The Mac's declining relevance to Apple, in one chart
Apple wants you to know it hasn't forgotten about hardcore Mac users. The company this week told a small group of journalists that it's working on new iMac and Mac Pro desktop computers, both of which are said to be aimed at pro users. The former is expected to arrive this year, while the latter, which Apple says will be completely redesigned, is set to arrive in 2018 at the earliest.
To be clear: Apple doesn't do this often. It doesn't pre-announce new products, and it doesn't go out of its way to prove it still loves its most ardent users. But after the tepid reaction to the latest MacBook Pros from hardcore fans, it seems to have felt the need to declare, months in advance, that it hears them.
This chart from Statista helps explain why Apple may be so slow to update Mac hardware in recent years, though. Put simply, it's just not as big a deal anymore: With the iPhone and iPad helping to change the way we use computers, the Mac now makes up just 11% of Apple's yearly revenue. It is a phone company, first and foremost.
That said, everything looks small next to the iPhone. Apple says the Mac is still a $25 billion business on its own, and its second-biggest segment overall. And while "pro" Mac users makes up just a fraction of Apple's total audience, it's good optics to keep them happy, and many of them are likely developers that Apple will want to develop future iPhone apps.
