What would you tell Apple?

[Swad]

I just finished a survey that I was emailed from Apple. It asked me about my recent iMac purchase (for which you'll have a "lifestyle review" very soon) and about my computer use in general. I love surveys, especially for a company for which I care a great deal, because I know how important the feedback is.

 

One of the things I tried to get across was that I was really concerned with the lack of a gamer following on the Mac, which has all sorts of consequences. (Edit: My point here is that, for a host of reasons, the Mac gaming ecosystem is a shell of its Windows counterpart.)

 

But it made me ask myself: what would I tell Apple if I had the chance, outside the confines of a survey? If Steve called me up tomorrow, what would I tell him?

 

So I thought I would pose the question to you all. If you could choose one area for Apple to improve upon, what would it be and why?

[A Nonny Moose]

Mash, there is a Mac gaming community. You have to remember that hard core gamers represent a minority of users, NOT the majority. So we're dealing with a minority of a minority. Personally, I don't consider myself a "gamer" because I don't play games that often (when I do, I use my PlayStation).

[Swad]

Well, my point was that Macs just lag behind Windows when it comes to games - game makers don't have the incentive to release Mac versions as quickly due to smaller following, etc...

 

The best example of this is that Age of Empires III is just being released for Macs this week, while it's been around for PC's forever. That's a shame.

[tomozj]

Age of empires 3 is a Microsoft game... what do you expect

 

But yes, i agree that games for mac osx could be much better. With core animation coming in... do you think maybe companies will create the mac versions with it? It would be great

[munky]

What would I tell apple?

 

1) You have a killer syncing engine. Not everone wants to buy .Mac, so please give us another option. Eg why cant I sync my Safari bookmarks via normal FTP or WebDAV?

 

2) Some folks have a desktop mac and a notebook. LOTS of those people want to be able to work seamlessly on either. How about a lot more intelligent syncing for apps like Aperture etc? Also, why can't iTunes treat my MacBook as if its an iPod? I'd kill for that.

 

3) Where's my pissing Core 2 Duo / X3000 MacBook?

 

4) Eh... keep up the good work?

[BlackShadowWolf]

Hmm Apple I would like...

 

Actually I have no idea what they could improve on at the moment, I mean I love my iMac G5, had since June 2005 as a high school graduation gift and I use it almost everyday. She starts up fast and runs everything I want to, games could run a little better as it shoots the fans up pretty quickly and the graphics can be kind of slow.

 

The prices could be a little less, specially for us poor college students, dont even have . I have to admit the education discounts are nice, for instance I recently bought Final Cut Studio at the education price for $550, instead of the normal price of what is it $1300? thats a pretty good deal in my eyes.

 

Long live the mac .

[Then there were none.]

I would say:

Advertise more in the uk, expand your retail in the uk, and actually advertise your products!

[domino]

I would ask them for my commission for selling 3 Mac Pros, 6 Mac books, and 5 iMacs in 6 months. It ain't easy selling top of the line machines in the Asian market.

 

Goodbye!!

[John the Geek]

Dear Steve,

 

My Quad Xeon rocks my socks off. Good call.

 

Make the Mini cheaper and give us a 17" widescreen for my cheap in-laws so I can tell them Macs aren't more expensive and to shut their pie-holes already.

 

Slap the sh*t out of Phil Schiller and tell him he has no stage presence. He's not you, and he's trying too hard. (He also waddles like a duck, so get him a treadmill to work off the extra weight...)

 

Where's my Tablet Mac? I need a tablet for drawing and for presentations. Make it cheap, it only needs to be fast enough to run Photoshop.

 

By the way, slap the sh*t out of Adobe and tell them to get their CS suite on Intel already. I realize there's a lot of 68K code in there but they should have re-wrote it years ago... not now.

 

Slap the sh*t out of Microsoft... just because, and tell them Office 2007 for Mac had better rock, or you'll switch to Windows XP just to show everyone how much it really sucks on stage. Again, you have more stage presence than Roz Ho has in her little toe.

 

Can you say Octo-core Xeon upgrade? I can. Support it or we'll key your Lexus.

 

Sincerely,

-John

[Pantalaimon]

Get a bloody Apple Store in Latin America D:

[juan_cl]

dear steve,

I ask you for two little things. An apple store in latin america(in Chile please!). Also,cut some of the tax of the apple products. Can you imagine that in Chile you pay almost 1500 dolars for the cheapest MacBook. That's outrageous! Please Steve, change this and i'll buy a mac.

[Zealot]

Dear Steve,

 

My Quad Xeon rocks my socks off. Good call.

 

Make the Mini cheaper and give us a 17" widescreen for my cheap in-laws so I can tell them Macs aren't more expensive and to shut their pie-holes already.

 

Slap the sh*t out of Phil Schiller and tell him he has no stage presence. He's not you, and he's trying too hard. (He also waddles like a duck, so get him a treadmill to work off the extra weight...)

 

Where's my Tablet Mac? I need a tablet for drawing and for presentations. Make it cheap, it only needs to be fast enough to run Photoshop.

