[skrowl]

Anyone who listens to their quarter earnings calls knows that macOS is pretty far down the priority list.

#1 is billed services (iCloud, Apple Music, etc)

#2 is iOS devices (mostly iPhone)

a very distant #3 is laptops and desktops

macOS is nowhere on the list because it doesn't make them any money.

[mwfunk]

It makes them tons of money, their problem is that other things make even more money. Sadly their organizational structure is such that walking and gum-chewing is almost impossible for them, so even colossally profitable and beloved products can wither away from neglect.

[nitrogen]

This is why large companies need to be split at some point -- a $x billion market is enough to sustain a great company, but a $100x billion company will try hard to ignore it.

[microcolonel]

Of course, nobody can make software for iOS without at lesat interacting with macOS some of the time (even if you can do most things on another workstation OS).

[noir_lord]

Unsurprising, the last breakdown I looked had Macs only just ahead of iPads (not ipad/iphone, just ipads) - some of that will be the bump from the new mini (which I have and love, it's fantastic) but even so, you can see why it'd be the red-headed stepchild.

[okcando]

I would consider it part of laptops and desktops, for which macOS is essential.

[skrowl]

People who are upgrading to new Macs aren't doing it to get a new version of macOS, they're doing it to get the new hardware bits.

[okcando]

Yes but macOS is a large part of the appeal of getting a Mac in the first place and Macs have really healthy margins for the industry, ergo it's making money and isn't free as such. It plus seven years or so of upgrades are built into the price.

They also do not directly sell iOS or its upgrades but we'd hardly say iOS isn't making money.

[robbrown451]

No but when I need a new laptop (soon), it doesn't look like it will be mac this time (as it has been for the last 15 years).

[p1necone]

I doubt most consumers see the hardware in the mac and the software installed on it as two disparate products.