2016 has been a confusing year for Mac fans.
The year has held zero updates to any desktop Mac. The Mac mini, iMac and Mac Pro that are for sale today are the exact same machines that were for sale way back on January 1.
The MacBook got a much-needed speed bump back in the spring, and this fall the MacBook Pro was (finally) revised.
There are now three models of MacBook Pro to choose from:
Brent Simmons, on the possible repercussions of Apple pulling out of the display and router markets:
With Apple no longer making displays and wireless routers, we have to look elsewhere for these things. And when we start looking elsewhere, we customers who have been in the habit of just buying the Apple thing get in the habit of looking outside Apple for things.
I can’t help but think that it’s a kind of an anti-halo effect. I can’t help but think that once we start looking elsewhere, we’ll look elsewhere more and more. We’ll get used to it. We’ll find out that other companies make things that work and are, in some cases, delightful.
Another day, another iPhone repair program:
Apple has determined that a very small number of iPhone 6s devices may unexpectedly shut down. This is not a safety issue and only affects devices within a limited serial number range that were manufactured between September and October 2015.
If you have experienced this issue, please visit an Apple Retail Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider and have your device’s serial number checked to confirm eligibility for a battery replacement, free of charge.
Apple Inc. has disbanded its division that develops wireless routers, another move to try to sharpen the company’s focus on consumer products that generate the bulk of its revenue, according to people familiar with the matter.
Apple began shutting down the wireless router team over the past year, dispersing engineers to other product development groups, including the one handling the Apple TV, said the people, who asked not to be named because the decision hasn’t been publicly announced.
Apple’s new coffee table book “Designed by Apple in California” features many products the company has produced over the last 20 years. Turns out, most of what it is in the book is a part of my collection. Here are the actual products alongside the book:
I’ve zipped up all the photos used in the video and have uploaded them here for your wallpaper-setting pleasure:
I spent about an hour today at my local Apple Store trying out the Touch Bar on the new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros.
I recently picked up the non-Touch Bar 13-inch MacBook Pro, so the screen, keyboard and case were already familiar. Below are some stream-of-consciousness thoughts:
Apple has announced a Repair Program for iPhone 6 Plus models that exhibit screen flickering or Multi-Touch failures:
Apple has determined that some iPhone 6 Plus devices may exhibit display flickering or Multi-Touch issues after being dropped multiple times on a hard surface and then incurring further stress on the device.
If your iPhone 6 Plus is exhibiting the symptoms noted above, is in working order, and the screen is not cracked or broken, Apple will repair your device for a service price of $149.
This MacBook Pro is very different from the one without a Touch Bar: it has a second fan, exhaust vents and the speakers don’t line up with the grilles on either side of the keyboard.
I’m happy to announce that I’m going to be doing some writing over at MacStories. Up first, a look at some weird “in-between” Macs Apple has released over the last couple of decades:
Every transition in technology brings a period of time in which less-than-optimal decisions have to be made. Price, features and timelines are always at war with one another.
It’s the first time the G4 Cube has been written about on MacStories. I know my strengths.
In connection with announcement, Jony Ive was interviewed by Japanese design website Casa Brutus. Ive describes the motivation behind the creation of Designed by Apple in California, but also has a lot to say about Apple’s design process.
Apple has announced a new product I did not see coming:
Apple today announced the release of a new hardbound book chronicling 20 years of Apple’s design, expressed through 450 photographs of past and current Apple products. “Designed by Apple in California,” which covers products from 1998’s iMac to 2015’s Apple Pencil, also documents the materials and techniques used by Apple’s design team over two decades of innovation.
I’m more into this stuff than almost anyone, and I find this odd. Even after last year’s “40 Years in 40 Seconds” video, something this retrospective feels weird.