[Robo]

I agree that the MacBook Pro has shared essentially the same design language since the unibody models were introduced. Which is a long time.

But, I mean, the 2009 13" MacBook Pro was 4.5 pounds, and the 2016 13" MacBook Pro is 3 pounds. That's not nothing. They essentially engineered out a third of the computer while also making it faster and giving it a retina display. That to me is more significant than changing the design language just because, idunno, it's been the same for too long?

After the wave of wacky translucent products Apple made a choice to abandon ornamentation and turn their products into minimalist platonic solids. I think when you make that choice, you sort of have to accept that your changes from that point on are going to be more subtle. I think Apple's okay with that. I don't think they set out to dazzle people, with the 2012 or 2016 MacBook Pros, and I think that's fine.

To be clear, I think they did take their eye off the ball for a bit, as far as the Mac is concerned. They were definitely swinging, though — they just missed. Or, to change to a different sports analogy, they skated to where the puck didn't go. I think the 12" MacBook was an especially bitter disappointment for them, and it's pretty clear that the Touch Bar hasn't set the world on fire, at least not yet. They weren't standing still, but they didn't make the Macs they really should have, either.

But I also think some of their other innovations, particularly the T-series "Security Chips," have been a little under-appreciated. I mean, adding that in is pretty much the biggest architectural shift for the Mac in forever, right? They're being a little stealthy about it, but they've given the T-chip more and more to do, and I think they're going to continue to do so with each revision. In a very real sense, I think the ARM Macs are already here.