I’ve taken a day to think about what Apple is doing. They introduced some new tech yesterday, and it seemed to me that they are playing some different cards than they have in the past.
It seems to me that Apple has made a very strong position for the home market. I have always been in the creative field, either publishing or video, and so Apple has a natural place in those markets. However, now Apple is making colored iMacs, a throwback move and a smart move.
Their pricing is also really good. For $1500 you get an iMac. That is a computer with a screen in a color that can fit in your home or home office. They focused on better camera, silent operation and good sound. In other words, this device is designed to sit in your living space and be helpful to you. I’m still in shock by the price. An iPhone Pro is over $1000, and now a full desktop system is $1500. For Apple that is a strong move. Smart, very smart!
Then they introduced an iPad with a Thunderbolt/USB 4 port. What? That means that an iPad is now more like a laptop than ever before. I always hated those ads comparing an iPad to a laptop, but now, they are blurring that line.
If you can get the software on the iPad that you want, and you can plug in a keyboard, a mouse, and external display, then isn’t that a laptop-ish device? It seems to me Apple is blurring the lines between compute devices. Do you need a laptop, or an iPad, or an iMac? Just pick what makes you happy and what device you can run your software on and get on with it.
They introduced some other things, like Apple AirTags, and the updated Apple TV. I think the most interesting part is the TV calibration using your iPhone. This is still running A12, but I hope one day they move this to M1.
So what does all this mean? M1 is ending up in iPads. M1 is in laptops and now iMacs. If the processor is in all these different devices then what is the difference between them. I think this is the beginning of some interesting moves from Apple. If everything is running the same chip Apple has unbelievable flexibility.
Being able to run Apple Store Apps on an iMac or MacBook is already blurring the lines between what each device does. What if Apple allows the iPad to run MacOS? It could. Same processor, so why not? What if you could simply open MacOS as an app on your iPad? When you are done with work you close MacOS and you are right back into iPad OS.
Apple hasn’t thrilled me in years, but now, things are getting interesting. For the first time in a really long time, I am excited about what they are doing, and where they are headed, and what they could do.
Only Apple knows what this future looks like, but I can’t wait to see it!
I'm just a guy that loves technology! 