If we apply the same measure to the Windows PC world, that example fails miserably. Since the decline of the desktop PC year after year must mean people are not interested in cheaper more powerful computers. They fail to see the decline is due to mobile computing and not needing more powerful desktops for the majority of people. Microsoft & Nokia dismissed that trend, and now one company has disappeared in to obscurity.
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Surely Apple has employees who read these forums...
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If we apply the same measure to the Windows PC world, that example fails miserably. Since the decline of the desktop PC year after year must mean people are not interested in cheaper more powerful computers. They fail to see the decline is due to mobile computing and not needing more powerful desktops for the majority of people. Microsoft & Nokia dismissed that trend, and now one company has disappeared in to obscurity.
I think a MacBook that would be ripe for upgradability would be a new 17" RMBP. Could market it as the most powerful mobile Mac Workstation. This way you could offer a portable light but still 'pro' laptop in the 15" non upgradable model, then if users require expandability they can buy a Mac Mobile Workstation. Give it a 4k screen maybe with a few other additions (two slots for SSD), up to 32GB of ram and maybe a Xeon Mobile option.
They could then market this a counterpart to the Mac Pro (if we ever get a upgradable mac pro 2017?)
Looking at the prices of the new MacBook Pros, you can only wonder what the Apple tax would be on a 17" machine. It'd probably start at $3500. Yikes.
Nah; the reasons are:
1. iMac offers enough power for 95% of users, so MacPro with its high starting price, is never considered by that 95%.
2. iMac at low end offers enough power for at least 50% of users and, in comparison with the Mini (of which few people are aware) doesn't need the buyer to choose a monitor. This is a genuine issue for some people, incomprehensible as it may be to people here.
Stuart
I think they are basing many of their decisions on who buys their largest selling items and those items are their iDevices. As mentioned before, their Macs are probably more of a halo purchase due to the previous purchase of an iDevice so they can share data between desk/lap and device. Apple is instituting a new file system for that purpose so all their products share a common file system.
The Amigos in charge will probably stay there because, as mentioned, their marketshare has increased during Cook's time there so their presence is justified. Whether or not the Amigos are in tune with what the power users want can be argued till the cows come home but the fact is they are going to take Apple in their consumer priority direction. As Stuart says, if an iMac can serve 95% of their customers (sounds very reasonable), then their direction going forward would seem obvious.
People are doing just fine on tablets as well. I believe even laptops are outselling desktops these days.
One example: we had a 2008 iMac lying around, we put 6GB RAM and threw in a SSD (Hard drive swapping is a colossal pain to DIY, by the way, but RAM takes 2 minutes). We also did a 801.11ac dongle IIRC. It's doing perfectly with light photoshop, printing, word processing, and web browsing. This thing was released before Obama took office--just incredible that the now-owner probably wouldn't experience a lick of difference in speed upgrading to a 2016 iMac.
I couldn't agree more with this entire post!
I'm now leaning towards the theory that Apple/Tim want to get out of the market. They created their own self-fulfilling prophecy by not updating the MP for 3 years, claim "they just didn't sell", then they can obsolete it. If people ask, "Why didn't you update it?" they can reply, "sales were too low".
I also prescribe to the future plans of keep pairing down the iMac/Macbook lineup as the iPad/iPhone gain more features and power until they become one homogenous line of products. I'll keep using my nMP until it starts to lose me money and then switch back to Windows.
This is the same damn systems I've been wanting Apple to make for the better part of a decade. A sort of Mac Pro Junior system, with some upgradeable components. I feel vindicated somewhat that I'm not alone in wanting such a thing.
Like you say, they could price it reasonably and reverse policy on this stupid 'un-upgradeable' / sealed box approach they've been increasingly been moving to and I just can't see how they'd fail to make sales.
Sometimes it just makes me think Apple made some unwritten agreement with Microsoft back in the mists of time & lawsuits, to promise to never really compete with them on the desktop. I just can't think of any other explanation for their behaviour on the desktop in recent years.
Just thought I'd share this:
http://www.computerinhumanyears.com
The nMP is old enough to collect SS, the cMP has one foot in the grave!
Lou
http://www.computerinhumanyears.com
The nMP is old enough to collect SS, the cMP has one foot in the grave!
