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What would you do if you were Tim Cook?
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mindwaves
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Jan 8, 2019, 07:46 PM
 
I know none of us are as smart nor have the vast amount of experience and insider information as Tim Cook, but if you were Tim Cook, what would you change about Apple as it stands today?

Here is what I would do:

1) Remove all touchbars from Macs
2) Increase the traveling distance of the keyboard (the 3rd generation butterfly keyboard has the same traveling distance as the 1st generation, just with a silicon insert and a better "perceived travel")
3) Redesign the iMac (same basic design since at least 2005?)
4) Boot Ives out.
5) Refocus on graphics for the Mac. It has been a long time since a game was demoed on the Mac at MacWorld or at a keynote. Maybe have some nice AMD Vega graphics instead of Intel integrated graphics. Of course, maybe some nice A12 chip inside also...
6) Change the current 30/15 cut of the Apple Store to something more reasonable
7) Actually make a cheap iPad for school and not just an old version. Encase it in rubberized plastic similar to the eMate and sell it to schools with a built in kickstand.
8) Make a cheap Mac (laptop) just for students (similar to the molar tooth eMac)
9) If you do make movies/TV shows, make them more than just G rated (appeals to more people)
10) Fix Siri, still an abomination.
11) More Homekit and more Siri in more devices. Google and Alexa are everywhere and Alexa is much younger than Siri. License it out or make it free.
     
reader50
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Jan 8, 2019, 08:05 PM
 
My gripe list is shorter.

1) Restore focus on internal expansion, for desktops and pro laptops. Storage and RAM should be user upgradable in all these, GPU and CPU as well in desktops.
2) Get behind "Right to Repair" laws instead of opposing them. Service manuals should be available to owners. Along with parts for purchase.
3) Refocus on graphics for the Mac. Settle the feud with nVidia for starters.
4) Pro machines need a variety of port types. Not just lots of fast ports.
     
andi*pandi
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Jan 8, 2019, 08:57 PM
 
We had ipads in our schools, they bought tough cases for them, but the keyboard was the downfall. Now we have chromebooks.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Jan 8, 2019, 09:50 PM
 
Looking through mindwaves’ list, I’m amused.

1) I love the TouchBar on my ‘16 15” MBP, and I’m sorely missing it every time I’m in the studio and using the ‘Book via external keyboard.
2) I love the keyboard. It’s among the nicest I’ve personally worked on (including ADB Extended), and easily the best laptop keyboard I’ve ever used.

Oh, and 7) the current small iPad 9.7” has been out for less than a year, and it was current tech when it came out. (A10 Fusion vs. A10X Fusion, granted, but same-generation).
     
OreoCookie
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Jan 8, 2019, 10:42 PM
 
I feel as if very few of the items mentioned are things Tim Cook actually decides — and wants to decide. Here are a few things where I think Tim Cook could actually make a difference:

(1) Add a true cheaper phone to the line-up, call it iPhone and the other one iPhone Pro. It works for the iPad, the 9.7" iPad is a great device even with base storage. (In fact, my parents got one for Christmas.) Then for a given price, say, $500, let Jony and the hardware guys make the best phone you can at that price point.

(2) Instead of just focussing on the iPhone, start to push iOS features “from the top” by adding advanced UI capabilities for the iPad first. These should then trickle down to the iPhone.

(3) A strategic decision to make more pro software in-house. Unless I am missing something, Apple makes no pro software for iOS! (Personal pet peeve: Where is a reboot of Aperture. I mean, there is Garageband and Pro Tools, iMovie and Final Cut Pro X, why isn't there a next-gen Aperture?) This way Apple can dog food APIs, push what native Apple UIs for pro apps should look like and give in-house feedback.

