For quite some time now, I’ve been on the fence about whether to replace my 2011 Macbook Air (11 inch) with a new Mac or walk the Windows 10 path. I’m a die-hard agnostic when it comes to all things electronic so it’s really down to the facts.
Technically, Windows 10 machines have been on a tear compared to Macs – once you’re willing to spend the money, you get great designs, USB-C ports, and unlike Apple’s forced minimalism, many of them come with legacy ports to make life easier. Screw having to carry a dongle just to connect a phone or USB stick.
Yes, Macs would seemingly be a good choice if you’re an iPhone user. There’s better integration, a great app ecosystem, solid hardware and good support, well, depends on where you live. And it depends on whether you can live with hardware that might not live up to its high prices; not even close in terms of gimmicks like the touch bar.
It really does come down to this, though: with Apple it’s now a mixed bag of penny pinching economics driven by head bean counter Tim Cook and design driven arrogance demanding that customers fall in line (figuratively and literally). What do customers want? Well, this customer wants a headphone jack, a legacy port and less nickel and diming for accessories. Oh, and extra savings in the bank, perhaps?
Some voices have been getting louder that Apple is over the hill, and with Tim Cook in charge, radical change seems unlikely. When loud voices turn into the loud footsteps of people voting with their feet we’ll know for sure.