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The numbers coming out of Apple next quarter will be interesting. iPhone 7 has been underwhelming and reception to the latest MacBooks Pros has been mostly nega

by itg 10y ago

The numbers coming out of Apple next quarter will be interesting. iPhone 7 has been underwhelming and reception to the latest MacBooks Pros has been mostly negative. And if sales are on a downhill trajectory, I wonder what the response inside of Apple will be.

cracell 10y ago
I hope the market punishes them for removing the ports we regularly use from the MacBook Pro so when I'm ready to buy a new one in a few years they have brought them back. In particular the removal of the magsafe power connector is maddening. By far my favorite feature of Macbooks and they removed it because??
- matthewmacleod 10y ago
  The removed it because it was a proprietary port and felt that the market was better served in the long term by eliminating this kind of special case. I like MagSafe, but it's not really that big a deal.
  - Alupis 10y ago
    > The removed it because it was a proprietary port Apple is not shy when it comes to using proprietary ports - so I don't really buy this argument. We can look at the iPhone 7 and it's proprietary non-USB connector as clear evidence they don't mind running proprietary connectors.
    - Bud 10y ago
      >Apple is not shy when it comes to using proprietary ports - so I don't really buy this argument. There was not a single proprietary port on the old MB Pro, except for MagSafe, which isn't really even a port, but instead a power interface. Zero.
      - Alupis 10y ago
        > There was not a single proprietary port on the old MB Pro, except for MagSafe So somehow that means Apple hates proprietary ports? Besides, the Thunderbolt ports might as well have been proprietary given the small number of non-apple devices that used them.
      - na85 10y ago
        I'm glad we agree there was a proprietary connector on that device.
  - Washuu 10y ago
    MagSafe saved the brand "new" 15" MacBook Pro I bought last week, twice. Once when the young nephew grabbed the wire curious gently tugging it. Another when my mother hit the charger with her foot and sent it flying across the room. As well with the second case it also entirely prevented my mother from taking a nasty fall from tripping. For those that it is useful for it is a big deal.
- matwood 10y ago
  No, in a few years everything will be USB-C. The ports are gone for good.
  - shams93 10y ago
    Yeah the devices are coming soon. I find it ironic that the new macbook pro works seemlessly with new google pixel devices, you can just plug in a usb-c cable between them, no dongles needed. If Apple wanted to be really bold they would have swapped lightening for usb-c so the new iphone and macbook pro could be connected with one simple cable.
    - matwood 10y ago
      Totally agree. I made a comment on the original MBP thread that Apple dropped the ball here by not releasing the iPhone 7 also as usb-c. I'll be shocked, and really wonder WTF, if the next iPhone is not usb-c.
      - marcoperaza 10y ago
        They're kind of in a tough spot there, having licensed so many lightning port accessories and headphones, that many of their customers have since spent so much money on. And to their credit, they created the lightning port before USB type-C even existed.
        snovv_crash 10y ago
        Then why not a dongle? After all, that seems to be the solution for everything else...
  - flamedoge 10y ago
    and a several more after, it might have no ports! all wireless! wireless power!
- manarth 10y ago
  In particular the removal of the magsafe power connector When USB-C removed the need for a dedicated power lead, I think that spelled the end for magsafe. Still, there's always this: https://griffintechnology.com/intl/breaksafe-magnetic-usb-c-power-cable https://griffintechnology.com/intl/breaksafe-magnetic-usb-c-...
  - dblohm7 10y ago
    Or maybe this: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/branchusb/magneo-first-true-usb-c-magnetic-adapter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/branchusb/magneo-first-...
    - andrei_says_ 10y ago
      This looks like the right approach, thanks for the link. However I still find the fact that I'd have to pay an extra $35 for an incredibly useful feature which apple decided to kill very unpleasant. Their product is not cheaper. So I end up subsidizing their stupidity. Or worse, their choice to not give a damn about my needs.
matthewmacleod 10y ago