(4) Make hardware more robust, more repairable, more easily recyclable and more long-lasting. Parts should be more easily replaceable. Things like keyboards should last an eternity and withstand abuse. More and more parts should be made from recyclable materials.
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Brien
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Jan 9, 2019, 12:58 AM
 
I would love FCP on iOS.
     
mindwaves  (op)
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Jan 9, 2019, 01:12 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post

Oh, and 7) the current small iPad 9.7” has been out for less than a year, and it was current tech when it came out. (A10 Fusion vs. A10X Fusion, granted, but same-generation).
Sorry, I meant to say the aluminum of the cheap iPad and Macs has got to go when it comes to education, particularly for the elementary students. The school has to buy these devices and then buy the expensive and absolutely huge plastic keyboard for it. It would be good if Apple ditched the aluminum and just made a plastic iPad and plastic Mac for schools. Make the plastic iPad have a built in kickstand. Macs are needed for typing and programming. iPads are needed for discovering and creating.
     
Waragainstsleep
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Jan 9, 2019, 07:13 AM
 
Originally Posted by mindwaves View Post
I know none of us are as smart nor have the vast amount of experience and insider information as Tim Cook, but if you were Tim Cook, what would you change about Apple as it stands today?

Here is what I would do:

1) Remove all touchbars from Macs
2) Increase the traveling distance of the keyboard (the 3rd generation butterfly keyboard has the same traveling distance as the 1st generation, just with a silicon insert and a better "perceived travel")
3) Redesign the iMac (same basic design since at least 2005?)
4) Boot Ives out.
5) Refocus on graphics for the Mac. It has been a long time since a game was demoed on the Mac at MacWorld or at a keynote. Maybe have some nice AMD Vega graphics instead of Intel integrated graphics. Of course, maybe some nice A12 chip inside also...
6) Change the current 30/15 cut of the Apple Store to something more reasonable
7) Actually make a cheap iPad for school and not just an old version. Encase it in rubberized plastic similar to the eMate and sell it to schools with a built in kickstand.
8) Make a cheap Mac (laptop) just for students (similar to the molar tooth eMac)
9) If you do make movies/TV shows, make them more than just G rated (appeals to more people)
10) Fix Siri, still an abomination.
11) More Homekit and more Siri in more devices. Google and Alexa are everywhere and Alexa is much younger than Siri. License it out or make it free.
1) I can see uses for them. Add them to Mac Mini and hopefully rack-mountable new Mac Pro, touchable would be awesome on a rack server. Just don't blow smoke up asses that they are special or hi-tech. They are nice, thats all. Roll them out as standard and don't charge the Earth;
2) Not something that irks me either way so ok. Maybe give people more choice between wired and wireless, travel distance, cable length, backlight etc; Bespoke is cool. Also touchbar;
3) I'm not a fan of redesign for the sake of it. Range of mounting options and finishes would be cool. Anodised coloured iMacs would rock;
4) Strange.
6) I'm sure they will as soon as it doesn't work for them anymore;
7) No money in it;
8) No money in it;
9) Art should be art, don't compromise for commercial reasons. Look at Thrones and Deadpool;
10) Much room for improvement, I agree with expanding and improving Siri;
11) See 10;

My List:

I would tighten quality control on Mac OS and Macs. Stop using shitty drives in iMacs, stop screwing customers for SSDs which should be bigger as standard. Also RAM. Price and upgradeability. Greenpeace should be giving them shit about this as should right to repair and consumer groups;
A new server offering or at least a decent cloud based device management solution that isn't priced for multinational conglomerates at $$ per user per month;
A wireless client only Time Capsule, not everyone has gigabit broadband yet;
Build Filemaker client into iOS and ideally Mac OS too. Then push the server more;
I have plenty of more important things to do, if only I could bring myself to do them....
     
Doc HM
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Jan 9, 2019, 08:10 AM
 
1) stop the mindless penny pinching. Shitty drives in 21in iMacs. 32GB SSD for iMac fusion drives. Saving cents and degrading the product for no reason apart from accounting.

