“Many of us were deeply disappointed when Apple appeared to be exiting the display business last summer,” Ben Lovejoy writes for 9to5Mac. “Not just because we want matching aesthetics and the reassurance you get with an all-Apple setup, but also because there was no obvious third-party replacement. All Apple said at the time was that ‘there are a number of great third-party options available for Mac users,’ but without pointing to anything in particular.”
“When the company finally did make an official recommendation in the form of the LG UltraFine 4K and 5K monitors, it wasn’t exactly a great one,” Lovejoy writes. “Not only are the monitors extremely un-Apple-like in their grey plastic cases, but a serious technical fault first identified by us led to the temporary withdrawal of the product until LG fixed the Wi-Fi interference problem. All in all, it was a mess.”
Lovejoy writes, “The good news is that this mess has likely played a role in Apple doing a U-turn and making plans to get back into the display business…”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple existing the display business was one of the stupidest, most myopic decisions in the company’s history. Luckily, Cook about-faced rather quickly on this one.
Apple ceding the display business damages the Apple brand. Apple does not lead in an essential personal computing component and other companies logos are destined to be in Mac users’ faces all day long. Not smart. Cook & Co. should reconsider their decision and make and sell Apple-branded displays. Direct profits aren’t the issue, ancillary profits are; smart executives like Cook should be able to recognize the power of perception. — MacDailyNews, January 5, 2017
Not making Apple-branded, Apple-designed displays is an example of Compaq thinking, Tim. — MacDailyNews, February 17, 2017
SEE ALSO:
Apple to unveil ‘iMac Pro’ later this year; rethought, modular Mac Pro and Apple pro displays in the pipeline – April 4, 2017
Mac Pro: Why did it take Apple so long to wake up? – April 4, 2017
Apple sorry for what happened with the Mac Pro over the last 3+ years – namely, nothing – April 4, 2017
Apple’s apparent antipathy towards the Mac prompts calls for macOS licensing – March 27, 2017
How Tim Cook’s Apple alienated Mac loyalists – December 20, 2016
Apple’s not very good, really quite poor 2016 – December 19, 2016
Apple’s software has been anything but ‘magical’ lately – December 19, 2016
Lazy Apple. It’s not hard to imagine Steve Jobs asking, ‘What have you been doing for the last four years?’ – December 9, 2016
Rush Limbaugh: Is Apple losing their edge? – December 9, 2016
AirPods: MIA for the holidays; delayed product damages Apple’s credibility, stokes customer frustration – December 9, 2016
Apple may have finally gotten too big for its unusual corporate structure – November 28, 2016
Apple has no idea what they’re doing in the TV space, and it’s embarrassing – November 3, 2016
Apple’s disgracefully outdated, utterly mismanaged Mac lineup is killing sales – October 13, 2016
Apple takes its eye off the ball: Why users are complaining about Apple’s software – February 9, 2016
Open letter to Tim Cook: Apple needs to do better – January 5, 2015
Hopefully this, and the Mac Pro mea culpa, represents a very necessary wresting of control away from the beancounters deciding what projects gets funding and what doesn’t.
Beancounters are useful in smaller companies with cashflow issues. They do not deserve the same level of say in the highest market-cap company in the world which also has hundreds of billions in the bank!
MDN:
Cook did not about face on this quickly. First, we’re months past when these ugly monitors went on sale. Second, there are no Apple monitors in sight. And there won’t be probably until next year.
How about routers?
Apple needs more than an iPh 8 SuperCycle. How about a product line SuperCycle with evidence that resources–billions & billions–have been devoted to Macs, ATV, software/services and a Watch that has real health-benefiting aspects? Also, it’s time for a Liquid Metal iPhone, where a case isn’t needed. Tim, it’s SuperCycle, not you stating super excited (about the pipeline).
I’m curious why everyone thinks a liquid metal shell for the iPhone w/o a 3rd party case is such a good idea. Watching the demo video that usually accompanies LiquidMetal mention on MDN what I understand is that it is extremely durable. The video also demonstrates how force conductive (how much force gets transferred through the material since it doesn’t deform to convert kinetic motion to heat) the material is by the bouncing bearing. I understood this to mean that the full brunt of a drop would transfer to the internals of the device causing more damage than can be initially observed after the drop. To make things worse the video uses about 0.5-1cm of material to make the demo. Device casings would not be that thick.
It has been quite a while since LiquidMetal was exclusive to Apple for device casing use but we have yet to see one for sale. I suspect the problems I describe above may be one of the factors hindering a commercial release in any Apple product larger than the Apple Watch which would be expected to be dropped less during use.
Agreed!
For whatever reason(s) APPLE is losing sight of things. They are missing the mark.
It is as though they are developing a case of Microsoftitis?
Please bring back the AirPort hardware too.
24″, 27″ and 30″. On the back, put Magsafe, Thunderbolt, USB 3, USB-C, ethernet and Firewire 800.
Why they stopped making the 30″ is beyond puzzling. Had many clients buy them back in the day.
What is “Compaq thinking?”
Not Apple thinking as developed by Steve Jobs, that’s for sure.
Who cares
Well, I for one.
I am just curious what this phrase means as I have not been able to find a definition of it online.
Printers!
Brother makes the very BEST printers. No need for Apple in this space. They’d only f it up
Brother doesn’t even come close to making the BEST printers. Maybe the cheapest, but certainly not the best.
It’s funny, If you look at purchasing a Mac mini, Apple still shows a Cinema Display in the advert.
Hopefully Apple does make displays again and hopefully they update the Mac mini sometime soon as well. It was more powerful in mid 2011.
There is only so much you can get away with and expect your customers to remain loyal.
See ahead in the news stream. New display rumors are humming.
Apple needs a new EVANGELIST for Macs, someone allowed to internally kick Apple’s lazy ass into gear again. I’m not by any means talking about a dictator who screws up the Mac line of gear with marketing moron mandates. Just someone to get the troops gathered, disciplined and focused on the task again, listening to We The Mac Fanatics and getting it done:
Making The Mac The Best Again
Agreed. Though I think the Mac Evangelists of the past like Guy Kawasaki have moved on. Those evangelists were EXCITED about the Mac. With Apple’s line-up these days I’m not sure there are any people just as pumped up about Apple’s Mac.
Cook can keep the production wheels spinning and Ive can make things prettier. What seeems to have been lost is the visionary – “what mountain needs to be climbed – what is thing for – what problem does it solve?” Apple was always one step ahead. I assume that was directly traceable to Jobs’ genius. You almost need a Musk or Bezos or Branson to fill that role since they are in that mold.