Where are you getting that impression? My understanding that was both the iPhone 7 and new MacBooks were the fastest-selling models of their respective product lines that Apple had ever released?
- untog 10y ago
  It's too early to tell. The iPhone 7 did indeed sell huge amounts immediately after launch, but IIRC that's the period every iPhone has sold the most - it then tails off throughout the year. The question is whether the iPhone 7 tails off more or less than previous devices.
- revelation 10y ago
  As self-reported by Apple according to unknown criteria. We don't know yet. But if you look at the development of iPhone sales [1], they pretty much peaked in 2015. Q1 2016 was only a rounding error away from the top in 2015 and YoY 2016 sales are very much down. That doesn't seem like a hot growing market anymore. [1]: http://www.statista.com/graphic/5/263401/global-apple-iphone-sales-since-3rd-quarter-2007.jpg http://www.statista.com/graphic/5/263401/global-apple-iphone...
mirekrusin 10y ago
I wonder if, and if then how much, sales of MacBook pros are corellated to sales of iPhones. I suspect the correlation exists and it's stronger than we'd think.
- walterbell 10y ago
  The de-prioritization of MacOS could cause defections from all-Apple customers. Even though MacOS device revenue is a small percentage of iOS device revenue, MacOS defections break the all-Apple halo and open the door for other devices to be recommended by former advocates of Apple's ecosystem.
baldfat 10y ago
> the latest MacBooks Pros has been mostly negative To developers to the hipsters they are "FANTASTIC!" Apple doesn't think they need developer specific tools. Personally 90% of what I ever see is Apple products at Open Source conventions and developer conferences.
Spooky23 10y ago
I thought the same thing about the MacBook because of what you hear in the tech echo chamber. The reality is that I t's mostly bullshit -- the notebooks have been selling extremely well. The disgruntled "pro" audience is mostly bullshit. Intel isn't focusing very well on his category of product. Most of the PC OEMs have similar challenges -- faster laptops are bigger, have worse battery life and usually shittier screens.
- erdevs 10y ago
  Source on MBP sales? Are these launch sales figures or over a longer-term period?
  - Spooky23 10y ago
    https://www.google.com/amp/bgr.com/2016/11/22/macbook-pro-2016-sales-strong-demand/amp/ https://www.google.com/amp/bgr.com/2016/11/22/macbook-pro-20... If they are projecting a great 4th quarter with only a 2-3% drop off in Q1 2017, it's a runaway hit. Q1 is death for computer sales.
    - erdevs 10y ago
      Thanks! I'm not sure how much to extract from this article but it seems a leap to state definitively that "the notebooks have been selling extremely well" and that concerns are mostly bullshit. I have no dog in the fight as I am fine with the MBP overall, but this article cites no hard data. And the sole quote from Apple references only initial sales at their online store. That's good news but it doesn't speak definitively to overall initial sales, let alone multi-month/longer-term sales. The only other quote is from an MBP supply component company and is encouraging but ambiguous and isn't about actual sales but its own internal forecasts. MBP sales may indeed turn out to be great and these are apparently good signals as to potential, but it'd be premature to conclude from these reports that it is selling "great", relative to either historical periods or to particular expectations, let alone that it will continue to do so if it is.
- snovv_crash 10y ago
DavideNL 10y ago
> The numbers coming out of Apple next quarter will be interesting Isn't it expected that many people will wait for the iPhone 8 (also iPhone's 10 year anniversary) because Apple probably waits with releasing new features for this version?
Havoc 10y ago
>I wonder what the response inside of Apple will be. They'll take the battery out of the phone to make it 2mm thinner...and then you get to plug it in via dongle. #courage
jaxondu 10y ago
I suspect Apple will continue downhill in 2017 especially in Asia markets. The so called iPhone 8 10-anniversary phone brand new design is never gonna happen. Instead we will get iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus with the same design but with an OLED screen. The reason is Tim Cook is in charge, he is a supply chain guy. And Apple is going to squeeze out all profit possible from the investments in iPhone 6/6s/7/7s design, by reusing the same factory retrofitting. Its about profit margin. If Apple continue to reuse the same 4 year old design, it will start to loose its appeal as a fashion accessory, to the younger crowd.

