I’m usually the last person to say this. But someone should definitely get fired over the 3 year keyboard fiasco. After the problems they had when they were first introduced in the 12” MacBook, someone should have said its time to switch directions.
Some of the current/recent failures that come to mind:
- The MacBook keyboard issues discussed here
- The MacPro disaster (thermal design issues -> no real update since almost six years)
- The The MBP 2018 thermal design issues
- The MBP „Flexgate“ (display connector design flaw)
- The AirPower debacle
- The iPad Pro 3rd gen. „Bendgate“
(Having said that, I think some of those issues are somewhat overstated. The keyboard is a real issue; the Mac Pro's thermal corner is a real issue, but it's one we have solid evidence is being addressed by both the forthcoming Mac Pro and the already-existing iMac Pro; AirPower is a debacle, but I don't know if that's really his purview; the rest...eh. I'm not saying they're not real, but I don't know how widespread they are as real issues. But with the exception of AirPower and the Mac Pro, all the issues you listed would probably have literally been solved by making everything 1mm thicker.)
I'm not sure "debacle" is the right word for a product they announced, and then later decided they couldn't make, and so cancelled. There were no physical copies out there, no consumers wasted money on it, it was just... a cancelled product.
This is the same type of corporate structural flaw as Boeing has, just without the loss of life for Apple. They needed to sell the plane without re-certifying, so the management demands some poor engineers work around it while having their hands tied behind their back.
There is a role for engineering to adjust the vision when necessary to comport with reality. It's not clear that was an issue with these keyboards as it's not clear that anyone knew up front that the butterfly mechanism would have these problems.
It's worth remembering that when Apple launched this keyboard, they didn't just say it's thin, they touted the engineering that went into it. I really, really doubt that this was a situation where the engineering team was banging the problem gong and was overruled. I know that's a popular way of thinking here on HN but I need at least some evidence to believe it.
This looks more like well-intentioned innovation that has just not worked out as well as they hoped, which happens sometimes, even with competent engineers. It's why Apple keeps such cash reserves on hand, so they can try new things and survive the ones that don't work out. Thankfully in this case, laptop keyboards are not life and death products.
And the discussion about the quote on HN
Maybe if the head of engineering had had another 6 months to test the keyboard design properly he could have concluded that it wasn't technically feasible. But at the time there was a lot of pressure to release a redesign of the MBP and probably the design of the case was already decided. In the end Apple wasn't able to make a proper keyboard to accommodate the specs but maybe it was too late to go back to the drawing board.
I'm speculating of course, but I very much doubt Apple are complete idiots. It's more probable that some circumstances forced them to release the redesign. It was a mistake of course, they should have only updated the specs of the 2015 model, maybe adding a TB3 port. But you know, hindsight is 20/20.
I imagine Apple has been working on a redesign with a new keyboard, but these things take a couple of years. Specially when the Mac is only 10% of Apple's revenue.
This feels like something Google would do: Take something that's perfectly functional, change it entirely, remove features, make it less functional, have it be buggy as hell, then release it while deprecating the old one. Now, sell it as an innovative new feature.
In short: the keyboard redesign does not appear to have any real reason behind it, and it's essentially change for the sake of change.
Everyone was happy with the Mac Pro towers, a lot of people still use them today. The trashcan design IMO was more of an engineering/design statement at solving a self imposed problem rather than an existing one.
So, if rumors are to be believed, Apple is making a 180 on the new Mac Pro. Let's hope in a year or two we will have a new MBP with a good keyboard.
Tim: Hey X, I appreciate the hard work you're doing. But I've been busy with other meetings and slagging off Zuckerberg again. LOL. Why don't you touch base with Jony Ive and see if you two can't come up with something?
The AirPower debacle was anything but. They noticed they had an unfixable design problem and cancelled the project. The alternative would have been something similar to the Samsung/Galaxy Fold issue. Shipping a bad product.
Even the Mac Pro not being updated was halfway because they thought the IMac Pro bad external GPUs was the answer. Honestly, for most people it could be and has gotten great review. They had a change of heart.
