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Cook insists converged iPad, Mac product not coming soon
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NewsPoster
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Nov 16, 2015, 09:08 AM
 
Apple will not be combining together the Mac and iPad product lines anytime soon, CEO Tim Cook has advised. Commenting in an interview, Cook believes that, while the two different types of product category are getting closer together in terms of hardware, Apple has no intentions of creating a single device bridging both platforms, as customers are likely to be disappointed in a device that requires compromises in design.

"We feel strongly that customers are not really looking for a converged Mac and iPad, because what that would wind up doing, or what we're worried would happen, is that neither experience would be as good as the customer wants," Cook told Independent.ie. "So we want to make the best tablet in the world and the best Mac in the world. And putting those two together would not achieve either. You'd begin to compromise in different ways."



Following on from earlier comments about "why would you buy a PC anymore?," Cook clarified that the statement was about Windows-based PCs, not Macs. "We don't regard Macs and PCs to be the same." Cook does admit that he does now work primarily on iOS devices, taking an iPhone and iPad Pro with him for his travels.

"It's true that the differences between the X86 and the A-series is much less than it's ever been. That said, what we've tried to do is to recognize that people use both iOS and Mac devices. So we've taken certain features and made them more seamless across the devices. So with things like Handoff we just made it really simple to work on one of our products and pick it up and work on the next product."

While Cook declined to engage with rumors about an Apple car, he did comment on the state of the automotive industry, with "significant changes" such as electrification and autonomous driving arriving over the next several years. Cook suggests that there is a "need for a focus on user experience," and thinks a lot of changes will take place in that area.
( Last edited by NewsPoster; Nov 16, 2015 at 06:26 PM. )
     
Inkling
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Nov 16, 2015, 10:42 AM
 
Smart guy! Merging tablets with laptops makes about as much sense as those silly boat-cars and car-planes some try to invent. The result is not good for either role. What interests me is the possibility of a MacBook Air with these powerful-but-efficient new tablet chips. Apple could use the weight, money and space saved to include GPS and cellular data in their laptops. It needs to quit taking features away from them and add some.
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Charles Martin
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Nov 16, 2015, 12:06 PM
 
Yes, you'll note that Cook didn't rule out Macs someday running Ax chips. It will be interesting to see if they go that direction, bearing in mind that they have a good relationship with Intel that they don't want to mess up.
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thinkman
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Nov 16, 2015, 12:50 PM
 
I don't know if this is either practical or possible, but what would keep Apple from producing hybrid Macs and iDevices whereby the Mac would also have an Ax chipset and be able to run iOS separately or in conjunction with OS X, and visa versa. Since OS X can boot into Windows, does this sound undoable, and if so, why?
     
Grendelmon
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Nov 16, 2015, 02:50 PM
 
Originally Posted by thinkman View Post
I don't know if this is either practical or possible, but what would keep Apple from producing hybrid Macs and iDevices whereby the Mac would also have an Ax chipset and be able to run iOS separately or in conjunction with OS X, and visa versa. Since OS X can boot into Windows, does this sound undoable, and if so, why?

Trust me. I'm willing to bet money that Apple has been building OS X on ARM in their R&D labs for years. It's not a matter if they can, but if they want to.

I'm also willing to bet that iOS and OS X will merge in the next five years. Common architecture, common platform code.

Cook's key words are "anytime soon."
     
Steve Wilkinson
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Nov 16, 2015, 04:36 PM
 
Pshew! This gives me *some* hope back again (considering Cook's previous statements). Of course it would help if I saw them taking OS X seriously again. Until that happens, it doesn't matter much whether they turn out the greatest Macs (hardware) the world has ever seen or not.

@ Grendelmon - Those weren't his words, they were the words of the article author.
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DiabloConQueso
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Nov 16, 2015, 06:16 PM
 
I predicted then that the now-released MacBook (that everyone knows and, apparently, hates because of its single USB-C connector) would run an ARM processor.

I still believe that Apple shoved an Intel processor in there at the semi-last-minute because the ARM processor wasn't quite there yet.

Mark Grendelmon's and my words -- an ARM-based laptop running OS X is not too far off in the future. Apple is all about vertical integration, and having their own custom-fabricated ARM-based chip is a gigantic step in that vertical ladder they're building.

