😂😂😂 Americans will keep buying apple products no matter what. iJustine is a perfect example of that. She be heavy glazing everything apple refuses to call them out on there bs😂
People seem to forget that they moved the Mac to ARM a massive change. But yes they are playing it safe with the Phone and the watch, but not with the Mac
I don’t think it’s possible for many people to simply forget Apple exists. Even if they don’t use Apple products, plenty of people deeply hate Apple, so I doubt those feelings are going away.
Tim Cook knows he’s not Steve Jobs, and to his credit has never tried to be. It only makes sense that Apple has become a different company under different leadership, and no one can argue with the results.
Love Tim Cook, but I’m hoping for the day John Ternus becomes CEO. I know he’s not Steve, but there is something Steve-ish about him. I love what Ternus done with Mac hardware. He “gets it.”
SJ also understood aspirational marketing. Giving people products they’ll crave, and for which they’d scrape together money if they had to. Now it’s just been blah design with good under-hood improvements. Beautifully designed products is what used to have everyone excited. Tim is boring. Apple has become so as well
In all honesty though, the smartphone technology has matured, as a result no one is really able to deliver a non-gimmicky brand new feature. The fact that your old phone feels ok even when the new one arrives is similar to the fact that, arrival of a new PC/Mac to the average user doesn't make them want to by it, their old one feels fine, that is what we really want realistically/economically. A mature platform that doesn't make you regret buying a product last year. It's bad for RUclipsrs as their business is to make interesting videos about newly arrived products.
Same here. The only compelling reason to upgrade is USB-C but most of the time I charge my phone on a magsafe charger. The new cameras were underwhelming so I'll just wait it out until Apple actually includes something that is worthwhile. The M4 MacMini looked promising but given I already own an M1 Macbook Pro Max with 32GB RAM it just didn't represent an upgrade.
Yep I think I watched the first two keynotes in COVID and I haven’t watched one since after having watching for years prior. They were just so boring. For me it’s always been at 4am as I live in Australia so I would be up early and excited for an event. It just felt like I was watching some random RUclips video. Much rather get my sleep than watch this boring stuff we see today. I’ll find out what’s new when I get up. I also think smartphones and a lot of things peaked 5+ years ago and everything since is just a refinement of the same thing we’ve seen so there’s no real incredible awe at what has been announced.
It wouldn’t work because they’ve gotten so lazy the features come out months if not the following year and they’re luck luster to say the least! Lazy, that’s all they’ve become!
I believe Apple needs someone like Steve Jobs to bring a stronger focus on their products. Releasing a device like the iPhone 16 lineup, designed for AI but lacking the actual AI features at launch, is a significant drawback. It raises the question: why purchase an incomplete device, especially when there’s a chance those promised features may never materialize? Apple has a history of this, such as when they promoted the iPhone X with a wireless charger that was ultimately never released.
They said iPhone X and iPhone 8 both would WORK WITH AirPower… it was never a bundled accessory or something that was marketed as a PART of those iPhone models… Wireless charging (the real feature that feature that worked with AirPower worked right out of the box.
Luke: “I’m not an old man shouting at a cloud!” (shakes fist at the sky) “But seriously, Apple... i mean ICloud, i mean, cloud.... get your act together!”
Funny, I was talking to a friend today about the lack of exuberance just about everywhere. I was hunting for some bathroom tile and found beige, black, brown, tan, and white. Not so long ago, I could find red and purple and turquoise and lavender. All gone. Cars are white, black, gray, with an occasional dark blue. The boring, uninteresting sameness has crept in everywhere. Since Covid, the entire world-music, advertising, tangible products, news-seems to have acquired coating of dullness, like someone is slowly turning down the lights and all the colors and shapes start blending together. It's creepy and depressing.
I’ve noticed this too. RUclips videos from about 3 years ago were like 5 times more positive since before around the middle of 2022. I spent about half of 2022 off the grid and when I came back everything and everyone seemed more negative.
Same thing is happening with movies, all the colours are fade and pale, the great example for this is Wicked, a movie that supposed to take inspiration from The Wizard of Oz, the first Technicolor movie ever!!!! That's insane and makes no sense LOL
Yes, there is no choice anymore. Even for buying electronics, you have to do extensive research only to not get scammed, at the end you have only one or two mediocre options.
Agreed. It’s one of the best computers shipped in years by any company. The series 10 Apple Watch is great, AirPods have received huge upgrades the whole lineup through and Apple has a VR headset now. Luke is just being dramatic as he’s lacking new content. Lame really.
it’s more of the way they’re marketed. the lifeless product introduction videos that’s so polished compared to the keynotes. the ads feel more stereotypical now compared to the iconic ads that’d make you stop and look even in 2020 with the iPad Pro magic keyboard ads where it’d grab your attention. . also features that aren’t even ready at release (apple intelligence) that was the ONLY marketing point when they announced it. camera control ads came only like in october and even then apple intelligence ads? are pretty stupid, they portray “stupid people” pretending they aren’t stupid with their iphone. there are changes and it is DEFINITELY more boring now
The M4 iPad Pro was genuinely phenomenal though. The changes look small on paper - reduced weight, better screen, and landscape front camera - but add up to a massively improved user experience for someone like me who uses it constantly as a hybrid device. Tech RUclips loves to complain about the iPad because it’s not an ideal device for video creation, but it’s way more useful than a laptop for me as a teacher.
And don't forget the M4 Mac Mini, which has been widely praised as being the best deal, pound for pound, performance-wise, for a desktop computer in 2024. Also, Apple's laptops and desktops now all have at least 16 gigs of RAM, which is a majorly positive move.
We all should have the ability to (unsupported) boot to MacOS on M series ipads if we want to, it's how Apple's monopoly is hurting enthusiastic ipad users, and costing Apple a lot of good will and I think far fewer sales of Powerbooks than they fear also.
The iPad is my favorite Apple Product as an enthusiast tech consumer. Even above an iPhone. Macs are in the best place they've ever been. Now is a great time to buy into Apple, of course they don't want to do anything drastic and change it. Especially since their most recent attempt at it... People did not buy in (The Vision Pro).
@@NickdeBey The iPad is always my compromise choice. iPhone? Too small, Macbook Pro? meh, too clunky to carry. iPad is there as the device that's bad at nothing and great at nothing. I don't regret it and use it but, if I only had 2, it would still be Mac and iPhone.
Your honesty about the Fruit company is always what I value about your channel. And you spend more time in reality than most Fruit channels which are constantly yelling about what is coming next from the Fruit.
@laserwizard1 like FPT. I used to watch it, but then it became exclusively fruit company stuff. I mean nothing necessarily wrong with focusing on one company but another of those channels glaze the fruit company and don't ridicule them enough
@@DemetruisMilleryeah fpt went the apple route which was sad but understandable since it makes John more views than focusing in on all other tech to the point of Apple shilling
The last device Steve allegedly had input on was the gen 1 Apple Watch. Guess when the last time Apple products were amazing. Yup. I was an Apple fanboy, but there’s nothing to fanboy about anymore. Omg! I HAVE MORE NITS ON MY APPLE WATCH?!? No. Freakin. Way! They don’t clamp down on leaks, or they’re intentional leaks for stock stability. Who knows. But we know EXACTLY what’s coming out every year now. Slightly different frame. A couple models. A couple colors. More graphs showing how amazing the new AX chip is. Blah blah blah. Lastly, it’s an absolute joke to slowly remove buttons and ports, to only bring a button back as a dedicated camera shutter - that nobody needed or asked for. And we all know how their customer service has even nose dived since the Jobs era, and the software is just as iterative and uninteresting as the products these days. Don’t forget. Despite being a massive company, they know their iPhone sales peaked in 2015. That’s why it’s all services and lame software they push now.
@@mrk-ism Exactly. More buggy too. I've dual wielded a PC (for gaming) and a macbook for years. My PC actually boots faster than my M3 Max Macbook. Which blows me away, because for 20 years, it was the other way around, by a mile. Same with iOS. The changes are for the sake of change now. Photos in iOS 18 is absolutely atrocious. I can't stand it. I think Johnny Ive left a gaping design vacuum, that hasn't been filled. All that matters to Tim Cook is cranking out unit sales, or whatever. Cuz nobody at Apple seems to care about hardware or software design and innovation anymore. And it's been like that for years now.
IPhone sales peak: 2015 - unit sales 2024 (?) - revenue They care more about revenue than unit sales. Of course they care about unit sales but the revenue and profit are much more important.
@@cjeelde True. Before, everyone wanted the new technology. Now, less people want one, but they're charged more - as you stated - to keep revenue up. Services is where they make a lot of cash now.
Well Said Luke, this is exactly what i've been feeling about Apple for the past 4 years, they used to be masters at selling the experience, but now its more like we have the specs, buy our product, they've lost what made them special in the industry
I had an uncle who used to give me the best Christmas gifts each year. He would really spend his time finding something interesting and unique that I didn't even know I wanted. And I always loved his gifts and remember many of them to this day. Then, one day I got to the age where he changed to just sending a gift card. This period of Apple reminds me of how I felt when I got the gift card a second Christmas in a row. I knew the magic of being surprised each year was over.
