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I think that Apple forget that video pros are also consumers. And their families. Usually Apple products thrive in families where at least one member is a profe

by iagooar 10y ago

I think that Apple forget that video pros are also consumers. And their families. Usually Apple products thrive in families where at least one member is a professional that uses Macs for work. It just fits the whole idea of an ecosystem, so these people and their family members have iPhones, iPads, an AppleTV and maybe an Apple Watch. Once these people start working on Windows machines, the benefit on an iPhone is reduced. It's still a great phone, but they might go for an alternative. Same applies to iPads. Apple should wake up quick. The extraordinary sales numbers of the iPhone seem to have made the company live in a bubble where there is just the phones that matter. But who knows for how long smartphones are going to stay relevant and if a new piece of technology is going to replace them...

visarga 10y ago
In the meantime: > Apple reports record profits in first quarter > It was Apple's most profitable quarter ever, raking in $78.4 billion. It also sold 78 million iPhones in the three months leading up to New Year's Eve — more than any previous quarter. > Net income was almost $18 billion. In other words, a license to print money. http://www.marketplace.org/2017/01/31/tech/final-note/apple-reports-record-profits-first-quarter http://www.marketplace.org/2017/01/31/tech/final-note/apple-... So, tell me, why should they make an extra effort? They're good as they are.
- iagooar 10y ago
  You are right. I'm not saying Apple is doing bad. It's just short-sighted to let the Mac (Pro) die. They might need a more colorful palette of products in the future. It's easier for them to keep the Mac alive than having to rebuild it if they abandon it. It will take them years to get the professionals back if they do so.
- crowbahr 10y ago
  Because they're resting on their laurels. It's dangerous to coast the way they are.
  - blunte 10y ago
    Exactly. And it seems every king of the mountain makes this mistake. Meanwhile, Microsoft, who many of us shunned for years because of them doing exactly this, is turning around and starting to show promise. I do predict a visible shift of developers from Apple to MS - not to do Windows development, but to do general development on a Windows device... and possibly in a Linux shell within Windows.
    - astrodust 10y ago
      Until they clean up Windows wholesale, top to bottom, there's no way it will ever be the same experience. There's just so many layers of abject garbage in Windows. These are there for legacy reasons, but they're also a giant hassle if you're trying to work as a developer. Some Linux distributions are rough around the edges, but few of them are as tired and worn out as Windows is. macOS at least burns off the underbrush once in a while. There's few 32-bit apps in the wild now, most everyone's gone 64-bit. PowerPC is history. The driver landscape, while significantly more limited than Windows, isn't filled with broken garbage and junk that works on Windows 7 but not 10 or vice-versa. Microsoft's strength is legacy support: Applications from fifteen, even twenty years ago still run. This is also their biggest problem.
- mistermann 10y ago
  Street cred?
- teekert 10y ago
  This is more a long term issue, of course you don't feel it when some trend-setters leave your product behind for something else. But these people are trend-setters... I'm personally still 2 versions behind on osX because of Aperture. Now I heard photos can do many of the things aperture can except that you can't organize your library. Wut? Yeah, a real pro would switch to Lightroom right? And Lightroom is also available on Windows. As is Bash. As are multiple desktops. And finally Windows machines are getting quality trackpads and in it is easy to buy upgradable Windows PCs. Still I'd wish the Adobe suite was available on Linux though... This was my last Mac, especially now that Dell and HP seem to finally understand that people are willing to pay for quality hardware.
- harryf 10y ago
