Nothing stays the same

More famous bloggers than I, such as Andy Inhatako, have made the leap but this month I retired my faithful iPhone 4 for a HTC One. My whole working life, twenty plus years, has depended on Apple's products and during that time Apple consistently delivered machines and software that got the job done. During my working life there has been a massive change from analogue technology to a complete digital work flow. Throughout all of this Apple has been instrumental in the changes, gradually changing the very nature of the industry I work in. Apple proved by action that change is in the best interest of its users and its self.
Apple's recent focus has been a shift towards mobile, the iPhone, the iPad and the Air format laptops. The desktop, in my opinion, has stagnated. There has been a lack of updates for professional hardware, the Mac Pro line has seen virtually no improvement in three years. The removal of the 30 inch screen, replaced by shiny cinema screens which are useless for colour correction. These are specialised bits of hardware but they are a litmus test to the creative industries that Apple is less committed to industry and is becoming more focused on consumer products.

My decision to leave iOS for Android is based ironically on the fact that the iPhone has not done what consumers wanted, bigger screens and greater choice. If Apple wants to become a consumer led company then they must give consumers what they want. As an industry user, it worries me that they are not giving me what I need to update my set-up become of their consumer orientation. As a consumer user I am frustrated that they failed to provide me with a phone with the features I wanted.

I've said it before in other posts, but I believe that Apple needs to be more open. When you lose an individual like Steve Jobs, who seemed to be in tune with users needs, you need to listen carefully and actually deliver what they want. Hopefully, at WWDC Apple will show that it is focused on Industry and the consumer equally.