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The Mac Platform Decline

milen.me

41–50 of 192 posts

Re: The Mac Platform Decline

#41
post #11

I think most of the statements in the article are true, the problem is there is not (right now) a superior alternative. Yes, Microsoft is trying with the surface, Linux I'm sure has come far, but there is simply not any alternative that can realistically compete with the Mac platform right now. There is simply no pressure on Apple to dedicate further resources to this area, because there is not much for them to gain.…

Linux is already superior for developers. You servers all running Linux, all dev tools are first released in Linux, everything just work with most hardware.

For professional like video editing, photography, CADs, audio etc Windows is better when you can buy better hardware for the same price as Mac.

There is no reason to by Mac when most hardware is terribly outdated and you don't know when next upgrade will happen.

Re: The Mac Platform Decline

#42
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't sound like a contradiction to me. A very small segment of users are 'pro-level' users. Now yes, it isn't supported, but if you accept that as the reality then it is not contradictory.

Those pro-level users were what kept Apple alive during the dark years but now that greener pastures have been discovered they can easily be abandoned.

If that's really the thinking inside Apple then they are being penny wise pound foolish. The pro users are the influencers. Losing video and photo editors is one thing, but if it eats into their developer marketshare than it will signal the beginning of a slow decline in apps which will significantly hurt iOS over the long-term, and likely be impossible to recover from given Google's leg up in services.

Frankly if the competition wasn't so shitty, I'd probably be jumping ship already, but Apple still has a considerable advantage in hardware quality and the overall Mac OS X ecosystem being way ahead of Windows on the Unixy stuff, and way ahead of Linux on the polish/interop stuff.

Re: The Mac Platform Decline

#43
post #2

This is a poorly written article mainly complaining about the lack of an update to the Mac Pro product despite it's thesis that: > Apple, the MacBook Pro is not a pro-level computer. It’s simply not. However, the article is indeed self-contradictory as it later goes on to say: > Who needs anything more than a MacBook Pro? The answer is a very small segment of high-demanding users. So given that the main thesis that t…

To the pro users that need more power than what you get from a laptop, there's no compelling alternative from Apple today. Even the iMac has thermal throttling that puts limits on its performance.

I don't understand why you think the article is poorly written, but I certainly can understand and agree with the authors concern. I'm not sure how it's possible to not share that concern after the lack of updates to the desktop line.

Re: The Mac Platform Decline

#45

I bought an SE rather than a 7. Size is a better fit for me and I still use the audio jack. A lot. So Apple had an upgrade path for me. But with the new MacBook Pro, they cut out USB-A. If they'd kept it on the entry level model, that'd be my upgrade path. Instead, I'll eek out maybe a couple more years on my current MBP. BTW, I'm not sure at all why they ditched MagSafe. They did all this and kept the RCA port. Now…

> BTW, I'm not sure at all why they ditched MagSafe. They did all this and kept the RCA port. Now that's a head scratcher.

It makes sense to me: we'll have RCA ports long, long after MagSafe, USB and FireWire are nothing but memories. As long as man has two ears, we'll have RCA ports.

Re: The Mac Platform Decline

#46

Wow, I really liked that article. I thought it articulated some really important insights, first that Apple could reasonably be seen as abandoning the core computer user market, and second an acknowledgement that the market they are leaving in favor of the consumer market is probably immaterial to their current business model. It is clear that there are two "kinds" of users of computation platforms, the "apps only" u…

Apple is fighting too many competitors at the moment. It used to just be Microsoft, but Google's dominance in smartphones and slow but constant pressure in tablets and "good enough for most people" laptops is causing the company to lose focus.

Microsoft also traditionally didn't have a credible hardware story, giving Apple a complete vertical integration story. Now both major competitors are vertically integrating (Microsoft with Windows + Surface and Google with Android/ChromeOS + Pixel).

I think Apple is having to choose where they're going to focus and tbh, the Mac line is a smaller line of business for the company. If you simply don't use a laptop/desktop at all, then nobody cares that you can't connect your other devices cleanly to it, your other devices are your primary computing devices.

