In the circles of audio engineering and music production, Apple's macOS was once viewed as the pinnacle of operating systems—reliable, intuitive, and above all, tailored to the demands of professionals. With its sublime interface and robust performance, macOS has long been the cornerstone of many a studio setup. But as Apple's focus drifts toward hardware advancements and consumer-oriented gimmicks, one can’t help wondering: is macOS losing its allure for the very community that once championed it?

In The Begining

Back in the early days of computing, when personal computers were finding their foothold in the industry, Apple's Macintosh operating system (Mac OS) emerged as a revolutionary force. Designed with a user-friendly interface and innovative features, Mac OS quickly became a favoured choice among creatives and artists.

One of the primary reasons creatives gravitated towards Mac OS was its intuitive design. The graphical user interface (GUI) introduced by Apple in the original Macintosh in 1984 made it easier for users, particularly creative professionals, to interact with their computers. The desktop metaphor, which resembled a real-life office, with folders, files, and a trash can, felt familiar and allowed creatives to naturally navigate the system.

Perhaps somewhat laughable now, but Mac OS came bundled with groundbreaking software such as MacPaint and MacWrite, which not only demonstrated the power of the Macintosh computer but also ignited the creative potential of its users. These applications, unlike anything available on other platforms at the time, allowed artists, graphic designers, and writers to unleash their creativity in unprecedented ways. The ability to draw, paint, and write on a computer screen was a revolution for creatives.

In 1985, Apple released the Apple LaserWriter and Macintosh Plus along with the Apple Macintosh Desktop Publishing Kit, which revolutionized the publishing industry. Suddenly, professional-quality graphic design and printing became more accessible to a broader audience, empowering creatives to take control of the entire design process. The intuitive nature of Mac OS combined with software like Adobe PageMaker enabled creatives to design visually stunning layouts and print them with impressive precision.

The creative community that grew around the Mac OS played a significant role in its popularity. Apple fostered a culture of innovation and creative exploration, which attracted artists, musicians, writers, photographers, and filmmakers. Mac user groups, forums, and publications dedicated to Macintosh-based creativity provided a sense of belonging, support, and a platform for sharing tips, tricks, and inspiration. This vibrant community further fueled the love for Mac OS among creatives.

The early days of Apple Mac OS brought a paradigm shift to the creative industry. The combination of an intuitive design, groundbreaking software, multitasking capabilities, desktop publishing advancements, and a supportive community made Mac OS a go-to platform for creatives.

Apple still likes to tout its creative credentials when launching any new Mac, but it may be more nostalgia than reality. Of course, it would be remiss to ignore Apple's genuine advancements. The M series of chips, for instance, have been groundbreaking in terms of performance and power efficiency. Yet, these hardware achievements shouldn't serve as a diversion from the OS's drift from its core principles. A balanced approach that caters to both general users and professionals should not be an insurmountable challenge for a company of Apple's stature.

Apple Music And Their Other Woeful Apps

Consider the example of Apple Music. It was meant to be the natural evolution of iTunes, which was in many ways a cornerstone for music management on the Mac. Yet, anyone who has delved into Apple Music's interface will likely attest that it is, at best, convoluted, at worst, useless.

The platform's less-than-intuitive design and cumbersome navigation can lead even seasoned professionals to look elsewhere for music search, discovery, and playback. The snappy and straightforward experience that iTunes once provided seems to have been forsaken for a far more complex and less navigable system. If Apple Music is supposed to lure people into exploring their vast catalogue of music then it’s really missing the mark. It’s ironic that Apple is pushing people to invest in Spatial (don’t get me started) when the chance of anyone finding it on Apple Music is slim, unless of course the algorithm is shoving it down their throat.

Other applications also suffer from the “Has the person who came up with this ever used it?” question. Take Apple TV, the app, not the hardware. A simple thing like trying to figure out what one has selected during navigation is hard.

It seems at times Apple is trying to be too elegant, or clever, for its own good. If simple things like discovery and selection in media apps are hard, then Apple really is missing the point. After all, it’s these apps that fuel income from selling music and films, a significant souce of revenue on the balance sheet. The current UI iterations force me to spend my money on Netflix, Amazon, and Disney instead.

