“Predictions are a tricky business. Suggesting that Apple’s port elimination trend would continue was a safe bet in January of this year,” Erik Eckel writes for TechRepublic. “The forecast proved correct when new MacBook Pros were introduced that emphasize USB-C ports and iPhone 7s hit the scene packing a single lightning port and no audio jack.”
“My prediction that Apple would introduce its own streaming service in 2016? Well, we’re all still waiting for that one,” Eckel writes. “What innovations or changes does Apple have in store for 2017? Here are three predictions…”
“With high certainty, look for Apple to introduce faster desktop computers. I believe Apple will introduce both boosted Mac Pro models possessing faster IO speeds, more potent processors, and even more capable video cards. Don’t be surprised if iMacs and Mac minis receive video processor, CPU, and IO improvements, too,” Eckel writes. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple introduces its own voice-activated, Siri-compatible speaker in 2017.”
Eckel writes, “Microsoft’s generating headlines (if not equally robust sales) with its Surface Pro 4 touch-screen tablets, and that could be all the reason Apple needs to add touch-screen displays to its laptop lineup.”
MacDailyNews Take: We highly doubt that last prediction.
Apple’s way make sense: Touch onscreen only when there is no other primary input available.
What you really have to see is anyone under the age of 12, largely untainted by previous computing paradigms, using an iPad. That is the future, not trying to turn Macs into iPads.
That said, as we’ve asked many times over the past few years: Anyone in the market for a 12.9-inch device that’s an OS X-powered MacBook when docked with its keyboard base and an iOS-powered iPad Pro when undocked?
Illustration from Apple’s hybrid Mac-iPad patent application
If the new Mac Pro’s (IF there is one) don’t include pro preference options for video cards (specifically Nvidia) I am gone. I can’t figure out how Apple can be so presumptuous as to make that choice FOR us when it’s not a choice we prefer and for a reason. Well and not ultimately pay a price for it with non-sales and pro’s regrettably switching to the Dark Side.
What part of “pro machines” and “options” don’t they understand? One size does NOT fit all. Neither is excessive miniaturization, seemingly just for the design challenge, a good thing. Nobody ever asked for a smaller Mac Pro.
I nominate the “Mac Pro II”. The old case with new guts. Expandable and, um, actually Pro friendly. Lots of RAM, processor, drive, video, port, etc. options and upgrades.
I can certainly understand your frustration. All those wonderful GPU cards out there and none of them are for Macs. Not the Red Team or the Green Team for Apple. Apple doesn’t believe in giving Mac users any choice of their own. It’s likely Apple will again go with AMD GPUs because of it’s open-source policy. Apple is too selfish to allow a user to select any GPU card and simply stick it into a PCIe slot like Windows computer users do. Instead Apple will give Pro users some lesser GPU option which isn’t even upgradeable over time.
Apple may simply be protecting itself by forcing Apple users to only spend their money through Apple. In some ways I can understand that. But on the other hand, it would seem to be limiting Pro computer sales to only a few users willing to put up with that type of restriction.
NVIDIA is growing like crazy but for Apple users the company might as well not exist. No computer Apple currently makes can use an NVIDIA GPU. Any Windows-using consumer can go out and buy a GPU card that even the most expensive computer Apple makes has can’t match in terms of power. That’s a pretty sad statement.
I like my Macs running OSX and won’t be switching. If I were desperate I’d simply custom build my own Windows 10 machine and put in the best parts I could afford. I wouldn’t waste time building a Hackintosh to run OSX. I’m only pointing out how Apple doesn’t seem to care about the fringe computer users. That’s Apple’s decision and that’s just how it is.
Yes I’ve helped friends jack up their PC’s with the latest Nvidia cards, internal RAID, etc. and it makes me very envious. The thing is if Apple wants to keep everything running through them well for pro’s it will be like Princess Leia’s line in STAR WARS to Grand Moff Tarkin “The more you tighten your grip Apple the more pro computer systems will slip through your fingers.”
Tell me exactly what it is that you LIKE the Mac? Obviously, there is something you DON’T like about your swap-out PC or you wouldn’t be looking. Apple just works!