Lou
There is no dedicated Mac team, so no, I doubt anyone at Apple reads [this particular] forum.
I have a similar feeling. It has a bit of an IBM feel to it all ... where IBM essentially pulled out of the hardware market, selling it to Lenovo and instead concentrating on providing a service product to customers. They initially sold off the laptop/desktop areas, leaving the cashcow of servers and services.
Apple could in theory do a similar move ... by distancing themselves from the full PC hardware side of things and providing a more phone/ipad service biased product offering. Even then, could pull out the market completely and just offer services only such as the app store and iTunes store as a services only platform.
That being said, I still cant get past that it makes it very hard to drive forward iPhone/iPad applications and services without the hardware means to develop for them or the products to consume them on.
I can't prove it, but:
1) By not refreshing the nMP for so long, Apple was able to sell far more $3,000+ new school rMBPs in late 2016 to people who otherwise would have bought desktops. Insert conspiracy theory of choice...
2) VR/AR is setting up to be the next "killer app" that motivates people to replace their existing computers. As often noted, the vast majority of potential buyers for a new desktop are already satisfied with what they have. (Not ignoring real power users, just postulating there are not enough of us to be seen as a lucrative bit of business).
In 2016, the only path for Apple to seriously enter the VR/AR space would entail premium parts that would cut margins - or push price points beyond marketing targets - and eat power/batteries. In 2017, process shrunk GPUs designed to efficiently support the unique demands of VR/AR should provide Apple with the opportunity to offer robust VR/AR experiences within the form factor, pricing and power envelopes they believe are essential to entice a broad market.
Multitudes of gamers have been the Trojan Horse for the creation of powerful GPU tech that has leveraged the price/performance of media content creation hardware. Here's to hoping we can ride the VR/AR wave to a generation of Macs that also happen to have enough muscle for content creation, sci/tech, virtualization and other demanding professional use cases.
1) By not refreshing the nMP for so long, Apple was able to sell far more $3,000+ new school rMBPs in late 2016 to people who otherwise would have bought desktops. Insert conspiracy theory of choice...
2) VR/AR is setting up to be the next "killer app" that motivates people to replace their existing computers. As often noted, the vast majority of potential buyers for a new desktop are already satisfied with what they have. (Not ignoring real power users, just postulating there are not enough of us to be seen as a lucrative bit of business).
In 2016, the only path for Apple to seriously enter the VR/AR space would entail premium parts that would cut margins - or push price points beyond marketing targets - and eat power/batteries. In 2017, process shrunk GPUs designed to efficiently support the unique demands of VR/AR should provide Apple with the opportunity to offer robust VR/AR experiences within the form factor, pricing and power envelopes they believe are essential to entice a broad market.
Multitudes of gamers have been the Trojan Horse for the creation of powerful GPU tech that has leveraged the price/performance of media content creation hardware. Here's to hoping we can ride the VR/AR wave to a generation of Macs that also happen to have enough muscle for content creation, sci/tech, virtualization and other demanding professional use cases.
Mine is 97 years old - 3 more years it will receive a congratulate letter from the queen...
You miscalculated - in two months the queen will send the letter, because in two more months it will hit 100.
Unfortunately, I think that you'll find that
![macbook-pro-touch-bar-emoji-100690149-orig[1].jpg](https://forums.macrumors.com/data/attachments/595/595669-3b38c64bf08173588a521bcb0618005b.jpg "macbook-pro-touch-bar-emoji-100690149-orig[1].jpg")
brings a lot more foot traffic into the stores.
Which says a lot about the mentality of those customers. I'm beginning to wonder if the definition of "power user" has changed over the years.Unfortunately, I think that you'll find that
brings a lot more foot traffic into the stores.
A "power use" has both a Twitter and a Facebook window open at the same time.
I brought my cMP into a mall-based Apple Store once.
I felt out of place, like I was wheeling a grand piano into an electronic keyboard shop.
I felt out of place, like I was wheeling a grand piano into an electronic keyboard shop.
Which Apple stores aren't "mall-based" in a general sense?
They all seem to have the same theme - but differ in square footage. The Stanford Shopping Center store is probably larger than most standalone Apple stores.
IMO, they're all creepy - "hip" staff trying to sell overpriced stuff based mainly on its "hipness". Spartan décor with three products shown on twenty counters.