[Robo]

Originally Posted by alcimedes TouchID. Literally a USB add-on for any laptop. http://www.itouch.id/

Touch ID isn't just the physical fingerprint reader, it's the secure enclave and the integration with the operating system. Nobody thought they wanted a fingerprint ID system on their phone until Apple did it right and then suddenly it's a must for every halfway decent Android phone.

Originally Posted by alcimedes EarPods Aren't they just wireless headphones via blutooth? Is there something unique about them?

The pairing process is dramatically simpler. In my mind it's one of the clearest recent examples of Apple's whole-widget approach paying off. And wireless Bluetooth earbuds where each earbud is wireless still aren't exactly commonplace, and all the other examples — like the Bragi Dash and the Samsung IconX — are notably bulkier. Apple made their own wireless chip to dramatically reduce the need for batteries, resulting in a regular-size earbuds.

Originally Posted by alcimedes Apple Pencil Again, isn't this just a copy of already existing products on the market?

…no? It works rather differently than Wacom Penabled tech and of course totally different from the plastic fingersticks otherwise available on iOS and most other tablets. Apple didn't invent the entire concept of an active stylus, but dismissing their implementation as a copy of any product isn't at all accurate.

Originally Posted by alcimedes Lightning Promoted and dropped in that time frame. Typical Apple.

Originally Posted by alcimedes They are still the same design, they've just removed a bunch of ports and soldered everything to the mainboard since the first iterations.

Sorry but I have no idea how you can say that, unless you consider every vaguely laptop-shaped laptop "the same design." In 2011 the MacBook Pro was built around optical drives and slow spinning hard disks.

Originally Posted by alcimedes They've done well in this segment, because I think they still care about it. It shows. It's about the only place it shows.

Well, your original position was that the only thing Apple had to show for the last five years was the Touch Bar and Apple Watch, so I'm glad you at least see the value in them also being a year+ ahead in the most competitive sector in all of tech hardware.

Originally Posted by alcimedes The entire iWork suite, Maps, Aperature vs. Lightroom, iTunes (gotten worse with every revision), Macs are losing headway in the professional Audio world where they used to reign supreme. They dropped their Server OS entirely, dropped their server hardware, they've abandoned their desktop line for 2+ years, and won't even discount the crappy old hardware.

I think it's amusing that you include Maps in your list of stagnating apps when Apple Maps didn't exist five years ago. Apple didn't have a mapping solution, instead relying on one from its fiercest competitor, one whose data-hungry philosophy is diametrically opposed to Apple's focus on user privacy.

I feel like maybe people forget exactly where Apple was five years ago.

And yes, you can also make lists of things that Apple "ignored." I never said they did everything (and they shouldn't), just that they did a hell of a lot more than the Touch Bar and Apple Watch.