What began out with an earnings warning, inventory drop, and retailer closures ended up being a really profitable 12 months for Apple. Practically each product in Apple’s catalog noticed a refresh, a few new ones joined the fray, and tens of tens of millions of gadgets have been bought to glad clients.
Right here’s our 2020 Apple product report card, the place we give every phase of Apple’s enterprise a grade from A to F. Make sure you tune into the Macworld Podcast the place our U.S. and U.Ok. writers debate the whole lot that got here out of Cupertino final 12 months.
iPhone
New merchandise: iPhone SE, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Professional, iPhone 12 Professional Max
Jason Cross/IDGMichael Simon: First got here the iPhone SE, which one way or the other made the iPhone 8 really feel contemporary once more with a speedy chip, higher digicam, and cheaper price tag. Then we acquired OLED shows and 5G assist throughout the board, higher cameras, a brand new design, and a brand new charging and accent system within the iPhone 12, together with a bigger Max and a brand new 5.4-inch mini. Whether or not you’re evaluating them to the iPhone 11 or one of the best Android telephones of the 12 months, the iPhone 12 lineup is among the many finest ever made and pushed the boundaries of what a smartphone can do. Grade: A
Jason Cross: The iPhone 12 is a superb lineup, with good sizes, efficiency, and options throughout the road. That 5G is included with out ballooning the worth is an enormous feather in Apple’s cap. MagSafe has lots of potential. And let’s not neglect the iPhone SE, a extremely nice price range various launched early within the 12 months. Yeah, I would like an always-on show and ProMotion, however there’s no denying that these are stellar merchandise. Grade: A
Roman Loyola: I often purchase a brand new telephone yearly, however this 12 months I did not. My essential motive for upgrading is 5G, and it is simply not widespread sufficient now to make the funding. That is not Apple’s fault and that does not imply that Apple’s choices aren’t nice—they’re, as Michael and Jason level out. Grade: A
Mac
New merchandise: MacBook Air (M1), 13-inch MacBook Professional (M1), Mac mini (M1), MacBook Air (Intel), 13-inch MacBook Professional (Intel), 27-inch iMac (Intel)
IDGMichael Simon: Till November, the Mac was languishing by way of one other 12 months of completely tremendous and completely forgettable merchandise. However then the M1 landed. Apple shipped new fashions with the M1 chip they usually have been sooner than almost each Mac Apple has ever made whereas retaining the identical costs (and even decreasing it within the case of the mini). There’s a lot extra I wish to see—most of all a greater webcam within the notebooks—however I’ve by no means been extra excited for the Mac. Grade: A
Jason Cross: It is a onerous one to offer a grade to. The M1 is an absolute triumph, and has injected actual enthusiasm and pleasure into the Mac for the primary time in years! However is the solely factor stopping the Mac from fully treading water. Apple is behind the trade on industrial design, show expertise (no HDR or excessive/variable refresh charges?), and Face ID ought to have come to the Mac, together with a significantly better webcam, a very long time in the past. Grade: B
Roman Loyola: The Mac was having a failure of a 12 months till the M1 was launched, however you possibly can additionally say the the M1 was the motive the Mac was failing till November 2020. The M1 launch was monumental, and 2021 for the Mac goes to be even larger. Grade: B
iPad
New merchandise: iPad Air, iPad Professional, iPad
Jason Cross/IDGMichael Simon: Just like the Mac, Apple fully redeemed a lackluster 12 months for the iPad with the launch of the fully sudden, totally redesigned iPad Air. Among the many highlights, the brand new iPad Air has a incredible iPad Professional-style design, has a Contact ID scanner constructed into the ability button, is as quick because the iPhone 12, and is available in colours aside from house grey and rose gold. It’s so good, there’s actually no motive to purchase a Professional. Grade: A
Jason Cross: The {hardware} itself isn’t actually stepping ahead so much, however the brand new iPad Air is so much higher than the previous one. iPadOS 13.4 added mouse/keyboard assist in a considerate method, and the magic keyboard is a superb accent. iPadOS is slowly breaking away from iOS, and must go sooner. The iPad Professional replace was lackluster, although, and the common iPad is getting fairly lengthy within the tooth. Grade: B