2) RAM and SSD should ALWAYS be upgradable/replaceable. Failed SSD on a 12in MacBook or MBP requires an entire logic board. Since the SSD controllers on these are far from robust that's just not acceptable.

3) Pay at least cursory attention to your pro users. In a lot of ways every "pro" product requires compromises that would be fine if it was a consumer device being pressed into pro service but make no sense in an actual pro product.
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ort888
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Jan 9, 2019, 11:35 AM
 
1. Work toward lowering prices across the board
2. Start focusing on making computers that people actually want, not computers you made because you were trying to push the design envelope
3. Also, work toward lowering prices across the board
4. Seriously, it's all too expensive

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subego
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Jan 9, 2019, 01:03 PM
 
I think Apple’s pricing would be fine for the most part if they just stopped with the ridiculous markup on memory and the like.
     
P
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Jan 9, 2019, 06:11 PM
 
Wow, that’s... a long list, but to get started:

Short term:

1) a new charger for the MBPs that includes three USB-A ports, sold as standard with new MBPs, as an option with MBAs and as a regular aftermarket product in stores. It’s awesome, I have one, and it solves most of the port problems. Alternatively, include two USB-A and one HDMI port but make sure that it is clear that this thing isn’t 4K (because of bandwidth in USB-C).
2) stop selling spinning disc iMacs. You can sell the base model with 128GB SSD if you want to, but you’re selling a base iMac with slower storage than Performas from the nineties.
3) revise the App Store rules to remove the stupider ones. The ban on emulators is just silly, for instance. In fact, I would open up a back door that let you install anything if you flip switches in the OS, waive support, and install it via iTunes (or whatever), simply because it would kill a lot of the anti-trust lawsuits regarding the App Store that is popping up around the world.

Medium term:

1) increase iMac display sizes while leaving the resolution contant, and increase MBP resolutions while while leaving display sizes (mostly) constant. Apple has over the last few years moved the resolution in ppi to the same value for desktops and laptops, and that is stupid and something nobody else has done. If the 4K were 24” and the 5K were 30”, while the 13” MBP were 2880x1800, it would be better for everyone. At desktop ranges resolution should aim for 95ppi or so, while laptop ranges need something higher.
2) decide whether to sh*t or get off the pot when it comes to the Touchbar. Either you you support it, and go full bore for it by putting it in the desktop keyboards, or you decide that it was a flaw and back down. As it is, few apps bother supporting something that only exists on a fraction of the product line.
3) decide what is a consumer Mac and what is a pro Mac, and be consistent about it. Consumer Macs need to be cheaper (MBA should be $999 max), and Pro Macs need to have something to distinguish them. I could for instance see display size being one such has thing, if the MBA is 13.3” and the MBPs are 14.1” and 17”. Port count is another, but all Macs should have two USB-C at minimum.
4) you have gone over the line with the thinness in some cases, the iMac being the obvious example. You need something new there.
5) offer options that offer RAM upgrades and discrete GPUs. No, they don’t all need it, but there should be options. Also, a 2,5” bay in the iMac wouldn’t hurt as long as there is real flash as well.
6) online backups in iCloud. Yes, we can pay for it. Just offer it at prices like Backblaze/Crashplan.
7) ...working with Time Machine 2, based on file system snapshots.

I would also change a million things in MacOS to make it work like it did in the past when thing were Better (spatial Finder is just the start) but that list is way too long. I would also begin to explain why whenever something is removed. Right now Apple removes ports as some source of pride, or so it seems - I want them to explain their reasoning every time.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
mindwaves  (op)
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Jan 9, 2019, 09:07 PM
 
I can see many people want cheaper prices and/or more expandability/repairability options.

