Steve Jobs.....Thoughts?

[Pinkpoison]

I saw an advertisement to day for the film Steve Jobs, and it got me wondering about a few things.

For one if Steve were still here would the drastic changes to the MacBook Po have happened?
Would he be happy with iPad Pro and what about the iPhone as it is today?

I know we can't be sure but what do you all think?

 

[KevinJS]

I think Steve would have baulked at the idea of going over to USB-C. On the face of it, it's a foolish manoeuvre which makes the MBP incompatible with peripherals specifically designed for Macs.

However, he might have been mollified by this headline:

New MacBook Pro outsold every competing laptop in just five days – Slice Intelligence

It seems that Apple DID read the market properly after all, regardless of our misgivings and the general merriment over dongles.

Concerning the iPhone, I think he would have been more than happy. Apple now have a phone that is 2 generations ahead of the nearest competitor. The second most powerful phone on the market is the iPhone 6. They have left the competition eating dust. It's difficult to see how he could not be pleased with that.

iPad? Who knows? Steve didn't think it needed a camera. The fact that the iPad is probably the ONLY tablet taken seriously now wouldn't lose him any sleep.

 

[Pinkpoison]

I agree with most of that....I can't help thinking that Steve would have been more cautious about the MacBook Pro, I feel it would have been a much slower change not the drastic change it has been if he were still around.

I wonder what he would think about removing the SD slot?

 

[KevinJS]

Difficult to say. In for a penny, in for a pound, I suppose. I'm not at all pleased to note that the new Macs have lost the optical audio port and the HDMI port.

Since both of us have different uses for laptops, what is important to me is not so much of a deal for you, and vice versa.

Looked at with stone cold logic, the single interface is probably a good idea because it frees Apple up to manufacture computers without watching every other industry to see where they are going. If you take the simple case of hooking up an external display, the HDMI seems obvious, but it's actually quite a recent development, and could change at any moment. In recent years we have seen composite video, component, VGA, DVI, SCART and various incarnations of HDMI. I'm not surprised Apple have said "Stuff it. We'll do our thing and let everyone else do theirs."

The SD card itself looks like the winner now, but it is only one of several cards that have been available. My PC has a reader for 7 different cards. Apple have no control over where the camera industry goes, so adapters make sense.

By all accounts, Steve was an arrogant SOB, so he would likely be on board with that line of thinking. Apple did not get where they are today by following the pack.

 

[Pinkpoison]

Good analysis Kevin.

 

[KevinJS]

Thanks. But on a more emotional note, I think it's DUMB that they got rid of the optical interface, and I don't care who disagrees. I wanna plug my MBP into my DAC and Apple suck for getting rid of it. (Rant over)

I suppose if I can ever afford a new MBP, I'll have to source a Lightning 3 to SP/DIF adapter. Pricing out MBPs assures me that this will not be a problem I'll have to face for several years.

 

[Pinkpoison]

Thanks. But on a more emotional note, I think it's DUMB that they got rid of the optical interface, and I don't care who disagrees. I wanna plug my MBP into my DAC and Apple suck for getting rid of it. (Rant over)

I suppose if I can ever afford a new MBP, I'll have to source a Lightning 3 to SP/DIF adapter. Pricing out MBPs assures me that this will not be a problem I'll have to face for several years.

I think all the changes are dumb as you put it, Too much too soon.
One day I will have go with it though because I can't go back to windows.....

 

[scifan57]

One problem is that most peripherals are not yet compatible with the new connectors and most users would rather not have to carry a bag full of expensive adapters around with their laptop.

 

[KevinJS]

Wozniak thought that removing the headphone socket from the iPhone 7 was a bad idea. Judging by the popularity of it, his misgivings were misplaced. We see things from the perspective of already being Apple users. The next generation of Apple consumers will never know the loss. To them, it will be logical to use the Lightning earphones while their AirPods are charging.

We are old enough to understand the relationship between a cassette tape and a pencil. Many people won't understand that sentence.

Steve and Woz are gone. Tim Cook is the driving force now, and I don't think he's doing a bad job. Apple are going from strength to strength, and I'm not sure where the claims come from that they are losing their way. I took part in a thread on another forum that was whining about the lack of touch screen capabilities on Macs. My position was, and remains, touch my screen and it will be the last thing you touch until your fingers have mended. Touch screen is a gimmick. Apple's innovations, on the other hand, are useful in the real world.

I think TouchID and ApplePay, combined on an MBP, would bring a big, cheesy grin to Steve Jobs face.

 

[scifan57]

Wozniak thought that removing the headphone socket from the iPhone 7 was a bad idea. Judging by the popularity of it, his misgivings were misplaced. We see things from the perspective of already being Apple users. The next generation of Apple consumers will never know the loss. To them, it will be logical to use the Lightning earphones while their AirPods are charging.

We are old enough to understand the relationship between a cassette tape and a pencil. Many people won't understand that sentence.

Steve and Woz are gone. Tim Cook is the driving force now, and I don't think he's doing a bad job. Apple are going from strength to strength, and I'm not sure where the claims come from that they are losing their way. I took part in a thread on another forum that was whining about the lack of touch screen capabilities on Macs. My position was, and remains, touch my screen and it will be the last thing you touch until your fingers have mended. Touch screen is a gimmick. Apple's innovations, on the other hand, are useful in the real world.