As a 16-year-old, I love to see the old Apple keynotes and commercials. They have something that the new ones don't have. You aren't an old man saying the old Apple was better. It really was. I would say 2020 was way better
Same with computers. Real people probably don't buy the newest MacBook every year. Even me, as an editor who relies on my MacBook Pro more than anything else, doesn't buy a new Mac every year.
An A T T rep came to my home and was pushing me to buy an Iphone 16 but totally IGNORED my asking about my getting a new Ipad. I have an X and an 8. I will eventually buy a 16 but I NEED a new Ipad for my YT videos. It really pissed me off.
@@UnwieldyElephantHell my last MacBook Pro lasted me 10 years before I upgraded. Yes, I upgrade my iPad Pro with each new one, but that is due to the drawing improvements
I think their lineup is too diluted. Remember when they had a simplified lineup? iMac, Power Mac, iBook, and PowerBook? I don’t think we need a lineup as simplified as this, but the overlap does make it hard to “sell” the idea of an Apple ecosystem
In a nutshell, has become **IBM** ... basically becoming the thing that they always rebelled against ... no imagination, no creativeness, just plain old **BORING** ... we will eventually see the founder of some new innovative startup standing under the Apple corporate logo ... **HOLDING UP THEIR MIDDLE FINGER** ... !!!
It's similar but a few differences. The sequels actually keep getting better, just not fast enough to give an adrenaline rush like they used to because it's not as novel. It's a sequel.
But who's actually doing anything innovative that goes anywhere? There's a certain point where you've refined a product to its best iteration and this tech has been around so long it isn't hard to see us hitting that point. Just look at the asinine ideas that have happened over the last 20 years - curved phones, curved TVs, 3D TVs, absurdly fragile folding screens, etc.
I get your points and agree to an extent but this is what happens when products become well optimized and established. I’d say most of their products with the exception of Vision Pro have reached peak functionality, with room only for incremental spec bumps, slight design changes, and gimmicky features(i.e. camera control on iPhone 16). Anything more than that at this point would most likely compromise the functionality and optimization of the product in some way. The era of huge changes every 1-2 years with these products is over, which ultimately is a good thing imo, as it means consumers are buying devices that they can hold on to for many years without feeling like they need to upgrade, which promotes far less e-waste. The only way for Apple to be truly revolutionary again imo is to create a new product category, which is easier said than done.
there is nothing special there was a redesign doubling of the ram in the base model they did not invent anything the mac mini M2 was empty they reduced it
@@chidorirasenganz stop talking about games and 3D on mac it's a joke it's stupid to play on mac with all the input lag low performance incompatible mac mini M1 is the same as the M4 there has been no invention revolution in the meantime they just took advantage of reducing the size and finally doubled the ram if AI did not exist they would not do it it is a good machine but nothing impressive mac mini M4 can't do anything more than an M1
@ You’re joke if you think that. I’ve been gaming on my M1 Pro MBP since the GPTK was intergrated into Crossover and using Blender before that. The base M3 and M4 are more than twice as powerful as my M1 Pro is in Blender, more powerful than the M1 Max. In terms of raw rasterization performance the M4 is around 20% weaker than the M1 Pro but more than twice as powerful as the Steam Deck (on par with a desktop 3050) So you definitely what to do some research before you start yappin about stuff you know nothing about lmao
@@henson2k Worse screen, worse battery, worse camera, smaller screen too, yet still bigger than the 12/13 mini Apple could ditch the SE and make a mini instead
I don't know about you, but I stopped putting a white Apple sticker on my car(s) about 10 years ago. I still consider myself a “fanboy”, but Apple has unfortunately turned into an investor monster that only listens to shareholders to make more money.
I have the exact same feeling as you. I feel like they got rid of the iPhone - iPhone S - iPhone +1 - iPhone +1S cycle to do this thing of slowly introducing features over a longer period of time to get more sales. I truly feel like the last 4 iPhones could have been packed into one, featuring: 120 Hz, Titanium, Dynamic Island and USB C. Hell, even the iPhone 4 brought more changes than that in a single year with the incredible 5 Mpx camera, the facetiming camera, the first Apple Silicon chip, a completely new design and many more things... the iPad lineup is complete shit and the Apple Watch/iPhone lineups have reached a point in which they don't need yearly releases...
This won't solve any big problems, but bring back live, in-person keynotes. It was so much better getting the audience's reaction. Seeing new products sometimes not work was even better. Now, everything is pre-recorded and choreographed to death.
Years ago, customers had to put up with the disappearing ports on laptops, the butterfly keyboard, the touch bar, the trash can Mac Pro, all of which Apple fixed. Now you want to complain that the current product lineup is too boring?
Yes, because the design of Mac Studio is nothing like the 2013 Mac Pro. There still is no 12-inch MacBook, lighter than an iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard, powerful enough to do real work with Python, Ollama, or Logic Pro without a subscription... Powerful enough to run multiple VMs and yet, be light enough to throw in your briefcase and not worry if you can accomplish the task you need to from anywhere in the world, even in an economy seat on the tray table. This is why I always bring my 12-inch MacBook along on airplane trips instead of my M4 Pro.
I believe you hit the nail right on the head. It's not just one thing that Apple is doing that is changing their image of who they were to who they are now it's basically everything that they are doing from the products to the way the advertise them from the way they talk about them from the way they show their keynotes. I'm a really big Apple fan, but the past four years of just advertising the same thing over and over and over don't really changing anything except for a couple of little things just doesn't have me excited as much as I used to be, I mean the only time I really upgrade my products now or when I'm seriously need something that one of my other products doesn't do and it doesn't seem like it's happening as much anymore. I've been wanting them to add an equalizer to the software that allows you to custom make your equalizers. I've been wanting to add more ports to the to the iPad that actually allow you to plug in more than one accessory that can do data transfer. I've been wanting them to make a touchscreen Mac I've been wanting them to bring macOS to the iPad. It doesn't have to be a full flight copy but just something that can be more like macOS and less like iPadOS or iOS that can actually do more. I've been wanting them to add split screen support on the actual iPhone but the fact that they're not taking the risk risks on going back on their choices in the beginning gets me worried sometimes I think they are playing it a little too safe so it's not just you.
I think you're right, there's no "must-have" product. Next year, I'll be switching from the iPhone SE to the iPhone 16, but there's not really much excitement for me about it. And the product I actually need (for work) is the Mac Studio, but it has a processor that's two generations old. Yes, also the presentations feel sterile, almost a bit AI-like. Happy new year!
Yeah, that was the case with me too. Wanted a Mac Studio bad but wasn’t paying full price for a two generation old processor. Under Jobs, the computers at least got significant annual updates to the latest chip set, so you felt like you were getting the latest tech, even if you were paying new PC prices. Cook is perfectly happy to sell you old tech at new PC prices, which is why I just went back to a Windows PC. Got tired of waiting.
@@20NBA01 Small reasons which accumulate. My SE (2020) shows it's age, the lcd screen is quiet small and hard to read in the sun, battery is getting bad, the single camera is limited and I really start to dislike the lightning port. I might also get an iPhone 15 if it's noticeable cheaper.
@@20NBA01 I don't see the benefit of an Android phone. The Apple eco system (iCloud, iMessage, FaceTime, Airdrop..) and workflow with other Apple devices is too convenient to give it up. Yes I could safe some money, but thats not my main concern. It's just that there isn't really an Apple product at the moment that's truly exciting.
I don’t know, man. Agree with most of what you’re saying. But saying Apple takes no risks the same year they launch the AVP sounds patently false. Not only is AVP the biggest risk Apple has taken. It’s also arguably their biggest failure in, I don’t know, two decades?
You perfectly nailed it. Apple without Steve Jobs and Jony Ive is a robot company. No courage, no taste, no passion for product and lots of virtue signalling. They're completely out of touch and don't break the rules anymore. I predicted this right after Tim Cook fired Scott Forstall but I thought the downfall of Apple would come sooner.
I watch my wife struggle trying to control her iPhone 13 while I contentedly live in the farther ago past with my simpler iPhone SE (2nd gen). The big changes every year seem to mainly be software enhancements for tons of crap I don't want my phone to even think about doing.
Tbh, I don’t judge apple’s products based on how much I like the commercials. That’s a little weird. Titanium phones are better than what they were before, even if the commercials aren’t as cool.
I am an old man at 63 years young 😂. I've also owned an iPhone and an iPad since gen 1. And I've had a MacBook since 2007. But through the years I've also experimented with Android and Windows, and even with Windows Phone (which I loved). But I kept getting the new iPhone every year. However, since the iPhone 11 on, I've been disappointed by the iPhone. It's basically the same phone with just a minor improvement. Some of my friends keep their phones for years, I can't. I have to have to latest. But simple things like the onscreen keyboard of the iPhone compared to a Pixel phone, it's like day and night. I HATE THE IPHONE KEYBOARD! The new Apple silicon MacBooks are great but if Apple doesn't do something quick with the iPhone and the iPad, they will go the way of BlackBerry. And I'm glad you are saying something about it. I've followed you for years and I know how much you have defended Apple in the past. But it is time for a change. It is time for Apple to once again be like the 2007 Apple.
