StayPuftZombie

Mike Wuerthele said:

StayPuftZombie said:

I disagree with the article.  

Mark my words, if they dont put out a mac with slots, some storage bays, discrete video cards, upgradable ram, and expansion abilities (akin to Mac Pros prior to the trashcan), it will be game over for the professional market for apple.

I have heard this so many times in 25 years, yet here we are. This article isn't about Apple. This is about it's overly-devout, that say ridiculous things when they don't get what they want based on what they think Apple needs to do, or what they think that the engineers are going to crank out. 

"Screw them, their thoughts/needs are irrelevant," indeed.

And, I never said that Apple knows best. What I said is that Apple will do what Apple will do.

Perhaps you never said it, but the article comes across as reluctantly understanding it. And this is not a time to be understanding about it. Because right now the design is in flux, and a big enough outcry can effect it in a positive way. And that you heard it so many times is great, it happens to be true.  A HUGE number of professionals have left the mac platform, reluctantly.  Check out mac rumors mac pro forums (here's another article with excerpts of mac pro users leaving: https://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/apples-failure-to-scale).  Sure will apple be just fine.  Yea probably for a very long time. Maybe forever.

But even currently, people are not product placing macs in ads/shows out of love like they used to.  Apple has to pay for it more than before.  Part of the disproportional effect of mac pros was this access to media placement.  That gave apple billions of dollars of free and warm placement, it doesnt exists like it did before.  The pro's SAVED apple, they were the hook that jobs dug into when he came back and saved it.  When they leave, today, it may not matter, but it may.  And to turn you shoulder on that group is a mistake.

Writing about how apple may not care in some sense gives them a pass, it normalizes that somehow there is reasonable justification for not tailoring to this group of users.  We disagree on this approach.  I would have preferred you to add to "apple probably will do this" and added "and when they do, they will make a mistake and alienate this important group of users even more".  You stopped short of that, and it comes of as reluctant acceptance. When you, who are super insightful (genuinely mean that), and strong voice in the community accede to this end, it gives them leeway to go that way.

I disagree with the article.  

Workflow teams from 'StarWars' were the same narrow group that liked the trashcan. I’m getting worried about this upcoming “modular” Mac. The trashcan Mac was “modular” with a octopus nest of wires and boxes snaking from it. I don’t want a “modular” Mac. I want an *expandable* Mac. Pixar/StarWars users are barely 'pro' users, and they are just fine with an iMac/iMac Pro/Trashcan mac.  But the trashcan mac is a failure, and not just for thermal reasons.  It doesnt come close to what pro users want.

Apple didn't listen on the Mac Pro once already and a HUGE amount of pro users defected from the Mac (they didn't want to, but apple didn't give them a choice).  That number has increased.  They put out another trashcan like 'modular' system, and a huge portion of the remainder will defect. https://www.macobserver.com/tmo/article/the-new-mac-pro-is-a-failure

It's not true that apple knows better here. The Pros know better and it doesnt matter what the 'wider' audience thinks/wants because that audience has the iMac and MacBooks, so basically, screw them, their thoughts/needs are irrelevant.

Mark my words, if they dont put out a mac with slots, some storage bays, discrete video cards, upgradable ram, and expansion abilities (akin to Mac Pros prior to the trashcan), it will be game over for the professional market for apple.

This article is a mistake imo as it gives apple some cover or an out for doing the wrong thing.  Now is NOT the time to give them outs.  Now is the time to say, losers, don't mess this up.  Apple can and has admitted being wrong to consumers (when they pushed DV video instead of CD burning Steve Jobs did an about face). 

Also, the premise that many people never upgrade their mac pro is a faulty one for the pro market.  Many people dont hit the top speed of their car, but buy corvettes anyway. Also, for professionals, it's not that they will max out those abilities, but it's a non-starter when they are not able to do those customizations that their niche demands.  So that some bulk doesnt make use of that expandability is a red herring, because that it's not capable is a nonstarter for many pros and thats why you see the revolt on the trashcan mac.

Now is the time to hold their feet to the fire and say, DO THIS OR ELSE.