Bryan Chaffin and John Kheit discuss the AirPort KRACK fix, and why the iMac Pro should really be called iMac Edition. They also dig into political criticism of Tim Cook speaking in China and Apple’s overall position in that country. And when they hear that Apple has hired new television execs, they hope it means Apple’s leadership is learning how to delegate. (WARNING NSFW: PROFANITY & RANTS)
Check It Out: Apple KRACK Debacle, iMac Edition, Rubio vs Cook vs China, Apple Hires TV Executives – Pop.0 Ep.24
John Kheit was quite vehement about the state of Apple, but have to agree with him and understand his frustration. Apple needs to go back to what I would classify as their Porsche model, AKA the original Mac Pro. Porsche because it was a classic, robust, and unbeatable in terms of industrial design.
But…you know what they won’t, for many reasons. It’s a bit like holding out hope that the UK will reverse the madness of Brexit. It looks highly unlikely at this stage.
Apple doesn’t seem capable of giving good value for money in a serious, expandable, pro desktop/workstation, starting from around €2,500. The whole luxury commodity that is applied to all Apple products these days is exemplified by having someone such as Angela Ahrendts as head of retail. She said as much when she was appointed to the job: Apple products are luxury items. I have seen Apple go from a company that is for people serious about good computers at the right price to one that caters for the upper-middle classes.
On top of this, Johny Ive’s design sensibilities seem to revolve around his ego and the look, outwardly of each product. There is nothing wrong with this but there doesn’t seem to be much consideration in practical matters.
My Mac Pro 1.1 gave me a could eight years service and I can see where John is looking at the horizon with his 2010 model. I’ve dipped my toe in the world of Hackintosh and while, in terms of hardware, you can get an impressive setup for under €2,000, when it comes to administering the software/firmware side of things, it is not for the faint hearted. It would be higher up the scale of tight rope existence than those daredevils ripping open a shiny new iMac Pro.
Going by the fact that any new expandable Mac may not arrive till next year, at best, the golden age of Apple for Pros ended shortly after 2010 when Steve Jobs was still very much involved in design matters. If you look at the overall picture, Apple has always been on the verge of falling off this wagon. when you look at the crazy built to order charges that they have always applied to upgraded components. And Steve always liked stuffing components into small space and charging premium.
Its all very unfortunate as their are no viable alternatives. Standing back and looking at the tech industry as whole, you soon realise that at the best of time, none of them serve the end user well because they have agendas. That;s just the way it is.