That Apple “bravely” made a “Pro” laptop that you can’t even plug its own phone and tablet products into shows how far the “just works” and “Apple Ecosystem” has fallen.
2016 was the year Apple finally lost it’s cool. The Pros are pissed rather than pleased, and all this supply chain optimisation to get max penny extra per product means nothing if the product isn’t attractive any more. Knowing that the best tunes are made on Mac, best film and TV edited on Mac, best (non-Windows) programming done on Mac, best design done on Mac is essential to “cool” and is therefore marketing; lose these things and Mac is done.
These last couple of years are starting to remind me of the mid-90s.
The Tim Cook era at Apple will be the worst of all because it will be the longest in duration without correction. The mid-90’s will seem the Golden Era compare to Cook’s time at the helm.
I’ve patiently waited three years for an update to the MacPro line. But have reached the limit. I am currently building my own windows based computer that has far more capabilities then the tired versions Apple currently offers at a far better price. I resisted doing so as long as I could, but felt as though Apple didn’t see the value in supporting the MacPro users. Good Bye Apple.
Here’s mine.
Tim – “We got some amazing things in the pipeline”
Months later – a Apple Stapler
Bad press, pissed off customers, slow sales, lack on inventory
for the stapler
A month after that – Tim – “We got some amazing things in the pipeline”
Annouce a “new” Mac Pro, comes without a power cable, no I/O, it’s thinner, flasher, has a hologram of Tim Cook on it, available in 3 years, but get excited over it… meanwhile samsung rips the idea off and has 4 versions out before Apple has it’s first one out.
Bad press, pissed off customers, stock declines
A month after that – Tim – “We got some amazing things in the pipeline”, We’re gonna give a higher dividend to make investors happy with our smoke and mirrors clueless trajectory.
Back to school season, Apple acquires “eraser” for $5 Billion. Slaps a Apple logo on it and insists “this” eraser is better than any other eraser, available in November for the “back to school” release.
Bad press, pissed off customers, slow sales, lack on inventory
for the stapler
Customers pissed off, Tim replies- “We got some amazing things in the pipeline”
Christmas season comes, Apple book v2, this time in a thinner and faster book, which reads amazing is released for the Christmas season… but in 1 second is sold out, due to them printing 5 copies, of which Tim’s parents purchased the first 4, so now it’s shipping in 12 weeks (8 weeks AFTER Christmas) Tim – “We got some amazing things in the pipeline”
Apple decides to let samsung make the phone now, selling on Apple.com. Resurrects Dell to make computers, now on Apple.com. Amazon take over the Tv ecosystem. Sells all software divisions to other companies. Focuses all energy on iWatch and books. Book now comes with a cover, but you need to buy each page individually (see dongles) if you want the book. Watch now comes without bands, without hands, without batteries.
Tim – “We got some amazing things in the pipeline”
…..
ya know what Tim Cook, ya know what I want in the pipeline?
YOU to be FIRED and REPLACED
If you understand my post and feel the pain, take 1 second to agree with this and help gain more awareness to this clueless leader to be replaced ASAP!
Just remember – we’ve reached the reality I’ve been concerned about for the last 2-3 years. Could we finally be getting enough critical mass of understanding that the problem is Tim Cook. Always had been, is now, and will be. Until he is gone, Apple’s best days are well behind us. Where the hell are the new Mac computers? I fear we have what we will ever have until he’s gone. Then, maybe its too late. Very sad. Very.
So sad to be boldly prophetic, and have it all come true, and then be out of a job after Apple, MDN, and all the rest decline into insignificance. There is no justice. Hold on to that day job as a teacher.
It’s the best out there, but has more issues than ever. Those two ideas don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
Time was when things like the Apple Human Interface Guidelines were the basis of how well Mac operating systems AND software worked, and that made Apple what it is.
Now, the apps that are built for both Mac and Windows generally work equally well.
it’s now the app developers that determine how well things work, not so much OS developers. Apple could get that advantage back by going back to those guidelines in the OS and ESPECIALLY Apple apps.
