily. Fast SSD or not, I need the RAM.
other than that, id pull the trigger now.
The only other minir minor complaint is aesthetic with the hinge now looking like an older model hinge style. The previous gen had a very clean look. This looks just a tad more clunky.
I don't get the logic there...
Yes, tablets and laptops ARE different and will not merge well. But Schiller is talking about software, not hardware configurations.
Yes, IOS is touchscreen and MacOS is mouse driven. That does not mean that they could not be merged into one OS that recognizes both without compromising either one. Yes, MS tried and failed dramatically with Windows 8, but then MS fails at most things. That certainly does not mean Apple could not pull it off.
There is no logical reason why an IPad could not be connected to a mouse & keyboard and perform well. The result would be the death of the MacBook. Not the MacBook Pro, but the MacBook. It would become immediately redundant.
I get the feeling Schiller is speaking from an ideological standpoint rather than a technological one. Jobs would kick his butt.