I feel the same way about Apple products. To me, all the products feel the same. In the past, the classy staged presentations always triggered a "must-have" effect. I was totally thrilled with the iPhone 7 back then and have bought a new iPhone almost every time since. But for some time now, I haven't enjoyed new Apple devices anymore. I currently own the 13 Mini, AW Ultra 1 and AirPods Pro 1st Gen. With none of the devices I feel the need to get something new, since no new product really convinces me anymore and triggers no more enthusiasm. I even sold my iPad Pro M2 because I'd rather use the money for other things and an old iPad is enough for me, since the devices simply don't have anything special about them anymore.
Marketing and advertising mate. Thanks for noticing. Note too, that nearly 50% of Apple profits are not hardware. Jobs is well, gone, and Ives has moved on. Cook is maintaining the DATA STREAM.
You’re wrong there has been a lot of innovation since Steve jobs died the iPhone X was a massive upgrade , iPad Pro redesign and the M chips for macs and the Apple Watch but yeah since 4 to 5 years I agree there’s not much innovation
No. The greatest cohesive improvements that really cemented stuff solid came after he died. The innovative vision took a -40% hit. At the end of the day it's a wash, which I'd call a success after losing a genius like SJ.
I'll never forget the unveiling of the 1st iPhone, the interaction Steve had with the audience was tremendously overwhelming. Steve knew how to make keynotes and that special touch had gone to oblivion since he died. Tim is just a mere executive, no striking words, so robotic, it's like he doesn't want to appear on camera. My last apple is a macbook pro 13 2012 which I keep because it's a great product, came from an era where Apple (imo) not only thinks about its products in the tiniest and minuscule detail, but their clients satisfaction at its best.
Luke, you touched on one of the most important points about 10 minutes in. Apple’s primary focus, after shareholders, is producing mass-market products that almost anyone can use. They have annual releases, but I’d say their product cycles are closer to three years between major refreshes, with iterative improvements in between. The Vision Pro is an enthusiast product, but it’s still a fledgling offering from Apple and will take several years to appeal to a larger audience. For example, I went from the iPhone 12 to the 15 Pro, and the improvements were massive. I also replaced my M1 MacBook Air with an M4 MacBook Pro, and again, the improvements were absolutely outstanding. I think it’s important to consider the bigger picture.
Thank you! What did we gain by that? More expensive and complicated (dongles) to listen to media. You're telling me that that small space gained revolutionized the iphone and smartphones overall. Don't get me wrong were and still are an excellent product. But I still have opted to use phones with jacks and the difference between 200-300$ pair of earbuds and 40$ wired is kind of mind-blowing still. Obviously, wireless is convenient but wired still has a place and it is just a feature that is no longer so easily suppored on newer smartphones aimply because apple saw it as a chance to line their pockets while pretending it is for the consumer's convenience. So brave...😢
one reason why 2024 may have fealt "mid" aswell is cus 2024 was believe it or not the first year since 2009 that apple did not introduce a new product category yes vision pro was relesed 2024 but was introduced in 2023. so i count it like that. 2023: Vision Pro 2022: Mac Studio, Studio Display, Apple Watch Ultra 2021: Airtag 2020: Apple M1-chip, Homepod mini and Airpods Max 2019: Airpods Pro, Pro Display XDR 2018: Iphone XS Max 2017: Imac Pro, Homepod, and Iphone X 2016: Iphone SE and Airpods 2015: Ipad Pro, Apple Pencil, and Apple TV HD 2014: Apple Watch 2013: Iphone 5C, Ipad Air 2012: Ipad mini 2011: Thunderbolt Display 2010: Ipad
The Mac Mini M4 is pretty impressive. And I'm really enjoying my AirPods 4. And don't forget that Apple gave us over the counter hearing aide functionality for the AirPods Pro 2 for FREE, which is kind of a big deal for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. Listen, I don't think it's fair to slam Apple for a lack of innovation in 2024. When it comes to this tech, how much more is there to innovate? It's easy to look back at 2010 with nostalgia for how much it innovated over the previous year, but the genres were still so new. It's not just Apple, look at Samsung and Google, and all the others. Real year over year innovation for these products is going to be harder and harder to achieve.
They are revealing small features as if they are massive. They decided that they were to talk about the most influential features only. Now they talk about every single small thing as if it is game changing it’s just delusional
Totally agree about Apple’s product releases becoming very sterile, formulaic, and boring. I have an observation that whenever a great company builds itself a new impressive headquarters, the corporate culture becomes complacent, and it goes downhill from there. I disagree that Apple is improving their quality. I’ve noticed a marked decrease in the quality and attention to detail in macOS and iOS.
I feel it too man. Years ago I was blown off my chair with all their newest tech. Now I just watch "WWDC in Ten Minutes" and don't waste any more time on that marketing machine.
Apple be appealing to the TikTok and Reels watchers with such hyper-activeness in their videos, i mean just look at any MacBook Pro adverts released recently
Even the M4 iPad Pro can’t save it from being a garbage year. It wasn’t even mid. I am so disgusted by the Apple Watch, AirPods Max and the iPhone line this year. Apple must really think we’re stupid.
I got the same feeling. The only products I thought Apple absolutely nailed were the base M4 mini and base M4 14" Pro. And that comes with the serious caveat that both of those things should really have bigger SSDs. The new iPad Pro had a lot of potential, but as long as the software is barely more capable than iOS, an iPad will never be worth spending $1000 on.
You are mistaking “stop trying” with “boring”. Steve equals exciting. Tim equals boring. Do you want to know what a company is like? Check out the leader, and everything filters from there.
Totally agree with you on the Apple commercials. Most of the time I didn't even realize a famous celebrity was reading an ad to me. They just felt so boring like most other product advertisements. They have definitely lost that wow factor the old commercials had.
I agree with you only in part. Apple is making a mess with the software, it's true. To chase the others on the AI front, they released ios18 and ipados18 which are worse than the previous versions. But for the rest, hardware side, there is little to criticize. They brought the ANC to "non-in-ear" headphones which is a kind of miracle. M4 is the first really strong evolution since Apple Silicon was introduced. They have the best computers on the market and when the m4 air comes out it will be a joy for many. They have been praised by everyone for the redesign of the Mac Mini which has an exceptional cost-value ratio. The new IpadPro is amazing with that screen. What more could you want? They could perhaps enter the world of foldables, but it would not be so innovative anymore. Other products have been less revolutionary, but many people, for example, are loving the apple watch s10 for the larger screen. It's not as easy to innovate now as it was 15-20 years ago. They tried with the vision pro but it's still an immature product, that people perceive as too intrusive. Apple is in a consolidation phase, they have a really solid and quality product lineup. I hope above all that for the watch, the iPhone and the iPad they manage to do something exceptional on the battery side. This would be a real revolution. then it's obvious that everyone misses Steve and John.
You're not alone! It's definitely noticeable how quickly updates are happening these days. Many people don’t want to upgrade when the changes are so minor. I think companies need to shift to a schedule where they update devices less frequently but with more significant improvements. No one really needs a new iPad that’s just like the old one but with a new chip.
You are spot on. I was a huge Apple enthusiast, but ever since they abandoned the ability of users to repair or upgrade their devices, I have distanced myself from the brand. I want so badly to love the new Mac Mini because I want to get back into video creation. However, I hate the fact there is no ability to expand storage or increase memory after the initial purchase. I am left wondering if I am better off getting a Windows PC that I can make those changes to as my needs expand.
Spreadsheets …you are spot on ! As a product manager I’ve said the same thing. I’ve made a video on my channel on the same topic..They are focused on operational efficiencies and squeezing out every penny they can as they know they are the market leaders and don’t quite yet need to innovate like they used to. However that will only last so long and they will need to innovate. 2025 is going to be a big year for Apple as the pressure is on from the competition, hopefully they turn things around.
Apple feels like it's run by the sales guys now. I don't see any cohesive product vision any more. The hardware is incredibly impressive, yes, thanks to Apple Silicon, but nobody knows how to design an OS it would seem when the rollout of Apple Intelligence has been such a disaster. People don't care about these features and don't want them. The ads are bad, the messaging is all over the place, and the corporate vibe is just weird.
I have a Windows 10 PC that I'm using mostly, but when I travel, I bring my 15" Macbook Air with me. The specs of that machine are decent, but I really miss many good innovations, like an OLED screen or 120HZ refresh rate, so I bought a Windows 11 based Zenbook S16 to check the Windows side of things of the portable market and I have to say: after 20 minutes of using that laptop, I wanted to go back to the Macbook Air or to my Windows 10 PC. I had a really bad experience with Windows 11 and I think this will help Apple a lot. That also means that they won't be forced to change the direction of their business model.
