海角大神

Remember the old 鈥淚鈥檓 a Mac鈥� ads? They were pretty much spot-on, if a bit reductive: PCs came with a cheaper price tag and a relatively open platform 鈥� fine for developers and casual users聽鈥撀燽ut Apple computers offered sleek design and intuitive production tools. That鈥檚 why, for a long time, Macs were the computer-of-choice for creative professionals.

But if the MacBook Pro is any indication, Apple is shifting focus toward the average consumer. The company鈥檚 latest laptop does away with almost everything but the headphone jack 鈥� no more SD card slot, no more standard USB, no more HDMI. Non-upgradeable 16GB RAM and middling graphical capabilities have soured designers and filmmakers on the new device.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has taken bold steps to win over creators. The new Surface Studio comes with a 28-inch multitouch screen that folds on 鈥渮ero gravity鈥� hinges聽and is compatible with a host of design accessories. Users can easily switch between DCI-P3 and sRGB color models to see how their designs will look on other devices. But will the creative professionals, who were once so crucial to Apple鈥檚 business model, buy in?

鈥淗istorically, the creative professional market has been very important to Apple, and to the Mac platform specifically,鈥� Hansen Hsu, curator of the Center for Software History at the Computer History Museum, tells 海角大神 in a phone interview. 鈥淲hen the original Macintosh came out in 1984, it actually had trouble gaining traction in market until Apple鈥檚 LaserWriter [printer] and Adobe鈥檚 post-production software came out.鈥�

It was creative programs, such as PageMaker and Photoshop that got their start in the late 1980s and early '90s, that helped to jump-start the desktop publishing industry. This same industry would buoy Mac sales and save a faltering, Steve Jobs-less Apple from financial ruin.

鈥淭he creative professional market drove the high end of Mac hardware sales, which in the 鈥�90s provided Apple with most of its profit,鈥� Dr. Hsu says. 鈥淚t was this market that kept Apple alive during its darkest years, from 1995 to 1997.鈥�

But when Mr. Jobs returned, he began to shift Apple鈥檚 focus toward consumer products. The iPhone, which is now the company鈥檚 single greatest source of revenue, cemented that trend. Consequently, the Mac became a smaller part of Apple鈥檚 business model.

Some analysts say the company has abandoned creator-friendly design. It鈥檚 unclear whether this is true on the corporate level, but the perception is understandable聽鈥� the Mac Pro desktop hasn't been updated in three years.

鈥淎pple watchers look at this and think, 鈥榃ell, clearly Apple isn鈥檛 focusing on that market anymore,鈥� 鈥� Hsu says. 鈥淭hey feel like they have been forgotten聽because things like the Mac Pro have not been updated.鈥�

In some ways, it鈥檚 the perfect time for Microsoft to swoop in. The company鈥檚 latest laptop isn鈥檛 just sleek, it鈥檚 daring 鈥� the Surface Dial accessory, for example, allows users to quick-change brush size and color setting with its tactile spinning wheel.

鈥淭he Surface Studio looks like the kind of device Apple has been known for: fresh and bold in its design, and geared toward creative professionals,鈥� Seth Lewis, a professor of journalism and media innovation at the University of Oregon, tells the Monitor in an email.

Of course, Microsoft still has a formidable opponent in Wacom. The market leader in design tablets has multiple devices within the Surface Studio price range聽and is already widely used in creative industries.

And that may be why Apple is so willing to get out of Microsoft鈥檚 way.

鈥淢ost people don鈥檛 need to draw on their computers, and Apple is less and less about serving small niches of the market anyway,鈥� Mr. Lewis says. 鈥淚nstead, Apple appears to think that most people, most of the time, still need a keyboard-based, non-touch laptop interface to get work done in a portable way 鈥� and they鈥檙e probably right. The laptop as we know it today isn鈥檛 likely to change anytime soon.鈥