Cheaper is also on my list and the price of Macs (and iPhones) have gotten a bit insane. $1699 used to be the standard price of a PowerMac, $400 more than an iMac. Now, it is about double the price of an iMac. Apple Mouse is $79.....(and I never had an Apple Mouse last more than 1.5 years before completely dying on me and I've had plenty)

In my above remarks about the plastic iPad, I know that there is no money but Apple should sell some products at cost to schools, similar to how Google does it with Chromebooks, which are everywhere now (at least partially due to the price and built-in keyboard and multi-user access).
     
subego
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Jan 9, 2019, 10:01 PM
 
My hockey puck mice never gave up.
     
andi*pandi
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Jan 9, 2019, 10:12 PM
 
Apple did sell ipads to schools (somewhat) cheaply. People complained about not having real keyboards, small screens, and being able to do more laptopy things.
     
OreoCookie
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Jan 9, 2019, 10:35 PM
 
Nitpick: I think most suggestions are not decisions made by Tim Cook, and instead focus on what you would want Apple as a whole to do differently with its line-up. While I think that's a valid question to ask, the question what Tim Cook can do differently is much more intriguing. I don't think ppis, resolutions and the TouchBar are under Tim Cook's purview, these are things that are decided at the SVP level.

For example, I think Tim Cook will want to decide things like: do we want to maximize $$$ per device or $$$$ per customer? Personally, I'd be much more likely to buy an Apple Watch if iPhones were cheaper, even if in the sum I'd pay the same amount or slightly more. But then Apple would take a hit — at least in the press — as the average selling price of some devices would decrease.
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Spheric Harlot
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Jan 10, 2019, 06:19 AM
 
I’d close down the company and give the money back to the shareholders.
     
mindwaves  (op)
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Jan 13, 2019, 11:53 PM
 
Apple Pencil is 129, previously 99.
New iPad pros are more expensive than last year's model.
New MacPro are double price of an iMac, previous Power Macs were $400 more than iMac.
New iPhones are more expensive than last year's iPhones which were more expensive than the year previous.
Apple TV is $129, previous Apple TV was $79. Meanwhile a comparable Google Cast or Fire Stick is $19-29.

This is very ridiculous. I understand there will always be a price premium for Apple, but this is very excessive.
     
Brien
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Jan 14, 2019, 12:40 AM
 
Yeah and if rumors of an even more premium foldable phone above the current flagship are ture (a strategy Samsung and LG have tried) I do expect $2k+ which is nope territory for most I’d assume.

Even the current MBPs are overpriced. I’ve honestly considered a Surface Book now that they offer a 15”. I’m still holding out for a new 17” MBP, would take 16” but at this point I don’t see it happening.
     
Laminar
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Jan 14, 2019, 01:02 PM
 
Originally Posted by mindwaves View Post
Apple TV is $129, previous Apple TV was $79. Meanwhile a comparable Google Cast or Fire Stick is $19-29.
Does a Fire stick compare to a full ATV? My 7 year old ATV3 runs circles around my original fire stick in usability and responsiveness. The Fire TV Cube is $120, which seems more on par with the ATV.
     
mindwaves  (op)
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Jan 14, 2019, 08:50 PM
 
Originally Posted by Laminar View Post
Does a Fire stick compare to a full ATV? My 7 year old ATV3 runs circles around my original fire stick in usability and responsiveness. The Fire TV Cube is $120, which seems more on par with the ATV.
Never used a Fire stick before, excluding my brother's for a few minutes, so cannot comment. I should actually add Roku up there also and it is a dominant player. My mentioning of these products is that they are all competitors and to enter the Apple platform is a huge jump in price from all of the other streaming competitors, regardless of capabilities.

The Apple TV may be more arguably fully featured (debatable) than a $49 products from Amazon or Google (going up in costs now), but the price disparity is still hard to swallow.

My sister asked me if she should buy an Apple TV, to which I said no. Just isn't worth the cost over something else.

I should also add the Mac mini above. Original price is $500 and hasn't been updated in years. New price is $800, which is 60% more! Also includes an inadequate 128 GB drive...and this is in 2018.
     
   
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