Microsoft doesn't have a good story on the phone front, but it's not inconceivable that they'll try again with a shrunk down surface line if the it proves successful enough.

Google's desktop story is also incomplete, but they're moving rapidly towards something if they ever stop having OS confusion.

The iPad Pro is large and powerful enough that it basically can be the "good enough for most people" computing device. And they have a cohesive ecosystem from small to large in the iDevices.

There's no significant future for Apple with the Mac line and the company is allergic to commodification in ways that their competitors aren't (and that's where that line is heading). Apple is more likely to keep playing with iDevice sizing and software than to continue dedicated serious resources to keeping the Mac line alive.

I'm not calling it a deathwatch yet, but it's clear it's a backburner line of business for the company.

Re: The Mac Platform Decline

#47
post #11

I think most of the statements in the article are true, the problem is there is not (right now) a superior alternative. Yes, Microsoft is trying with the surface, Linux I'm sure has come far, but there is simply not any alternative that can realistically compete with the Mac platform right now. There is simply no pressure on Apple to dedicate further resources to this area, because there is not much for them to gain.…

but there is simply not any alternative that can realistically compete with the Mac platform right now I think you forgot to add two important words: for me . Other beg to differ for a variety of reasons.

This is true. I figured that was implied since I'm a random person pontificating on the Internet.

Re: The Mac Platform Decline

#48

The main premise here is "Apple did not update its desktops in a while, so they don't care about this". I think this is inaccurate - according to http://www.macrumors.com/roundup/imac/ , they do plan to update them, but are still waiting for Intel to produce the necessary chips. Also, I seem to remember reading pretty much the same thing before the Mac Pro was launched (which was apparently 1046 days ago...). So yes,…

I also don't think Apple will drop them, but for pro users the lack of updates is a serious problem. It's not like they couldn't have bumped the spec a little every year to keep people happy. People were rightly frustrated by the lack of updates before the Mac Pro was launched, and I think many thought the launch was a signal that Apple took the Pro market seriously. The lack of updates since then serves as another reminder that you can't depend on Apple to deliver up to date hardware in that market.

Re: The Mac Platform Decline

#49

I bought an SE rather than a 7. Size is a better fit for me and I still use the audio jack. A lot. So Apple had an upgrade path for me. But with the new MacBook Pro, they cut out USB-A. If they'd kept it on the entry level model, that'd be my upgrade path. Instead, I'll eek out maybe a couple more years on my current MBP. BTW, I'm not sure at all why they ditched MagSafe. They did all this and kept the RCA port. Now…

I think the losses of Magsafe and the 3.5" headphone socket will go down as the point Apple finally lost it. Magsafe was such a perfect example of Apple doing small innovation, utterly brilliantly; if they've ditched it purely to save half a millimetre off thickness, it's all the proof I need that the lunatics have taken over.

Re: The Mac Platform Decline

#50
post #41
post #11

I think most of the statements in the article are true, the problem is there is not (right now) a superior alternative. Yes, Microsoft is trying with the surface, Linux I'm sure has come far, but there is simply not any alternative that can realistically compete with the Mac platform right now. There is simply no pressure on Apple to dedicate further resources to this area, because there is not much for them to gain.…

Linux is already superior for developers. You servers all running Linux, all dev tools are first released in Linux, everything just work with most hardware. For professional like video editing, photography, CADs, audio etc Windows is better when you can buy better hardware for the same price as Mac. There is no reason to by Mac when most hardware is terribly outdated and you don't know when next upgrade will happen.

I am finally seeing this as clearly as I saw my move from PC to Mac in 2005/06. Linux is far superior for developers, I agree... especially backend type people. As I understand, Avid and Premiere are the video tools of choice for serious pros. FCPX is called the "wedding video" maker? I don't really know, as I am not a pro videographer.

CAD is bad JOKE on Mac and Adobe stuff runs on (almost) everything.

I have an Asus win10 tablet with a wacom stylus that I bought for $140 on ebay. It is actually pretty darn neat...

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