I agree about the Keynotes - certainly for me in the UK they're almost unwatchable as they seem so false. Regarding products I would just refer you back to things like the plastic MacBooks that cracked at the corners and were pretty dreadful compared to what we have now. Mac-wise everything seems to have improved since M1 - not just internally but also in build quality. There are some products I don't want to see Apple take too many risks with - we all now the issues with 1st gen new models.
I dunno man, I'm very much in the "don't fix what ain't broken" camp, and I think overall their products, especially the Mac, are in the best shape they've ever been in. I do not miss the days of the touch bar, butterfly keyboards, removal of all ports except USB C, "controversial" decisions. They used to do shit just for the sake of doing it, rather than stopping to think if it was actually a good idea. I think they're doing fine.
I love that you and others are covering this topic. Honestly, I felt you could’ve gone a lot deeper in their shortcomings. But your statement, for me describes Apple perfectly, “ it seems like Apple is trying to find the exact balance between the least amount of effort and features that they can add, while still getting a sale.” This is why after 14 years on iPhone, I am thrilled to buy the S25 next month.
Considering I'm still using a 2017 10.9" iPad Pro with the original Apple Pencil, and my desktop was a 2009 cheese grater Mac Pro before I broke down and got the M1 Mac mini, I think Apple can advertise on the durability and long tech support for their products. I also hold on to my Apple phones for at least a couple of cycles, and use the Apple Watch until the damn things break under the pressure of being attached to my wrist. I imagine Apple has plenty on their plate with the impending demise of their Chinese manufacturing base and the US losing interest in protecting sea trade lanes to promote free trade policies. And I'm old enough to yell at clouds...
Progress is slowing down for many companies: Microsoft, Intel, Boeing, pretty much everywhere. Shareholders want money, not progress. So with help of bland CEOs they will ride dead horse as far as possible.
I get your point, Luke. Yes, innovation doesn’t amaze us as much as it used to be… I see 2 reasons for this: - frequent upgrades, yearly new iPhones, yearly new OS versions, etc, totally ruin the memorable experience of a great and strong step up. We now need to wait 2-3 years to effectively see the difference. As before, don’t you think? - there’s a kind of asymptotic effect in innovation. And the feeling that everything is on the table decreases the need for more. MaxTech says that the latest iPad Pro is a peak model. We expect nothing more from the next version to come. Same with watches… A last idea: 3 of the last innovations Apple made were complete disasters: Vison Pro, Touch Bar and butterfly keyboard. Who wants to innovate now?
You hit the nail on the head here, Tim is a supply chain specialist so of course his leadership will gravitate towards an incremental product refinement strategy rather than whole new products or controversial spec choices. The one new product, Vision Pro, is essentially dead in the water because he doesn’t have the vision (no pun intended) for how to get one in every home like an iPhone or iPad. They’re playing it safe because the senior management are in their own echo chamber about safe choices to boost the share price, and patting themselves on the back for their ridiculous pricing ladder that infuriates their customers but keeps the shareholders happy.
He's half right. The whole theme focuses on what could be better, one true fact after another. But if we're being honest he could do one true fact after another about where Apple have done it right. I don't mind. Let them have a little heat to know where to improve. But never forget the alternative is to live in squalor on Windows + Android, which would have been a chapter in Dante's Inferno if they had existed at the time he wrote the book.
It's weird how they claim given materials and colours as some sort of design achievement. Yeah, it's green, no need to spend five minutes gushing over it; oh, titanium? We've had that for a long time.
There are 16 MBTI types. They work on all fronts to please 'em all. Colors don't matter to you and it's fine. Maybe you like editing a photo filter AFTER you took photo, or maybe you're a geek who redesigns the entire user interface of your phone or tablet with shortcut scripts. They're kinda doing it all. Even spec sheet boyz getting excited over benchmarks.
Luke: YOU HAVE NAILED IT!!! No, you are not crazy. We have your back!! Apple has become stagnet and the new ideas or challanges are just not there. The Apple employees/developers follow their CEO and without creative direction, we see what happens. Tim Cook "had" his time but as with the new year, out with the old and in with the new creative ideas. I am new to Apple computers (formerly a windows person) and you all (including Apple Track, FPT, Apple Circle, etc.) have helped me to change in the "right" direction. I owned the iPhone since its inception. Love Apple products. You have the best ideas -- how about becoming CEO of Apple!!! Enjoy the New Year hopefully a better year for Apple.
I'm not sure what innovative anybody can do with iPhone. It sells alright, people buy "boring" stuff. Apple has nobody to compete with in premium segment.
Most Apple hardware and software products are as mature as washing machines or flat screen TVs. I think the Mac mini M4 is one of the most interesting Apple products since the 2013 Mac Pro. It’s the first Mac in a decade that made me say “I want one of them” aloud. And I actually bought one. But that’s a rarity for me now. Keep up the good work, Luke. Happy new year.
Apple has felt a tad stale for a while now. The one shining exception is Mac hardware. I don’t think I’ve been this happy with the Mac lineup in a while. (Though I’m looking forward to a MBP design update!) I’d like to see a new aesthetic for macOS. It’s too flat, too boring… especially compared with early versions of OS X (pinstripes, metal, textures, etc.) We have tremendous graphics power thru Apple Silicon. So why is the OS so flat and boring? I miss live keynotes and demos. I miss original ad campaigns like Think Different. I miss the MacWorld conference. I get that Apple is playing it safe and streamlining to save money, but it’s getting ridiculous and it needs to stop. Too sterile, too anti-septic, too corporate. Stop. Just stop it already.
Apple don't 'seem' lost. Apple knows exactly what they are doing. Waiting for the competition to innovate and take risks first. Then once they realise what that next new thing is, Apple starts working to hon in on it.
Vision Pro got the 'how we made it' video because it's a new category. All their other lines are so mature, we know how they're made. I do really miss the excitement of live events and think they should bring them back!
If a company plays it safe enough for long enough, eventually people forget they exist.
😂😂😂 Americans will keep buying apple products no matter what. iJustine is a perfect example of that. She be heavy glazing everything apple refuses to call them out on there bs😂
Toyota plays safe and they are the most trusted brand. Apple can achieve this as well.
Biggest myth of capitalism 😂
No company approaching 4 trillion valuation and with billion+ users is getting forgotten any time soon
People seem to forget that they moved the Mac to ARM a massive change. But yes they are playing it safe with the Phone and the watch, but not with the Mac
I don’t think it’s possible for many people to simply forget Apple exists. Even if they don’t use Apple products, plenty of people deeply hate Apple, so I doubt those feelings are going away.
Steve understood and loved theater, performance, communication. The robotic pre-recorded delivery, the Crushed ad are something he'd be furious about.
Tim Cook knows he’s not Steve Jobs, and to his credit has never tried to be. It only makes sense that Apple has become a different company under different leadership, and no one can argue with the results.
@@cgraham6 Tim cook reminds me of a gay Forrest Gump, only slightly Machiavellian, very PC, and a bean counter.
Love Tim Cook, but I’m hoping for the day John Ternus becomes CEO. I know he’s not Steve, but there is something Steve-ish about him. I love what Ternus done with Mac hardware. He “gets it.”
SJ also understood aspirational marketing. Giving people products they’ll crave, and for which they’d scrape together money if they had to. Now it’s just been blah design with good under-hood improvements. Beautifully designed products is what used to have everyone excited. Tim is boring. Apple has become so as well
oh n the camera control button he's gotta be pissed about that his whole reasoning for making the iphone was to eliminate as many buttons as possible
The slowness of updates has resulted in the desire to upgrade to every 3-5 years. Still rocking an iPhone 12Pro.
I honestly had to think hard for a minute to remember which one I have now 😂. It’s just not interesting as he said
In all honesty though, the smartphone technology has matured, as a result no one is really able to deliver a non-gimmicky brand new feature. The fact that your old phone feels ok even when the new one arrives is similar to the fact that, arrival of a new PC/Mac to the average user doesn't make them want to by it, their old one feels fine, that is what we really want realistically/economically. A mature platform that doesn't make you regret buying a product last year. It's bad for RUclipsrs as their business is to make interesting videos about newly arrived products.
Smart guy, I've left the brand and ecosystem behind. Totally detached and better for it.
loving my 14 pro, and my M1 base MacBook Air. both still run like day 1. take care of your toys, they take care of you
Same here. The only compelling reason to upgrade is USB-C but most of the time I charge my phone on a magsafe charger. The new cameras were underwhelming so I'll just wait it out until Apple actually includes something that is worthwhile. The M4 MacMini looked promising but given I already own an M1 Macbook Pro Max with 32GB RAM it just didn't represent an upgrade.
They took away the in-person keynotes for COVID, now they're still doing them. Imagine if they presented the iPhone 14 in person...
That's what they need to do again. The current scripted, polished videos are tedious.
You nailed it!!!
Yep I think I watched the first two keynotes in COVID and I haven’t watched one since after having watching for years prior. They were just so boring. For me it’s always been at 4am as I live in Australia so I would be up early and excited for an event. It just felt like I was watching some random RUclips video. Much rather get my sleep than watch this boring stuff we see today. I’ll find out what’s new when I get up. I also think smartphones and a lot of things peaked 5+ years ago and everything since is just a refinement of the same thing we’ve seen so there’s no real incredible awe at what has been announced.
