The Six Colors 2017 Apple Report Card

I really like the annual Six Colors report card for Apple, which is why I was thrilled to participate. While the contributors are Apple fans, their assessments usually span from adoring to down right hostile. This year’s is no different. I hope Apple executives are reading this because they are definitely not winning in every category. The grades for the Mac illustrate this the best.

“I feel like the Mac rallied a bit this year—we got a new file system and nothing blew up,” wrote Mac Power Users host David Sparks. “We’ve had the beginnings of a Mac revival, if not full-on renaissance,” wrote Accidental Tech Podcast co-host Casey Liss.

“I can’t think of a more dispiriting year for Mac users… not in the iPhone era, anyway,” wrote tech columnist Andy Ihnatko. “In an age when Windows hardware is vibrant and flourishing, the Mac is looking shabby and forsaken.”