Want a fully-loaded 15 in. MBP without a touch bar? Too bad. I don't care that it shines when using Garage Band because I don't really use Garage Band.
They appeared to kill the Macbook Air when they dropped the latest iteration of the Macbook, only to bring back the Air last month.
Sure, these machines are all still well-built and should meet the demands of their users. But Apple's ability to communicate and ship their various product lines is getting noticeably worse, and that raises fears for the future (rightfully so.)
Because at the end of the day, we're not just buying laptops and phones, we're committing to the ecosystem that these devices grant us access to.
Who uses Garage Band, ever? Such a limited piece of dumbed down Logic X garbage. I go buy good software for music and delete that st but, man!, that program is like cancer—it just keeps coming back.
Now, THAT is frustrating.
I'm not fully satisfied by the hardware options at the moment, same touchbar sentiment but I don't think the rest is so dire stupid crap like not including extension cables, and inflation is also a thing FWIW.
I think a really good monitor or docking/egpu box would go a long way for the laptops lack of ports. Holding on to my 2013/2015 in meantime
I'm also still getting by with my 7 Plus, and my hope is that next year we'll see a model sans notch that I can upgrade to. I can't imagine that Apple would have gone down this path without some plan about how to eliminate the notch in a reasonable (2-3 yr) timeframe. OTOH, we still have a camera bump, and I thought that was very un-Apple also!
Lastly, I'd point out that the 7 Plus was expensive, but it's also a high-performance/high-quality device with a longer useful life than most non-Apple phones. I've had my for 2 years already, and plan to keep it for 3. I assume I'll sell it for around $275 next year, which means the monthly cost of the device is around $17. Not bad, considering I bought it when it was the latest-and-greatest!
Linux is great on the Desktop, especially for programming. Be sure to get a computer that can run it, like a Thinkpad. My laptop has significantly better specs than a Mac that is at least $1000 more expensive, and has a much better support plan. They will drive to my home the next business day to fix anything that breaks.
As for the iPhone: I'd like to keep my home button with TouchID and my screen without the notch. I'm not sure what to upgrade to when this iPhone 7 Plus, which by the way cost a fortune, breaks.
Apple seems to have crossed a line. They're no longer selling good products at a premium. At this point, they're basically milking their customers. I hope this backfires severely for them.