The Shift
Apple has revitalized the Mac and iPad, believes david chartier, with a raft of new announcements at this year’s WWDC
David Chartier is heartened by the WWDC announcements.
Few people could argue that the Mac and iPad haven’t stumbled over the last couple of years. Much of Apple’s focus seems to have been on the iPhone, its new mothership headquarters that actually live up to the name, the Apple Watch, launching video content like Planet
of the Apps… you get the idea. While I’m certainly not trying to paint a picture of doom and gloom – the company is doing great overall – some community sentiment has soured as of late. Pro-oriented Macs have languished for a couple of years in terms of significant updates, and people have become increasingly upset and vocal about it. To directly address some of this discontent, Apple talked with a handful of press in April to discuss what went wrong with the Mac Pro’s 2013 redesign, and to announce a major revamp coming in 2018. It rarely talks so candidly.
The iPad Pro is my computer of choice these days but it, too, has stumbled on its own unique challenges. While Apple’s tablet has already sold more units in its seven years than the Mac in its 28-year history, Apple has at times struggled to explain its nature and purpose to consumers. A notable decline in sales, existing customer upgrades, and general growth in recent years hasn’t helped either.
Through all this, executives have repeatedly affirmed Apple’s commitment to the iPad and Mac, and I do believe they’re being genuine. In fact, at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, I think Apple delivered the most significant examples of this commitment. What’s more, I get the sense that the community is happy with Apple’s releases and direction for both iPad and Mac.
To summarize, Apple announced major additions to the forthcoming iOS 11, many designed especially for the iPad to address longstanding frustrations and requests to make it a more formidable and flexible work machine. Even though Apple rarely releases hardware at WWDC, there was a significant iPad Pro hardware update, major MacBook Pro performance improvements, macOS High Sierra, a big iMac bump, and even a preview of an iMac Pro due in December. Apple also introduced major Mac tools and partnerships for augmented reality and virtual reality – areas of focus for the entire industry.
Put another way, Apple showed that it’s been listening – to us, to the industry, and to its many no-longer-niche communities that care. Not that I ever doubted it overall, but a Mac Pro going over three years without an update, and a “replace your PC” iPad going seven years without essentials like drag and drop, were not good looks for the company.
Apple has proved that it’s getting the iPad and Mac back on track, and we’ll all be better for it.
Executives have repeatedly affirmed Apple’s commitment to the iPad and Mac