Roman Loyola: It feels just like the iPad lineup is in flux, with non-Professional iPads feeling like Professional fashions, and the Professional fashions not getting a lot with upgrades. You are able to do a no extra with the iPad and iPad Air, which is nice in my e-book. Grade: B
Apple Watch
New merchandise: Apple Watch SE, Apple Watch Sequence 6
Michael Simon/IDGMichael Simon: There’s no denying that the 2 watches Apple launched this 12 months are one of the best smartwatches you should buy, however they nonetheless left one thing to be desired. Apple’s cheaper SE is lacking a number of necessary options, together with the always-on show, EKG sensor, and blood-oxygen sensor, and the Sequence 6 wasn’t a lot of an improve over the Sequence 5. Sleep monitoring is meh, battery life continues to be a problem, and blood-oxygen monitoring isn’t built-in in addition to it’s on the Fitbit Sense. And wouldn’t advocate the $199 Sequence 3 to my worst enemy. Grade: B
Jason Cross: The Sequence 6 is a modest step ahead from the Sequence 5, with not lots of actual tangible motive to exist. The SE is a superb thought however needs to be inexpensive, and Apple ought to have stopped promoting the Sequence 3. What Apple Watch wants greater than something is multi-day battery life, and 12 months after 12 months we get stuff we don’t want like sooner efficiency. Sleep monitoring might have been a killer characteristic if Apple hadn’t completed such a foul job with it. Grade: C
Roman Loyola: The Apple Watch is one of the best smartwatch on the planet. That being mentioned, it nonetheless needds higher battery life. The sleep monitoring characteristic appears fundamental, and Apple ought to enhance it in future updates. Grade: C
Audio
New merchandise: HomePod mini, AirPods Max
Jason Cross/IDGMichael Simon: Apple launched two merchandise at reverse ends of the audio spectrum in 2020 and each have their flaws. Whereas the HomePod mini is priced significantly better than the unique HomePod), it doesn’t sound pretty much as good as its older sibling or another audio system in its class, such because the Nest Audio. In the meantime, the AirPods Max supply energetic noise canceling and spatial audio to an over-ear design and studio sound however value $300 greater than the AirPods Professional, which aren’t precisely low cost. Each merchandise have been on my 2020 wishlist and each have been one thing of a disappointment. Grade: C
Jason Cross: AirPods Max are nice headphones, however fairly a bit overpriced for what you get (and don’t get me began on that “Sensible Case” atrocity). The HomePod mini is okay {hardware} at an affordable value, but it surely’s the kind of product that actually depends on Siri to make it nice (versus Apple Music being the star of the the larger HomePod), and Siri simply isn’t pretty much as good because it must be. Apple Music retains making modest enhancements, however its suggestions are nonetheless too poor to drag me from Spotify, and I too usually discover that it doesn’t have a track I’m on the lookout for. Grade: C
Roman Loyola: The AirPods Professional are awsome…oh wait, that was 2019. If I ever see a stranger carrying AirPods Max, I could cease them and ask them, “Why?” Apple wanted to launch a HomePod mini, but it surely additionally wanted to launched main Siri updates. Grade: D
Companies
New merchandise: Health+, Apple One bundle
AppleMichael Simon: Not solely did Apple launch a stable new service for the Apple Watch in Health+, but it surely additionally bolstered TV+ with some wonderful new reveals (Ted Lasso), motion pictures (Wolfwalkers), and thrilling manufacturing offers. It additionally introduced Apple Music to Google Assistant gadgets. However the cherry was the incredible $30-a-month Apple One Premier bundle that features the whole lot plus 2TB of iCloud storage for as much as 6 folks. Granted, Apple Information+ nonetheless isn’t nice and I’d like to see a stronger back-catalog of reveals make their approach to TV+, however I just like the strikes Apple made in 2020. Grade: B
Jason Cross: This was a tough 12 months for Apple’s providers. Apple One is the bundle we at all times wanted, but it surely’s solely a deal in the event you discover most of Apple’s providers price paying for, and I’m undecided I do. Information+ stays a poor expertise. Apple Arcade, as soon as so promising, has languished largely due to Apple’s steadfast refusal to permit apps to be each bought within the App Retailer and listed in Arcade.