Security Measures or Excessive Gatekeeping?

The more robust security protocols of macOS could be seen as a positive, particularly given the rise of cyber threats, but at times it all feels a bit, “Please Apple, can I install this?” It might be funny when Apple thinks it’s OK to turn my ‘fuck you!’ to ‘duck you!’ but that’s the thin end of the wedge as far as them deciding what I can and cannot do with my own devices. There’s a fine line between protecting me from threats and interfering in my life, at times they cross the line.

The pendulum may have swung too far, turning security into something of an albatross around the user's neck. The incessant flood of permissions, notifications, and pop-ups, designed to ensure 'safety,' often end up doing the exact opposite. Instead of providing a sense of security, these protocols create a tortuous user experience that can disorient even tech-savvy users among us. The constant authentication requirements—whether it's allowing software to access folders or requiring admin passwords for routine tasks—can disrupt not just the flow of work but the very integrity of time-sensitive projects.

For those in the professional audio community, this hyper-vigilant security is even more pronounced and problematic. Consider setting up a DAW, often, this involves installing third-party plug-ins, audio drivers, and other specialised software. The heightened security measures make this process a considerable pain in the ass, a far cry from the ‘It Just Works!’ trope that Apple used to delight in saying. Audio professionals find themselves embroiled in a never-ending cycle of unlocking security settings, tweaking system preferences, and restarting their computers—steps that might not only kill creative momentum but also create room for errors and incompatibilities.

An iPhone in Mac's Clothing?

Recent macOS updates are indicative of an alarming trend: a creeping 'iOS-ification' of the desktop experience. Whilst features such as Siri or Focus modes may be at home on an iPhone, they feel somewhat dissonant on a Mac—especially for users in professional settings where concentration and efficiency take precedence over novelties.

What's disconcerting is that as macOS becomes increasingly consumer-oriented, it risks alienating its core base of professional users. Whilst many audio professionals were using the hardware as the example of Apple losing interest in us, Apple were stuffing macOS with even more reasons professionals should feel aggrieved.

For those in the audio community who require specialised functions and a streamlined user experience, the platform’s direction is, to put it mildly, unsettling. Gone are the days when macOS felt like a bespoke operating system tailored to the creative and technical demands of audio professionals.

One can’t help think with every new macOS that Apple is delivering solutions to problems no one has. This is one of the downsides when a company is both delivering to a consumer target who suffer from ADD en-masse, and a professional sector who simply want a robust operating system that is reliable and agile in equal measure. What we seem to be getting with every new macOS is more bloatware, the last thing a professional wants.

They say that a camel is a racehorse designed by committee, more recent macOS versions are a unicorn designed by a committee. Perhaps there’s a case for Apple to have a ‘turn off all the silly shit’ option within the OS? Answers on a postcard.

A Final Note

It would also be wrong of me not to point out a feature that makes me love my Mac. It’s the Desktop and Document folders feature. This effectively means that if you use more than one Mac, say a desktop and a MacBook, then all your files are in sync. Drop a file or folder on one desktop and it appears on the other, keeping them ‘in sync.’ I find this handy when I’m working remotely on my MacBook and want to continue when I get back to the studio, no having to copy files or folders from machines. And, it just works. Even better it keeps it in the cloud until you call it down, so there’s no local drive space being taken up. This is the kind of stuff we need more of in future macOS updates. If it’s a partularly large folder then I sometimes turn on my studio Mac, go make a drink and by the time I return, it’s all there and ready to work.

I’m not saying that macOS is a terrible OS, there’s still a great deal to love about it. However, as macOS strays further from its professional roots, adopting features that seem more eye-candy than functional, it's crucial for Apple to reconsider its path. Exceptional hardware found in Apple Silicon can carry the brand only so far; if the operating system fails to meet the nuanced demands of audio professionals, it risks becoming just another platform—capable, yet not compelling.

For a company like Apple, which built its reputation on merging form and function seamlessly, this would be more than a misstep; it would be a fundamental misunderstanding of what its core users value most. It would mean one less reason to choose a Mac over a PC… and that’s me, an Apple fanboy, saying that!