by itg 10y ago

cracell 10y ago

I hope the market punishes them for removing the ports we regularly use from the MacBook Pro so when I'm ready to buy a new one in a few years they have brought them back. In particular the removal of the magsafe power connector is maddening. By far my favorite feature of Macbooks and they removed it because??

matthewmacleod 10y ago
The removed it because it was a proprietary port and felt that the market was better served in the long term by eliminating this kind of special case. I like MagSafe, but it's not really that big a deal.
- Alupis 10y ago
  > The removed it because it was a proprietary port Apple is not shy when it comes to using proprietary ports - so I don't really buy this argument. We can look at the iPhone 7 and it's proprietary non-USB connector as clear evidence they don't mind running proprietary connectors.
  - Bud 10y ago
    >Apple is not shy when it comes to using proprietary ports - so I don't really buy this argument. There was not a single proprietary port on the old MB Pro, except for MagSafe, which isn't really even a port, but instead a power interface. Zero.
    - Alupis 10y ago
      > There was not a single proprietary port on the old MB Pro, except for MagSafe So somehow that means Apple hates proprietary ports? Besides, the Thunderbolt ports might as well have been proprietary given the small number of non-apple devices that used them.
    - na85 10y ago
      I'm glad we agree there was a proprietary connector on that device.
- Washuu 10y ago
  MagSafe saved the brand "new" 15" MacBook Pro I bought last week, twice. Once when the young nephew grabbed the wire curious gently tugging it. Another when my mother hit the charger with her foot and sent it flying across the room. As well with the second case it also entirely prevented my mother from taking a nasty fall from tripping. For those that it is useful for it is a big deal.
matwood 10y ago
No, in a few years everything will be USB-C. The ports are gone for good.
- shams93 10y ago
  Yeah the devices are coming soon. I find it ironic that the new macbook pro works seemlessly with new google pixel devices, you can just plug in a usb-c cable between them, no dongles needed. If Apple wanted to be really bold they would have swapped lightening for usb-c so the new iphone and macbook pro could be connected with one simple cable.
  - matwood 10y ago
    Totally agree. I made a comment on the original MBP thread that Apple dropped the ball here by not releasing the iPhone 7 also as usb-c. I'll be shocked, and really wonder WTF, if the next iPhone is not usb-c.
    - marcoperaza 10y ago
      They're kind of in a tough spot there, having licensed so many lightning port accessories and headphones, that many of their customers have since spent so much money on. And to their credit, they created the lightning port before USB type-C even existed.
      - snovv_crash 10y ago
        Then why not a dongle? After all, that seems to be the solution for everything else...
- flamedoge 10y ago
  and a several more after, it might have no ports! all wireless! wireless power!
manarth 10y ago
In particular the removal of the magsafe power connector When USB-C removed the need for a dedicated power lead, I think that spelled the end for magsafe. Still, there's always this: https://griffintechnology.com/intl/breaksafe-magnetic-usb-c-power-cable https://griffintechnology.com/intl/breaksafe-magnetic-usb-c-...
- dblohm7 10y ago
  Or maybe this: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/branchusb/magneo-first-true-usb-c-magnetic-adapter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/branchusb/magneo-first-...
  - andrei_says_ 10y ago
    This looks like the right approach, thanks for the link. However I still find the fact that I'd have to pay an extra $35 for an incredibly useful feature which apple decided to kill very unpleasant. Their product is not cheaper. So I end up subsidizing their stupidity. Or worse, their choice to not give a damn about my needs.

matthewmacleod 10y ago

Where are you getting that impression? My understanding that was both the iPhone 7 and new MacBooks were the fastest-selling models of their respective product lines that Apple had ever released?

