If you're new to AirPods, considering buying a pair, or just want to pick up some new tips.
AirPods and AirPower: Everything We Know
Apple Tested Larger Battery and Gold Color Option on MacBook Pro, Lightning Port on MacBook
In a comprehensive new Bloomberg article diving into the slow refresh cycle of Apple's line of Mac computers, and how the company slowly "alienated Mac loyalists," a few interesting tidbits surfaced providing insight into what could have been for the Touch Bar MacBook Pro, as well as the 12-inch Retina MacBook.
In the MacBook Pro line launched this past October, Apple planned to introduce "higher capacity battery packs" that would have been terraced and shaped to the inside compartment of the computer, boosting battery life in the process. According to a person familiar with the creation of the MacBook, the battery failed a "key test," so instead of delaying the laptop and missing the holiday shopping season, "Apple decided to revert to an older design." This created a domino effect that went on to hit other Mac design teams whose engineers were taken to finish the MacBook Pro.
The MacBook Pro is rated for up to 10 hours of battery life for the 13-inch and 15-inch laptop, but the Bloomberg article didn't specify how much that may have been increased by if the larger battery would have made it into the MacBook Pro.
The article continued by saying that a few early prototypes of last year's 12-inch Retina MacBook were built with ports for the iPhone's Lightning cable, but the MacBook eventually launched with USB-C instead. A gold colorway for this year's MacBook Pro was even planned, but Apple designers eventually decided the color didn't work "on such a large product."
These test runs for iPhone-like features on the MacBook are "part of a broader shift toward making Macs more like iPhones." The critique rests on Apple's inability to see what its more creative and loyal users need desktop and laptop computers for, instead opting to bring features from its best-selling product -- the iPhone -- into the Mac line.
In the MacBook Pro line launched this past October, Apple planned to introduce "higher capacity battery packs" that would have been terraced and shaped to the inside compartment of the computer, boosting battery life in the process. According to a person familiar with the creation of the MacBook, the battery failed a "key test," so instead of delaying the laptop and missing the holiday shopping season, "Apple decided to revert to an older design." This created a domino effect that went on to hit other Mac design teams whose engineers were taken to finish the MacBook Pro.
In the run-up to the MacBook Pro's planned debut this year, the new battery failed a key test, according to a person familiar with the situation. Rather than delay the launch and risk missing the crucial holiday shopping season, Apple decided to revert to an older design.Battery life has been a big complaint among many MacBook Pro users, with some claiming in early December to get as little as 3 to 6 hours of battery life on a single charge. Some users claimed to see better battery life after updating to macOS 10.12.2 last week, but Apple "repeatedly and emphatically" told Ars Technica there are no specific battery life improvements included in the update. The laptop's battery "appeared to be performing as intended," according to the company.
The change required roping in engineers from other teams to finish the job, meaning work on other Macs languished, the person said. The new laptop didn't represent a game-changing leap in battery performance, and a software bug misrepresented hours of power remaining. Apple has since removed the meter from the top right-hand corner of the screen.
The MacBook Pro is rated for up to 10 hours of battery life for the 13-inch and 15-inch laptop, but the Bloomberg article didn't specify how much that may have been increased by if the larger battery would have made it into the MacBook Pro.
The article continued by saying that a few early prototypes of last year's 12-inch Retina MacBook were built with ports for the iPhone's Lightning cable, but the MacBook eventually launched with USB-C instead. A gold colorway for this year's MacBook Pro was even planned, but Apple designers eventually decided the color didn't work "on such a large product."
These test runs for iPhone-like features on the MacBook are "part of a broader shift toward making Macs more like iPhones." The critique rests on Apple's inability to see what its more creative and loyal users need desktop and laptop computers for, instead opting to bring features from its best-selling product -- the iPhone -- into the Mac line.
That's part of a broader shift toward making Macs more like iPhones. Apple prioritizes features, like thinness and minimal ports, that sell its iPhones and iPads, which generated about 75 percent of revenue this year. Those are contrary to professional needs, like maximum computing power. Early prototypes of the 12-inch MacBook used the iPhone's Lightning connector, although this was ditched for a more standard USB-C port. There was even a gold MacBook Pro planned, but this was shelved because the color didn’t look good on such a large product.The rest of the Bloomberg article is an interesting read, pointing towards the lack of a "singular vision" in Apple's design and engineering departments that leads to product delays and underwhelming reveals. In the end, dozens of Mac hardware managers and engineers are said to have left for different teams, or left Apple entirely, in the past 18 months. "Some were looking for a less all-consuming work environment, while others felt the future of Mac hardware was unclear in a world of iPhones and iPads."