They haven’t been introducing anything exciting enough for an auditorium of fans to go crazy over.
It wouldn’t work because they’ve gotten so lazy the features come out months if not the following year and they’re luck luster to say the least! Lazy, that’s all they’ve become!
I believe Apple needs someone like Steve Jobs to bring a stronger focus on their products. Releasing a device like the iPhone 16 lineup, designed for AI but lacking the actual AI features at launch, is a significant drawback. It raises the question: why purchase an incomplete device, especially when there’s a chance those promised features may never materialize? Apple has a history of this, such as when they promoted the iPhone X with a wireless charger that was ultimately never released.
They said iPhone X and iPhone 8 both would WORK WITH AirPower… it was never a bundled accessory or something that was marketed as a PART of those iPhone models… Wireless charging (the real feature that feature that worked with AirPower worked right out of the box.
Luke: “I’m not an old man shouting at a cloud!” (shakes fist at the sky) “But seriously, Apple... i mean ICloud, i mean, cloud.... get your act together!”
Funny, I was talking to a friend today about the lack of exuberance just about everywhere. I was hunting for some bathroom tile and found beige, black, brown, tan, and white. Not so long ago, I could find red and purple and turquoise and lavender. All gone. Cars are white, black, gray, with an occasional dark blue. The boring, uninteresting sameness has crept in everywhere. Since Covid, the entire world-music, advertising, tangible products, news-seems to have acquired coating of dullness, like someone is slowly turning down the lights and all the colors and shapes start blending together. It's creepy and depressing.
I’ve noticed this too. RUclips videos from about 3 years ago were like 5 times more positive since before around the middle of 2022. I spent about half of 2022 off the grid and when I came back everything and everyone seemed more negative.
@@themacintoshnerd And common courtesy has disappeared, even in Japan, which prides itself on politeness.
Same thing is happening with movies, all the colours are fade and pale, the great example for this is Wicked, a movie that supposed to take inspiration from The Wizard of Oz, the first Technicolor movie ever!!!! That's insane and makes no sense LOL
Yes, there is no choice anymore. Even for buying electronics, you have to do extensive research only to not get scammed, at the end you have only one or two mediocre options.
I sure am loving my new mac mini though.
Agreed. It’s one of the best computers shipped in years by any company. The series 10 Apple Watch is great, AirPods have received huge upgrades the whole lineup through and Apple has a VR headset now. Luke is just being dramatic as he’s lacking new content. Lame really.
stopped using apple in 2006, because 2005 was the year that they became lamw.
@@whitedragondojo your food stamps stop paying for apple products?
it’s more of the way they’re marketed. the lifeless product introduction videos that’s so polished compared to the keynotes. the ads feel more stereotypical now compared to the iconic ads that’d make you stop and look even in 2020 with the iPad Pro magic keyboard ads where it’d grab your attention.
.
also features that aren’t even ready at release (apple intelligence) that was the ONLY marketing point when they announced it. camera control ads came only like in october and even then apple intelligence ads? are pretty stupid, they portray “stupid people” pretending they aren’t stupid with their iphone.
there are changes and it is DEFINITELY more boring now
Here here! 🥂I only need one great product every 5 or so years to be a happy customer 😊
There are two eras in Apple, before Jony Ive, and after Jony Ive.
100%
Yeah, but with Jony at the helm, we never would have gotten a thicker MacBook Pro with MagSafe.
The M4 iPad Pro was genuinely phenomenal though. The changes look small on paper - reduced weight, better screen, and landscape front camera - but add up to a massively improved user experience for someone like me who uses it constantly as a hybrid device. Tech RUclips loves to complain about the iPad because it’s not an ideal device for video creation, but it’s way more useful than a laptop for me as a teacher.
And don't forget the M4 Mac Mini, which has been widely praised as being the best deal, pound for pound, performance-wise, for a desktop computer in 2024. Also, Apple's laptops and desktops now all have at least 16 gigs of RAM, which is a majorly positive move.
We all should have the ability to (unsupported) boot to MacOS on M series ipads if we want to, it's how Apple's monopoly is hurting enthusiastic ipad users, and costing Apple a lot of good will and I think far fewer sales of Powerbooks than they fear also.
The iPad is my favorite Apple Product as an enthusiast tech consumer. Even above an iPhone. Macs are in the best place they've ever been. Now is a great time to buy into Apple, of course they don't want to do anything drastic and change it. Especially since their most recent attempt at it... People did not buy in (The Vision Pro).
Yeah, a lot of power going unused there ...
@@NickdeBey The iPad is always my compromise choice. iPhone? Too small, Macbook Pro? meh, too clunky to carry. iPad is there as the device that's bad at nothing and great at nothing. I don't regret it and use it but, if I only had 2, it would still be Mac and iPhone.
Your honesty about the Fruit company is always what I value about your channel. And you spend more time in reality than most Fruit channels which are constantly yelling about what is coming next from the Fruit.
Fruit company 😂 I also say that sometimes too
@laserwizard1 like FPT. I used to watch it, but then it became exclusively fruit company stuff. I mean nothing necessarily wrong with focusing on one company but another of those channels glaze the fruit company and don't ridicule them enough
@@DemetruisMilleryeah fpt went the apple route which was sad but understandable since it makes John more views than focusing in on all other tech to the point of Apple shilling
The last device Steve allegedly had input on was the gen 1 Apple Watch. Guess when the last time Apple products were amazing. Yup.
I was an Apple fanboy, but there’s nothing to fanboy about anymore. Omg! I HAVE MORE NITS ON MY APPLE WATCH?!? No. Freakin. Way!
They don’t clamp down on leaks, or they’re intentional leaks for stock stability. Who knows. But we know EXACTLY what’s coming out every year now. Slightly different frame. A couple models. A couple colors. More graphs showing how amazing the new AX chip is. Blah blah blah.
Lastly, it’s an absolute joke to slowly remove buttons and ports, to only bring a button back as a dedicated camera shutter - that nobody needed or asked for.
And we all know how their customer service has even nose dived since the Jobs era, and the software is just as iterative and uninteresting as the products these days.
Don’t forget. Despite being a massive company, they know their iPhone sales peaked in 2015. That’s why it’s all services and lame software they push now.
The software is feeling pretty stagnant too or even getting somewhat buggy lately
@@mrk-ism Exactly. More buggy too. I've dual wielded a PC (for gaming) and a macbook for years. My PC actually boots faster than my M3 Max Macbook. Which blows me away, because for 20 years, it was the other way around, by a mile.
Same with iOS. The changes are for the sake of change now. Photos in iOS 18 is absolutely atrocious. I can't stand it.
I think Johnny Ive left a gaping design vacuum, that hasn't been filled. All that matters to Tim Cook is cranking out unit sales, or whatever. Cuz nobody at Apple seems to care about hardware or software design and innovation anymore. And it's been like that for years now.
IPhone sales peak:
2015 - unit sales
2024 (?) - revenue
They care more about revenue than unit sales. Of course they care about unit sales but the revenue and profit are much more important.
@@cjeelde True. Before, everyone wanted the new technology. Now, less people want one, but they're charged more - as you stated - to keep revenue up. Services is where they make a lot of cash now.
Well Said Luke, this is exactly what i've been feeling about Apple for the past 4 years, they used to be masters at selling the experience, but now its more like we have the specs, buy our product, they've lost what made them special in the industry
Do people still queue outside Apple stores overnight when a new product is released?
I had an uncle who used to give me the best Christmas gifts each year. He would really spend his time finding something interesting and unique that I didn't even know I wanted. And I always loved his gifts and remember many of them to this day. Then, one day I got to the age where he changed to just sending a gift card. This period of Apple reminds me of how I felt when I got the gift card a second Christmas in a row. I knew the magic of being surprised each year was over.
As a 16-year-old, I love to see the old Apple keynotes and commercials. They have something that the new ones don't have. You aren't an old man saying the old Apple was better. It really was. I would say 2020 was way better
I agree Bendy! Time to time I re-watch the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, his performance is epic!
Who buys 3 phones in 3 years!?! Ah... tech reviewers! The rest of us buy a new phone every 3 to 5 years, when there's enough difference to matter.
Same with computers. Real people probably don't buy the newest MacBook every year. Even me, as an editor who relies on my MacBook Pro more than anything else, doesn't buy a new Mac every year.
An A T T rep came to my home and was pushing me to buy an Iphone 16 but totally IGNORED my asking about my getting a new Ipad. I have an X and an 8. I will eventually buy a 16 but I NEED a new Ipad for my YT videos.
It really pissed me off.
"They" buy - to review, surely...
@@UnwieldyElephantHell my last MacBook Pro lasted me 10 years before I upgraded. Yes, I upgrade my iPad Pro with each new one, but that is due to the drawing improvements
@@UnwieldyElephant Or updates the OS without question!
