Welcome to our weekend Apple Breakfast column, featuring all the Apple news you missed this week in a handy bite-sized summary. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes well with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, but it’s also cool if you want to read it over lunch or dinner.
Apple makes too many products
There was a time not too long ago when you could buy one of two iPads, iPhones, Apple Watches, MacBooks and iMacs, and the question was simple: do you want the big one or the small one?
Nowadays it’s not so easy. Even if you exclude color and storage options, Apple sells plenty of products with overlapping features and screens that require a comprehensive understanding of what each model offers. Consider the current lineup and screen sizes:
iPhone 14: 6.1 inches
iPhone 14+: 6.7 inches
iPhone 14 Pro: 6.1 inches
iPhone 14 Pro Max: 6.7 inches
iPad mini: 8.3 inches
iPad (9th generation): 10.2 inches
iPad (10th generation): 10.9 inches
iPad Pro: 11 inches
iPad Pro: 12.9 inches
Apple Watch Series 8: 41mm, 45mm
Apple Watch SE 2: 40mm, 44mm
Apple Watch Ultra: 49mm
MacBook Air (M1): 13.3 inches
MacBook Air (M2): 13.6 inches
MacBook Pro (M2): 13.3 inches
MacBook Pro (M1): 14.2 inches
MacBook Pro (M1): 16.2 inches
Not to mention the 24-inch iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, Mac Pro, Studio Display, and Pro Display XDR. Or the AirPods, which also have four different models to choose from.
And now it looks like there will be another MacBook in the lineup next year, a 15.5-inch MacBook Air that will give MacBook buyers options of 13.3, 13.6, 14.2, 15.5 and 16.2 inches would offer ranging in price from $999 to $2,499. It’s confusing enough for buyers to choose between the M1 and M2 MacBook Air; now there could be another model that has a bigger screen than the 14-inch MacBook Pro but costs a few hundred dollars less.
It’s the same problem with the iPad line. The 10th generation iPad, iPad Air, and 11-inch iPad Pro all have very similar designs and screens. But to a casual buyer, it looks like Apple is selling the same iPad at three different price points, hundreds of dollars apart, but once you dive into the spec sheet, you can clearly see the differences. Assuming the 15-inch MacBook Air costs $1,499, Apple is going to sell three Airs within $500 of each other. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure a 15-inch MacBook Air will be a great product that will sell very well. But another laptop is not what we need from Apple’s Mac range.
Apple’s strength used to be in its selective product line. While companies like Dell and Samsung offered a wide variety of products, Apple chose quality over quantity. Apple only offered two sizes of iPhone with the iPhone 6. The iPad and iPad mini were the only two tablet options for many years. And I can still remember the days when my choices when buying an Apple laptop were the 12.1-inch iBook or the 15-inch PowerBook G4.
However, I’m not sure if there is a solution. Apple is the largest company in the world and needs to serve as many people as possible. A 15-inch laptop is a popular size, the Air is a popular line, and Apple is under tremendous pressure to keep iterating and innovating. And 2023 could bring several new devices, including an AR headset, a larger iPad Pro and a new HomePod, so next year around this time Apple’s lineup will probably be even bigger than it is today.
Call me old fashioned, but I think less is more. And I think Apple could stand to prune its product line to give the remaining one a stronger identity. People will not stop buying Apple products. But it wouldn’t be a bad thing to make it easier to choose the ones they want by eliminating a few of the ones they don’t need.
Trending: Top stories of the week
Apple is new Advanced data protection for iCloud is a good start, but Apple has more work to do, writes Dan Moren.
The Macalope loves Apple’s new security featuresbut many people don’t.
Microsoft is drop support for the Authenticator app on the Apple Watch next year.
Jason Cross explains how he notifications are tamed and restored his mind.
Apple could allow third-party app stores in iOS 17, but that doesn’t change anything.
Apple is working with Google and Mozilla to Speedometer 3 browser benchmark.
The rumor mill
A new Steam survey accidentally revealed the existence of two unreleased Macs.
The iPad Pro and MacBook Air, perhaps switch to OLED in 2024.
Apple may be planning to launch a silicon-based Apple iMac Pro next year.
Multiple M3 Macs are in the works for release in 2023.
The iPhone 15 Ultra is expected to cost as much as $200 more when it launches next year.
Podcast of the week
2023 promises to be a big year for Apple. Will the Mac Pro deliver great performance? Will we see a super-sized iPad Pro? And how much higher will iPhone prices get? It’s our preview of what we expect see from Apple in 2023on the Macworld podcast!
Watch all episodes
You can watch every episode of the Macworld Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our own site.
Software updates, bugs and issues
An annoying Wi-Fi bug in M1 and M2 MacBooks is likely related to AirDrop.
Big Sur 11.7.2 and Monterey 12.6.2 have released a slew of security updates for older Macs.
We finally know why Apple pushed that out emergency 16.1.2 update.
Apple has released iOS 15.7.2 with more than a dozen critical security updates.
And with that we are done for this week. To receive regular raids, sign up for our newsletters. You can also follow us on Twitter for the latest news items. See you next Saturday, enjoy the rest of your weekend and stay Appley.
