Moving past the MacBook
Even though the Mac lineup is pretty impressive, and the M2 is a pretty bad ass piece of silicon, everything seems to revolve around the MacBook. Simply put, there are too many MacBook models. It’s not just MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, it’s all the screen sizes and features that quickly blur and overlap.
There’s a new MacBook product announcement every time I turn around, which doesn’t feel necessary or productive. Apple is going to create that same sinking feeling people have when they drive a car off the lot, it just depreciated. Buy a new MacBook and it won’t even be 9 months before new tech comes knocking and makes you question your decision. That always happens as the latest and greatest is merely a point in time, but it seems MacBooks change with the seasons.
It feels like this dependence on the MacBook is degrading the rest of the offerings. The iMac was a great entry-level machine, but it feels like Apple rushed it to market just to complete the transition cycle. Where is the larger screen? It’s surprising there are no 27 or 32-inch models available. Where is the 128GB iMac? For that matter, where is the 32 or 64GB iMac?
Looking at what the iMac Pro was capable of when it released, the current offering is lacking. Shouldn’t the iMac be on par with the Mac Studio? With the low power consumption and low profile that the M2 is known for, the iMac Studio should already be here.
Alas, we have the Mac Pro. Again, another machine thrown together to complete the transition. It’s a cool and powerful machine no doubt about that, and it’s awesome Apple kept the case and aesthetic, but to what end? The Pro is a Studio in a different case, a case that costs a couple grand.
The MacBook feels stifling. Why are they rolling off the assembly line like chicken nuggets? Why aren’t they on an 18 or 24 month release cycle? Why not update laptops and phones one year, desktops and iPads the next? Apple needs to cut a few products from the lineup.
Not going to lie, I was excited over that 24 inch iMac, especially in yellow. It was right on the money as a machine for working remotely with camera, speakers, and thin design. I was seriously tempted to get one, jumping right into the Apple Silicon pool, but I figured there would be a 27 or 32 inch model coming out a few months later. We got the Studio Display, which has more than enough room to hold the iMac innards, but no new iMac. We’ve had multiple MacBook refreshes, but the flagship iMac languishes. Is the iMac going to disappear in favor of the Mac mini?
The MacBook is great, and laptops are neat, but it feels like it’s time to pay attention to the desktop models and to those of us who don’t want a laptop hooked into a docking station.