 

By the way, slap the sh*t out of Adobe and tell them to get their CS suite on Intel already. I realize there's a lot of 68K code in there but they should have re-wrote it years ago... not now.

 

Slap the sh*t out of Microsoft... just because, and tell them Office 2007 for Mac had better rock, or you'll switch to Windows XP just to show everyone how much it really sucks on stage. Again, you have more stage presence than Roz Ho has in her little toe.

 

Can you say Octo-core Xeon upgrade? I can. Support it or we'll key your Lexus.

 

Sincerely,

-John

 

well said

and very funny

 

well said

and very funny

i didnt think there was a chuncho in here.

y tampoco pense que alguien que le gusta el futbol le gustaran estas cosas.

 

Saludos

[teppei]

Dear Steve,

 

1. please take a good care of bootcamp, so we can play games in windows, by doing that you dont need another hassle with the game developers

2. reduce mac minis price, the top line minis with price tag $800+ didnt make any sense anymore since you released iMac with $1000 price tag

3. release iPhone wisely, dont rush it, i hate to upgrade

4. please tell Sony to release Sony Vegas for Mac.

5. get some rest, you are getting old, we need you at least another 5 years.

[trav1085]

If Steve Jobs called me and asked me what I think, I would tell him that it's not fair on how Windows runs on a mac but why can't Mac run officaly on a PC? He's trying to have Macs become the ultimate computer, because they run Windows, Mac OS (duh), and Linux so why would you ever want a PC.

 

I've used windows forever and always liked Windows the best, from 9.x to Vista it's all great (Except ME). I've always liked microsoft. Apple is a great company and Tiger has excellent graphics that kick windows in the butt.

 

Dear Steve:

 

I think it would be a good idea to have a official Mac OS X what is legal and compatable with a PC. Maybe 10.5 would be a good start instead of completely changing 10.4. Maybe partner with Dell to sell Mac OS X 10.5 pre-installed PCs, you'll make a lotta mony and new users for people who LOVE their PC and can't handle to switch to a new system. Besides, Windows and Mac will finally run together natively.

 

If your worried about losing money in your hardware division, why not start a Games division to even out the costs. I am aware you make a lotta money with selling Macs.

And if you can't do that, then atleast lower the cost of Macbook Pros soon. $3000 canadian is not that good. People look at that or a $800 Dell they might not think twice if they are on a limited budget and are new to computers.

 

Yours truely, Travis ---------

[unstatusthequo]

I would tell them that no matter how eliteist they think they are, their method of releasing products has got to change if they want to continue gaining switchers as a result of the relationship with Intel. The PC crowd is happy with Intel, and when they hear about a new chip, they want that chip available in a mac. If Apple wants to keep gaining market share, they need to keep up with other manufacturers, not release products which other manufacturers have had either announced or for sale weeks or months before. S

 

So, in summary, make a good design that allows for easy chip changes to meet the continually evolving Intel train.

 

This opinion is entirely based upon my manic impatience for the Merom MBP. The reason I am somewhat negative is because I have already heard of several people who have decided against getting a mac afterall because they wanted Core 2 Duo laptop and Apple does not have one currently... while this trend may not hurt too much for one product over one revision, the aggregate can be quite large, because generally, people who are on the bleeding edge of knowing what chip is in a computer will be the ones in positions to also influence others when those people purchase products. Having that bleeding edge processor in THOSE people's hands will help gain further market share.

 

I would, however, congratulate them from changing me from a macaphobic to a switcher... and they did this by offering Intel, and creating bootcamp to run Windows on their hardware.

 

This was a strange revelation for me since until the arrival of Myzar/Maxxus/JaS, I had never considered OSX or Apple hardware at all. But, being able to TRY it on MY hardware made it immediately more of an option... it allowed me to evaluate my own comfort level with this "whole new world" without shelling out a large amount of money on a gamble. So, in summary, thanks for the development leaks that were creatively modified... for if it wasn't for those, I'd still not be considering a mac. Thanks to those, my eyes were opened to the OSX world, and then the Apple hardware, which I find is truly much, much better than competition. Just the fact that the case is metal on the MBP is awesome... and I never even cared enough to know that before.

[rollcage]

Dear Steve,

 

Please start updating the hardware in your systems on a more regular basis. I'm tired of having the latest on the release of new products, but having to wait another 6 months for newer options. Also, could we have dedicated graphics cards as an option in the macbook/mini?

 

Sue M$ over using Apple's ideas in Vista. They won't be able to argue that iCal wasn't the inspiration (template) for Windows Calendar. Use the money to help Apple gain market share and more timely hardware updates.

 

Tell M$ to {censored} off with their update to Office, they waited too long. Just make Pages and Keynote compatible with the Office formats and bring in a replacement for Excel. We know you would do it faster than M$ can. Either way, I want iWork to be a full fledged productivity suite, and that means spreadsheets!

 

Could we have a widescreen ipod and iphone this year? i could care less about the "new" video ipods that were released, not much of an improvement. Do something to make the consumer market go "Ahhhh".

