This. I'm quite confident that they look at the Mac as a "profit-leaking" product they gradually need to bring on-par with their other products, but can't make any big steps to avoid alienating the userbase.

But I'm sure the day of the iOS-based iMac will come, and pandora's box will be opened. Businesses will love it, especially those with Kiosk use-cases, and not before long we will read everywhere (including here) how superior the security is to a Mac for everyday use...

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PaulHoule 6 hours ago | parent | next [-]

They must have a prototype of an iPad somewhere that can run both iOS and Mac software but they are too comfortable with their current product positioning. I thought Microsoft had a good idea with Windows 8, I mean, I don’t travel with a laptop anymore, just an iPad and wireless mouse and keyboard. If I need to use desktop software I use RDP or something like that. I go to a hackathon and I have both the sleekest and the beefiest hardware. It’s great. An iPad could give a similar experience with local compute if only Apple would let it.

But to back into it…. OpenClaw amd Muse and stuff give people a real reason to buy a Mac but Apple doesn’t like it.

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rickdeckard 6 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> "OpenClaw amd Muse and stuff give people a real reason to buy a Mac but Apple doesn’t like it."

Yeah, because a year down the road they might give the same people a reason to upgrade to another box, not from Apple.

Apple needs to ensure that they stand in the middle of every supplier relationship their customers have.

That's quite difficult when they don't provide direct value to both, so the natural conclusion is for Apple to present itself as a care-taker, the only one who prevents the user from taking any harm...

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brookst 5 hours ago | parent [-]

That’s a pretty elaborate and conspiratorial way to say “Apple isn’t especially interested in market segments they’re not trying to serve”. Which I think is true of most companies?

	▲	rickdeckard 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		It's meant to say "Apple prefers if companies are not able to enter relationships with Apple customers without Apple being in the middle", which is not typical for most companies

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rjrjrjrj 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

The Mac has had the ability to run iPad apps for quite a few years now, since Apple Silicon. Unfortunately it is opt-in for developers and most don't. I wonder if it will become non-optional (or at least opt-out) with the touchscreen MBP rumoured for this fall.

I think that's the unification route they are most likely to take, hopefully along with a thinner/smaller MacBook design and built-in cellular.

They've taken so many swings at the iPad Pro (both hardware and software), and it has never been as good as the MacBook.

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alt227 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> I thought Microsoft had a good idea with Windows 8

Get out! Desktop are not mobile devices and there is still need for them. Microsoft learnt this the hard way.

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easyThrowaway 6 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

> An iPad could give a similar experience with local compute if only Apple would let it.

It does, it's called the MacBook Neo.

iPad sales have been rather stagnant in the last few years, while they made bank with their low-cost laptop. On a purely conceptual level I don't think they're gonna merge the two anytime soon, even if they will probably start sharing the very same logic board from their next revision.

	▲	PaulHoule 5 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Stagnant because (1) they don’t want to cannibalize iPhone and Mac and (2) competitors have failed to do make tablets that do a lot more than become e-waste. Microsoft had a reason to make the transition as carriers didn’t allow them to make a phone platform but their other enemies like Dell, HP and Lenovo had neither the motivation nor engineering skills to come along.

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fauigerzigerk 6 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

>...but can't make any big steps to avoid alienating the userbase.

I think the way this could work is by linking certain capabilities to MDM or a developer program membership. Organisations and people who really need it would still be able to get it but regular users would not.

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6 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

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