Mac to Z

Modular HP Z8 Workstation

Something like this is what many (self included) are looking for.  Not some form over function system that eschews internal expandability and external ports.  Having the courage to remove technology that current Apple designers believe are no longer in their “spring” is one thing on the majority of their consumer focused products.  Doing that on these more specialized higher end systems (like the Mac Pro) needs to take on a more balanced/graceful approach.

There was no need for the Mac Pro to shrink down in volume to the extent it did, creating the thermal envelope problems and (lack of) expandability/upgradeability issues that crippled that form factor for the portion of the pro customer base that had these higher up on their list of priorities.

After reading even more opinions now that 36+ hours has passed, it is becoming clear that Apple’s leadership has lost its way when it came to the Mac.  Actions tend to speak louder than words and while they have mentioned before that the Mac was important, it is obvious that the “pro” side was no longer a key focus (thus the neglect of that demographic) which is why many aren’t necessarily happy with Tim Cook.

We’ve heard it mentioned many times that they have a pipeline full of products they are working on.  Obviously the Mac Pro was not one of them.  This while Cook is over in China and saying “We’ve created almost 5 million jobs in China. I’m not sure there are too many companies, domestic or foreign, who can say that. … There’s deep roots here. I think very highly of the country and the people in it. We’re here to stay.”

When I saw that, I know that was in reference to supporting the manufacturing of iPhones which is Apple’s bread and butter when it comes to sheer revenues.  That has been a juggernaut that has been rewarding for any Apple shareholder (which I still am).  However, one of my first questions that popped up (taking off the Apple shareholder hat) was how about effecting change in order to create more jobs in the US (and not mainly all retail store ones).

Cook’s a great logistics/supply chain guy that has managed to lead Apple post-Steve Jobs.  But even I believe that parts of Apple’s executive team is suffering from corporate inertia where there isn’t that key person anymore who was able to see where technology and people merged to provide that critical feedback.  Much of Apple’s recent product offerings while still having incredible industrial design,  have also gotten boring while also lacking culture.

Form over function has been emphasized where it has come down to removing ports (requiring annoying dongles) on “pro” level portables in order to make them as thin as possible.  The Touch Bar on the newer MacBook Pro seems to create polarizing opinions when Apple had the courage to remove the function keys (creating these moving targets of non-tactile feedback in the process and affecting production workflows for many).

When Jobs talked about the courage to leave behind technology they felt was on the way out, he was very articulate about qualifying how they approached that.

The marketplace is speaking when customers have been snapping up the older MacBook’s without the Touch Bar.  The marketplace is speaking when many of Apple’s core pro demographic have either moved on to Windows or have been seriously considering it due to this multiyear neglect.

I am firmly believing more so now that they finally had a recent epiphany that many of their core and loyal customers and purchasing influencers of their higher end Mac offerings, were on the cusp of taking all of that goodwill to the competition (that many of us aren’t as captive an audience as they thought).

iPhones are Apple’s current largest revenue source but those things are commodities now.  And recent history has shown how once major giants in that market, saw their share of it collapse really quickly (and they had no other ecosystem to fall back on).  Apple’s leadership have seemingly been in their own bubble failing to realize the growing discontent that had been taking place since 2013 with the pro demographic for the Mac (where they have already lost some loyal customers and stand to lose more depending on how long and what they come up with).  I also now firmly believe that this demographic has to get the point across that we don’t want this new modular Mac Pro to be a form over function designer statement.  It’s a desktop computer/workstation that is a tool for getting things done.