Predictable Apple Reactions to the Predictable
I like things to be predictable. I think most of us do. We like that the sun comes up in the morning. We like that things we typically rely on typically work. When they don’t, it jostles us out of our comfort zones. When it comes to mobile gadgets, it seems we prefer a recipe that includes equal measures of the new and the predictable. However, when tech companies like Apple decide to make big changes some react like Apple was messing with the recipe of Coca Cola. Fortunately, over time those reactions (overreactions?) have become satisfyingly predictable.
Apple added a new entrant to its Macbook lineup of computers on Monday. Perhaps I should say Apple added a new line to its laptop lineup becasue the new one comes without a category descriptor like Air or Pro, it’s simply a MacBook. We had those before. We have those again.
Familiar and confusing as the new/old name may be, the changes the new MacBook brings seem to be jostling some comfort zones because they are indeed that: changes. Or compromises. Or different. Think different anyone?
Apple’s new MacBook has a focus on thin and light (surprise?), and to sharpen that focus it stripped away all of the connectivity ports except audio and power. Panic! No, not unless you are design focused. The new port for charging up that the new laptop now has multi-capability for those who want it and are willing to fork over $79 for a pretty non-sleek looking adapter, that might make the elegant design of the MacBook feel a little cheaper when plugged in.
Apple has also changed up the keyboard and trackpad technology and the PR machine is already propagating the propagandists with the dreaded “you’ll need to get accustomed to this” talk that scares many, especially those who spend their lives with fingers attached to a keyboard.
But we’ve seen this before and shouldn’t be surprised. Apple is famous for trying to move us forward by burning bridges behind its users as it marches on. From the floppy disk to the first iteration of the MacBook Air, Apple has liked to show that it knows best. There have been times where this didn’t work out the way Apple and others forecast it. Thunderbolt being one. But by and large after the shock wore off everyone moved on.
The slightly puzzling thing with the announcement of this new MacBook is that, for the moment, those looking to Apple for their laptop purchases now have three choices. If they need more power and ports there is the Pro line. It isn’t like Apple went cold turkey here. My hunch is three will eventually turn into two, and maybe one day, one. But that’s not going to happen just yet.
I think most of the complaints, or should I say fears, point to where some think Apple may be heading in the future of its laptop lineup. Phil Schiller said we don’t want or need all of these wires dangling out of our devices in today’s wireless age. That may be true. But we aren’t quite there yet. (Those depending on Apple’s iCloud can attest to that.) And certainly there are those who do need a range of connections for heavier work they are doing. I guess the question to ask those folks is if they really need a laptop that focuses on thin and light as a feature? Or do they just want a shiny gold laptop and all of those old cables too? The other way to look at this: if the new MacBook looks too compromised for you, Apple isn’t trying to sell you one, but it will gladly take your money.
Regardless, Apple has been talking about this new wireless, portless world since the release of that first MacBook Air. So, the concept shouldn’t come as a great surprise. It shouldn’t come as a surprise either that Apple has recognized that many users don’t need all the bells and whistles or power that used to be the name of the game not too long ago. The Internet is making that possible. Just ask Chromebook users. If you can find one.
Repeating something I said about some of the other Apple announcements this week, Apple is in an enviable financial position to push some envelopes and forward their ideas. Perhaps this new laptop line will or will not be a big seller. Regardless of its success or failure, it will inform Apple’s laptop (and tablet I’m guessing) directions in the future. And Apple can easily afford to gauge how it works, or not. Every move Apple makes these days needs to be viewed within this context.
Regardless of whether or not these specific advances/compromises meet with success or not, or how they inform the future of Apple’s laptop line, it’s interesting to watch a company push the envelope and its users a little here and there, with the luxury of a financial safety net to catch anything that falls.
