More locked down!
Two things have stuck out from yesterday’s WWDC event: iPadOS and the new Mac Pro. These two developments fit in nicely with my previous observation that Apple is locking down its ecosystem even further. Most prominently we see that with the iPadOS which I suspect builds the foundation for a new “Consumer” OS that maybe will make it into Apple MacBooks (or rather the next generation of iPads with Keyboards attached) and possibly even consumer iMacs. But why would Apple do this, it’s simple - the average user really doesn’t need anything more than what today's iPads can already provide. And now with the iPadOS being capable to use a mouse and multi-window apps, there is even less difference between the traditional MacOs and the new iPadOs for basic users. Coupled with the fact that a) everything moves to the cloud anyway and you won't need much computing power on your consumer device and b) a whole generation is growing up with iOS and Android OS, they will be used to this experience, they are basically being groomed for it throughout middle-school and high-school. For Apple, this is great because now it can control a lot more of the consumer computing value (supply-)chain than it does with MacBooks or iMacs - for example, on the hardware side, there is no Intel chip at the center of iPads because Apple uses its own Arm chips. Its chip designers are hard at work to make an Apple-only system design. And on the software side, there is no alternative to the App store, today you can still install pretty much anything on your MacBook and iMac - this will change if these devices receive the iPadOS treatment. Total Control!
The new Mac Pro supports this move because it is priced well beyond the means of semi-pro or prosumer (starting at USD $6000 with 8-cores and an aging mid-range graphics card). At this configuration it is in fact not much different from a mid-range gaming desktop computer that you can have for around USD $2400. So clearly, they could have created a system at a much lower price point in addition to their extreme high-end model, but they choose not to. Which could indicate that in fact, they are only catering to the real professionals and everyone else should just buy iMacs which may or may not receive the iPadOS treatment down the road.
Of course, I couldn’t have written this without my grievance over this whole ordeal. I have been waiting for a new Mac Pro for five years only to be presented with a superb machine which I can’t justify opening my wallet for. At USD $6000, I suspect (a gut feeling but also not accounted for the RnD costs), Apple probably has a margin in the area of something like 70%. You can’t really call this an Apple tax - this is almost theft. I guess Apple made the calculation and decided that even though they will probably lose market share in the prosumer space with people fleeing and buying gaming desktops (like I have), it’s all still worth it because the margin is right and it ensures a clear customer segmentation.
Don’t get me wrong, it sounds cynical because this is not the Apple that I remember growing up with, but overall Apple is probably the best marketing machine out there. They do everything right, they have perfected the art of selling you this emotional association and I can’t fault them for that. I just wished they could also find a path back to their humble beginnings and find a more balanced approach to their ecosystem which looks increasingly too restricted. Maybe the governments will do something about the latter.
Comments
Post a Comment