I think their lineup is too diluted. Remember when they had a simplified lineup? iMac, Power Mac, iBook, and PowerBook? I don’t think we need a lineup as simplified as this, but the overlap does make it hard to “sell” the idea of an Apple ecosystem
In a nutshell, has become **IBM** ... basically becoming the thing that they always rebelled against ... no imagination, no creativeness, just plain old **BORING** ... we will eventually see the founder of some new innovative startup standing under the Apple corporate logo ... **HOLDING UP THEIR MIDDLE FINGER** ... !!!
I used to take half a day off to watch an Apple Event in real time
These days, it passes unnoticed
Similar to the movie industry turning out sequel and reboot one after another. Returning quarterly shareholder value at all cost has its costs.
It's similar but a few differences. The sequels actually keep getting better, just not fast enough to give an adrenaline rush like they used to because it's not as novel. It's a sequel.
But who's actually doing anything innovative that goes anywhere? There's a certain point where you've refined a product to its best iteration and this tech has been around so long it isn't hard to see us hitting that point. Just look at the asinine ideas that have happened over the last 20 years - curved phones, curved TVs, 3D TVs, absurdly fragile folding screens, etc.
I agree. Hammers and screw drivers haven't changed shape in centuries.
We need robots
I get your points and agree to an extent but this is what happens when products become well optimized and established. I’d say most of their products with the exception of Vision Pro have reached peak functionality, with room only for incremental spec bumps, slight design changes, and gimmicky features(i.e. camera control on iPhone 16). Anything more than that at this point would most likely compromise the functionality and optimization of the product in some way. The era of huge changes every 1-2 years with these products is over, which ultimately is a good thing imo, as it means consumers are buying devices that they can hold on to for many years without feeling like they need to upgrade, which promotes far less e-waste. The only way for Apple to be truly revolutionary again imo is to create a new product category, which is easier said than done.
Fold or flip anyone. Should have happened a long time ago. They are behind and may not catch up. That ship might have already sailed.
I mean hey, the new Mac Mini was pretty good right?
Yeah! But only because they were forced to upgrade the base ram because of their AI stuff
@@Mopsieno it was good without that but that helped. Also it wasn’t just Ai but gaming and 3d rendering as well
there is nothing special there was a redesign doubling of the ram in the base model they did not invent anything the mac mini M2 was empty they reduced it
@@chidorirasenganz stop talking about games and 3D on mac it's a joke it's stupid to play on mac with all the input lag low performance incompatible mac mini M1 is the same as the M4 there has been no invention revolution in the meantime they just took advantage of reducing the size and finally doubled the ram if AI did not exist they would not do it it is a good machine but nothing impressive mac mini M4 can't do anything more than an M1
@ You’re joke if you think that. I’ve been gaming on my M1 Pro MBP since the GPTK was intergrated into Crossover and using Blender before that. The base M3 and M4 are more than twice as powerful as my M1 Pro is in Blender, more powerful than the M1 Max. In terms of raw rasterization performance the M4 is around 20% weaker than the M1 Pro but more than twice as powerful as the Steam Deck (on par with a desktop 3050) So you definitely what to do some research before you start yappin about stuff you know nothing about lmao
Hate it or love it, when Jony Ive left Apple he took part of the innovation and soul with him.
I get Apple’s strategy. I upgraded my MacBook Pro this year, and I didn’t want any fuss. I just transferred my data from the old Mac and got to work.
Everyone looked at this comment, thought "yeah", and move on to find a juicy drama comment to respond to.
1:07 it’s Jony we’re missing
Can we go back to smaller form iPhones? I could use a new mini.
Yeah, they might not be big sellers, but Apple could do one every 2 or 3 model years
I don't want a near-iPad phone
@@Wannes_ iPhone SE?
I want an iPad mini with 19.5:9 aspect ratio just like the iPhone. Easier to hold in the hand and use as a phone.
@@henson2k Worse screen, worse battery, worse camera, smaller screen too, yet still bigger than the 12/13 mini
Apple could ditch the SE and make a mini instead
@@Wannes_the best solution, I agree!
I don't know about you, but I stopped putting a white Apple sticker on my car(s) about 10 years ago. I still consider myself a “fanboy”, but Apple has unfortunately turned into an investor monster that only listens to shareholders to make more money.
I have the exact same feeling as you. I feel like they got rid of the iPhone - iPhone S - iPhone +1 - iPhone +1S cycle to do this thing of slowly introducing features over a longer period of time to get more sales. I truly feel like the last 4 iPhones could have been packed into one, featuring: 120 Hz, Titanium, Dynamic Island and USB C. Hell, even the iPhone 4 brought more changes than that in a single year with the incredible 5 Mpx camera, the facetiming camera, the first Apple Silicon chip, a completely new design and many more things... the iPad lineup is complete shit and the Apple Watch/iPhone lineups have reached a point in which they don't need yearly releases...
ipad pro m4 is by far the apple product of the year imo
This won't solve any big problems, but bring back live, in-person keynotes. It was so much better getting the audience's reaction. Seeing new products sometimes not work was even better. Now, everything is pre-recorded and choreographed to death.
Years ago, customers had to put up with the disappearing ports on laptops, the butterfly keyboard, the touch bar, the trash can Mac Pro, all of which Apple fixed. Now you want to complain that the current product lineup is too boring?
Yes, because the design of Mac Studio is nothing like the 2013 Mac Pro. There still is no 12-inch MacBook, lighter than an iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard, powerful enough to do real work with Python, Ollama, or Logic Pro without a subscription... Powerful enough to run multiple VMs and yet, be light enough to throw in your briefcase and not worry if you can accomplish the task you need to from anywhere in the world, even in an economy seat on the tray table. This is why I always bring my 12-inch MacBook along on airplane trips instead of my M4 Pro.
I believe you hit the nail right on the head. It's not just one thing that Apple is doing that is changing their image of who they were to who they are now it's basically everything that they are doing from the products to the way the advertise them from the way they talk about them from the way they show their keynotes. I'm a really big Apple fan, but the past four years of just advertising the same thing over and over and over don't really changing anything except for a couple of little things just doesn't have me excited as much as I used to be, I mean the only time I really upgrade my products now or when I'm seriously need something that one of my other products doesn't do and it doesn't seem like it's happening as much anymore. I've been wanting them to add an equalizer to the software that allows you to custom make your equalizers. I've been wanting to add more ports to the to the iPad that actually allow you to plug in more than one accessory that can do data transfer. I've been wanting them to make a touchscreen Mac I've been wanting them to bring macOS to the iPad. It doesn't have to be a full flight copy but just something that can be more like macOS and less like iPadOS or iOS that can actually do more. I've been wanting them to add split screen support on the actual iPhone but the fact that they're not taking the risk risks on going back on their choices in the beginning gets me worried sometimes I think they are playing it a little too safe so it's not just you.
The truth is, when Jony Ive was talking, everything was epic.
I think you're right, there's no "must-have" product. Next year, I'll be switching from the iPhone SE to the iPhone 16, but there's not really much excitement for me about it. And the product I actually need (for work) is the Mac Studio, but it has a processor that's two generations old.
Yes, also the presentations feel sterile, almost a bit AI-like.
Happy new year!
Yeah, that was the case with me too. Wanted a Mac Studio bad but wasn’t paying full price for a two generation old processor. Under Jobs, the computers at least got significant annual updates to the latest chip set, so you felt like you were getting the latest tech, even if you were paying new PC prices. Cook is perfectly happy to sell you old tech at new PC prices, which is why I just went back to a Windows PC. Got tired of waiting.
Why would you switch to the 16 if you don’t really want it?
@@20NBA01 Small reasons which accumulate. My SE (2020) shows it's age, the lcd screen is quiet small and hard to read in the sun, battery is getting bad, the single camera is limited and I really start to dislike the lightning port. I might also get an iPhone 15 if it's noticeable cheaper.
@ why not something else?
I currently have an iPhone 7 and am thinking of switching to an Android in a year or two
@@20NBA01 I don't see the benefit of an Android phone. The Apple eco system (iCloud, iMessage, FaceTime, Airdrop..) and workflow with other Apple devices is too convenient to give it up. Yes I could safe some money, but thats not my main concern.
It's just that there isn't really an Apple product at the moment that's truly exciting.
6:54 - it's the iPad mini (7th generation) dingus
I don’t know, man. Agree with most of what you’re saying. But saying Apple takes no risks the same year they launch the AVP sounds patently false. Not only is AVP the biggest risk Apple has taken. It’s also arguably their biggest failure in, I don’t know, two decades?
You perfectly nailed it. Apple without Steve Jobs and Jony Ive is a robot company. No courage, no taste, no passion for product and lots of virtue signalling. They're completely out of touch and don't break the rules anymore. I predicted this right after Tim Cook fired Scott Forstall but I thought the downfall of Apple would come sooner.
I watch my wife struggle trying to control her iPhone 13 while I contentedly live in the farther ago past with my simpler iPhone SE (2nd gen). The big changes every year seem to mainly be software enhancements for tons of crap I don't want my phone to even think about doing.