Will they? My guess is that the developers at Apple are so young that they might not be aware of the guidelines, and heaven forbid they could acknowledge something created when they were 3 years old. Didn’t the history of the world begin the day they were born?
Jony Ive reissued the human interface guidelines. That is why a new window opens on top of the previous one, why icons are turning into badly drawn abstract symbols, and why we have colors such as luminescent blue, invisible ink teal, lipstick red, and snow blind white. It’s why Apple TV has a search box with white text on a white background, and why everything seems to be in circles.
Maybe they need to update the guidelines. If so, they should throw Jony’s out and use the previous version as the base. It’s as if Jony is flying by the seat of his pants and had beans for dinner.
Set up organizations within the company that are responsible for each product line, so that iPhones iPads, software, Macs come out at regular intervals and none are neglected. In other words, chase more than one butterfly at a time.
Do not discontinue products or software abruptly. Never assume that no one is using it.
It’s perfectly okay to improve a product without adding extraneous features. Eventually a product matures to the point that the only feature you can add is cupholders. Don’t add them and you’ll be fine.
Do not assume that because you invented a new interface device, everyone will abandon the old ones. People need a choice. For example, a keyboard has two advantages over Siri: no one can overhear a keyboard, and the keyboard doesn’t care about your pronunciation.
(I’m glad you no longer subscribe to the sexist belief that only women should be in helping professions, and have given Siri masculine voices.)
Base your user interface on research and usability texting. Again. Go back to what made you a leader. Look into appropriate color choices as well degrees of contrast and color saturation. Accommodate people with normal vision.
Stop putting miniature symbols in rounded squares or colored circles, such as in Apple Watch’s bubble-bath user interface.
We don’t need a new version of macOS every year. Put it out every two years so you can improve quality and reduce the number of bugs. Go one step more than beta testing.
Taking the cue from Ken, here is my productive suggestions:
1 – MacPro
Update the MacPro every year with any updates that exist – more ram, faster graphics, MORE I/O ( not less ), more storage, expandability and upgradability. THIS is what a PRO user wants and needs. No reason not to update this yearly. In the Q1 timeframe, a time when companies allocate funds towards equipment and the consumer market slows down. It’s not a fluke why the consumer electronics show, NAMM, auto show, etc.. all pimp new products in Jan/Feb.. now sell to them.
2 – Displays
No reason to blow this market off. You proudly advertise how great your retina display is, yet you ignore making a desktop one? Confusing. Make displays to compliment your MacPro and MacMini
3 – Mac Mini
I still think this product is used and should still be made, just update it.
4 – iMac
WHY is this not a priority to Apple? Make NEW iMacs every year. Announce AND release it in Q3 for the Holiday season and make sure you manufacturer enough to meet the demand.
5 – iPhone
Increase battery life. More innovation. Don’t neglect the 4″ size, just because samsung made you think the world wants huge phones… not everyone does. Loose the “s”, it makes no sense on the marketing side to the consumer. And if you are going to do a whole keynote and release a new model, make sure it has more than “look how think it is”
6 – iWatch
Don’t allocate all your time on this product. It’s fine, let it grow as such. No need to allocate all your resources to it.
7 – AppleTV
Where is 4K? Almost all TV sets are promoting 4k and you’re behind the curve. Also, the i/o again is lacking for systems that run like Control4 that needs better options for i/o.
Get the deals done with the networks to help consumers rid the stranglehold on cable companies that over-charge for a million channels.
8 – MacBook Pro
bring back i/o!!!!
If you want to be respected as a PRO machine, allow there PROS to USE it without 1,000 cables coming out of it.
9 – MacBook / MacBook Air
just give them a refresh more often than 3 years
I really dont understand the difficulty to update these yearly, without the need for a re-design…
10 – Stock
Keep buying back diluted shares so it’s harder to be manipulated. AAPL is one of the most manipulated stocks on the market.
11- Aquisitions
Make sure what you are looking to acquire is not something Apple can achieve on it’s own with the talent within. (See Beats). And whoever is negotiating these deals needs to grow a pair and learn how to get better deals and not waste so much money on some of these companies. When I see what Apple pays for these acquisitions, I shake my head.
If you’re gonna quire a company, acquire Adobe.