Nope, there's another alternative: announce it when it's sitting in the backroom of every Apple store, like back in the old days. I'm sure Apple has their reasons for not doing that much anymore, but it would have avoided this very issue.
"This is the clearest expression of our vision of the future of personal computing, a simple multitouch piece of glass that instantly transforms into anything you want it to be."
So in their quest to shepherd users towards this vision, they've made design concessions which have hurt their existing users.
https://www.macrumors.com/2019/04/24/iphone-4-4s-5-power-but...
They can even be forgiven for having a systemic hardware issue that only becomes apparent once you have millions of devices out there. The keyboard issue is different. They knew they had an issue when they released the 12” MacBook but they kept introducing new models with the same issue. They could have easily just done a speed bump and kept the 2015 design. No one was clamoring for USB C or the Touch Bar.
Even though I think AntennaGate was overblown and they did keep selling the GSM iPhone 4 with no changes, they did make changes to the design nine months later for the CDMA iPhone 4.
Maybe Apple shipped faulty switches knowingly. But they're also an awfully big juicy target for less scrupulous lawyers.
A magic fairy doesn't instantly swap out the defective phone with a good one (and transfer all the files) the instant the problem occurs.
Some people are in countries with no Apple stores, some people are using it as a camera on a week-long backpacking trip in the middle of nowhere. Some people have families and jobs they have to tend to and don't want to waste what little precious freetime they have on this BS, etc.
Edit: and not everyone in the U.S. who has free time, lives near an Apple Store or can get an appointment next day.
I used to not have responsibilities, and I wondered why everyone has a hard time with things. Now I have responsibilities and can see why.
As far as swapping out files. It literally is a matter of clicking “backup” on one phone and choosing to restore on another one.
No. It is not.
Please tap "backup" on my dead phone. Please tap "backup" on my working phone when I have no computer or Internet to back it up to.
The last time it was plugged into a wall outlet, in an area with no Internet coverage? Or what about that irreplaceable photo I just took since the last time I plugged it into my computer, that I need right now and can't access until my phone is fixed?
Now we're just nitpicking each other. Hopefully you can at least see that they aren't magical devices that will solve everyone's problems. They do break, and like with any device that breaks, it can be a real inconvience for its user.
Tim Cook. His time is up, Apple needs new leadership so they can move past their Ballmer era
There is no next iPhone type product on the horizon. The smart phone already has 66% penetration in the world. Anything that Apple introduces is going to pale in comparison.
Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if even the Apple Watch isn’t more successful than any other consumer electronics besides the smart phone and the PC. If you define success in terms of profitability.
I get it, Apple is in their Ballmer era, making tons of money so no one is allowed to argue. But it doesn't 'just work' anymore. They've fallen from grace, which admittedly is hard because they were so good its hard to always move upward. But they are in stagnation and a little embarrassment now. Tell me these keyboards are awesome? The touchbar useful. The battery life in exchange for thinness amazing.
Exactly what area should they invest in that could make even a 10% difference in their revenue? What technology do you see in the foreseeable future that will be even a fifth of the size of the phone market?
If it were that easy to find the next electronic device that would have 66% world wide penetration who do you propose is the person to find it?
People were clamoring for an iPod + phone for years before the iPhone came out. What electronic device are people clamoring for now?
Of course its not easy, but I would hope that the CEO of one of the most valuable companies on earth would have that kind of foresight and skill. That's what he is there for, or to hire people that can do that. They're not and that's my point. Time for some significant changes at the helm.
> People were clamoring for an iPod + phone for years before the iPhone came out. What electronic device are people clamoring for now?
These devices were already out before the iPhone, the iPhone was just more polished, and the ability to buy from iTunes was huge. This is where Jobs deserves his credit, not for inventing a device that was a phone, camera and music player in one, but for making it a good experience. These new MBP's are a horrible experience.
Seeing that the Tesla is neither profitable nor ubiquitous- how do you define it as a “success”?