They'll surprise us with ARM-based Macs running OS X the same as they semi-surprised us with Intel-based Macs running OS X almost 10 years ago.
     
bjojade
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Nov 16, 2015, 07:40 PM
 
The cost of 2 separate chipsets alone makes that a non practical solution.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Nov 16, 2015, 07:54 PM
 
Originally Posted by Grendelmon View Post
Trust me. I'm willing to bet money that Apple has been building OS X on ARM in their R&D labs for years. It's not a matter if they can, but if they want to.

I'm also willing to bet that iOS and OS X will merge in the next five years. Common architecture, common platform code.

Cook's key words are "anytime soon."
In fact, those are the exact words that Cook DID NOT SAY.

He ruled it out, categorically. End of story.

Until the next time he does this, and people still go off and tell everybody that he didn't say what he literally just said, AGAIN. And again.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Nov 16, 2015, 07:57 PM
 
Originally Posted by DiabloConQueso View Post
I predicted then that the now-released MacBook (that everyone knows and, apparently, hates because of its single USB-C connector) would run an ARM processor.

I still believe that Apple shoved an Intel processor in there at the semi-last-minute because the ARM processor wasn't quite there yet.

Mark Grendelmon's and my words -- an ARM-based laptop running OS X is not too far off in the future. Apple is all about vertical integration, and having their own custom-fabricated ARM-based chip is a gigantic step in that vertical ladder they're building.

They'll surprise us with ARM-based Macs running OS X the same as they semi-surprised us with Intel-based Macs running OS X almost 10 years ago.
They won't surprise anyone with ARM-based Macs until ARM processors are fast enough to run existing X86 code in emulation, the way the intel Macs could run PowerPC apps within Rosetta about as fast as the previous-generation PowerPC Macs could.

That'll take a while yet. But it's not unlikely to happen, the way Apple is forging (hah!) ahead with their in-house processor development.
     
Steve Wilkinson
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Nov 17, 2015, 04:39 AM
 
@Spheric Harlot - I'm not sure I believe Cook... but yea, it's important to at least quote him accurately.
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Grendelmon
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Nov 17, 2015, 10:30 AM
 
Originally Posted by Steve Wilkinson View Post
@ Grendelmon - Those weren't his words, they were the words of the article author.
Ahh, yup. My misunderstanding.
     
Grendelmon
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Nov 17, 2015, 10:35 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
In fact, those are the exact words that Cook DID NOT SAY.

He ruled it out, categorically. End of story.

Until the next time he does this, and people still go off and tell everybody that he didn't say what he literally just said, AGAIN. And again.
I misread the article.

But I still stand by what I said regarding their roadmap. It's going to happen. It will start with the ARM MacBook Air.

You can bitch and scream all you want about it. I don't understand why you take this shit so seriously. Just because Microsoft botched their implementation doesn't mean that Apple can't pull it off. That's Apple's genius in design, isn't it? Apple can successfully implement where others have failed, miserably.
     
Grendelmon
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Nov 17, 2015, 10:50 AM
 
And one last thing... from a developer's perspective.

When Apple does release an ARM Mac, what happens next will foreshadow their intentions. If the Mac App Store eventually allows you to purchase/execute (some or all) iOS apps within OS X, that will be the indicator.

If Apple eventually gets to the point that they want developers to "write once, run anywhere" ( <-- lol) , this could potentially open the floodgates for software development on the "Apple" platform.
     
Steve Wilkinson
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Nov 25, 2015, 01:17 AM
 
@ Grendelmon - As one of my friends said (re: Cook's statement)... he might say that, but all his actions say otherwise.

re: Apple succeed - I don't think so. I don't think Microsoft failed because they didn't do something right... I think they failed because it's a failed idea. Touch screen mobile and laptop/desktop UX are just too different things.

The only way I see to overcome that would be some kind of direct mind-control, but again, I'm skeptical as to whether that's even possible in theory.
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Spheric Harlot
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Nov 25, 2015, 05:22 AM
 
Originally Posted by Grendelmon View Post
I misread the article.

But I still stand by what I said regarding their roadmap. It's going to happen. It will start with the ARM MacBook Air.

You can bitch and scream all you want about it. I don't understand why you take this shit so seriously. Just because Microsoft botched their implementation doesn't mean that Apple can't pull it off. That's Apple's genius in design, isn't it? Apple can successfully implement where others have failed, miserably.
I take this stuff seriously because I literally make my living using this gear, and while, as a professional, I will always need to find a way to get it done using the available tools, I have a strongly vested interest in Apple NOT ****ING UP what are (and need to remain) the two best products in their respective categories.
     
   
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