12 – Diversify
Apple needs to diversify manufacturing to more than one resource to meet the demand. Be the leader in bringing back manufacturing on a large scale back to America. Utilize China, Mexico and India to meet demand for products so the consumer can purchase the products you are advertising.
13 – Advertising
More money needs to be spent on Advertising and aggressive advertising. Apple has gotten a little weak on ads, which the exception of the light bulb one.
14 – iTunes
Fix iTunes. It’s such a pain and over-bloated. iTunes 2010 runs better than iTunes 2017… that is messed up.
15 – Software
Fix Mail. Fix spotlight. Bring back Aperture.
Allocate staff to interact with users of your software and aggressively update them based on the users input. It’s not that difficult.. the users will give you the answers to the quiz. Listen to them and your software will shine.
16 – iCloud
This is kind of embarrassing. Other companies offer better services for less money.
17 – Retail
Allocate more employees to help people at the help desk. Every store I go in has 10-20 sales people, mostly talking to one another, meanwhile 2-3 tech people are backlogged with pissed off customers. This is mis-managed and can be better handled. Remember, since opening retail you sell more sku’s, so you need to service them better.
18 – Keynotes
Tim, step aside and let someone with passion, excitement and a great stage excitement do the keynotes. Make them count. Don’t assemble the press and your fan base to come to one of these events to tell them the new iPhone is thinner. Don’t waste everyone’s time and understand when you have the stage.. perform… sell… and if you lack things to talk about, then it should be telling to your allocate of the talent around you and how to utilized them.
19 – Apple Pay
WHY is this not being advertised like crazy? No excuse for the lazy approach to this. Advertise this everywhere. Co-Brand with world brands. Do a co-brand commercial with subway showing people buying a sandwich and paying with their phone in seconds. Show how easy and secure it is. Almost every person I tell about Apple Pay has no clue about how much more secure it is than the other choices. Even the retail staff doesn’t know. Who’s job is that to tell them?
Apple! Run ads showcasing that strength.
20 – HomeKit
See how users use products like Control4 and start building the ecosystem for that. I feel this, along with CarPlay, can be a game-changer if done right. You create great things like HomeKit, yet trying to educate the consumer about it is lacking. There should a fun section on the website all about these technologies you have. Consumers should not have to dig for that info. The website and marketing should be promoting them more aggressively.
21 – iPad
iPad should be updated every year and announced and released Q3 for holiday quarter sales.
“My prediction that Apple would introduce its own streaming service in 2016? Well, we’re all still waiting for that one,”
I suppose I know what he means, but I would categorize Apple’s Movies and TV shows available for rent or purchase on Apple TV as a streaming service.
If the new Mac Pro’s (IF there is one) don’t include pro preference options for video cards (specifically Nvidia) I am gone. I can’t figure out how Apple can be so presumptuous as to make that choice FOR us when it’s not a choice we prefer and for a reason. Well and not ultimately pay a price for it with non-sales and pro’s regrettably switching to the Dark Side.
What part of “pro machines” and “options” don’t they understand? One size does NOT fit all. Neither is excessive miniaturization, seemingly just for the design challenge, a good thing. Nobody ever asked for a smaller Mac Pro.
I nominate the “Mac Pro II”. The old case with new guts. Expandable and, um, actually Pro friendly. Lots of RAM, processor, drive, video, port, etc. options and upgrades.
And I second that notion and toast to it’s reality (but realistic enough to know our pro hopes and dreams will more likely be Ives/Cook-crushed.)
I can certainly understand your frustration. All those wonderful GPU cards out there and none of them are for Macs. Not the Red Team or the Green Team for Apple. Apple doesn’t believe in giving Mac users any choice of their own. It’s likely Apple will again go with AMD GPUs because of it’s open-source policy. Apple is too selfish to allow a user to select any GPU card and simply stick it into a PCIe slot like Windows computer users do. Instead Apple will give Pro users some lesser GPU option which isn’t even upgradeable over time.
Apple may simply be protecting itself by forcing Apple users to only spend their money through Apple. In some ways I can understand that. But on the other hand, it would seem to be limiting Pro computer sales to only a few users willing to put up with that type of restriction.