  Designers, developers and gamers have always been the opinion leaders in personal computing. Apple showed they could maintain and resurrect their business by keeping their appeal with designers and making an attractive platform for developers. Gamers always stuck with Windows or consoles. Abandoning designers and developers means gradual erosion of your position as leading personal computing platform; the opinion leaders are no longer on your side telling everyone how great your products are. Now this might be a really smart strategy when you factor in mobile and cloud computings impact on personal computing. Hard to say how that will play out. My guess is it's a big mistake to leave designers and developers behind, especially as we enter the era of VR content creation.
  - johncolanduoni 10y ago
    I think you're significantly overestimating the degree to which people will follow recommendations that are explained by complaining about features they didn't even know existed, even if they are much less informed than the one giving the advice.
    - marcosdumay 10y ago
      They don't. They look around for somebody with an informed opinion and ask "Hey, I'm switching my computer, what do you think I should buy", go with the answer. And, of course, they'll trust the answer much more if it's the same thing the expert is using.
    - shuntress 10y ago
      When friends ask me "What laptop should I get?" I don't tell them about the differences between various versions of Visual Studio or why I prefer Windows 7 or 10 over 8. I just tell them "Get a T-Series Thinkpad"
- technofiend 10y ago
  This isn't a perfect analogy but if my mechanic said he only drove brand Y because it was reliable and then I heard anecdotally from Uber drivers they drove brand Y for similar reasons it would be an input for my next car purchase. If I may so humbly suggest it: people on Hacker News and the like are (please excuse the corporate speak) thought leaders and trend setters for similar reasons. Developers are well ahead of the public on what's actually useful as their jobs require much more out of a system than a casual user. It's obvious there is some amount of the HN community that are unhappy with Apple's offerings and are switching to other vendors. Sure Apple is printing money now: the general public are ready buyers of Apple product. No doubt Apple's incredible marketing is largely responsible, but there's an undercurrent of opinion based on what people like HN members use and some small percent is shifting away from Apple. I don't think anyone can really predict the long term trend here: we'll only really know in retrospect, but it is possible if that trend grows then public sentiment will eventually follow suit.
snowwrestler 10y ago
I know a few video pros who have switched their edit systems to PCs. Adobe Premiere has run better on PCs for a while now. Anyway, their personal machines are still all Macs, iPhones, etc. Different products for different uses.
Philipp__ 10y ago
Phone alternatives are so bad today, that I think iPhone is not endangered whatever they chose for their computer. Android just sucks. If you have no plans to root your Android phone (and that's like 95% of people) then there really is no advantage of that famous "Oh but I want to do with my phone what I want". It's hard to believe but security is where Apple won the war. My friends with android phones are still rocking Android 5 Lollipop and that tells you something.
- slfnflctd 10y ago
  > "Oh but I want to do with my phone what I want" The ability to browse a legible file system on the computing device that I own is not some trivial preference which can be so lightly dismissed. It is a huge deal to a lot of people. There are at least half a dozen reasons why I vastly prefer my Android device over iPhone (after using the latter exclusively for many years), but this one is enough all by itself.
  - Philipp__ 10y ago
    That is the legit case, but I would still trade that for security that iOS offers. I am sorry that I didn't make it clear, but with that sentence I was referring more on those people that talk about aesthetics, widgets, launchers, etc, etc...

