'15 years of Intel chip' was the dark age of Mac design

Not long ago, after I compiled a list of the most notable Macs of all time, I received unexpected feedback from an acquaintance. There was only one Intel product on the list.

Actually, it was. Even though the Intel Mac era lasted for 15 years, only one second-generation MacBook Air was included in the list of most notable Macs of all time'. I looked at other Intel Mac products as well, but in the end, it didn't make it to the final list. But the more I thought about it, the more I understood. Throughout the 2010s, Apple maintained a surprisingly conservative position on the Mac. There were a few exceptions, but overall there was no significant change.

The heyday of Mac design

To understand this, let's go back for a moment. Apple spent a lot of time innovating the Mac in the early days of Steve Jobs' return. In just a few years after the introduction of the original G3 iMac, the entire product line has been overhauled several times (I've tasted failures like server hardware in the process, but most of them are now forgotten).

As a result of these efforts, the most creative era in Mac history was opened. The iMac, for example, has become around the computer with sensuous color and a floating display. The PowerBook changed from a shiny white Apple logo to a rubberized black, then a thin silver metallic model. The prototype of the current MacBook Pro was created at this time. The iBook appeared as a brightly colored portable iMac, then replaced with a monochrome plastic look, and the Power Mac slowly faded in color until replaced by a brightly colored model with plastic handles and a perforated aluminum shell.

Apple regularly redesigned the Mac, but from some point onward, it is focusing more on the iPhone, iPad, and other products

However, after the switch to Intel chips, Mac's renewal has stopped. And when the iPod became a huge hit, Apple began to focus on designing new products, followed by the iPhone and iPad. Considering the importance of the iPhone and iPad in Apple's current sales, neglecting the Mac at the time may have been a reasonable decision. But what if Apple continued to focus on Mac design innovation? It is just a family, but it is also a regrettable topic.

A period of congestion

Now let's get back to the current Mac family. A lot of people are already familiar with the situation from the early 2010s. Apple unveiled its first all-screen iMac in 2004. It was made of white plastic. Since then, as of 2007, the aluminum iMac, the previous product of the iMac, was released, and in 2012 it was changed to a product that eliminated the optical drive, and this design has been maintained to this day. (Conservatively) If you think it's from the 2012 model, the design of the iMac for 9 years hasn't changed. How about the Mac Mini? Basically little has changed since it was first released in 2005. It's a bit thinner and flatter, and all that's changed from a plastic or aluminum case to all-aluminum in 2010.

The Mac Pro is the only Mac that has changed its design in recent years

The Mac Pro was the only exception to Apple's conservative approach. In 2013, Apple unveiled the cylindrical Mac Pro. It was the first major Mac design reorganization. However, it received poor reviews and eventually changed it to a design with a hole in it and a handle in 2016. It looked like a 'cheese grater' attached to the Power Mac G5 in 2003.

The laptop situation is similar. The second-generation MacBook Air is the flagship Mac of the 2010s and has had a profound influence on other notebook designs today. However, the year this product was released is 2010. Even if you don't mention the Titanium PowerBook G4, which is the prototype of Apple's laptop design, it's easy to see that the Air is the design of all the thin and light silver laptops Apple makes to this day. Of course, the Mac has made significant progress within its products every year. However, the appearance of the Apple Mac is hard to find a big difference since 2012. The same design has been repeated for nearly 10 years.

The beginning of the 2020s

At the beginning of this century, Apple's creativity did its best. It was flawless. But what about now? While Apple is happy that this thin, silver-colored notebook continues to sell well, other PC makers continue to try new things. It offers a wide variety of products such as convertibles, detachable products, and 2-in-1 products. Some of these products have been successful and some have not.

In this situation, a variable called the transition to Apple silicon was thrown, but it proceeded in the most conservative way. It was just like the transition to Intel chips in the past. The first M1 Macs appeared in a safe and familiar way, and their appearance hasn't changed at all. There was only a change inside. It was a symbolic scene showing the identity of Mac design over the past decade.

But that doesn't mean I'm pessimistic about the future of Mac design. Ironically, what all these circumstances say is optimism about the future of Mac design. It seems that Apple has been preparing for the transition to Apple silicon for a long time. Now that Apple has complete control over the hardware platform, there is a space for a blast of creative activity. This will lead to design innovations in the Mac that we will use over the next decade or so.

Now, Apple must put Mac's design changes on the table and take it seriously. What will Apple's laptops look like in the 2020s? How will iMac be recreated by reflecting changes in users and technology from 2007 to the present? How will the rise of the touch experience, the cleverness of the Apple Pencil, the ease of use and security of Face ID, and the new features provided by smart connectors and sensor technology, change the usability of the Mac? It is not an easy problem. But Apple has the best product design talent in the industry. We've seen a number of innovations in most of Apple's products in the last century. And now is the time to bring that innovation to life on the Mac.