I think TouchID and ApplePay, combined on an MBP, would bring a big, cheesy grin to Steve Jobs face.

Agreed. Steve Jobs would have welcomed any method that made it easier for users to spend their money on Apple products or earn Apple more fees for increased Apple Pay usage.

 

[ardchoille]

I didn't come into Apple products until after Steve Jobs had passed away. I wish I could have met the man, but I'll have to do with experiencing his legacy that is Apple.

I've lived in this big blue marble for 52 years and I have come to learn that change is inevitable. I've also learned that, if we don't roll with the changes our lives can very quickly cross the border into the world of chaos. Do I like some of the changes I'm seeing in Apple products today? No. But, I do know that, if I remain inflexible to change, I risk filling my life with stress and unhappiness. So, I feel we must be vigilant in keeping up with change lest we live a life that we may regret. Think about it.. without change we never would have had the iPhone or a Macintosh computer. Change can be a good thing as much as it can be a bad thing, it all depends on our perspective.

As I said, I wasn't present in the Apple ecosystem until after a great man had passed, but I still count myself fortunate that I am able to use Apple gear while it is still relevant.

"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
- William Shakespeare, Hamlet​

 

[KevinJS]

I remember when iOS 5 was released, sitting in frustration trying to figure out why iTunes wouldn't recognize my iPad or iPhone, or why it would sometimes recognize one and not the other. These days, wireless sync works without a second thought, every time. So the fact that the USB cable supplied with an iPhone 7 doesn't fit the USB-C socket of a 2016 MBP without an adapter is really neither here nor there.

We have had many questions over the years about what alternatives there are to iTunes for managing phones. The most idiotic I've come across recently was along the lines of "I know I need to update to the latest version, but I don't want to, so tell me what my options are."

There are those who are resistant to change, and there are those who have decided they are going to make a big deal out of change, whether it affects them or not. The computer industry has often been accused of employing built-in obsolescence. I read of people who wait until an Apple product is three years old before they buy one, taking advantage of a huge reduction in cost to get technology which is still useful and will be so for several more years.

We are at a turning point. USB-C is the way everyone is going. Over the next few years it will become the only standard in computing. Since the early 1980's there has never been a standard that the entire industry can get behind, and over the next few years, those who want their equipment to interface with computers will have no choice but to get behind the standard or risk being left for dead.

Everywhere you currently see a USB-A, you will one day see a USB-C. What is today inconvenient will become commonplace, and will not be worthy of mention. In fact, people will wonder what all the fuss was about, if they remember it at all.

 

[ardchoille]

... What is today inconvenient will become commonplace, and will not be worthy of mention. In fact, people will wonder what all the fuss was about, if they remember it at all.

Yes, a quick look through the history of mankind will solidify this point. The washing machine, dryer, microwave oven, indoor plumbing, horseless carriage.. many things in life once looked upon with resistance are, today, commonplace. So it will be with the recent changes we've seen.

I look upon change as a chance for exploration. Who knows.. a few years from now something may appear that will dwarf even Apple. Keep calm and carry on

 

[Pinkpoison]

While I agree things have to move on in the tech world I don't agree with the way this has been done (MacBook) I feel that eventually people will be railroaded into buying a MacBook Pro at these hugely inflated prices plus adapters because its what they have come to love and it works with their iPhones and iPads (And Apple know this) so what else will they use......

 

[KevinJS]

I agree with you, Ivy. The 2016 MBP could have, and should have IMO, been a stepping stone device. The left side could have had 2 USB-C sockets, while the right could have retained SD, USB-A, HDMI and headphone/optical. The MagSafe could also have been retained, but it wouldn't have been a big deal to junk it, given that charging can take place via the Lightning port.

I think the driving force was an ever-slimmer laptop, and to achieve that, the USB-A had to go. Apple have placed themselves in a position where they have to supply 2 of everything, and placed consumers in the position of having to shell out for them.

It's never a good feeling, being on the wrong side of history. All I know is that if I had gone with Apple years ago, I would have saved a fortune.

Your claim of "hugely inflated prices" bears investigation. By far the biggest component of the price of an MBP is the UK government's massive 20% VAT, which is totally out of Apple's control. The devaluation in the GBP since Brexit is another factor. The pound is worth 80% of what it was prior to the referendum, and Apple's recent price rise didn't even take that fully into account. To make matters worse, VAT is applied to the price rise, so the claims that Apple had raised prices by up to GBP500 are wrong. It was 400+VAT.

Apple products are still cheaper in the UK than in the US, when tax is left out and prices are worked out in a common currency. Comparing prices with Windows laptops shows that Apple are not outrageous in their pricing (unless, of course, Dell and HP et al are also guilty). Have a look at some other aspects of Apple - OS, free. Pages, Numbers and Keynote, usually free. Then compare the cost of Windows and MS Office.

New users of Apple equipment are going to be the winners. If our wish list had been met, these people probably would be asking why Apple kept all of these useless legacy ports. People are going to see things through their own filters, and that's good. Companies supplying consumer goods need to be aware of what their customer base requires, and who that customer base is. Sales of MBP indicate that however Apple arrive at their information it's probably accurate. It's all Jobs could have wanted, whether he agreed with drastic changes or not.