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Devs are a tiny population compared to general smartphone/gadget users. As someone who pays the Apple premium for a reliable laptop that runs a Unix with good
by username223 10y ago
Devs are a tiny population compared to general smartphone/gadget users. As someone who pays the Apple premium for a reliable laptop that runs a Unix with good desktop applications, I wish they would put more work into developer-focused products, but there's too little money in it for a company of Apple's size.
Back in the day, a company with a money-printing machine like the iPhone, e.g. Ma Bell with telephone service, would create a world-class R&D division inventing all sorts of stuff with no regard for short-term profit. Google X may have aspired to this at some point, but they seem to have backed off. Sadly, the modern company has eliminated this drag on quarterly profits.
- anindha 10y agoThe iPhone is popular partly because of the apps that developers created. You could make an argument that making better developer laptops might lead to better iPhone sales.
- lsadam0 10y agoThere's no "could make..." to it. This is absolutely the case.
- pokemongoaway 10y agoHaha... I feel like people very often hedge and undermine their own correct argumentation when they differ from something mainstream or powerful.
- lsadam0 10y agoMachines targeted solely at devs just seems like a no-brainer to me. Sure, you make no money on them. The value comes from enticing development for your ecosystem. The stagnation of the Mac Pro, and the disappointing MacBook Pro update really confuse me. I'm starting to perceive 1998 Microsoft levels of arrogance.
- pokemongoaway 10y agoExactly, and the fact that devs even need to ask from a giant like Apple that benefits so much from devs demonstrates a lot about the underpinnings of Apple.
- pokemongoaway 10y agoDo you find it sad that in this day & age - on a site like HN, no less - you find yourself posting so empathetically about the richest companies backing off invention and innovation? Surely most readers here are smart enough to realize that, yes: making things for a small population of their current user base is a suboptimal way to rake in the highest profit margins - so why do we find so many comments even on HN undermining their own vitality with such corporate pandering? Yes, it is logical that Apple tries to increase their profits as much as possible - but it is logical that we state this as an unchanging reality each time we preface our dreams and ideals?