My 2024 Apple Report Card

Every year since 2016, Jason Snell over at Six Colors has published an Apple Report Card, surveying the leading Apple journalists and pundits gathering their thoughts and grades on how they thought Apple performed in the past year. One day I hope to be among those officially asked by Snell to contribute, but in the absence of such a request I will publish my own thoughts and grades here. Snell asks contributors to grade on a scale of 1 to 5 and then to provide context for those scores. Here are my scores along with my commentary for each category:

Categories

Mac - 4

Ever since the Apple Silicon transition it seems the Mac lineup is firing on all cylinders. Gone are the days where journalists were preparing eulogies for the Mac as it seemed to fall away in importance in the late 2010’s. Rejuvenated in the post-Ive era, the Mac’s future has never seemed so bright.

This year saw the introduction of the M4 family of processors and they once again exceeded everyones already high expectations. In addition to great new processors, the base memory for all Macs now starts at 16GB with no accompanying price hike; a welcome change that will make any Mac purchased today a much more capable machine in the future. New models like the MacBook Pro and iMac absolutely shine with these new configurations, but the star product in the Mac category this year is the new, redesigned M4 and M4 Pro Mac mini. This computer is coveted by everyone I know, including those never before tempted by an Apple computer. It almost seems impossible to get everything the M4 Pro Mac mini has in a box that small. But Apple has done it. It is now the only Mac I own and I imagine it will stay that way for a very long time.

My only gripe about the current Mac lineup is how inconsistent and unpredictable the upgrade cycle seems to be. Some models have upgraded every time a new M-series processor is introduced, like the MacBook Pro. Others, like the iMac, skip generations for no apparent reason whatsoever. This time around it is the Mac Studio and Mac Pro’s turns to skip a generation and they are still stuck behind with M2 processors. My dream is to one day see a new generation M-series processor announced and all Macs get upgraded at the same time. I understand that is a big engineering and supply problem, but if anyone can do it, it’s Apple.

MacOS 15 Sequoia is another reliable release, adding subtle enhancements but not breaking a ton of new ground. I haven’t heard of too many catastrophic issues out there and it seems to be generally accepted as a stable, albeit slightly unexciting release.

iPhone - 5

iPhones 16 and 16 Pro are truly excellent iterations of an already stellar platform. Apple has found a winning formula and for the past few years have been making small tweaks and improvements to where we are today. Looking back from now to the iPhone 12 lineup to now, there is no big standout as far as external design is concerned. But in comparing iPhone 12 to iPhone 16 and it’s obvious to see where the work has gone. It’s hard to find a flaw in a design that has been improved over and over again, but I am starting to feel that we are at the finish line of where Apple can go with this design.

The standout feature this generation is Camera Control—surprisingly brought to the whole lineup, not just the pros. To me it feels like a great version 1 of an idea that needs further tweaking and exploration. The concept is good and I think it has a great future, but the fidgety nature of it makes using it far more difficult than it should be.

Although these past few years have been a great run for iPhone, it’s time for Apple to explore new and exciting form factors in order to prevent it from feeling stale. Other companies are releasing intriguing new products, especially foldables which I would love to see come to iPhone.

iOS 18 feels as stable as ever with new features like home screen and control center customization being welcome additions that have been needed for years.

iPad - 4

After a 2023 that seemed like Apple forgot iPad existed, 2024 brought a refreshing update to just about every product in the iPad lineup. In particular the M4 iPad Pros feel almost impossible in their design. The beautiful tandem OLED display is enclosed in a chassis that makes you think it’s fake. It’s so lightweight yet so powerful that I can’t get over that it exists. The new matte finish option is a great addition to those that need it. The iPad Air is essentially last year’s iPad Pro at a cheaper price, which is great. Even iPad mini, who many people complained about it’s relatively meager update feels fresh and snappy. (It’s my most used Apple product by far.) iPad accessories like the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro received fantastic enhancements to make them both better. There’s never been a better time to buy an iPad.

iPadOS 18 added some nice to have features and pleasant surprises like Math Notes Smart Script. I love to see iPad-specific features like these being worked on as they make using an iPad a unique and enjoyable experience.

Wearables (Overall) - 3

AirPods - 3

This year saw the introduction of the redesigned AirPods 4, including a model that now adds active noise cancellation. While I have not used them, they seemed to have been received warmly.