NVIDIA is growing like crazy but for Apple users the company might as well not exist. No computer Apple currently makes can use an NVIDIA GPU. Any Windows-using consumer can go out and buy a GPU card that even the most expensive computer Apple makes has can’t match in terms of power. That’s a pretty sad statement.
I like my Macs running OSX and won’t be switching. If I were desperate I’d simply custom build my own Windows 10 machine and put in the best parts I could afford. I wouldn’t waste time building a Hackintosh to run OSX. I’m only pointing out how Apple doesn’t seem to care about the fringe computer users. That’s Apple’s decision and that’s just how it is.
Yes I’ve helped friends jack up their PC’s with the latest Nvidia cards, internal RAID, etc. and it makes me very envious. The thing is if Apple wants to keep everything running through them well for pro’s it will be like Princess Leia’s line in STAR WARS to Grand Moff Tarkin “The more you tighten your grip Apple the more pro computer systems will slip through your fingers.”
Tell me exactly what it is that you LIKE the Mac? Obviously, there is something you DON’T like about your swap-out PC or you wouldn’t be looking. Apple just works!
That Apple “bravely” made a “Pro” laptop that you can’t even plug its own phone and tablet products into shows how far the “just works” and “Apple Ecosystem” has fallen.
2016 was the year Apple finally lost it’s cool. The Pros are pissed rather than pleased, and all this supply chain optimisation to get max penny extra per product means nothing if the product isn’t attractive any more. Knowing that the best tunes are made on Mac, best film and TV edited on Mac, best (non-Windows) programming done on Mac, best design done on Mac is essential to “cool” and is therefore marketing; lose these things and Mac is done.
These last couple of years are starting to remind me of the mid-90s.
AMEN!
The Tim Cook era at Apple will be the worst of all because it will be the longest in duration without correction. The mid-90’s will seem the Golden Era compare to Cook’s time at the helm.
I’ve patiently waited three years for an update to the MacPro line. But have reached the limit. I am currently building my own windows based computer that has far more capabilities then the tired versions Apple currently offers at a far better price. I resisted doing so as long as I could, but felt as though Apple didn’t see the value in supporting the MacPro users. Good Bye Apple.
It’s a shame. Apple is losing people who want to give it money for good hardware. Too bad they are not making the hardware that those people want.
Perhaps their new slogan is “There’s a dongle for that”.
Actively researching a Hackintosh build but hoping i don’t have to go down that road 🙁
Here’s mine.
Tim – “We got some amazing things in the pipeline”
Months later – a Apple Stapler
Bad press, pissed off customers, slow sales, lack on inventory
for the stapler
A month after that – Tim – “We got some amazing things in the pipeline”
Annouce a “new” Mac Pro, comes without a power cable, no I/O, it’s thinner, flasher, has a hologram of Tim Cook on it, available in 3 years, but get excited over it… meanwhile samsung rips the idea off and has 4 versions out before Apple has it’s first one out.
Bad press, pissed off customers, stock declines
A month after that – Tim – “We got some amazing things in the pipeline”, We’re gonna give a higher dividend to make investors happy with our smoke and mirrors clueless trajectory.
Back to school season, Apple acquires “eraser” for $5 Billion. Slaps a Apple logo on it and insists “this” eraser is better than any other eraser, available in November for the “back to school” release.
Bad press, pissed off customers, slow sales, lack on inventory
for the stapler
Customers pissed off, Tim replies- “We got some amazing things in the pipeline”
Christmas season comes, Apple book v2, this time in a thinner and faster book, which reads amazing is released for the Christmas season… but in 1 second is sold out, due to them printing 5 copies, of which Tim’s parents purchased the first 4, so now it’s shipping in 12 weeks (8 weeks AFTER Christmas) Tim – “We got some amazing things in the pipeline”
Apple decides to let samsung make the phone now, selling on Apple.com. Resurrects Dell to make computers, now on Apple.com. Amazon take over the Tv ecosystem. Sells all software divisions to other companies. Focuses all energy on iWatch and books. Book now comes with a cover, but you need to buy each page individually (see dongles) if you want the book. Watch now comes without bands, without hands, without batteries.
