Apple needs and intervention. A while back I wrote an article on Apple's "thinness", their insatiable desire to make everything as lite as possible. I was, after much thought, going to write a followup saying that perhaps it isn't a bad thing, that most laptops now are following suit, but then the 2016 MacBook Pro happened. At first I thought it wasn't bad, I like the touch bar, the design, the space grey color, and that finally understood what what makes good speakers. As you dig deeper, it goes from an interesting piece of technology, to an overpriced door stop that makes me want to abandon Apple like a sinking ship.
Is there a point where simplifying something so much that it actually becomes more complicated? The YouTube channel "Cold Fusion" (linked below) discussed this in detail in regards to the new MacBook Pro. It seems to be a trend in apple's overall design, simplifying design to the point where function is ignored.
When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in the late 1990s, he took a company that had lost it's direction and turned it into a juggernaut that would dominate computer design. He pushed form, function, and power, creating devices that would improve our lives and look good doing it to. Many companies followed Apple's direction (some got sued) and Apple became the trendsetter for computers and devices. Under Jobs they created the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, his introduction of the iMac revolutionized computer styling, and whenApple switched to intel ushering in a new era of powerful desktops and laptop more compatible with their PC brethren.
In 2011, Steve Jobs passed away, bringing an end to his version of the Meiji Restoration. The question was, could Apple continue the momentum? Tim Cook seceded Jobs as the CEO of Apple, while he hasn't pushed Apple back to the Pre-Steve Jobs 1990s era, many would agree that he his moving in that direction. Under Cook, Apple's have become thinner and lighter, but at the expense of the versatility and functionality that made the Macintosh such a reliable machine. The most recent MacBook Pro, for example, has almost no upgradeable parts and USB-C/Thunderbolt-3 ports that aren't universally adopted.
Compare the new MacBook Pro to my Mid-2012 model. While it doesn't have a Retina display and a fast battery, it has interchangeable RAM and Hard Drive (upgraded mine to a 1TB SSD), and a replace able battery. An intel i7 running at 2.9GHz. It still uses MagSafe if someone trips over the cable. A lineup of universally accepted ports. Finally a DVD superdrive that can interchanged with a second hard drive bay. It doesn't use current technology, it could out pace newer laptops and will likely prove itself still useful in the coming years.
The Bloomberg article (linked below) makes Apple's intentions clear, the focus is on the iPad, iPhone, and iOS, and that way of thinking has infected the way new Mac's are made. The iPhone has less ports, and so will the mac, and now there is no division dedicated to the development Mac Os. The Macintosh is a much smaller part of Apple's revenue stream, however a lot of creative professionals use them because of how the hardware and software is attuned to their creative needs. A lot of them are now forced to question that, and we are either being forced to compromise with a dozen dongles and poor battery life, or switch to a windows platform.
It feels like Apple has put more effort into the iPad pro, and with it's keyboard case and "Apple Pen" than it did with the new MacBook Pro with it's gimmicky touch bar. The problem is, the iPad pro can run full adobe programs like the Microsoft Surface line, which now has a touch screen desktop in its line up, something that Apple's resident village idiot Phil Shiller says no one would want (the article below from "Product Review shows a modern reimagine of the iMac G4 that would be amazing). Shiller also feels sad if you use an older Mac, sorry I won't help pay for your second house.
Apple really needs to figure out it's priorities; is it to make high end professional machines or appeal to the fashion sense of Millennial hipsters? Those of us who use Macs in our lives, home and at work have some serious questions to ask ourselves because it's clear that Apple is shifting it's priorities from the Mac line. For now my Mid 2012 MacBook Pro will keep trudging along, and aside from the screen quality, it still feels like a new computer, it doesn't want to quit. Perhaps they'll get the message, there is always hope that if their numbers go down, maybe they'll have a double take. There is always the Hackitosh if that does't work......
Sources:
http://www.macrumors.com/2016/11/23/jony-ive-speculation-role/
http://www.product-reviews.net/2016/11/15/apple-reaffirms-stance-on-touchscreen-imac-will-never-be-released/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp4ypElIp2M
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-20/how-apple-alienated-mac-loyalists
