For the creators…..

Today Apple announced that they will bring exciting new desktops, including an iMac pro.
But also the MacPro will be revamped into a super modular machine, external CPUs, external GPUs etc.
But…. is Apple too late?

 

I don’t know if you noticed but the battle is on for the creators.
Microsoft is calling their next incarnation of Windows 10 the creators update…now as an creator myself that gives me goosebumps (hey I can’t help myself), but when you look at the real update… well they do add some cool 3D stuff and streaming options for gamers (later for more maybe) but to call it the “creators update” is maybe a bit over the top, for example does it address the system wide color managment, different desktop backgrounds (which is now possible but not easy)…..

 

When I switched from Windows to mac many years ago I loved the fact that Apple was for the creative people, windows was business, mac was the heavenly place for people that wanted to do video, it was rock solid, stable, insanely fast and os wide color management, plus my medium format camera only worked under macos so I also had to switch. And yeah it was more expensive, but after the first initial investment I actually got my money back by rest value, I was happy.

Apple stopped final cut pro (????!!!???) and gave us final cut pro X, which was TERRIBLE at first but now a days actually is my favorite editing suite, it REALLY changed a lot over the last few years. But it took them a lot of time and at that point they already lost a huge amount of creators and movie production houses (own experience). You might they learn. But also now it took A LONG time for Apple to respond to all the complaints from the creators about their ideas for the future, if they would have responded right after the release of the MacBookPro for example I “might” have not made my switch…..

 

At the moment  Apple for me is all about new emoticons, new wristbands for the apple watch (which I love btw but I don’t need new bands) and about making everything smaller (except the touchpad which we keep hitting), less professional and…. well Apple isn’t my Apple anymore I’m sad to say. Although in the iPhone, iPad and Watch department I have to say Apple still is (in my opinion) the absolute best.
But why the blog title “for the creators”
It strikes me that both Microsoft is aiming all their arrows at “creators” but also Samsung is aiming heavily on the creators with the release of their Samsung S8(+) now don’t worry I won’t change to Samsung (probably), what I’ve seen so far the Samsung is on par or slightly less than my iPhone 7+ (plus I love the double camera).
The fact however that a lot of companies besides Apple are now targeting the creatives makes me worry for Apple, how many people are willing to buy a new MacPro at the moment for 5000-6000-10.000 euros if they know a new one will come out next year, but most of all without a real pro notebook… what is the need for a macpro or iMac Pro?

 

Most creators I know (including myself) LIFE with their macbooks, I do all my video editing on it for the simple reason, it’s always with me and it’s fast. For photography I already switched to the Wacom mobile studio pro, it’s the best device for photography in my opinion, although slightly less for 4K video editing when you need it FAST and with an almost daily vlog fast is very much needed. So at the moment I’m looking at for example the Lenovo P51, a 15.6″ notebook (4) with Xeon CPU, 32GB, 2x SSD in raid 0 (or 1), room for a 2.5 spinner with for example 3TB to store material, replaceable batteries (life safer in the field or when travelling), all the ports I need, including TB3 for external GPUs and the list goes on, this is the kind of pro device I need, connect my Wacom mobile studio pro for the cintiq experience and when you’re in the hotel you have a real powerhouse of a machine…. and pricing…. well lower than a 15″ macbook pro which will run out of diskspace very fast and because I want double backups I always need 2 external drives for (all adding to the weight to travel with).

 

The thing is….
When you are happy in an eco system people are willing to pay a premium, and when you deliver the stuff people will stay and not even look at the other side.
The thing is….
When you ignore your customers that actually made Apple (let’s be honest thanks to the creators Apple became big, they are the trendsetters and make the Apple products appear in movies etc) you are moving into a slippery area.

 

I won’t change my iPad or iPhone and Apple watch to something else, for the simple reason it works great with my Windows machines, however now that I’m almost 100% windows it becomes EASIER for me to switch to a different phone, as an creator I am looking for example at the Google phones…. or Sony with their amazing camera options….. not yet….. not yet but the iPhone 8 better be awesome.

 

The reason for this blogpost is not to bash apple, I still love Apple a lot and it hurts me to see people switch (including myself) but in all honesty I’m looking at a MacBookPro at the moment that really has to be repaired, I have “staingate” but I will be missing my laptop for 1-2 weeks and that’s unacceptable so I keep pushing it forward. Same with the MacPro I can only afford one, so if something breaks…. you can’t repair it yourself so that means downtime and that’s expensive. With the PC I can simply just take out the component and replace it, with the laptop I’m now choosing I’ll have onsite service or direct replacement… all for prices that are MUCH less and give me more than Apple……

 

The creators are the people that put high demands to their gear, it’s their voicebox to the world, it has to be up and running for 24/7 without problems, it has to work through 4K video with ease and it has to have all the connections and insane battery life, and we are willing to carry around something that’s a bit heavier.

 

Are Samsung and Microsoft targeting the “creators” for the reason Apple is loosing them…. or do you think it’s just a very big market at the moment 🙂
Feel free to leave comments below.
This of course is MY PERSONAL view, written as an (ex) Apple fanboy.

