Fixed It! Apple 2019 Year in Review

2019 opened with Apple enthusiasts feeling queasy. We left the previous year with the feeling that everything we loved was broken in both large and small ways. Apple had a lot of things to fix. And thankfully, they did just that for most of the big issues. And while there are a few things that need to be addressed in 2020, we will enter the decade with a sense that things are at least heading in the right direction thanks to the course correction of 2019. Here are a few of those wrong things that were set right this year:

AirPods

You would be forgiven for not realizing that Apple produced two sets of AirPods in 2019. It felt like the 2nd generation AirPods were intended to come out in 2018, but missed their ship date. That is unfortunate because they were really not much of an upgrade. It felt like Apple was about to fumble the ball with regard to AirPods.

Fortunately, they gave us AirPods Pro. It took a third swing at bat before Apple gave us AirPods with the killer feature missing since the first: earphones that fit. I have loudly complained that AirPods could have been great for almost everyone if only for 3¢ worth of silicone. They finally included that in the box, and designed the case to handle the extra material.

Apple did a lot more than produce AirPods that fit. But that was the one thing really broken about the product. Better sound and noise cancelation are nice upgrades. But they didn’t represent anything that was broken. Apple finally redesigned the product so that no one has to hunt down a third-party solution to repair what Apple left broken. I am excited about the future of AirPods now that we have left the worst of their past behind.

Mac mini

There are so many bad things Apple could have done to the Mac mini to make it worse rather than better. When the rumors came out that Apple would be updating the seemingly forgotten desktop, there was a sense of dread rather than excitement.

Thankfully, Apple did right by the product and its fans. Grant it, there is a lot more they could have done. But what they did was give that product a new lease on life. It does not just remain a product in the lineup, it is a great machine that should more than satisfy any modern computer user. The mini is more expensive than it used to be. But it is also a real computer that can do real work. Even better, it can be customized at purchase to fill even high-end needs, at least higher end than one might expect. In one generation, the mini went from dead to fixed.

Apple Watch

You might not have thought of the Apple Watch as broken. Or you might have thought it fixed a couple of generations back. But it had one problem that plagued it from the beginning. It didn’t have an always-on display. And the dance you have to do to see the time does not age well when you have to do it several times a day.

While many had given up it it ever being addressed, Apple produced the Apple Watch Series 5. And while there is more to it than the display, that is the only feature that matters. Apple did the one thing the watch needed to be a real watch. The Apple Watch has moved from neat gadget to primetime necessity.

The MacBook Everything

We don’t need to rehash all the problems with the current generation of Mac notebooks. However, the Pro line suffered the most because they didn’t feel like Pro machines to many customers. They were good. But they didn’t live up to their name or price. Pro became a word that was marketing speak for “expensive.”

With the 2019 16” MacBook Pro, Apple signaled the start of a new day for all their laptops. Power will no longer be an issue. Ram and other configurables will no longer be an issue. Thinness and thermal dead-ends will no longer be an issue. Butterflies will no longer be an issue. And while we only have one model that made it out this year, I feel like Apple is announcing the future of the lineup. They will be replacing the old with the new as fast as they can.

Even the consumer lineup got a bit of a shakeup this year as well. The low-end Pro which is really just a consumer play makes a lot more sense than it did a year ago. 2019 is the year that people can once again start to feel good about buying a Mac laptop. Though that dream will not be fully realized until next year.

Mac Pro: Don’t Call It a Comeback

I will never own a Mac Pro. I wouldn’t know what to do with it if I got one as a gift. I don’t have the kind of software or workflow that would make sense on such a machine. I’m pretty sure that were I to get one, I would be one of those people who found it slower than the gear I already use. You really need to be a specialist in something to be able to use, let alone need a Mac Pro.

That said, I am glad Apple produced it. Apple needed to represent on the high end. The only reason the iMac Pro exists is because Apple decided they were done with the Mac Pro. And they figured that the iMac Pro would serve the needs of what professionals remained in their market. Apple really had become an iPhone/iPad company. Prosumer was as far as they wanted to go with the Mac. That had become painfully obvious.

We can only guess why they changed their mind. But with the Mac Pro, Apple announced a course correction. They have recommitted to the Mac in a way that they have not done for a while. That said, only time will tell how strong that commitment is. But for now, we no longer have to worry about the state of high-end Macs.