Tim – “We got some amazing things in the pipeline”
…..
ya know what Tim Cook, ya know what I want in the pipeline?
YOU to be FIRED and REPLACED
If you understand my post and feel the pain, take 1 second to agree with this and help gain more awareness to this clueless leader to be replaced ASAP!
https://www.change.org/p/apple-board-of-directors-remove-tim-cook-as-ceo-of-apple
Just remember – we’ve reached the reality I’ve been concerned about for the last 2-3 years. Could we finally be getting enough critical mass of understanding that the problem is Tim Cook. Always had been, is now, and will be. Until he is gone, Apple’s best days are well behind us. Where the hell are the new Mac computers? I fear we have what we will ever have until he’s gone. Then, maybe its too late. Very sad. Very.
So sad to be boldly prophetic, and have it all come true, and then be out of a job after Apple, MDN, and all the rest decline into insignificance. There is no justice. Hold on to that day job as a teacher.
Mac user since 1988
It’s the best out there, but has more issues than ever. Those two ideas don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
Time was when things like the Apple Human Interface Guidelines were the basis of how well Mac operating systems AND software worked, and that made Apple what it is.
Now, the apps that are built for both Mac and Windows generally work equally well.
it’s now the app developers that determine how well things work, not so much OS developers. Apple could get that advantage back by going back to those guidelines in the OS and ESPECIALLY Apple apps.
Will they? My guess is that the developers at Apple are so young that they might not be aware of the guidelines, and heaven forbid they could acknowledge something created when they were 3 years old. Didn’t the history of the world begin the day they were born?
Bingo!
Jony Ive reissued the human interface guidelines. That is why a new window opens on top of the previous one, why icons are turning into badly drawn abstract symbols, and why we have colors such as luminescent blue, invisible ink teal, lipstick red, and snow blind white. It’s why Apple TV has a search box with white text on a white background, and why everything seems to be in circles.
Maybe they need to update the guidelines. If so, they should throw Jony’s out and use the previous version as the base. It’s as if Jony is flying by the seat of his pants and had beans for dinner.
My prediction….. Apple will release more emojis.
I would give advice rather than make predictions:
Set up organizations within the company that are responsible for each product line, so that iPhones iPads, software, Macs come out at regular intervals and none are neglected. In other words, chase more than one butterfly at a time.
Do not discontinue products or software abruptly. Never assume that no one is using it.
It’s perfectly okay to improve a product without adding extraneous features. Eventually a product matures to the point that the only feature you can add is cupholders. Don’t add them and you’ll be fine.
Do not assume that because you invented a new interface device, everyone will abandon the old ones. People need a choice. For example, a keyboard has two advantages over Siri: no one can overhear a keyboard, and the keyboard doesn’t care about your pronunciation.
(I’m glad you no longer subscribe to the sexist belief that only women should be in helping professions, and have given Siri masculine voices.)
Base your user interface on research and usability texting. Again. Go back to what made you a leader. Look into appropriate color choices as well degrees of contrast and color saturation. Accommodate people with normal vision.
Stop putting miniature symbols in rounded squares or colored circles, such as in Apple Watch’s bubble-bath user interface.
We don’t need a new version of macOS every year. Put it out every two years so you can improve quality and reduce the number of bugs. Go one step more than beta testing.
All good ideas Ken
Taking the cue from Ken, here is my productive suggestions:
1 – MacPro
Update the MacPro every year with any updates that exist – more ram, faster graphics, MORE I/O ( not less ), more storage, expandability and upgradability. THIS is what a PRO user wants and needs. No reason not to update this yearly. In the Q1 timeframe, a time when companies allocate funds towards equipment and the consumer market slows down. It’s not a fluke why the consumer electronics show, NAMM, auto show, etc.. all pimp new products in Jan/Feb.. now sell to them.
2 – Displays
No reason to blow this market off. You proudly advertise how great your retina display is, yet you ignore making a desktop one? Confusing. Make displays to compliment your MacPro and MacMini
3 – Mac Mini
I still think this product is used and should still be made, just update it.