 

How about the iTablet? I'll be starting college next year and I want to be able to jot my notes directly on the screen. Without one I can't promise I'll purchase a Mac for college, don't put me in that situation! TV tuners in my mac and recording/viewing of tv would be a great addtion into FrontRow!

 

One last thing, could you start work on an apple game console? Maybe not for the near future, but have it ready nonetheless. It would surely make a killing in the devoted Mac user market. You could use the iTunes Store model for selling games, $49.99, right. You did it with music, now bring it into the gaming market.

[macmaniac]

Dear Steve,

 

Thanks for your excellent work over that last few years, expecially the switch to Intel. As a long time Mac user, I no longer have to argue that somehow my 2Ghz G5 is faster than a 4Ghz Pentium.

 

I would like to sync multiple macs (mail, itunes,iphoto) in my house without having to use .Mac. I would like to sync my iPod to any convenient mac in the house.

 

FB Ram is going to die. Pull out now. I have a PCI-X G5. How long did that standard last? blink....

 

Lower the price on your displays. Yes, they are gorgeous, but have you looked at an ACER (or insert other discount merchant here) lately? Pretty nice, huh, and half the price, too.

 

Modest performance bumps every 3 or 4 months, not massive overhauls every 8 to 12 months.

 

How about iMacs that can have CPUs, RAM, Graphics cards, HD and DVD drives easily replaced/upgraded by simply opening a back hinge panel? Wintel boxes may be ugly compared to Apple, but ATX style construction means simple, affordable user upgrades. I would be more willing to lock in with a Apple product knowing I can keep it going strong a few extra years....... (like put in a Blu-ray when the price comes down)

 

Give us Maxxus back.

 

 

Oh, and one more thing. Can you please tell me how the to overclock my G5 Grand Prix?

[sandmanfvrga]

Dear Steve,

 

Your OSX OS is great and the Macs are nice machines, but quit being a duechebag and get your head out of your ass. Some of your machines are way to damn expensive and that is why you don't sell more. Also, don't makes us buy a higher model to get better drives. We should be able to pick the drives for any model (combo drives and superdrives). Also, make a sub $1000 laptop so that people that don't have a ton of money can have OSX on the go. Also, get with gaming companies and get them into making Intel OSX versions to make mac gaming huge.

 

Thanks.

[rick taylor]

I'd like to see Apple equivalents of the Adobe/Macromedia products. Especially Dreamweaver and Indesign. I really like the look and feel of Apple's Pro Apps but I don't really need a high end video editor or photo manager.

 

Also fire the UK Customer Support staff. After being held in a queue for ten minutes I was told that there was absolutely no way I could obtain a replacement Hardware Test CD from them, even if I payed them. I know this isn't the case in the US, I have read several accounts of how people were able to obtain new discs.

[xtreme571]

1 - Reduce the price on pretty much all the laptops/mini. I can get the sames specs on a PC and save ATLEAST 300 dollars easily.

2 - Give some video card options on macbook. Atleast so we can play games in windows mode.

3 - Your memory to upgrade is TOO Expensive. 2GB for $500??? and thats an upgrade from 512???

4 - Lower HD upgrade cost when buying macbook. Another 20GB for $100??? How can you justify that???

5 - As someone already mentioned, offer superdrive on lower end models.

6 - Trackpad should get Right-Click for Windows via Boot Camp. (Fn key doesnt work as well)

7 - A alternative cd/dvd eject option would be better than turning on the laptop. Possible the small hole like in PCs.

8 - Offer Core 2 Duo in laptops, PC is doing it.

9 - Position CD/DVD drive on macbook pro on the side instead of in the front, hard to take dvd out while having the laptop in your lap.

10 - Can you offer SD/MMC/MS Slot? We have cameras you know.

[John the Geek]

10 - Can you offer SD/MMC/MS Slot? We have cameras you know.

 

That answer will always be no. You also forgot CompactFlash which is used my pro photographers. There are too many media types... so they will never build it in. You have USB cables and readers... The need is already being filled.

[sandmanfvrga]

Yep. Walmart sells a reader that read 13 different types for $27 or so, I got one and it is great.

[Aesop69]

Remember: Education & Government

[bwhsh8r]

Well, my point was that Macs just lag behind Windows when it comes to games - game makers don't have the incentive to release Mac versions as quickly due to smaller following, etc...

 

The best example of this is that Age of Empires III is just being released for Macs this week, while it's been around for PC's forever. That's a shame.

 

 

its because apple uses opengl, they cant use directx witch is... sad to say... supereor.... and m$ propriteary, so they have to recode for opengl...

 

 

 

max

[xtreme571]

Yep. Walmart sells a reader that read 13 different types for $27 or so, I got one and it is great.

 

Yes i can definately understand that. Ebay it and it can be obtained for 5 bucks. The sole purpose of having it built in is that you dont have something extra to carry around. All i want to take with me would be my macbook and ac adaptor.

 

All PC manufactures seem to fit it in and get it working. Atleast widely used SD would be a good option.