Conclusion: Don’t Panic!

For the past couple of years there has been a sense of panic in the Apple universe. We have worried and fretted for a long time about a lot of products, services, and even the company’s overall direction. Despite the course correction, there are still plenty of things about which to worry.

Apple’s services are a mess right now, with no sign of them getting better. Apple News is just plain bad. TV is off to a choppy start. And none of the services have any sense of cohesion. Each service is its own island. As such, they are judged individually instead of as a sensible bundle. But they can’t get the contracts they need to make it work.

We have reason to be worried about the iMac. Apple has kept that design around for so long that it no longer looks iconic. It just looks old and busted. We need to stop making excuses for those giant bezels and Jay Leno chin. While the stand is not a $1,000 wonder, we should expect more from it than tilt.

The design is not the only issue with the iMac. Where’s the T2 chip, a better web cam, biometric reader, and faster SD card reader? Why do we still have that awful stopgap Fusion Drive going into 2020? At this point, the iMac feels like it is either being purposely held back, or it is being held back out of neglect.

Apple accessories are also adrift. They don’t make a monitor any normal human can buy. They gave up networking to the companies that don’t give a fig about your security. They don’t make external speakers that make any sense. The Magic Mouse that can’t be used while charging is a joke. And where are the Apple smart home products?

Should I spare a few words for software? I think I would rather see them just kill Pages than have them keep pretending it is a good word processing solution. At this point, I’m not even sure it is a good page layout solution. Just note all the Apple-centric writers who wouldn’t touch it with a 10’ pole. We don’t even need to mention the state of both operating systems. This has been the worst OS upgrade cycle in recent memory.

Yes indeed, we have plenty to worry about. But the theme of 2019 is that Apple is working on it. Don’t panic! Stay calm, cool, and collected. They are plugging the big holes while bailing water. Everything is going to eventually be alright again. They want us to be reassured that they still know how to make a computer for the person with $10,000 to spend. We are still waiting on a complete system for the person with $1,500. That will have to be a laptop with a few notable compromises.

Apple hears you. If you complain loud enough and long enough, they hear you. The professional crowd complained until they finally stopped and left for other pastures. Eventually, Apple heard them. The laptop users complained about the keyboard until Apple finally heard them. The Mac mini people kept hanging around until Apple finally acknowledged them. The people with the wrong kind of ears finally got apple to design AirPods that didn’t make them feel like freaks. And whatever your beef is with Apple, they might eventually hear you too.

That’s great. But it is also the problem. Apple is almost entirely reactive right now. Instead of pumping out new and exciting products, they are busy putting out brush fires caused by their old ones. There is also a sense that Apple simply doesn’t know what kind of company it is anymore. It used to be a computer company, then a consumer electronic company. Now, its a lifestyle brand. They are becoming Sony when Sony forgot who they were.

The scary thing is we still don’t know who Sony is. And we might be in for a long period when Apple doesn’t know who they are either. This is an age when every company believes they have to be in every business lest some other company grab that stack of cash from fickle consumers. That is the place where once-great companies go to die.

I hope 2020 is the year Apple pays off the promise that they remember who they are, and remind us why we should keep choosing them over the competition. Do they even know what differentiates them from the competition? Does anyone even talk about the whole widget anymore? You can’t buy the whole widget from Apple anymore!

Does anyone say, “It just works” anymore? When is the last time you said or heard that referring to an Apple product? These days, more Apple enthusiasts are choosing third-party solutions over Apple’s. Spotify over Apple Music, Sonos over HomePod, Fitbit over Apple Watch, Kindle over Books, Chrome over Safari, Gmail over Mail, Alexa over Siri, almost anything over Pages, Photoshop over… Apple isn’t even in that fight.

People who use the Apple option look like newbies or suckers these days. “Oh, you’re still using that Apple solution? Bless your heart.” We are in a bad place in Apple World when the Apple alternative is perceived as better and cooler. Forget selling to anyone else. Apple can’t even sell us on their products and their vision.

I’m hoping that 2019 is the year we can put all that behind us, and 2020, the year we can move forward. It is time for Apple to make a big bet on the future. Show us a glimpse into where the puck is going to be. We will skate toward it with them if we are convinced they know where they’re going. I want Apple to remember the crazy ones. We are the ones who don’t even have suits. We are ready to cheer again. Apple just needs to give us a reason, any reason.

David Johnson