Tbh, I don’t judge apple’s products based on how much I like the commercials. That’s a little weird. Titanium phones are better than what they were before, even if the commercials aren’t as cool.
The Genmoji ad is their best of the year and I won’t tolerate any slander
I am an old man at 63 years young 😂. I've also owned an iPhone and an iPad since gen 1. And I've had a MacBook since 2007. But through the years I've also experimented with Android and Windows, and even with Windows Phone (which I loved). But I kept getting the new iPhone every year. However, since the iPhone 11 on, I've been disappointed by the iPhone. It's basically the same phone with just a minor improvement. Some of my friends keep their phones for years, I can't. I have to have to latest. But simple things like the onscreen keyboard of the iPhone compared to a Pixel phone, it's like day and night. I HATE THE IPHONE KEYBOARD! The new Apple silicon MacBooks are great but if Apple doesn't do something quick with the iPhone and the iPad, they will go the way of BlackBerry. And I'm glad you are saying something about it. I've followed you for years and I know how much you have defended Apple in the past. But it is time for a change. It is time for Apple to once again be like the 2007 Apple.
I feel the same way about Apple products. To me, all the products feel the same. In the past, the classy staged presentations always triggered a "must-have" effect. I was totally thrilled with the iPhone 7 back then and have bought a new iPhone almost every time since. But for some time now, I haven't enjoyed new Apple devices anymore. I currently own the 13 Mini, AW Ultra 1 and AirPods Pro 1st Gen. With none of the devices I feel the need to get something new, since no new product really convinces me anymore and triggers no more enthusiasm. I even sold my iPad Pro M2 because I'd rather use the money for other things and an old iPad is enough for me, since the devices simply don't have anything special about them anymore.
Marketing and advertising mate. Thanks for noticing. Note too, that nearly 50% of Apple profits are not hardware. Jobs is well, gone, and Ives has moved on. Cook is maintaining the DATA STREAM.
It's kinda ironic because with hardware they're playing it incredibly safe, but with software it feels so unpolished
There should switch to biennial releases.
Apple stopped trying when Steve Jobs died. They've been coasting off of his successes & innovations ever since.
You’re wrong there has been a lot of innovation since Steve jobs died the iPhone X was a massive upgrade , iPad Pro redesign and the M chips for macs and the Apple Watch but yeah since 4 to 5 years I agree there’s not much innovation
No. The greatest cohesive improvements that really cemented stuff solid came after he died. The innovative vision took a -40% hit. At the end of the day it's a wash, which I'd call a success after losing a genius like SJ.
I'll never forget the unveiling of the 1st iPhone, the interaction Steve had with the audience was tremendously overwhelming. Steve knew how to make keynotes and that special touch had gone to oblivion since he died. Tim is just a mere executive, no striking words, so robotic, it's like he doesn't want to appear on camera. My last apple is a macbook pro 13 2012 which I keep because it's a great product, came from an era where Apple (imo) not only thinks about its products in the tiniest and minuscule detail, but their clients satisfaction at its best.
Luke, you touched on one of the most important points about 10 minutes in. Apple’s primary focus, after shareholders, is producing mass-market products that almost anyone can use. They have annual releases, but I’d say their product cycles are closer to three years between major refreshes, with iterative improvements in between.
The Vision Pro is an enthusiast product, but it’s still a fledgling offering from Apple and will take several years to appeal to a larger audience. For example, I went from the iPhone 12 to the 15 Pro, and the improvements were massive. I also replaced my M1 MacBook Air with an M4 MacBook Pro, and again, the improvements were absolutely outstanding. I think it’s important to consider the bigger picture.
iPhone 11 to 16. Definitely see improvements with my upgrade.
I don’t think removing the headphone jack was the right decision. Also, MacOS often still feels like a product from the mid 2000s.
Thank you! What did we gain by that? More expensive and complicated (dongles) to listen to media. You're telling me that that small space gained revolutionized the iphone and smartphones overall. Don't get me wrong were and still are an excellent product. But I still have opted to use phones with jacks and the difference between 200-300$ pair of earbuds and 40$ wired is kind of mind-blowing still. Obviously, wireless is convenient but wired still has a place and it is just a feature that is no longer so easily suppored on newer smartphones aimply because apple saw it as a chance to line their pockets while pretending it is for the consumer's convenience. So brave...😢
OS X/macOS was a lot better looking in the early to mid 2000’s.
@@CozyMoose I liked both WinXP and MacOS X Aqua UI but seriously that ship has sailed.
Ok grandpa. lol of course it was a good decision.
Video starts at 3:20
one reason why 2024 may have fealt "mid" aswell is cus 2024 was believe it or not the first year since 2009 that apple did not introduce a new product category
yes vision pro was relesed 2024 but was introduced in 2023. so i count it like that.
2023: Vision Pro
2022: Mac Studio, Studio Display, Apple Watch Ultra
2021: Airtag
2020: Apple M1-chip, Homepod mini and Airpods Max
2019: Airpods Pro, Pro Display XDR
2018: Iphone XS Max
2017: Imac Pro, Homepod, and Iphone X
2016: Iphone SE and Airpods
2015: Ipad Pro, Apple Pencil, and Apple TV HD
2014: Apple Watch
2013: Iphone 5C, Ipad Air
2012: Ipad mini
2011: Thunderbolt Display
2010: Ipad
Really good points. They may as well replace all the keynote presenters with AI presenters for all the charisma they have.
The Mac Mini M4 is pretty impressive. And I'm really enjoying my AirPods 4. And don't forget that Apple gave us over the counter hearing aide functionality for the AirPods Pro 2 for FREE, which is kind of a big deal for people with mild to moderate hearing loss. Listen, I don't think it's fair to slam Apple for a lack of innovation in 2024. When it comes to this tech, how much more is there to innovate? It's easy to look back at 2010 with nostalgia for how much it innovated over the previous year, but the genres were still so new. It's not just Apple, look at Samsung and Google, and all the others. Real year over year innovation for these products is going to be harder and harder to achieve.
They are revealing small features as if they are massive. They decided that they were to talk about the most influential features only. Now they talk about every single small thing as if it is game changing it’s just delusional
Apple gives us a newer iPhone mini and the excitement is up again
Totally agree about Apple’s product releases becoming very sterile, formulaic, and boring. I have an observation that whenever a great company builds itself a new impressive headquarters, the corporate culture becomes complacent, and it goes downhill from there. I disagree that Apple is improving their quality. I’ve noticed a marked decrease in the quality and attention to detail in macOS and iOS.
Return to in-person keynotes
1:07 We miss you Jony…
It is because of that that the imac m1 is ugly and weird.
I feel it too man. Years ago I was blown off my chair with all their newest tech. Now I just watch "WWDC in Ten Minutes" and don't waste any more time on that marketing machine.
Apple be appealing to the TikTok and Reels watchers with such hyper-activeness in their videos, i mean just look at any MacBook Pro adverts released recently
Even the M4 iPad Pro can’t save it from being a garbage year. It wasn’t even mid. I am so disgusted by the Apple Watch, AirPods Max and the iPhone line this year. Apple must really think we’re stupid.
The year Apple does the bare minimum and still screws people over with pricing
I got the same feeling. The only products I thought Apple absolutely nailed were the base M4 mini and base M4 14" Pro. And that comes with the serious caveat that both of those things should really have bigger SSDs. The new iPad Pro had a lot of potential, but as long as the software is barely more capable than iOS, an iPad will never be worth spending $1000 on.
I totally agree! the new keynotes are so robotic and rehearsed, there's no emotion or enthusiasm. they talk like AI's.
Still on iPhone 13 Pro - just not enough for me to upgrade. Perhaps that is why their sales are down??
You are mistaking “stop trying” with “boring”. Steve equals exciting. Tim equals boring. Do you want to know what a company is like? Check out the leader, and everything filters from there.
Agreed. I think the proof was in Austin a couple years back. Only Tim could make waving the checkered flag look like a boring chore.
Totally agree with you on the Apple commercials. Most of the time I didn't even realize a famous celebrity was reading an ad to me. They just felt so boring like most other product advertisements. They have definitely lost that wow factor the old commercials had.
I agree with you only in part. Apple is making a mess with the software, it's true. To chase the others on the AI front, they released ios18 and ipados18 which are worse than the previous versions.
But for the rest, hardware side, there is little to criticize. They brought the ANC to "non-in-ear" headphones which is a kind of miracle. M4 is the first really strong evolution since Apple Silicon was introduced. They have the best computers on the market and when the m4 air comes out it will be a joy for many.
They have been praised by everyone for the redesign of the Mac Mini which has an exceptional cost-value ratio.
The new IpadPro is amazing with that screen. What more could you want? They could perhaps enter the world of foldables, but it would not be so innovative anymore.
Other products have been less revolutionary, but many people, for example, are loving the apple watch s10 for the larger screen.
It's not as easy to innovate now as it was 15-20 years ago. They tried with the vision pro but it's still an immature product, that people perceive as too intrusive. Apple is in a consolidation phase, they have a really solid and quality product lineup.
