3 ms·

> I think you're making the oversimplification they raise in the article about grouping all of the different pro users archetypes into the idea of "the pro user

by bhauer 10y ago

> I think you're making the oversimplification they raise in the article about grouping all of the different pro users archetypes into the idea of "the pro user". (Some) developers might not care, but other pro types especially that make heavy use of peripherals certainly do. Be that as it may, the fact remains they could satisfy a contingent of the Mac Pro consumers in very short order if they delivered a traditional mid-tower case with modern-day commodity hardware components. Basically a Hackintosh that sits in an unremarkable but cleanly-designed case with internal components that Apple stands behind with tested drivers. A mid-tower Mac Pro is not some daring untested platform. It's what they had prior to 2013. If a segment wants a Mac Pro Mini, then maybe that is something to sink a year or more into. Flipped around, the unnecessary grouping they are doing is insisting that all Mac Pro consumers wait equally long for features that are (apparently) time-consuming to design and engineer. Yet we know from evidence directly in front of us that a segment of "pros" would immediately purchase a refreshed cheese-grater Mac Pro.

TheOtherHobbes 10y ago
The distance between a working prototype and a shippable mass market product is huge. Of course you can go and hack together a high-spec Hackintosh in an afternoon. But that's the easy part. The hard part is setting up the parts sourcing at scale, organising the build channel, setting up the distribution/shipping channel, preparing the documentation and support, and designing the marketing message. You also need to deal with consumer regulations, safety testing, and EM compatibility in every territory you sell to. All of the above takes an impressive amount of time and money. If you're Apple, you also need to make sure the product fits with your future plans. And - probably - has some magic secret sauce you can tout to make it stand out more. Even a "simple" refreshed cheese grater is still a huge project. And I'm unconvinced a refreshed cheese grater would solve the real problem - which is now lack of trust in the brand, and lack of marketing momentum.

by bhauer 10y ago

TheOtherHobbes 10y ago

The distance between a working prototype and a shippable mass market product is huge. Of course you can go and hack together a high-spec Hackintosh in an afternoon. But that's the easy part. The hard part is setting up the parts sourcing at scale, organising the build channel, setting up the distribution/shipping channel, preparing the documentation and support, and designing the marketing message. You also need to deal with consumer regulations, safety testing, and EM compatibility in every territory you sell to. All of the above takes an impressive amount of time and money. If you're Apple, you also need to make sure the product fits with your future plans. And - probably - has some magic secret sauce you can tout to make it stand out more. Even a "simple" refreshed cheese grater is still a huge project. And I'm unconvinced a refreshed cheese grater would solve the real problem - which is now lack of trust in the brand, and lack of marketing momentum.