AirPods Pro 2, while unchanged in hardware, added a new, FDA-approved, hearing aid feature that upon turning it on for the first time left my jaw on the floor. We didn’t get redesigned models, but groundbreaking features like this make them feel like a whole new product.

Perhaps my biggest disappointment of the year has to go to the “new” AirPods Max. In an update that seemed only necessary to appease EU regulations, the only change to AirPods Max is a USB-C port and a fresh coat of paint. While they still sound great, it’s almost painful that they aren’t on par with AirPods Pro 2 and seemingly won’t be for the foreseeable future.

Apple Watch - 2

Apple Watch was a surprising disappointment to me this year. We are now at Series 10 of a watch that essentially looks the same as the Apple Watch that was introduced in 2015. A bit thinner, a bit larger screen, but overall just another iteration of the same design. I don’t hate this design, but feeling stale is an understatement. Had it not been the horrible battery life I had in my Series 8, I doubt I would have upgraded this year. You never want to be in a situation where the only enticing reason to upgrade to a new model is to get a new battery.

Apple Watch Ultra 2 remains, with a new darker option. Still a great watch and overall probably didn’t need a big update to begin with. Too big and too flat of a screen for my taste personally, but a nice upgrade for those that need it.

watchOS 11 has added some great new features and is a wonderful followup to WatchOS 10’s fantastic redesign. Smart Stack is crucial for me in using my Apple Watch and every complication I used to use is now a widget in that stack. Smart Stack shows me context aware widgets that are always useful and handy to see. The new redesigned Photos face is a joy to use. I love having my watch look like an actual watch without a bunch of data and text on the screen which is why I’ve moved away from complications. If you haven’t tried the new photos face with no complications and utilizing Smart Stacks, I highly recommend it.

Vision Pro - 4

What a first step into an interesting future the Vision Pro is. I’ve never seen anything quite as revolutionary since the original iPhone. The engineering that went into the hardware of this product is unlike anything else out there. As someone who used to travel full time and hopes to one day return to that lifestyle, Vision Pro became an essential part of my tech usage from day one. I have adopted it so completely and fully that it is my only display for my Mac mini. I use it for hours a day for both work and entertainment so much that I am considering selling my TV and home theater system. If the only two features it offered were Mac Virtual Display and video consuming apps, I would have still bought it in a heartbeat. When traveling full time you have no idea what the tv situation will be like at your destination and I love working on a big screen, which is difficult when traveling. Vision Pro gives me a 100+ foot movie screen and an ultrawide Mac display that can fit in my backpack. For me it is a necessity.

The downside is sometimes it does feel like that is all Vision Pro can do. Thanks to its low sales numbers and Apple’s tenuous developer relationship, the App Store for Vision Pro is a ghost town and the innovation that Apple and Vision Pro users hoped to see has not happened.

We saw visionOS 1 and 2 this year and it’s on the right track. visonOS 1 came out of that box as intuitive and often times mind-blowing. visionOS 2 was mostly developed in the dark before the platform was available to the public so while it brought some great features, it did feel a bit like visionOS 1.5. Now that Apple Vision Pro has been out for a year and they have had a year’s worth of feedback, I am excited to see what’s in store for visionOS 3.

I see a bright future for Apple Vision and visionOS as a platform, with a whole host of products built for it in the future. There’s been a whole lot of doom predictions written about Vision Pro but that just doesn’t make much sense to me. It’s currently a glimpse into the future that all of us will one day be using.

Home - 1

Apple seemed to have misplaced their earlier Home ambitions because it almost seems like nothing has changed this year and it was already dismal to begin with. The Home app is a confusing mess, HomeKit is frequently unreliable, and no new hardware was introduced by Apple at all this year. HomePods remain a niche, unexciting product, and Apple has up to now made now real attempts to improve them or add to their Home hardware lineup. Apple is squandering a real opportunity to become a leader in the home as it seems no one in the tech industry seems up to tackling the challenge.

Apple TV - 3

While the hardware remains unchanged, Apple TV is still by far the best option for TV streaming/computing on the market, and it’s not even really close. All that being said, there is so much more Apple could do to increase their lead. I would love to see an A18 Pro or even M4 Apple TV introduced with Game Mode, improved controller responsiveness, and a true dedication to bringing AAA-level games to Apple Arcade. Apple TV could be a gaming powerhouse, but it’s limited by leadership that doesn’t want to invest and developers that don’t care about it as a gaming console.

tvOS brought some nice quality of life improvements such as automatic subtitles and enhanced audio options. But tvOS has felt like it has been on maintenance mode for the past few years. The streaming landscape has changed drastically since tvOS launched and some big, game-changing features that have been introduced on other platforms to manage all of our subscriptions are missing on tvOS. It is due for a big dose of love and care to make it more enjoyable to use.

