4 ms·

Maybe these aren't mainstream problems, but they do reflect a change in Apple's brand. Apple used to position themselves as the brand for artists, musicians, a

by panic 8y ago

Maybe these aren't mainstream problems, but they do reflect a change in Apple's brand. Apple used to position themselves as the brand for artists, musicians, and other creative types. They even used to hide an optical audio port in the MacBook Pro headphone jack -- talk about a niche feature! But around the same time iPhones lost their headphone jack, the laptops lost their optical port: https://appleinsider.com/articles/16/11/02/new-macbook-pro-drops-optical-audio-out-through-headphone-jack https://appleinsider.com/articles/16/11/02/new-macbook-pro-d.... I'm sure it's ultimately because Tim doesn't care as much as Steve about this stuff, but it does feel like something is being lost.

ohyes 8y ago
It was part of their branding, Apple stuff is for creative people, it lets them get shit done. Now it’s more of a status symbol, I’ve got an apple rather than a crappy generic android or think pad.
_red 8y ago
Tim Cook is to Apple as Steve Balmer was to MS. Both companies stocks soared under each, largely because of their cost cutting / monetization of every aspect of product. However, in both cases, such maneuvers wound up alienating their core supporters and causing strategic brand identity issues. Eventually the board will have to replace TC (and most of the stagnant C-levels) and hopefully, like Microsoft, this will lead to a revitalization of Apple. The "XS Max"...really? Sounds like they've outsourced more than just manufacturing to China.
Bud 8y ago
This is just silly. First, Steve Jobs would have cut these obsolete interfaces just as ruthlessly as Apple has done so under Tim Cook. Jobs had a long history of doing so. Second, this almost certainly wasn't even Tim Cook's call. I don't think Tim tells Jony Ive and the iPhone team which design decisions to make.
- tspike 8y ago
  Obsolete how?
- wwweston 8y ago
  Saying Jobs would have cut those is contrary to one important fact: Apple under Jobs did not cut those interfaces. He "would have" later? Why? Surrounding market conditions aren't that different. Bluetooth audio is almost 20 years old. A2DP was available mid 2000s. Jobs certainly wasn't afraid of change but he also seemed to have an appreciation for things that just work, and 1/8" audio jacks & cables have a lot of virtues here. Seems likely that's why they stuck around through his tenure even though he could have put them on the chopping block in favor of wireless as easily as he did floppies and serial ports. And the optical interface... there's a better argument it's recently become obsolete than there is about 1/8" audio, but far from being "just silly" it's a very concrete illustration of integrating a premium feature with niche utility neatly into the overall package. It's one thing that communicated that Apple was interested in using its margins to make sure the product wasn't just an experience, it was a tool that had the right affordances, the right blade on the swiss army knife for one stripe of professional/enthusiast. Maybe a more common denominator approach will serve Apple equally well. Or maybe things like touch bars ultimately won't as meaningfully differentiate Apple products. Time will tell.
  - microtherion 8y ago
    > Bluetooth audio is almost 20 years old. A2DP was available mid 2000s. Yes, but for instance NFC, which made pairing within the Apple ecosystem much more attractive, is considerably more recent, as is the processing and charging technology in e.g. the AirPods. > Jobs certainly wasn't afraid of change but he also seemed to have an appreciation for things that just work Like 3.5" floppy drives, or CD-ROM drives?
    - Apocryphon 8y ago
      It's possible that Jobs might have made the same move. And just as possible that he would have been as wrong to do so.
snowwrestler 8y ago
Steve Jobs pulled Firewire and ExpressCard ports out of the Macbook Pro at a time when they were used by creators to integrate with their tools and workflows. Apple decided that they were not the future, and faced a ton of complaints for removing them. Jobs was CEO when Apple rewrote Final Cut Pro, which was hugely controversial among filmmakers when it was released. He was CEO when they dropped Shake. He was CEO when they decided to drop DVD drives, and decided to forego Blu-Ray drives. There are a lot of reasons to dislike Apple's decision to drop the headphone jack, but invoking Jobs' dedication to what creators want doesn't pass the laugh test IMO. Apple under Jobs had no problem pissing off creators when Apple thought they were right about a technology change.

by panic 8y ago

ohyes 8y ago

It was part of their branding, Apple stuff is for creative people, it lets them get shit done. Now it’s more of a status symbol, I’ve got an apple rather than a crappy generic android or think pad.

_red 8y ago

Tim Cook is to Apple as Steve Balmer was to MS. Both companies stocks soared under each, largely because of their cost cutting / monetization of every aspect of product. However, in both cases, such maneuvers wound up alienating their core supporters and causing strategic brand identity issues. Eventually the board will have to replace TC (and most of the stagnant C-levels) and hopefully, like Microsoft, this will lead to a revitalization of Apple. The "XS Max"...really? Sounds like they've outsourced more than just manufacturing to China.

Bud 8y ago

This is just silly. First, Steve Jobs would have cut these obsolete interfaces just as ruthlessly as Apple has done so under Tim Cook. Jobs had a long history of doing so. Second, this almost certainly wasn't even Tim Cook's call. I don't think Tim tells Jony Ive and the iPhone team which design decisions to make.

tspike 8y ago
Obsolete how?
wwweston 8y ago
Saying Jobs would have cut those is contrary to one important fact: Apple under Jobs did not cut those interfaces. He "would have" later? Why? Surrounding market conditions aren't that different. Bluetooth audio is almost 20 years old. A2DP was available mid 2000s. Jobs certainly wasn't afraid of change but he also seemed to have an appreciation for things that just work, and 1/8" audio jacks & cables have a lot of virtues here. Seems likely that's why they stuck around through his tenure even though he could have put them on the chopping block in favor of wireless as easily as he did floppies and serial ports. And the optical interface... there's a better argument it's recently become obsolete than there is about 1/8" audio, but far from being "just silly" it's a very concrete illustration of integrating a premium feature with niche utility neatly into the overall package. It's one thing that communicated that Apple was interested in using its margins to make sure the product wasn't just an experience, it was a tool that had the right affordances, the right blade on the swiss army knife for one stripe of professional/enthusiast. Maybe a more common denominator approach will serve Apple equally well. Or maybe things like touch bars ultimately won't as meaningfully differentiate Apple products. Time will tell.
- microtherion 8y ago
  > Bluetooth audio is almost 20 years old. A2DP was available mid 2000s. Yes, but for instance NFC, which made pairing within the Apple ecosystem much more attractive, is considerably more recent, as is the processing and charging technology in e.g. the AirPods. > Jobs certainly wasn't afraid of change but he also seemed to have an appreciation for things that just work Like 3.5" floppy drives, or CD-ROM drives?
  - Apocryphon 8y ago
    It's possible that Jobs might have made the same move. And just as possible that he would have been as wrong to do so.

snowwrestler 8y ago

Steve Jobs pulled Firewire and ExpressCard ports out of the Macbook Pro at a time when they were used by creators to integrate with their tools and workflows. Apple decided that they were not the future, and faced a ton of complaints for removing them. Jobs was CEO when Apple rewrote Final Cut Pro, which was hugely controversial among filmmakers when it was released. He was CEO when they dropped Shake. He was CEO when they decided to drop DVD drives, and decided to forego Blu-Ray drives. There are a lot of reasons to dislike Apple's decision to drop the headphone jack, but invoking Jobs' dedication to what creators want doesn't pass the laugh test IMO. Apple under Jobs had no problem pissing off creators when Apple thought they were right about a technology change.