wanderso

So: no option to ever replace or upgrade the memory or SSD and the battery is glued in place.  Keyboard is still questionable for longevity. 

Extending the useable life of these will not be what Macs were once known for. (Speaking as a Mac owner since 1992). 

If one’s expectation is to replace your laptop every 3-4 years, I guess that is ok, but a distinctive of the Macs of the past was their usable life. 

Interesting article.  An additional laptop model can be a welcome addition. Why would Apple update the iPad mini when they just did so earlier this year?  That part of the prediction doesn’t seem plausible. 

Several of the thoughts in this article ring true. Don’t get “over your skis” at a design that is form over function. This is true for software as well.  I’ve owned Apple products across all generations back to the 1980s.  The actual experience with the software, coupled with the hardware sufficient enough to support it, and the potential to use it longer than a competing product due to its premium price has shown to be of paramount importance.  The most glaring was the Performa series which was not performant at all - most were quite slow at handling the needs of the user from the very first day they shipped. Cheaply built, but not inexpensive.  I nearly abandoned the platform as a result.

 Design aesthetic will always be part of the mystique of Apple. Ugly doesn’t cut it. The camera setup of the mockups we see for the new iPhone is an example of something ugly, even if it is an advance in capability. Thickening the phone slightly to remove the horrendous bump and using the space for added battery or some innovation would be better. 

It seems that if the beats were upgraded to allow the microphone audio of your voice to also play in the headphone when making a phone call, it would be a stronger solution.  This is the way that a telephone headset works. 

Seems that Apple might have wanted to wait a few more weeks to settle.