4 – iMac
WHY is this not a priority to Apple? Make NEW iMacs every year. Announce AND release it in Q3 for the Holiday season and make sure you manufacturer enough to meet the demand.
5 – iPhone
Increase battery life. More innovation. Don’t neglect the 4″ size, just because samsung made you think the world wants huge phones… not everyone does. Loose the “s”, it makes no sense on the marketing side to the consumer. And if you are going to do a whole keynote and release a new model, make sure it has more than “look how think it is”
6 – iWatch
Don’t allocate all your time on this product. It’s fine, let it grow as such. No need to allocate all your resources to it.
7 – AppleTV
Where is 4K? Almost all TV sets are promoting 4k and you’re behind the curve. Also, the i/o again is lacking for systems that run like Control4 that needs better options for i/o.
Get the deals done with the networks to help consumers rid the stranglehold on cable companies that over-charge for a million channels.
8 – MacBook Pro
bring back i/o!!!!
If you want to be respected as a PRO machine, allow there PROS to USE it without 1,000 cables coming out of it.
9 – MacBook / MacBook Air
just give them a refresh more often than 3 years
I really dont understand the difficulty to update these yearly, without the need for a re-design…
10 – Stock
Keep buying back diluted shares so it’s harder to be manipulated. AAPL is one of the most manipulated stocks on the market.
11- Aquisitions
Make sure what you are looking to acquire is not something Apple can achieve on it’s own with the talent within. (See Beats). And whoever is negotiating these deals needs to grow a pair and learn how to get better deals and not waste so much money on some of these companies. When I see what Apple pays for these acquisitions, I shake my head.
If you’re gonna quire a company, acquire Adobe.
12 – Diversify
Apple needs to diversify manufacturing to more than one resource to meet the demand. Be the leader in bringing back manufacturing on a large scale back to America. Utilize China, Mexico and India to meet demand for products so the consumer can purchase the products you are advertising.
13 – Advertising
More money needs to be spent on Advertising and aggressive advertising. Apple has gotten a little weak on ads, which the exception of the light bulb one.
14 – iTunes
Fix iTunes. It’s such a pain and over-bloated. iTunes 2010 runs better than iTunes 2017… that is messed up.
15 – Software
Fix Mail. Fix spotlight. Bring back Aperture.
Allocate staff to interact with users of your software and aggressively update them based on the users input. It’s not that difficult.. the users will give you the answers to the quiz. Listen to them and your software will shine.
16 – iCloud
This is kind of embarrassing. Other companies offer better services for less money.
17 – Retail
Allocate more employees to help people at the help desk. Every store I go in has 10-20 sales people, mostly talking to one another, meanwhile 2-3 tech people are backlogged with pissed off customers. This is mis-managed and can be better handled. Remember, since opening retail you sell more sku’s, so you need to service them better.
18 – Keynotes
Tim, step aside and let someone with passion, excitement and a great stage excitement do the keynotes. Make them count. Don’t assemble the press and your fan base to come to one of these events to tell them the new iPhone is thinner. Don’t waste everyone’s time and understand when you have the stage.. perform… sell… and if you lack things to talk about, then it should be telling to your allocate of the talent around you and how to utilized them.
19 – Apple Pay
WHY is this not being advertised like crazy? No excuse for the lazy approach to this. Advertise this everywhere. Co-Brand with world brands. Do a co-brand commercial with subway showing people buying a sandwich and paying with their phone in seconds. Show how easy and secure it is. Almost every person I tell about Apple Pay has no clue about how much more secure it is than the other choices. Even the retail staff doesn’t know. Who’s job is that to tell them?
Apple! Run ads showcasing that strength.
20 – HomeKit
See how users use products like Control4 and start building the ecosystem for that. I feel this, along with CarPlay, can be a game-changer if done right. You create great things like HomeKit, yet trying to educate the consumer about it is lacking. There should a fun section on the website all about these technologies you have. Consumers should not have to dig for that info. The website and marketing should be promoting them more aggressively.
21 – iPad
iPad should be updated every year and announced and released Q3 for holiday quarter sales.
Those are some of my ideas.