Apple pays more attention to its range of PCs

Over the last year, Apple has spent a great deal of time and effort developing and improving a product line representing only 9% of its sales.

Apple abandoned the "computer" of its name more than 12 years ago, but the Mac product line earlier than the iPhone has recently been the focus of much attention from the share of Cupertino.

Mac desktops and laptops are essential for Apple, even though the company sells a lot more iPhone and iPad. Indeed, the only way to write software for iPhone or iPad is to use a Mac, making many Mac users one of the most important types of Apple customers: software professionals.

On Tuesday, Apple updated its MacBook Air laptop with a "TrueTone" screen of better quality and lowered the price to $ 1,099, making it the cheapest Apple laptop. He also reorganized one of the 13-inch MacBook Pro models, adding to the keyboard a touch-screen strip called Touch Bar.

Apple has also abandoned the MacBook, a thin and light machine whose name confused many Apple customers, and the old MacBook Air that did not include modern USB-C connectors.

This is a complete cleaning of the range of Apple laptops.

Apple's attention for its laptops comes as Mac sales fell by 5% in terms of unit sales in 2018, according to IDC estimates. However, the entire personal computer market has declined 3.7% over this year, according to the same estimate.

"All in all, it's a very good simplification of the MacBook lineup, and that's a good thing," followed Tuesday's Apple starter, closely followed by John Gruber.

The updated models also point to Apple's new commitment to a regular refresh cycle for its Mac computers, so customers do not worry about buying a new one. technology several years old.

People who use Mac computers for work want to know, when they buy a new computer, often for thousands of dollars, that they do not have a multi-year technology or Intel generation chips earlier.

The best way to find out is to calculate the number of days since the last update or update because Apple does not usually talk about upcoming products and does not provide an update roadmap.

The update of the MacBook Air was the first since last October, about 252 days, according to Apple's MacRumors version tracking. Previously, the last air update had taken place in March 2015, ie 567 days before last fall 's redesign.

With the approach of the fall, all Mac products from Apple have been recently updated. The iMac received new chips in March, most MacBook Pro laptops were updated this summer and the Mac Mini, fan favorite, was unveiled last fall.

For people who need high-end, high-performance workstations – animators, programmers, and designers – Apple unveiled a new Mac Pro desktop tower in June. It starts at $ 6,000 and some people think that a fully optimized version will cost about the price of a new sedan.

The Mac Pro is not yet available in stores, but when it goes on sale this fall, it will have exceeded 2,000 days since it was last updated. It's been six years since many Apple fans complained aloud.

Apple also supports the Mac with new software features.

For example, when Apple Arcade, the company's game subscription, is launched this fall, it will be compatible with Macs, not just iPhones, iPads and Apple TVs.

Catalina, the latest version of MacOS, is also experiencing major changes and Apple resources dedicated to cleaning old software that has not received much attention in recent years.

For example, the next version of MacOS will not have iTunes, which had been overloaded with excess functionality over the years. Instead, it will have separate applications for music, podcasts and television. You can also sync your iPhone directly with your Mac without using iTunes.

Apple has also introduced a new feature that allows users to have a dual-screen configuration while traveling by combining an iPad to serve as a second screen for a MacBook.

The developers said at the June Apple conference that they were excited about a software development tool called Catalyst, which allows software developers to write code once and make it work at the same time. both iPhone and Mac, hoping that some applications previously exclusive to the iPhone could be worn, creating a richer software ecosystem.

A problem that weighs on the recovery of the Mac from Apple is the keyboard that it uses on MacBooks. In 2015, Apple introduced a thinner type of keyboard, called the butterfly keyboard, which is now included as standard on all Apple notebooks.

Critics say that keyboards are unreliable and may break when faced with crumbs or dust. Apple said earlier this year that "the vast majority of Mac notebook customers are living a positive experience with the new keyboard".

Ming-Chi Kuo, a TF Securities analyst, predicted that Apple would launch a new MacBook Air with a redesigned keyboard, but devices announced on Tuesday still have butterfly keyboards, though they're a recent release that should be more reliable. than previous models. .

This might not be enough for Mac users who are waiting for a redesigned keyboard. In fact, the new MacBooks released Tuesday have already finished on a list that indicates which MacBook models can get an out-of-warranty repair for a convoluted papky keyboard.