6 replies
  1. Fred Teifeld
    Fred Teifeld says:

    I agree completely. We’ve communicated fun the past about my own personal migration from iOS to Android (Flawless, by the way) and I’m holding on to my “old” MacBook Pro tightly. Mine is either the last or second to last before Apple chose to make them completely unserviceable by users. Both my iMacs are of the generations that were still user serviceable as well.

    I spent many years working in the IT industry before giving it all up (HAPPILY!) back in 2008 in order to pursue my photographic career but that IT industry experience is what earned me my distaste for Windows. Its eye opening to see how many of our peers in the creative industry are making the switch back. The latest Microsoft Surface Studio looks especially impressive but I’m taking a “wait and see” standpoint due to Microsoft’s extensive history of walking away from hardware before they get it right.

    As always, enjoying your posts and grateful that you share your experiences.

    • Frank Doorhof
      Frank Doorhof says:

      I have a similar background with app 20 years of running an it company. Windows often was stable when you knew what you were doing hard/software wise but far from the Mac.

      With windows 10 I must say the switch was more than bearable 😉 but the future will learn if it stays that way.

  2. Dennis Beyer
    Dennis Beyer says:

    I see it differently. Opposite the common German, or maybe even central european way of thinking, I truly appreciate when a company is brave enough to try something new- to take a road no one has taken before. It`s the lack of being willing to take a risk that rendered the products of many hardware- and software makers, including MS, so “permanent one step behind”. I still remenber when we tried to install that lastest XP service pack on of our last PCs, and after installing the hardware for network connections stopped working. A classic. Or when trying to install an update for WIN9 on our ASUS laptop, which turned into a nightmare. But every year I hear: Hey, but the next WIN version will be great, this time for real, I promise. The thing is, Apple tried something new with the MacPro, and the entire operation went downhill. So what? Shit happens. Nobody is producing a flawless outcome all the time. At least when I speak for myself, I have to admit that I make mistakes all the time. And I stand by my mistakes. When I see that something is not working as planned, I stop it and try a different approach. It would be worse if I stopped doing something new, and just keep on doing the same ol` same ol` stuff, just to be on the safe side. It`s fine to admit that something is not working out as planned, and to try a different road. I also really appreciate that Apple sees a fall now, after having flown maybe too high since the first iPod. I find it healthy to bring such a company a little down to earth again, in order to spark innovations. And maybe we will see these innovationy by Apple in the future again, thanks for people like you Frank, who speak out loud what they think. When it comes to my work, I don`t really see the downside of the current MacBookPros: Do I need an SD card reader built in? Hardly- I shoot medium format and so I use CF cards anyway. Do I need 2 SSD`s for internal RAID? Nope. Why? I travel. I mean, I travel a lot, by aircraft, ferries, on the loading bay of pick up trucks in countries like Ecuador, Brasil, South Africa, Bangladesh, China. There is always a risk of getting my laptop stolen. RAID provides no safety against theft. So we usually carry a MBP and a backup MBA, with a number of those tiny tiny, super rigid and super fast USB C /Thunderbolt 3 Angelbird SSDs, serving as multiple data backup and system backup solution. And we carry these SSDs in different bags, or attached to different body parts- smile. Well, you never know what happens out in the field- and this is were I work. The field. Away from studios and without the client providing any support. I also don`t feel the need of an exchangeable battery: The external batteries for Macs by Hyperjuice (I usually travel with an iWork case, 15″ MBP inside, cardreader, one Angelbird SSD and 1 Hyperjuice battery, up to 220 Wh, providing enough juice for 24 hours of work in the field. I guess it always comes down to ones personal workflow. I do consider myself being some sort of artist, occassionally even being creative as an photographer, film producer or DOP, constantly working “in the field”, and I do find the Apple eco system working out very fine and reliable for me. I have enough on my plate with staying up to date regarding photography trends and techniques, learning how to become a better photographer or DOP, I simply don`t have time for- and I admit I`m also not willing to- becoming an IT expert. We run 7 Apple laptops, 2 iMacs, 1 MacPro and 2 iPads. If there is a problem with a machine, I`m not willing to grap a screw driver and find out what`s wrong. I rather spend my time learning and improving on what matters: Photography and film making. So I rather take the machine in question to the Apple repair center next town and let those guys what they do best: Fixing computer problems. And I do what I do (best? smile!) : Creating images. I find that the Apple eco system still provides the most hassle free and “fluent” way of working for me. IT systems are hardly fun for me, they are always kind of “in the way”, but I still find that Apple still makes dealing with IT products more “bearable” than other systems.

    • Frank Doorhof
      Frank Doorhof says:

      Absolutely true.
      Apples always work. They never let me down. That’s also why I don’t want to switch to a normal laptop.

      Raid is pure for speed. The fact I love the extra spinner inside is because I want a double backup and we on avarage have 1-2 Tb of data during a trip. So one spinner inside and one external drive for the backup.

      For me sd is the card I use for both video and photography but also for the dash cam.

      Biggest problem is for me that I want a laptop that has hdmi and all other ports. If Apple would make a 2015 MacBook Pro with modern CPU and gpu I would not switch I think.

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