http://tidbits.com/ In several interviews at Macworld/iWorld, Adam Engst was asked for his opinion about the waning of Apple’s fortunes, thanks to the distressingly low $54.5 billion in quarterly revenues and $13.1 billion in profit. While debunking the financials as a worry, Adam points out that there are real concerns in how Apple is running the business. en-us Copyright 2013 TidBITS Publishing Inc. Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:00:00 EST Thu, 07 Feb 2013 00:00:00 EST editors@tidbits.com (TidBITS Editors) editors@tidbits.com (TidBITS Editors) http://tidbits.com/images/tb_logo_152x55.png http://tidbits.com/ 55 152 TidBITS badge http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17601 Thu, 07 Feb 2013 16:19:18 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17601 Don't forget that arrogance comes with the profit.
Backend, we see service issues (more demand on AASP and store techs, GSX issues every day), outrageous parts per repair penalties,Apple stores getting preferential treatment, constriction of supply to non-apple stores, quality control and engineering issues.
Poor educational support, poor corporate support (death of Xserve...really by a Mini?). Supplier product issues (nVidia, Seagate, Hitachi,)
And then there is Samsung. That company has much vested interest in undermining AAPL. From perks of Galaxy sales (ever see ATT rep get $50-$100 per iPhone sold?) to saturation of product, Samsung gloats at Apple.
EU issues with warranties. 10.7.5 (stopped there!) then 10.8 (and bailing on 4 year old macs, RIP MacPro 2007), and now 10.9 Lynx coming! (we are at 10.8.2 and the devs are seeing 10.9? What is Apple now but Microsoft was...
AAPL should have never been over 200 let alone 500+/share. With fast growth comes weeds and pruning.]]> http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17594 Wed, 06 Feb 2013 15:53:48 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17594 http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17590 Wed, 06 Feb 2013 08:01:33 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17590 http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17589 Wed, 06 Feb 2013 06:54:23 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17589 http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17588 Wed, 06 Feb 2013 06:02:57 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17588 http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17587 Wed, 06 Feb 2013 05:24:58 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17587 http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17585 Tue, 05 Feb 2013 15:50:10 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17585 http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17580 Tue, 05 Feb 2013 15:35:12 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17580
Unfortunately, I'm using a top of the line 8-core Mac Pro with 20+ GB of RAM, high end video card, fast hard drives, etc, and Final Cut Pro X is still unstable and unreliable. And that's very disappointing because I really like it.

To be fair there are a lot of reasons why editors are leaving the Final Cut ecosystem, but Apple shoots itself in the foot when even the ones who like FCP X leave because they just can't trust it.

[I don't have any connection to OWC either, but they are great. I ordered something from them last week.]]]> http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17549 Tue, 05 Feb 2013 15:34:26 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17549
This is not acceptable for a professional editing platform. It was OK in the first version or two because we all knew it was a new thing. But seven updates later it continues to unexpectedly freeze, break plug-in functionality, or fail to save data. This is what will drive the pros away from the platform.]]> http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17582 Tue, 05 Feb 2013 10:59:58 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17582 http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17578 Tue, 05 Feb 2013 09:36:29 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17578 ]]> http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17577 Tue, 05 Feb 2013 09:29:03 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17577
What I'd like to see is current generation specs and CPU in a sensible desktop package, i.e. one that's geared towards functionality and good value, not anorexic uber-design.]]> http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17570 Tue, 05 Feb 2013 08:43:22 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17570 http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17569 Tue, 05 Feb 2013 08:39:47 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17569
What most people don't see however, is that Apple's back end software tools seldom have the elegance and ease-of-use as their user-focused tools, and I wonder if that's indicative of Apple not "thinking different" when it comes to solving these problems of software quality and developer-hostile App Store policies.]]> http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17568 Tue, 05 Feb 2013 08:36:31 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17568
That said, I don't think it's a bad thing for Apple to push the limits on manufacturing technology and processes, since that's how things get better. But it seems that in this case, they guessed wrong as to just how hard it would be to mass produce.]]> http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17567 Tue, 05 Feb 2013 08:32:33 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17567 http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17566 Tue, 05 Feb 2013 08:29:37 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17566 http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17565 Tue, 05 Feb 2013 08:27:06 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17565
http://tidbits.com/search/Podcasts%20app]]> http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17562 Tue, 05 Feb 2013 07:54:02 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17562
Yes.
It's called buying refurb at Apple.com, and you get full same-as-new warranty and can add AppleCare anytime within the first year.