by iagooar 10y ago

visarga 10y ago

In the meantime: > Apple reports record profits in first quarter > It was Apple's most profitable quarter ever, raking in $78.4 billion. It also sold 78 million iPhones in the three months leading up to New Year's Eve — more than any previous quarter. > Net income was almost $18 billion. In other words, a license to print money. http://www.marketplace.org/2017/01/31/tech/final-note/apple-reports-record-profits-first-quarter http://www.marketplace.org/2017/01/31/tech/final-note/apple-... So, tell me, why should they make an extra effort? They're good as they are.

iagooar 10y ago
You are right. I'm not saying Apple is doing bad. It's just short-sighted to let the Mac (Pro) die. They might need a more colorful palette of products in the future. It's easier for them to keep the Mac alive than having to rebuild it if they abandon it. It will take them years to get the professionals back if they do so.
crowbahr 10y ago
Because they're resting on their laurels. It's dangerous to coast the way they are.
- blunte 10y ago
  Exactly. And it seems every king of the mountain makes this mistake. Meanwhile, Microsoft, who many of us shunned for years because of them doing exactly this, is turning around and starting to show promise. I do predict a visible shift of developers from Apple to MS - not to do Windows development, but to do general development on a Windows device... and possibly in a Linux shell within Windows.
  - astrodust 10y ago
    Until they clean up Windows wholesale, top to bottom, there's no way it will ever be the same experience. There's just so many layers of abject garbage in Windows. These are there for legacy reasons, but they're also a giant hassle if you're trying to work as a developer. Some Linux distributions are rough around the edges, but few of them are as tired and worn out as Windows is. macOS at least burns off the underbrush once in a while. There's few 32-bit apps in the wild now, most everyone's gone 64-bit. PowerPC is history. The driver landscape, while significantly more limited than Windows, isn't filled with broken garbage and junk that works on Windows 7 but not 10 or vice-versa. Microsoft's strength is legacy support: Applications from fifteen, even twenty years ago still run. This is also their biggest problem.
mistermann 10y ago
Street cred?
teekert 10y ago
This is more a long term issue, of course you don't feel it when some trend-setters leave your product behind for something else. But these people are trend-setters... I'm personally still 2 versions behind on osX because of Aperture. Now I heard photos can do many of the things aperture can except that you can't organize your library. Wut? Yeah, a real pro would switch to Lightroom right? And Lightroom is also available on Windows. As is Bash. As are multiple desktops. And finally Windows machines are getting quality trackpads and in it is easy to buy upgradable Windows PCs. Still I'd wish the Adobe suite was available on Linux though... This was my last Mac, especially now that Dell and HP seem to finally understand that people are willing to pay for quality hardware.
harryf 10y ago
Designers, developers and gamers have always been the opinion leaders in personal computing. Apple showed they could maintain and resurrect their business by keeping their appeal with designers and making an attractive platform for developers. Gamers always stuck with Windows or consoles. Abandoning designers and developers means gradual erosion of your position as leading personal computing platform; the opinion leaders are no longer on your side telling everyone how great your products are. Now this might be a really smart strategy when you factor in mobile and cloud computings impact on personal computing. Hard to say how that will play out. My guess is it's a big mistake to leave designers and developers behind, especially as we enter the era of VR content creation.
- johncolanduoni 10y ago
  I think you're significantly overestimating the degree to which people will follow recommendations that are explained by complaining about features they didn't even know existed, even if they are much less informed than the one giving the advice.
  - marcosdumay 10y ago
    They don't. They look around for somebody with an informed opinion and ask "Hey, I'm switching my computer, what do you think I should buy", go with the answer. And, of course, they'll trust the answer much more if it's the same thing the expert is using.
  - shuntress 10y ago
    When friends ask me "What laptop should I get?" I don't tell them about the differences between various versions of Visual Studio or why I prefer Windows 7 or 10 over 8. I just tell them "Get a T-Series Thinkpad"
technofiend 10y ago
This isn't a perfect analogy but if my mechanic said he only drove brand Y because it was reliable and then I heard anecdotally from Uber drivers they drove brand Y for similar reasons it would be an input for my next car purchase. If I may so humbly suggest it: people on Hacker News and the like are (please excuse the corporate speak) thought leaders and trend setters for similar reasons. Developers are well ahead of the public on what's actually useful as their jobs require much more out of a system than a casual user. It's obvious there is some amount of the HN community that are unhappy with Apple's offerings and are switching to other vendors. Sure Apple is printing money now: the general public are ready buyers of Apple product. No doubt Apple's incredible marketing is largely responsible, but there's an undercurrent of opinion based on what people like HN members use and some small percent is shifting away from Apple. I don't think anyone can really predict the long term trend here: we'll only really know in retrospect, but it is possible if that trend grows then public sentiment will eventually follow suit.

snowwrestler 10y ago

I know a few video pros who have switched their edit systems to PCs. Adobe Premiere has run better on PCs for a while now. Anyway, their personal machines are still all Macs, iPhones, etc. Different products for different uses.

Philipp__ 10y ago

Phone alternatives are so bad today, that I think iPhone is not endangered whatever they chose for their computer. Android just sucks. If you have no plans to root your Android phone (and that's like 95% of people) then there really is no advantage of that famous "Oh but I want to do with my phone what I want". It's hard to believe but security is where Apple won the war. My friends with android phones are still rocking Android 5 Lollipop and that tells you something.

slfnflctd 10y ago
> "Oh but I want to do with my phone what I want" The ability to browse a legible file system on the computing device that I own is not some trivial preference which can be so lightly dismissed. It is a huge deal to a lot of people. There are at least half a dozen reasons why I vastly prefer my Android device over iPhone (after using the latter exclusively for many years), but this one is enough all by itself.
- Philipp__ 10y ago
  That is the legit case, but I would still trade that for security that iOS offers. I am sorry that I didn't make it clear, but with that sentence I was referring more on those people that talk about aesthetics, widgets, launchers, etc, etc...