The one new service this 12 months is Health+, and it’s a tremendous set of exercise movies, however that’s all it truly is. It doesn’t do something actually progressive, it doesn’t remind or encourage you to work out, it doesn’t do dietary monitoring like MyFitnessPal… it simply feels too bare-bones.
Apple’s halo service appears to be Apple TV+, which suffered from an excessive lack of high quality content material this 12 months. Ted Lasso is a delight, however Apple wants ten instances the quantity of latest content material per 12 months for folks to search out sufficient great things to look at. Blame COVID for ruining manufacturing, however I very hardly ever discovered a motive to fireside up Apple TV+ this 12 months. Grade: D
Roman Loyola: In all, Apple One is an efficient deal, however TV+, Health+, Information+ nonetheless really feel like works in progress that may be satisfying at instances and frustarting at others. Grade: C
Software program
New merchandise: iOS 14, iPadOS 14, macOS Large Sur, watchOS 7, tvOS 14, quite a few Apple apps
Michael Simon/IDGMichael Simon: Among the many notable software program adjustments in 2020: macOS was lastly bumped to model 11 and acquired a visible refresh to associate with it; iPad OS continued to really feel too constrained by its iPhone roots; the overdue Sleep app in watchOS 7 was a bit too fundamental; and tvOS 14 lastly introduced 4K YouTube and little else. However iOS 14 saved the entire 12 months with a big revamp to the Dwelling Display format in iOS 14 that lastly let folks abandon the stale app grid. Grade: B
Jason Cross: I’m impressed by the enhancements in iOS 14, particularly the considerate Widgets and App Library. And I’m doubly-impressed by Apple’s strikes to enhance privateness and safety, whether or not it’s “privateness vitamin labels” within the App Retailer or lights that present when your microphone or digicam is being accessed. Then again, iPadOS 14 nonetheless doesn’t go far sufficient to distinguish itself from iPhone, and Apple nonetheless doesn’t have a clear and cohesive multitasking story on iPad.
Whereas macOS Large Sur looks like a largely beauty replace, a ton of spectacular work went on beneath the hood to allow the brand new Apple Silicon macs, and the truth that it’s all going so easily is a tremendous testomony to these engineers.
Nothing actually wowed me about updates to Apple’s personal apps. Enhancements to the Maps app, for instance, don’t appear particularly helpful. Reasonably, Apple’s suite of apps noticed minor, predictable, however welcome adjustments throughout. Grade: B
Roman Loyola: There was an replace to Apple Clips, folks! Grade: B
Different
New merchandise: MagSafe equipment, digital occasions, and different miscellaneous stuff
Michael Simon: Whereas the Magsafe tech contained in the iPhone 12 is definitely attention-grabbing, the equipment to associate with it, significantly the MagSafe Duo Charger, depart a lot to be desired. However I liked studying about it. Apple’s 4 occasions in 2020 have been digital, however they have been higher than ever, with slick manufacturing, partaking content material, and no applause breaks. Right here’s to extra of these even once we can collect once more. Grade: B
Jason Cross: It is a onerous class to grade as a result of it’s a potpourri of assorted issues. Apple’s equipment have been hit-and-miss. Apple’s MagSafe stuff was disappointing and overpriced, for instance. Then again, the Solo Loop band for the Apple Watch is sort of good (regardless of some early sizing challenges).
Apple’s transfer to get rid of energy adapters from most of its merchandise is in the end the precise name, however the adapters it sells needs to be higher and cheaper.
The corporate’s heavy-handed strategy to builders began to come back to a head this 12 months, and whereas it’s onerous to discover a clear hero or villain on this struggle, it’s in all probability true that Apple must loosen up the reins fairly a bit. Grade: C
Hearken to the Macworld Podcast: Apple’s 2020 report card