Oh, and Tom, it comes with a coaster slot too :O).
]]> http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17561 Tue, 05 Feb 2013 07:47:15 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17561
[I have no connection with OWC other than as a longtime satisfied customer.]]]> http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17560 Tue, 05 Feb 2013 07:37:52 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17560 http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17558 Tue, 05 Feb 2013 06:46:01 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17558
My understanding is that Apple doesn't have enough people to stay on top of the bugs and limitations, but that they feel hiring more people doesn't necessarily help due to training, etc. But I'd love to see Apple use some of their vast pile of cash to hire some top programmers/developers to improve the situation, at least in the long term.]]> http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17550 Tue, 05 Feb 2013 02:13:30 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17550
Regarding the unavailability of new iMacs during the quarter, I think it's generally accepted that this was the main reason for lower than expected Mac sales numbers and therefore probably also the root cause for much of the hysteria after the quarterly report.

What bugs me about this whole mess is that it's so incredibly unnecessary. The manufacturing issues that led (and continue to lead) to shipping constriants and unavailability stem from the new iMac's super-slim design. A design that solves a problem nobody had in the first place. The super-slim design of a desktop computer (that was already very slim before) solves no problems. It just created a whole lot of manufacturing issues and led to shortages and bad press. Not to mention specs that had to be dumbed down (e.g. 2.5" drives on the 21" model) to fit the new engineering constraints.

Can we have the previous iMac's design back? ;)]]> http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17552 Tue, 05 Feb 2013 02:09:00 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17552
Many things don't scale all that easily, you can't just hire a few thousand programmers and put them to work. Apple seems to be totally overstretched and almost certainly has missed to address this quick enough.]]> http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17548 Mon, 04 Feb 2013 22:40:21 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17548
I have occasionally heard people refer to Snow Leopard as the "Windows XP of the Mac world" in that people will continue to use it for years because it just works.
]]> http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17546 Mon, 04 Feb 2013 20:40:26 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17546 http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17543 Mon, 04 Feb 2013 20:00:00 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17543
Uh? I'm writing this on Mountain Lion, with permanent scroll bars everywhere.

And I haven't done anything magical either.

You do know about "System Preferences>General>Show Scrollbars>Always" right...?

Perhaps you had read on the InterWebs that Apple's recent OS X versions were no good?

And since it was on the World Wide Web of Deceit, er, the InterWeb, it must be true, right?

Me personally, I love having iMessages on my desktop as it lets me communicate quickly and concisely with the people I work with remotely, without having to pull out my phone.

Apparently someone else likes the concept of iMessages, because Apple passes on nearly 1 billion of these each day...

I also like having my iPad and iPhone in sync in every possible way with my desktop and laptop, so Viva Apple for the iOSification!

Let's focus on the real problems that we can verify ourselves, and pass on those only.]]> http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17541 Mon, 04 Feb 2013 19:17:19 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17541 http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17539 Mon, 04 Feb 2013 18:54:14 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17539 http://db.tidbits.com/article/13535?rss#comments_17537 Mon, 04 Feb 2013 17:59:04 EST http://tidbits.com/article/13535#comments_17537
Not a bad description of Apple's recent policies. (Dammit, why can't I have permanent scroll bars in Mountain Lion if I want them?)

I know it may be a small share of their market, but really, how much would it cost to fix the serious and longstanding bugs in AppleScript?

The one-finger salute is getting old. If/when Apple comes back to earth, the reasons why won't be mysterious.]]>