Related Roundup: MacBook Pro
Tag: bloomberg.com
Buyer's Guide: MacBook Pro (Caution)
[ 306 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
29 months ago
Total loss of focus, lack of leadership. You've got a supply chain guy running the helm, who has no idea how people actually use the product. Complete unwillingness to incorporate the tremendous volume of feedback pro users have provided. Stupidity at best, arrogance at worst.
Strange days have found Apple. Throw Tim Cook out, NOW.
Strange days have found Apple. Throw Tim Cook out, NOW.
29 months ago
"In the end, dozens of Mac hardware managers and engineers are said to have left for different teams, or left Apple entirely, in the past 18 months."
So it begins.
So it begins.
29 months ago
Nothing surprising on this article. The disconnect between product features is mesmerizing. Dongles are unnecessary "work around". The fact that your latest phone released almost simultaneously with your latest laptop cannot connect with each other or use the same headphones is just a clear example of that.
29 months ago
How about making the body a little thicker so you can put in a bigger battery and some ports people actually use?
29 months ago
Two years and we won't have stories like this because Apple will become the worlds biggest exclusive phone and tablet manufacturer.
The company is currently a complete mess internally.
The company is currently a complete mess internally.
29 months ago
Apple doesn't really care about the Mac. If they cared none of this crap would be happening. Their focus is almost solely on the iPhone as that's what brings the money in. That's rather short-sighted.
29 months ago
Apple doesn't really care about the Mac. If they cared none of this crap would be happening. Their focus is almost solely on the iPhone as that's what brings the money in. That's rather short-sighted.
if they continue like this they will end up like Sony or Nokia (or Nintendo).
29 months ago
According to a person familiar with the creation of the MacBook, the battery failed a "key test," so instead of delaying the laptop and missing the holiday shopping season, "Apple decided to revert to an older design." ...
Battery life has been a big complaint ('https://www.macrumors.com/2016/12/03/macbook-pro-battery-life-concerns/') among many MacBook Pro users, with some claiming in early December to get as little as 3 to 6 hours of battery life on a single charge.
Waiting for the official "Apple waits until they get it right before they release a product" apologia chorus to start singing Apple praises here for this. It gets clearer and clearer that the current MBP is not the machine Apple wanted to release, but couldn't make it insanely great, so just release what they had, jacked up the price, and crossed their fingers people would see "up to 10 hours" rather than "up to 10 hours." Of course when they did notice the far less than 10 hours Apple quietly removes the battery time remaining indicator.
Totally understand Apple needed fresh laptops for the holiday selling season but its still a bit galling that they raised the price even as they lowered their own standards for laptop battery life. Apple spend a lot of "good will" here with users because in the past Apple's projected battery life has been even better in real life usage. Personally, I've become a lot more skeptical of Apple's claims because of all the crap they've pushed out, especially the last 2 years.
29 months ago
What's really sad is that many professional companies like Black Magic or Autodesk
ported their flagship software to Mac. That took them a lot of time and effort.
And now there is basically no Macs to run it on...
ported their flagship software to Mac. That took them a lot of time and effort.
And now there is basically no Macs to run it on...
[ Read All Comments ]
For this week's giveaway, we've teamed up with Tap to give MacRumors readers a chance to win one of the company's wearable keyboard setups, which Tap believes will be the keyboard of the...
Eve (formerly known as Elgato) was one of the first companies to come out with HomeKit accessories when HomeKit was announced in 2014, and since then, Eve has been expanding its portfolio of...
There are a few notable flash sales going on today, including a discount on a refurbished model of Apple's HomePod smart speaker. The speaker is on sale for $234.99, $115 off from its...
Apple is teaming up with Chinese payments company Ant Financial Services Group, along with several local banks, to offer local customers interest-free financing on iPhones in China (via Reuters)....
OWC this week announced a neat and tidy solution for quickly disconnecting multiple drives from any OWC dock, with the release of a free Dock Ejector utility.
The Mac app lives silently in...
Well-known cable and accessory maker Monoprice today introduced a new sale on Thunderbolt cables, with discounts reaching as much as 35 percent off of original prices during the limited-time event....
Parallels this week debuted a new promo bundle for both new and current users, offering a chance to buy or upgrade to Parallels Desktop 14, and then get ten other Mac apps for free. New owners can...
Over the past few weeks, a handful of users have reported receiving the message "an error occurred" when attempting to load the "For You" tab in iTunes, which provides personalized...
