Apple's product lineup is sooo bloated and confusing...

[Mr.Blacky]

...and the new 24" iMac and iPad Pro with M1 chip made it even worse. I mean, take a look at this:

iPhone SE
iPhone XR
iPhone 11
iPhone 12 mini
iPhone 12
iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro Max

iPad mini
iPad
iPad Air
iPad Pro 11"
iPad Pro 12,9"

MacBook Air M1
MacBook Pro 13" M1
MacBook Pro 13" Intel
MacBook Pro 16" Intel
Mac mini M1
Mac mini Intel
iMac 21,5" Intel
iMac 24" M1
iMac 27" Intel
Mac Pro Intel
🤯

And adding to that, if you buy a more expensive, "better" version of a product, it doesn't even mean it's better on all levels.
For example the new iMac: You gain more power and efficiency, bigger display, better speakers and more, but you loose up to four ports (+audio line-in) and the option for 32GB memory. And similar things are happening across Apple's entire lineup.
Back in the days, you chose an iMac G4 with an 15" display or with an 17" display. And the 17" model was equally good or better than the 15" one, but not "a little better here-a little worse there", "a little bit of this-a little bit of that".
Nowadays you have to study shopponomics or something to buy an iPhone/iPad/Mac. 🤔

 

[TiggrToo]

This is not a uniquely Apple problem. Have you seen how many phones Samsung currently have for sale, for example?

 

[Mr.Blacky]

This is not a uniquely Apple problem. Have you seen how many phones Samsung currently have for sale, for example?

But unlike Samsung and most other, Apple's lineup wasn't always that cluttered and confusing.
Besides, I don't have any interest in Samsung products, so why should I care?

 

[zhenya]

Other than the Macs which are strictly a result of where they are in the transition from Intel to their own chips the lineup seems pretty clear to me. They could probably combine the iPad/iPad Air, but that's about it.

The iPhone SE is an entry level miniature phone. The XR and 11 are old devices they continue to sell. This has happened for years. The 12 mini is going away, and there is no such thing as a 12 Max. Yes, they could reduce the iPhone lineup to 3 phones, but they'd likely give up a lot of their most profitable sales that way.

 

[Mr.Blacky]

Other than the Macs which are strictly a result of where they are in the transition from Intel to their own chips the lineup seems pretty clear to me. They could probably combine the iPad/iPad Air, but that's about it.

The iPhone SE is an entry level miniature phone. The XR and 11 are old devices they continue to sell. This has happened for years. The 12 mini is going away, and there is no such thing as a 12 Max. Yes, they could reduce the iPhone lineup to 3 phones, but they'd likely give up a lot of their most profitable sales that way.

Damn, you're right! The (of course non-existent) iPhone 12 max somehow sliped in there. 😅
And personally, I would go for the following iPhone lineup: iPhone Mini, iPhone, iPhone Max, iPhone Pro.
The mini would start at $499 and you would just have one Pro model, even more expensive than the current 12 Pro (let's say starting at $1.299) but it would have (relativley) the latest and greatest tech and up to 1TB storage.

 

[TiggrToo]

But unlike Samsung and most other, Apple's lineup wasn't always that cluttered and confusing.

Today's world mandates change. People like choice.

Besides, I don't have any interest in Samsung products, so why should I care?

Because, as I said, this is not uniquely an Apple problem. A huge number of manufacturers have a broad range of SKUs.

You name it, from Cookware, to toasters, to fridges, to cars, to TVS, to footwear... There's a huge amount of choice to be made of each item...

 

[ruka.snow]

Apple indeed used to have a very clean lineup and never used to keep old models about. I don't think it is confusing, but it certainly isn't what I expect of Apple. Having a 13 inch pro and Air M1 when that could have been unified into one new model was a miss in my book. And having a iPhone and iPhone pro when the iPhone should be the top model with nothing above it is daft. But evidently they need more models so they can hit multiple price points now that they are huge.

 

[satchmo]

And get ready for the 14” MacBook Pro!

The one that stands out for me is the MacBook Air. It’s so close to the 13” pro.
But if the 14” does pan out, maybe they’ll get rid of both the Air and 13”.

I do enjoy having some build to order options which we didn’t have under Jobs. That’s what Cook excels at - logistics.

 

[usagora]

🤷‍♂️ Seems pretty straight-forward to me. Plus, you can use the handy "Compare" tool to line up product specs side-by-side:

 

[Falhófnir]

My only real complaint is with the laptops, have they ever really needed three versions of effectively the same computer (13" Air, Pro 2 port, Pro 4 port)? At one point they had those three plus the 12" MacBook and the old 2017 Air. At least with all the other product lines the expansive lineup gives you a bit of choice, with the MacBooks they've crowded out that small market segment to the detriment of almost anything else.

 

[KaliYoni]

Sadly, we've all seen this movie before. 1990s Apple, pre-Steve Jobs return, also had an extremely bloated and convoluted product mix. Even worse, many models were launched and discontinued in less than a year's time. It was like Detroit in the 1950s except tail fins weren't ever available on Performas or Quadras...

 

[TiggrToo]

Sadly, we've all seen this movie before. 1990s Apple, pre-Steve Jobs return, also had an extremely bloated and convoluted product mix. Even worse, many models were launched and discontinued in less than a year's time. It was like Detroit in the 1950s except tail fins weren't ever available on Performas or Quadras...

Except this is nothing like the 1990s as Apple is currently incredibly profitable and making bank day in day out.