Services - 3

Apple TV+ is now the HBO of streaming. No other TV streaming service out there matches the quality of Apple TV+. There is always something to watch and I have often considered canceling everything else to make it my only streaming service. I hope that run continues in 2025.

Apple Music is for me the best music service available. The sound quality is incredible, the library is vast, and for me the organization and discoverability is much better than anything else. And I’ve said it for years, Apple Music Radio is the unsung hero of Apple Music, and with the addition of three new stations, it’s gotten even better.

iCloud remains reliable for me. The biggest frustration is the amount of storage at each price tier. Yes, 5GB of free storage is abysmal for anyone, but I would far exceed any free storage offered. Apple should hang their heads in shame for the storage options they offer and should have fixed it long before now.

Apple Arcade could really benefit from the same style of executives that run Apple TV+. After a promising start, exciting new games for the platform are few and far between, and there has never been a big, exciting splash on the platform that would drive subscriptions, like Apple TV has with Ted Lasso and Severance. Netflix surprisingly been the company to make big game acquisitions and I would love to see Apple reinvest in Arcade.

Apple Fitness+ makes working out easy, fun, and exciting. Their stable of instructors and ever increasing catalog of workouts makes it great in that I know there will always be something new each time I open the app.

Apple News+ is still a great deal for what you get. I would love to see them add more popular content, but as it is having access to that many newspapers and magazines is a real treat.

Hardware Reliability - 5

Apple has no equal in the industry when it comes to hardware reliability. I went to the Apple Store genius bar for the first time in years this year for one of the most minor issues someone could have. In days where I might have the smallest desire to see what other products are out there, I quickly give up after realizing that nothing else comes close.

Apple’s Operating Systems and Apps - 3

Operating Systems - 3

Overall Apple’s OS reliability has been solid for me. The updates that have come have been welcome. I do wish some platforms (iPadOS and tvOS) saw a bit more love in that department though.

Apple Intelligence is one of the biggest stumbles I remember them making since the introduction of Maps. Messy, unfocused, and rushed; Apple Intelligence doesn’t seem worthy of the marketing dollars they are investing in telling people about it. I rarely use any of it’s features. Hopefully it has a similar trajectory to Maps (Maps is excellent now) but faster.

Apps - 3

Apple seems to be excited to introduce new apps again and this has been exciting! The addition of Sports a year after Journal was a pleasant surprise. My big gripe with these apps is the fact that they are iPhone only. If anyone should care about cross platform availability, it should be Apple. As a big iPad and Vision Pro user, these omissions are extra frustrating.

I very much miss the days where Apple was excited to invest in things like iLife and iWork. So much has been neglected there. iWork should be a strong competitor to Google Docs, but that opportunity has been squandered.

Developer Relations - 1

I can’t remember a time since I’ve been following Apple that sentiment amongst developers have been this bad. Apple seems to be getting more and more aggressive with fighting regulations that encourage them to open up their platforms and it’s to their detriment. And their hostile view towards developers seems like it can’t get any worse. We are seeing the consequences of intentional actions by the lukewarm reaction to visionOS and the lack of exciting apps there. Out of all of Apple’s shortcomings, this one is by far the most egregious and distasteful. It’s the worst of Apple and hardest to defend.

World Impact - 3

Apple continues to be a leader in things like the environment and human rights issues. Recent movements like ditching leather and continuing to reduce the size of packaging and the use of plastics still move the needle more than others do in this space. The M4 Mac mini became the first carbon neutral Mac and the others will soon follow.

Creating products that support efforts like Product Red, Black History, and Pride make them unique in the tech industry.

Tim Cook’s recent contribution to the Trump inauguration is a disgusting, albeit necessary, bruise on an otherwise respectable record. It caused much turmoil and disappointment in the Apple community, and rightly so. That being said if I was CEO of Apple, I don’t know that I would have made a different decision. Cook is running a capitalist business within the confines of a corrupt government and sometimes these are the punches you have to take to avoid more serious issues down the road. Don’t get me wrong, it was gross and cost Cook and Apple a lot of their positive reputation they have built up over the years, but as long as it doesn’t become a pattern I think their reputation can survive this.