Apple in 2015: the good, the bad and the downright hideous

THE GOOD

1. iPhone 6s and 6s Plus

The ‘s’ release iPhones are often dismissed as ‘more of the same’, and 2015 was no exception. Pundits stamped their feet at the sheer hell of Apple sticking with the same case design for two years running. But inside the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus is more power than you can shake a stick at; and after warnings from people who don’t know what they’re talking about that this time iPhone sales would stall, they very much continued to do the opposite.

2. iPad Pro

Almost the size of two iPad Airs side-by-side, we have it on good authority that ‘iPad Pro‘ is actually short for ‘iPad Probably a lot bigger than you were expecting’. Again, some people sniffily dismissed it as ‘just a bigger iPad’. Creative types weren’t listening: they were too busy glued to the new tablet and Apple Pencil, creating works of art.

3. Apple Watch

It’s imperfect, many of the apps are rubbish, and its battery life can leave a bit to be desired, but Apple Watch nonetheless sneaks its way into Apple’s 2015 hit list. Massively outselling rivals, Apple’s wearable has tons of potential and scope, and even today can be a boon to productivity when in the right hands (or, rather, on the right wrists).

4. MacBook

It’s the least powerful of Apple’s notebooks, only has one USB port (and that’s USB-C), and using its keyboard feels like tapping on glass. But five minutes with the MacBook and most are smitten. It looks great, is absurdly thin and light, and has a gorgeous display. If the drawbacks make you want to boot Tim Cook out of a window, perhaps this notebook just isn’t for you.

5. Apple Music

As usual when Apple enters a new market — in this case, streaming audio — rivals were full of bluster. And while Apple didn’t hit a home run, Apple Music went surprisingly close to toppling Spotify at the first attempt. Integration with an existing music collection works nicely, and the ‘For You’ feed frequently serves up interesting new things to listen to. Assuming Apple iterates quickly, it’s the music service to watch in 2016.

6. Apple TV

Everything changed for Apple’s little black box in 2015. The latest iteration of the Apple TV isn’t quite so little, but packs some serious punch. More or less a headless iPhone 6, the new device also boasts an App Store, meaning you no longer have to wait for Apple to periodically add a load of apps and then realise they’re all for channels you never watch. Now, you choose what goes on the box.

7. Magic Keyboard

We probably shouldn’t get excited by a keyboard — especially one that’s broadly similar to the previous iteration, only more expensive. But an hour with the Magic Keyboard and we didn’t want to give it back. There’s no hint of key wobble, and its lower profile is superb. That it charges using Lightning is a boon, too.

8. The new iPod touch

2015 saw ‘iPod’ unceremoniously removed from the Apple website’s nav bar, but the iPod touch nonetheless got a really smart update. The new model has an A8 chip, 8MP camera, and weighs a ridiculously light 88g. The only bad thing was it again making us pine for a smaller iPhone.

9. Opening up a bit

Apple’s never going to fully embrace openness, but there are signs Apple’s willing to be flexible where it matters. iOS now enables developers to hook into the likes of Spotlight, public betas are commonplace, PR’s become a bit warmer, and Apple’s open-sourced Swift and ResearchKit; speaking of which…

10. ResearchKit

Not so much a highlight from Apple’s 2015 as Apple’s entire history, ResearchKit is technology that has the potential to improve millions of people’s lives. The system frees medical testing from the confines of hospitals, potentially engaging with and assisting many more people. Given its open-source nature, the seeming lack of interest from the Android platform has been disappointing, but November finally saw some developments there too.

11. Helping devices live longer

Mobile devices aren’t cheap, and so it’s great to see Apple continuing to support older iPhones, iPods and iPads with iOS 9. Sure, not every new feature is supported on every device, but at least you don’t have to dump your iPhone 4s, iPad mini, iPad 2 or 5th-gen iPod touch just yet.

THE BAD

1. iPad woes

When it comes to growth, iPad sales remain in the toilet, leading to concerns about the platform’s future. It’s also notable Apple didn’t update the iPad Air 2 this year. Was the company contriving to make space between it and the Pro?

2. 16GB devices

Apple seems unrepentant on leaving 16GB devices in the line-up. Apple exec Phillip Schiller told Daring Fireball’s John Gruber that Apple sees storage moving to the cloud, not least for people who can only afford entry-level iPhones. Which is great, apart from the fact iCloud storage isn’t free, app installs can require anything up to 4GB of storage, and caches continue to swell, notably for social network apps.

3. App store debacles

It wasn’t a good year for Apple’s app stores. There were issues with malware on iOS, and an expired Mac App Store security certificate led to millions of users being unable to launch their apps until the issue was eventually fixed. Also, top developers continue to leave the Mac App Store, which is in danger of becoming a download centre for iOS ports and lightweight throwaway fare.

4. Reliability issues

We’ve lost count of major Apple bugs in 2015 that cost people time and, worse, data. iCloud ate photos. Game Center plain refused to work. iCloud Music Library bludgeoned music collections. Back-ups decided not to happen. Too often, Apple’s online services have felt cobbled together by sticky tape, and OS updates are akin to trying your luck at a casino.

5. Mac Pro

A couple of years ago, Apple proudly unveiled the new Mac Pro, shutting up everyone who said the company had abandoned its pro users. And then Apple promptly forgot about them again. The Mac Pro remains impressive kit, but two years is a long time in the pro arena, and we’ve heard rumblings about music producers, 3D artists and the like grudgingly migrating to Windows.

6. Apple TV limitations

We like the new Apple TV, but some of Apple’s restrictions are hugely annoying. App binaries have been limited to just 200MB, meaning games pause while they download new content, propelling you back to 1986, when gamers waited for the next level to load from cassette. Meanwhile, forcing all games to support Siri Remote has resulted in decidedly iffy control schemes, and certain games not coming to Apple TV at all. (Suspiciously, though, if your game rhymes with Hitar Gero, Apple turns a blind eye.)

7. That WWDC 2015 keynote

Apple was for years known for tight, brilliant keynotes. What would in less capable hands be a relentless stream of dull became an exciting event millions tuned in to view. But at WWDC 2015, Apple seemed to mistake ‘keynote’ for ‘telethon’, with the event seemingly dragging on for days. Nadirs were the massive infusion of dad humour, and Jimmy Iovine blundering his way through an Apple Music intro. (He’d later fall further on a TV spot and have to apologise for implying women find it tricky to find new music.)

8. Transit info in Maps

Finally, Maps in 2015 added public transport info! Only, if you were outside of China or the few non-Chinese cities that were supported, tough. We get that these things take time to do right, but until Apple recognises the UK isn’t just London, we’re sticking with Google Maps.

9. 3D Touch

The standout feature of 2015’s new iPhones was 3D Touch. For the first time, the iPhone could sense how much pressure you were applying to the screen. In the future, this might be vital, but right now it feels like right-click for iPhone. It’s applied inconsistently, and is yet more hidden UI from the company that once redefined interfaces by placing everything front and centre.

10. Bandwidth killing

From the Apple TV’s limitations to background app downloads, and from insanely large app updates to iCloud photos, Apple doesn’t care about bandwidth. That might be fine when on the end of a fat pipe or 4G connection in Cupertino, but it’s not much cop for anyone with rather more ‘rural’ connectivity.

The downright hideous

1. iPhone battery case

‘iHump’. Was Jony Ive off sick the day this was designed?