Mac Update Fatigue?

[cyberone]

This assessment might be a bit harsh, sure Apple has more and nice Macs in the pipeline, yet development and new announcements seem a bit sluggish with Apple focusing more and more on mobile devices.

The iPhone is the company's cash cow, and now iPad Pros are pushed as computer alternatives...

Could this backfire with loyal Mac users changing camp?

Dear Apple, an Open Letter on Your Mac Update Fatigue

 

[Samuelsan2001]

I for one would far rather wait for a good product that works well than put up with the sort of nonsense surface book buyers got this year.

More importantly chip development is slowing rapidly, there is nothing worth looking forward to after skylake (which is decent but not earth shattering) until canonlake at the end of 2017 (don't be fooled by Kabylake it's just skylake with a slightly better iGPU.)

Intel have been very slow with chip releases over the last few years and shrinking the process has thrown up a lot of problems. Until a new innovation in chips it's all about GPU's which if the last few years is anything to go by we will get the process shrink to 14nm this year and then rebadge and tweaks for the next 3-4 years.

Basically computer changes are going to be incremental and unimpressive for the foreseeable future why would any company pin their hopes on that???

 

[merkinmuffley]

Yeah, but what about those cool watchbands? I don't buy the Intel has been slow with chip delivery arguement - lots of other manufacturers have somehow managed to get Skylake chips into their product lines and had them available for months. It is correct that Intel is slowing the rate of processor development, but that is not a valid discussion point for Skylake based products. The OP is right, the cash cow for Apple is the phone. Phone orders appear to be slowing, how many times can you resize and change the color of the same thing before people get a little tired of throwing money at it for an "upgrade"?

 

[Pakaku]

It's 100% because smartphones are a fad, and smartwatches are a new product. There just isn't any incentive to update Macs yearly anymore.

You don't have to replace your phone yearly, and plenty of people still happily use an iPhone 4. Yet Apple is more than happy to attempt to convince you otherwise.

 

[maxsix]

It's 100% because smartphones are a fad, and smartwatches are a new product.

In the large retail markets the opposite holds true. Smartphones are essential tools, smartwatches haven't grown out of the gadget category.

It's likely to change soon though. Apple's mega million dollar ad budget will change peoples buying habits.