I hope above all that for the watch, the iPhone and the iPad they manage to do something exceptional on the battery side. This would be a real revolution.
then it's obvious that everyone misses Steve and John.
I agree whole-heartedly, Luke!
Try commenting that on the apple official youtube channel oh we cant its disable but hey you still buy it
You're not alone! It's definitely noticeable how quickly updates are happening these days. Many people don’t want to upgrade when the changes are so minor. I think companies need to shift to a schedule where they update devices less frequently but with more significant improvements. No one really needs a new iPad that’s just like the old one but with a new chip.
Apple became Microsoft. That’s what you’re noticing luke
You are spot on. I was a huge Apple enthusiast, but ever since they abandoned the ability of users to repair or upgrade their devices, I have distanced myself from the brand. I want so badly to love the new Mac Mini because I want to get back into video creation. However, I hate the fact there is no ability to expand storage or increase memory after the initial purchase. I am left wondering if I am better off getting a Windows PC that I can make those changes to as my needs expand.
Spreadsheets …you are spot on ! As a product manager I’ve said the same thing. I’ve made a video on my channel on the same topic..They are focused on operational efficiencies and squeezing out every penny they can as they know they are the market leaders and don’t quite yet need to innovate like they used to. However that will only last so long and they will need to innovate. 2025 is going to be a big year for Apple as the pressure is on from the competition, hopefully they turn things around.
Apple feels like it's run by the sales guys now. I don't see any cohesive product vision any more. The hardware is incredibly impressive, yes, thanks to Apple Silicon, but nobody knows how to design an OS it would seem when the rollout of Apple Intelligence has been such a disaster. People don't care about these features and don't want them. The ads are bad, the messaging is all over the place, and the corporate vibe is just weird.
I have a Windows 10 PC that I'm using mostly, but when I travel, I bring my 15" Macbook Air with me. The specs of that machine are decent, but I really miss many good innovations, like an OLED screen or 120HZ refresh rate, so I bought a Windows 11 based Zenbook S16 to check the Windows side of things of the portable market and I have to say: after 20 minutes of using that laptop, I wanted to go back to the Macbook Air or to my Windows 10 PC. I had a really bad experience with Windows 11 and I think this will help Apple a lot. That also means that they won't be forced to change the direction of their business model.
they actually did start trying, because they finally made 16 gb ram the standard.
I agree about the Keynotes - certainly for me in the UK they're almost unwatchable as they seem so false. Regarding products I would just refer you back to things like the plastic MacBooks that cracked at the corners and were pretty dreadful compared to what we have now. Mac-wise everything seems to have improved since M1 - not just internally but also in build quality. There are some products I don't want to see Apple take too many risks with - we all now the issues with 1st gen new models.
I am a profuse apple hater, and i think you can't say that on the year they relesed the vision pro ._.
They might've failed, but they did try.
I dunno man, I'm very much in the "don't fix what ain't broken" camp, and I think overall their products, especially the Mac, are in the best shape they've ever been in. I do not miss the days of the touch bar, butterfly keyboards, removal of all ports except USB C, "controversial" decisions. They used to do shit just for the sake of doing it, rather than stopping to think if it was actually a good idea. I think they're doing fine.
I love that you and others are covering this topic. Honestly, I felt you could’ve gone a lot deeper in their shortcomings. But your statement, for me describes Apple perfectly, “ it seems like Apple is trying to find the exact balance between the least amount of effort and features that they can add, while still getting a sale.” This is why after 14 years on iPhone, I am thrilled to buy the S25 next month.
Considering I'm still using a 2017 10.9" iPad Pro with the original Apple Pencil, and my desktop was a 2009 cheese grater Mac Pro before I broke down and got the M1 Mac mini, I think Apple can advertise on the durability and long tech support for their products. I also hold on to my Apple phones for at least a couple of cycles, and use the Apple Watch until the damn things break under the pressure of being attached to my wrist. I imagine Apple has plenty on their plate with the impending demise of their Chinese manufacturing base and the US losing interest in protecting sea trade lanes to promote free trade policies. And I'm old enough to yell at clouds...
Progress is slowing down for many companies: Microsoft, Intel, Boeing, pretty much everywhere. Shareholders want money, not progress. So with help of bland CEOs they will ride dead horse as far as possible.
Honestly in the US it feels like iMessage is the only thing keeping Apple on top in spite of this drip feed approach
Agree with your perspective. When TC retires, there better be another SJ or JI at the helm, else Apple will fast become history.
Their moat will shrink until competitors eat their profits. Focus is too much on profit and not innovation and taking risks.
I get your point, Luke. Yes, innovation doesn’t amaze us as much as it used to be… I see 2 reasons for this:
- frequent upgrades, yearly new iPhones, yearly new OS versions, etc, totally ruin the memorable experience of a great and strong step up. We now need to wait 2-3 years to effectively see the difference. As before, don’t you think?
- there’s a kind of asymptotic effect in innovation. And the feeling that everything is on the table decreases the need for more. MaxTech says that the latest iPad Pro is a peak model. We expect nothing more from the next version to come. Same with watches…
A last idea: 3 of the last innovations Apple made were complete disasters: Vison Pro, Touch Bar and butterfly keyboard. Who wants to innovate now?
You hit the nail on the head here, Tim is a supply chain specialist so of course his leadership will gravitate towards an incremental product refinement strategy rather than whole new products or controversial spec choices. The one new product, Vision Pro, is essentially dead in the water because he doesn’t have the vision (no pun intended) for how to get one in every home like an iPhone or iPad. They’re playing it safe because the senior management are in their own echo chamber about safe choices to boost the share price, and patting themselves on the back for their ridiculous pricing ladder that infuriates their customers but keeps the shareholders happy.
On an Apple-centric channel - as yours is, people will be upset at this kind of video but that doesn't mean you're wrong!
He's half right. The whole theme focuses on what could be better, one true fact after another. But if we're being honest he could do one true fact after another about where Apple have done it right. I don't mind. Let them have a little heat to know where to improve. But never forget the alternative is to live in squalor on Windows + Android, which would have been a chapter in Dante's Inferno if they had existed at the time he wrote the book.
Definitely, people were complaining.
Luke, everything you just said was spot on mate!
Luke apple has lost it’s touch ever since Steve Job passed away RIP
It's weird how they claim given materials and colours as some sort of design achievement.
Yeah, it's green, no need to spend five minutes gushing over it; oh, titanium? We've had that for a long time.
There are 16 MBTI types. They work on all fronts to please 'em all. Colors don't matter to you and it's fine. Maybe you like editing a photo filter AFTER you took photo, or maybe you're a geek who redesigns the entire user interface of your phone or tablet with shortcut scripts. They're kinda doing it all. Even spec sheet boyz getting excited over benchmarks.
Luke: YOU HAVE NAILED IT!!! No, you are not crazy. We have your back!! Apple has become stagnet and the new ideas or challanges are just not there. The Apple employees/developers follow their CEO and without creative direction, we see what happens. Tim Cook "had" his time but as with the new year, out with the old and in with the new creative ideas. I am new to Apple computers (formerly a windows person) and you all (including Apple Track, FPT, Apple Circle, etc.) have helped me to change in the "right" direction. I owned the iPhone since its inception. Love Apple products. You have the best ideas -- how about becoming CEO of Apple!!! Enjoy the New Year hopefully a better year for Apple.
I'm not sure what innovative anybody can do with iPhone. It sells alright, people buy "boring" stuff. Apple has nobody to compete with in premium segment.
Most Apple hardware and software products are as mature as washing machines or flat screen TVs. I think the Mac mini M4 is one of the most interesting Apple products since the 2013 Mac Pro. It’s the first Mac in a decade that made me say “I want one of them” aloud. And I actually bought one. But that’s a rarity for me now. Keep up the good work, Luke. Happy new year.
Apple has felt a tad stale for a while now. The one shining exception is Mac hardware. I don’t think I’ve been this happy with the Mac lineup in a while. (Though I’m looking forward to a MBP design update!) I’d like to see a new aesthetic for macOS. It’s too flat, too boring… especially compared with early versions of OS X (pinstripes, metal, textures, etc.) We have tremendous graphics power thru Apple Silicon. So why is the OS so flat and boring? I miss live keynotes and demos. I miss original ad campaigns like Think Different. I miss the MacWorld conference. I get that Apple is playing it safe and streamlining to save money, but it’s getting ridiculous and it needs to stop. Too sterile, too anti-septic, too corporate. Stop. Just stop it already.
Yup, I think bland UI reached it's final destination. We should go back to shiny things with nice textures.
Apple don't 'seem' lost. Apple knows exactly what they are doing. Waiting for the competition to innovate and take risks first. Then once they realise what that next new thing is, Apple starts working to hon in on it.
Luke, we've reached peak Apple. There's only so much you can do with an iPhone.
Vision Pro got the 'how we made it' video because it's a new category. All their other lines are so mature, we know how they're made. I do really miss the excitement of live events and think they should bring them back!