How Apple Alienated Mac Loyalists
By Jim Bask
By Mark Gurman
Still, Apple hasn’t given up on Macs. In a recent company Q&A session, employees asked whether Mac desktop computers remain strategically important. “We have great desktops in our roadmap. Nobody should worry about that,” Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said, according to a transcript of the discussion obtained by Bloomberg News.
The latest MacBook Pro has a “Touch Bar,” a thin touchscreen built into the keyboard that lets users quickly access app shortcuts, change system settings, and pick emojis. The laptop also has Touch ID to speed up online purchases and a giant trackpad for easier gesture control. Apple designers are already exploring standalone keyboards with the touch strip and a fingerprint reader for desktops. Apple will decide whether to release these based on how well the features do on the MacBook Pro.
Mac fans shouldn’t hold their breath for radical new designs in 2017 though. Instead, the company is preparing modest updates: USB-C ports and a new Advanced Micro Devices Inc. graphics processor for the iMac, and minor bumps in processing power for the 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro. Cue the outrage.