untog 10y ago
It's too early to tell. The iPhone 7 did indeed sell huge amounts immediately after launch, but IIRC that's the period every iPhone has sold the most - it then tails off throughout the year. The question is whether the iPhone 7 tails off more or less than previous devices.
revelation 10y ago
As self-reported by Apple according to unknown criteria. We don't know yet. But if you look at the development of iPhone sales [1], they pretty much peaked in 2015. Q1 2016 was only a rounding error away from the top in 2015 and YoY 2016 sales are very much down. That doesn't seem like a hot growing market anymore. [1]: http://www.statista.com/graphic/5/263401/global-apple-iphone-sales-since-3rd-quarter-2007.jpg http://www.statista.com/graphic/5/263401/global-apple-iphone...

mirekrusin 10y ago

I wonder if, and if then how much, sales of MacBook pros are corellated to sales of iPhones. I suspect the correlation exists and it's stronger than we'd think.

walterbell 10y ago
The de-prioritization of MacOS could cause defections from all-Apple customers. Even though MacOS device revenue is a small percentage of iOS device revenue, MacOS defections break the all-Apple halo and open the door for other devices to be recommended by former advocates of Apple's ecosystem.

baldfat 10y ago

> the latest MacBooks Pros has been mostly negative To developers to the hipsters they are "FANTASTIC!" Apple doesn't think they need developer specific tools. Personally 90% of what I ever see is Apple products at Open Source conventions and developer conferences.

Spooky23 10y ago

I thought the same thing about the MacBook because of what you hear in the tech echo chamber. The reality is that I t's mostly bullshit -- the notebooks have been selling extremely well. The disgruntled "pro" audience is mostly bullshit. Intel isn't focusing very well on his category of product. Most of the PC OEMs have similar challenges -- faster laptops are bigger, have worse battery life and usually shittier screens.

erdevs 10y ago
Source on MBP sales? Are these launch sales figures or over a longer-term period?
- Spooky23 10y ago
  https://www.google.com/amp/bgr.com/2016/11/22/macbook-pro-2016-sales-strong-demand/amp/ https://www.google.com/amp/bgr.com/2016/11/22/macbook-pro-20... If they are projecting a great 4th quarter with only a 2-3% drop off in Q1 2017, it's a runaway hit. Q1 is death for computer sales.
  - erdevs 10y ago
    Thanks! I'm not sure how much to extract from this article but it seems a leap to state definitively that "the notebooks have been selling extremely well" and that concerns are mostly bullshit. I have no dog in the fight as I am fine with the MBP overall, but this article cites no hard data. And the sole quote from Apple references only initial sales at their online store. That's good news but it doesn't speak definitively to overall initial sales, let alone multi-month/longer-term sales. The only other quote is from an MBP supply component company and is encouraging but ambiguous and isn't about actual sales but its own internal forecasts. MBP sales may indeed turn out to be great and these are apparently good signals as to potential, but it'd be premature to conclude from these reports that it is selling "great", relative to either historical periods or to particular expectations, let alone that it will continue to do so if it is.
snovv_crash 10y ago

DavideNL 10y ago

> The numbers coming out of Apple next quarter will be interesting Isn't it expected that many people will wait for the iPhone 8 (also iPhone's 10 year anniversary) because Apple probably waits with releasing new features for this version?

Havoc 10y ago

>I wonder what the response inside of Apple will be. They'll take the battery out of the phone to make it 2mm thinner...and then you get to plug it in via dongle. #courage

jaxondu 10y ago

I suspect Apple will continue downhill in 2017 especially in Asia markets. The so called iPhone 8 10-anniversary phone brand new design is never gonna happen. Instead we will get iPhone 7s and iPhone 7s Plus with the same design but with an OLED screen. The reason is Tim Cook is in charge, he is a supply chain guy. And Apple is going to squeeze out all profit possible from the investments in iPhone 6/6s/7/7s design, by reusing the same factory retrofitting. Its about profit margin. If Apple continue to reuse the same 4 year old design, it will start to loose its appeal as a fashion accessory, to the younger crowd.