Published on Mar 16, 2017
Topic: Apple
Apple, I’ve watched your progress over the last few years with interest. As a fan, follower, and analyst, I feel I need to call you out on it when you’re making a mistake.
And you’re making a mistake.
USB-C is the future. You know this. It’s why your new laptops have solely USB-C (and despite what the haters say, that’s a good thing). So it’s time to muster your famous courage, and follow through on that.
USB-C is the new standard. It may take some time to adopt, but it is. With up to 40Gbps throughput with the thunderbolt standard, it’s the fastest mainstream port out there. It supports every kind of device people use, from mice and keyboards, to headphones, to ethernet connections, and even to 4K displays. It even has enough power throughput to power a laptop; that’s why you’re supporting power delivery from that port for the upcoming iPhones. And even through all of that, it’s relatively tiny (which I know you folks love).
And I understand your hesitance, and your pain. The last time you changed the port on your iOS devices, you faced enormous pushback. It’s not fun, and not good for a company in your position. But if you have the courage to remove the aux jack from your iPhones, you have the courage to do this. And it’s worth doing. So in the article that follows, I’ll lay out why this is a good idea, and why the pain of making the switch is well worth it.
1. User Experience
If there’s one thing Apple is famous for, it’s user experience. And not only user experience, but user experience across devices. If I connect to WiFi on my mac, my phone will connect to it too. I can send files back and forth with AirDrop easily. Hell, y’all have been pushing this more and more, with other technologies like HandOff, Apple Watch unlock, and universal clipboard. And not to blow smoke, but you’ve done a great job with it.
But that’s software. When it comes to hardware, you’re sending mixed messages. If I buy a pair of lightning headphones for my iPhone 7, I can’t then use them with my mac. If I buy a USB-C charging cable for one of the new macs, I can’t then also use that to charge my phone. Imagine a world where, if I buy an accessory, it works on every device I own. In terms of user experience, that’s something no one’s achieved yet. But you can bet that’s where Android and Windows are going. If you don’t join them, Android and Windows will start to blow you out of the water in terms of hardware compatibility. And I know that’s something you don’t want.
USB-C is an answer to the age-old problem of competing ports. You can either jump into this new world with both feet, or you can be left in the dust by people who do.
2. The iPad Pro Line
The iPad pro line is being marketed as a desktop replacement. In truth, you’re closer to that than your competitors would like to admit, and further from it than you’d like to think.
The simple fact is, as much as you believe that wireless is the future (as do I), the world still runs on ports. You know this - it’s why you’re still putting ports on your laptops. One day, when wireless charging from across the house works, the 802.11X WiFi standard has evolved, and Bluetooth reaches its true potential, we’ll live in the world you dream about: a world without ports. But we’re not there. We’re not even close.
People - both professionals and consumers - need these ports. We need them to facilitate our presentations, to print our documents, to share files, and to connect to secured networks. It may not be your ideal, but it’s the world we live in. And you can’t truly call the iPad a “pro” until it can do these things.
So even throwing away the ideas of “iOSX”, I believe that the iPad pro has the potential to be a truly exceptional desktop replacement, even competing on an even playing field with something as fully-featured as the Microsoft Surface Pro, likely even surpassing it.
So let’s take a moment, and talk about three hypothetical graphic designers: Tom, Dick, and Sally. Tom uses a fancy, new, top-of-the-line iPad Pro. Dick uses a generic laptop, let’s say a MacBook Pro. Sally uses a Surface Pro.
Tom and Sally, being the savvy purchasers they are, love their ability to draw right on their computers. They have a clear advantage here over Dick, who needs a separate Wacom tablet. They also love the portability of their computers, so they can go meet with clients with just a small bag. Dick is frustrated with his setup compared to his peers in this regard.
Then, they have to get to work doing more sophisticated work. Tom and Sally use multiple monitors and an ethernet hardline. Dick has an easy time of this, and Sally has the ports she needs to get it done. Tom, however, can’t do these tasks at all. The iPad doesn’t support that kind of multiple display setup at all, and can’t do an ethernet hardline either. This means he can’t do anywhere near what his peers can, or work as efficiently. Dick and Sally laugh at him for his purchase, and rightly so.
And finally, they need to give a presentation. Tom brings his laptop, connects to the projector or big-screen display with no problem, and seamlessly gives his presentation. Sally can too, equally quickly. Tom, however, is left in the dark. He has to send the presentation to a peer, and run it off their laptop. How embarrassing.
Now, do you see what I mean? The iPad pro is so close to being a feasible laptop replacement in terms of software, but just doesn’t have the hardware to cut it. If it USB-C, and full software support for it, he could easily keep up with Dick and Sally. His iPad would do everything he needs, and do it well. There is so much potential for the iPad here, and it’s squandered just by this one simple shortcoming. It would make your claims of it being a full-fledged desktop replacement a reality.
3. Lightning Licensing
I know, this would mean you lose out on licensing lightning products, and the income that comes with them. I can’t claim to know how much profit you get from this, and I can only assume that both the loss of revenue and the corporate restructuring involved would be painful.
But think about the points I just made. I believe there are a lot of people out there who would love to use an iPad as a laptop replacement, but just can’t make the jump due to the shortcomings. Likewise, there’s no doubt that the user experience improvements would improve your customer retention, and probably bring in new users too. Not just that, but getting users into your ecosystem (and having your ecosystem become more consistent/reliable) will encourage them to buy your other products, resulting in a multiplier effect.
Further, think about the problems you’ve had with licensing. It discourages manufacturers from making accessories for your devices, and lowers their ROI. You need these people, and if you open up your ecosystem to people to make more, and better, devices for your ecosystem, it’ll only spur your growth. And that’s what’ll make you a successful company, not nickel-and-diming the manufacturers who build accessories to make your ecosystem richer.
And of course, we all know you’ve had problems with counterfeiters. When some company cranks out subpar
devices and starts a house fire, you have to acknowledge that without the licensing issues, it would at
the very least be a smaller issue. And given that if it wouldn’t be such a big problem if not for your
licensing practices, you are at least a little at fault for these incidents, for fostering an environment
where they’re allowed encouraged to exist. If you really care about these problems, and about your
users, it would be ethical to cease this practice.
In Closing
Adopting USB-C would be painful. But it’s not only the right thing to do, it’s in your best interest, from almost every angle. While you’ll probably never read this, I can only hope that you’re still considering the points I’ve made here.
Sincerely, your pal and fan,
Eric