Apple still doesn’t know what to do with Macs, and WWDC 2017 was proof

I went into WWDC 2017 brimming with hope. Apple’s previous macOS updates felt stagnant. I craved innovation, a bold leap forward. Instead, I felt a deep sense of disappointment. The updates felt incremental, minor tweaks rather than the revolutionary changes I’d anticipated. My excitement quickly faded into frustration. It felt like Apple was simply going through the motions, not truly listening to its Mac users.

The Hype Before the Show

The weeks leading up to WWDC 2017 were a whirlwind of speculation. Online forums buzzed with predictions⁚ a redesigned MacBook Pro, a potential Mac Pro refresh, maybe even a long-rumored Apple silicon transition. I, like many others, devoured every rumor and leaked image. My friend, Sarah, and I spent hours discussing the possibilities, fueled by caffeine and the sheer anticipation. We meticulously analyzed every cryptic tweet from supposed insiders, pouring over every pixel of blurry leaked photos. The hype was palpable; a collective yearning for Apple to finally address the perceived stagnation of the Mac line. Blog posts promised groundbreaking announcements, YouTube channels teased revolutionary features. I felt a genuine excitement, a belief that this year would be different. This year, Apple would finally show us the Mac vision we’d been waiting for. The expectation was high, a fever pitch of excitement building steadily as the date approached. I remember feeling a childlike wonder, the kind I hadn’t felt since the release of the original iPhone. This was it, I thought. This was the year Apple would reignite my passion for their products. The promise of a renewed focus on the Mac fueled my hope, a hope that, sadly, would soon be dashed against the rocks of reality. The pre-WWDC atmosphere was electric, charged with the collective energy of millions of Apple enthusiasts worldwide, all anticipating a transformative event. Little did I know, the reality would be far less electrifying.

The Keynote Itself⁚ A Letdown

The actual keynote was… underwhelming. I watched it live, perched on the edge of my seat, ready to be blown away. Instead, I felt a slow deflation. The updates to macOS, High Sierra, were presented with the usual Apple polish, but lacked the substance I craved. They were incremental improvements, not game-changers. The features announced felt like minor tweaks rather than significant advancements. I remember thinking, “Is that it?” The energy in the room, which I watched online, felt subdued compared to previous years. There was a palpable lack of excitement. My initial disappointment quickly morphed into a deeper frustration. The keynote felt like a missed opportunity, a chance to reignite the passion for the Mac platform squandered. I watched Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, present the updates with his usual enthusiasm, but even his charisma couldn’t mask the underlying lack of innovation. The whole presentation felt strangely muted, lacking the usual fanfare and excitement that typically accompanies major Apple announcements. I felt a growing sense of unease, a feeling that Apple wasn’t truly invested in pushing the boundaries of what the Mac could be. It was as if they were content to rest on their laurels, to simply maintain the status quo rather than striving for true innovation. The lack of any significant hardware announcements only amplified my disappointment. The keynote ended, and I was left with a profound sense of letdown, a feeling that Apple had failed to deliver on the immense hype they’d generated. My initial excitement had completely evaporated, replaced by a deep sense of disillusionment.

Specific Examples of My Frustration

Let me be specific. The touted improvements to the file system, APFS, felt underwhelming in practice. While promising increased speed and efficiency, I didn’t notice a significant difference on my 2015 MacBook Pro. The performance gains were marginal at best, barely noticeable in everyday use. I ran benchmarks, meticulously comparing before and after, and the results were disappointing. The improvements were incremental, not revolutionary as Apple had implied. Then there was the updated Photos app. I found the new features to be largely cosmetic. The interface was slightly tweaked, but the core functionality remained largely unchanged. I didn’t see any significant improvements in organization or editing capabilities. It felt like a superficial update designed to give the impression of progress, rather than a genuine enhancement. The emphasis on improving the user experience felt hollow; it was more window dressing than substance. My workflow remained largely unchanged, and I found myself reverting to my old methods. I also expected more significant advancements in multitasking capabilities. The improvements were minimal, leaving me wanting more robust tools to handle multiple applications simultaneously. The overall experience felt frustratingly familiar, lacking the innovative features that would truly elevate the Mac experience. I yearned for a more seamless, integrated workflow, something that would allow me to easily switch between applications and manage multiple tasks with greater efficiency. Instead, I felt the limitations of the current system even more acutely. This wasn’t the bold step forward I’d hoped for; it felt like a missed opportunity to address some of the core frustrations of Mac users like myself. The whole experience left me feeling profoundly underwhelmed, and ultimately, disappointed.

My Post-WWDC Experience

Following WWDC 2017, I found myself increasingly frustrated. The initial letdown lingered, amplified by the lack of substantial post-conference updates or developer tools that addressed my concerns. My friend, Sarah, a fellow developer, shared similar sentiments. We both felt a disconnect between Apple’s marketing and the reality of the macOS experience. The promised improvements felt hollow, failing to deliver on their potential. I spent weeks meticulously testing the new features, hoping to uncover hidden gems or overlooked advantages. My efforts proved fruitless. The updates felt like superficial enhancements rather than substantial improvements to the core functionality. The lack of innovation was particularly disheartening. I longed for the days of groundbreaking macOS updates that significantly altered my workflow. This felt like a regression, a missed opportunity to address long-standing issues and introduce genuinely useful features. My workflow remained largely unchanged, burdened by the same inefficiencies and limitations; The disappointment lingered, casting a shadow over my daily interactions with my Mac. I started exploring alternative operating systems, just to see if there was something out there that could better address my needs. It was a depressing exercise, highlighting the lack of competition in the high-end desktop market. Ultimately, I remained tethered to macOS, but with a reduced sense of excitement and optimism for future updates. The experience left me with a sense of disillusionment, a feeling that Apple was losing its way when it came to the Mac. It was a stark contrast to the excitement and anticipation I’d felt in previous years.