I had been dreading this day, when Apple finally hammered the last nail in the coffin for the AirPort router line (Airport Extreme, Airport Express, and Airport Time Capsule). I won’t waste time going over the specific reasons why I disagree with this decision. Here is a link to an article that pretty well sums it up, especially reasons (https://9to5mac.com/2018/04/27/apple-discontinues-airport-routers/).
Instead, I’ll pontificate about the disturbing trend I’m seeing with Apple. It has been a slow roll, but this Airport discontinuance makes it more of a reality. I definitely am starting to question my Apple loyalty even more. Not for the state Apple is in right now. Apple is definitely doing well and has certainly increased market cap growth. I fear that the “high” we’ve been riding from the coat-tails of what Steve Jobs created has really begun to wear off and that we are headed for a painful crash and hangover.
There isn’t anymore “pizazz.” Apple is becoming boring – AGAIN. There’s not much more to be excited about – no more “And one more thing!” Obviously and unquestionably, it is hard for any one company to maintain the euphemistic excitement and spontaneity that launched them into the public mainstream. But darn it! I thought Apple could be the one. But regrettably, those hopes passed away with Steve Jobs.
As much of a “prick” and “asshole” he was, he brought us what “we didn’t know we needed but then couldn’t live without.” No, he didn’t invent or create all the things that made Apple great when he returned, but he brought the pieces together and didn’t except any compromise to make them fit, perfectly. It was this perfection that made them seem brand new and “never envisioned before” – iMac, iPod, iPhone, iPad, MacBook Air, and most of all a nice, well-manacured walled-in garden of end-to-end control and security (it actually can be a good thing as we’ve seen). When he died, so did that drive to make it perfect without compromise – iTV (settled for Apple TV), wearable technology, and the many other ideas he likely left behind for Apple’s future which will never see the light of day without his immeasurable force.
Apple has begun to settle and act like the massive, global corporate behemith that Jobs eageraly wanted to tear down – IBM, Microsoft, Dell. It makes good, corporate/shareholder sense, to limit the number of product lines a corporation sells. It helps the bottom line look much better. “You’re going to focus on the things you ‘do best’ and ‘make them better.'” No, it just means you’re getting conservative and risk adverse (inovatively).
I like the newer MacBook Pros, even the keyboards, but they had their problems. Why, in my opinion, because a force was no longer there to push people over the edge to get it right. Also I think the new MacBook Pros were a dream cut short and represent a half-assed attempt to try to break the mold again and also keep up with touchscreens. I know there are many against touchscreen laptops, and while they came on strong, they are now fizzling out. I too have my opposition to “traditional” style laptops turned touchscreen, but I do see a future in them. You can see my post a couple of years ago stating this (http://www.mac-forums.com/showthread.php?t=337403&p=1735123&viewfull=1#post1735123). Now Apple has a patent almost exactly like my idea, but unfortunately we’ve learned that their patents are just dreams that they try to protect and collect for “some other time” but no one knows when (https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/03/15/apple-seeks-patent-for-keyless-keyboard-concept-with-haptic-feedback). Yes, some parts of the patents do make their way into new products, but damn, those patents sound like they would make be amazing products if they were ever developed and built.
I know there are plenty that will disagree. “Things are better than before.” “Apple is the most valuable company in the world and reached historical heights of valuation.” Blah, blah, blah. I don’t have hard numbers, but I’m pretty sure, the amount of money Apple spent on Research and Development, even when Steve was at the helm for the second time ,was minuscule compared to Apple’s Research and Development budget today. It has to be. I know their R&D budget is bigger now than the whole value/assets of Apple when Steve took over. However, WHAT “new,” exciting things have we seen today compared to the beginning of the new Apple thanks to Steve? Some have been good, and I own them – Apple Watch, iPhone X, “better” Apple TV, more stores and buying experience. Now, let’s look at some of the list from when Jobs was there – iPod, iPod nano, iPhone, iPad, iMac “greatly improved.” Even the Airport line was beefed up and set the standard that the rest of the market has almost, if not already, surpassed. They had developed “mesh” WiFi before anyone – in the private consumer space.
So, I’m losing hope a little more each day. I’m sure I’m not alone waiting for something to be excited about again, “And, One more THING!”……
Other Reference:
http://iphone.appleinsider.com/articles/15/02/12/60-minutes-with-phorm-for-ipad-mini-its-founder-and-the-advent-of-physically-responsive-touchscreens
Disgruntled Apple Fanboy
