iqatedo

jdw said:

I've loved Apple since my 128K in 1984 and have never to this day owned even a single Windows machine.  With that said...

Much of what you wrote applies also to me. My first Mac was a 512 k. (On its single double density, dual-sided 'floppy' disk, were stored the operating system, applications and documents.) I believe though that Apple needs to re-invent personal computing and technologies exist (some on the horizon) to achieve this where others can't.

Without yet answers to queries in my previous post, I'll trouble the reader with a further thought. I listened recently to an interview with a prominent technologist and visionary(?) during which Elon Musk was featured. While I realise that discussions regarding Musk can soon degenerate into a shambles, the technologist made several interesting observations. Some centred on Elon's strengths, one of which was that when presented with an idea or new technology, he will ask "tell me why I need it?". I would like to be able to ask the same question of the Mac and the response to be "because this is only possible on a Mac". There was a time when this was true. A time when applications such as Mathematica (https://www.wolfram.com) and Labview (https://www.ni.com/en-au.html) (and Word/Excel?) ran only on Macs and gave users of these systems access to capabilities otherwise unaccessible. Mathematica is pretty much up to date still but Labview provides a sub-optimal experience on the Mac. I believe that Apple can do this again, given the strength of hardware and growing services capabilities. One product (a combination of hardware and services) would take some time to bring to market but would be quite a leap in computing (and no, it doesn't at its heart involve AR, VR or quantum computing, although each could play a part).

Apple has the money, the platform and engineering talent from which to take personal computing to new levels. 

What I'd like to know is, [1] for what purposes are people predominantly using Macs and [2] does Apple have a plan for, or interest in, advancing the Mac in markets/sectors in which it is poorly represented? I performed a search for answers to the first question but was met with huge self-interest and less than useful information in web sites that were returned and about the latter...

rotateleftbyte said:

You can start a multinational, multi-billion dollar company in a garage.

Woz should have known that already. He was working for one before Apple. Didn't HP (the HP of old) start in a garage?

Yes

So, time to upgrade from my version 1 iPad then...