A fascinating piece by Mark Gurman filled with scoops regarding the state of Mac hardware and software development within Apple.

Here’s the bit that I found most interesting:

In the Mac’s heyday, people working on new models could expect a lot of attention from Ive’s team. Once a week his people would meet with Mac engineers to discuss ongoing projects. Mac engineers brought prototypes to Ive’s studio for review, while his lieutenants would visit the Mac labs to look at early concepts. Those visits have become less frequent since the company began focusing more on more-valuable products like the iPhone and iPad, and the change became even more obvious after the design team’s leadership was shuffled last year, according to a person familiar with the situation.

In another sign that the company has prioritized the iPhone, Apple re-organized its software engineering department so there’s no longer a dedicated Mac operating system team. There is now just one team, and most of the engineers are iOS first, giving the people working on the iPhone and iPad more power.

The Mac diehards aren’t just the ones that helped Apple survive through the tough times, they’re also the ones who have evangelized the platform over the past decade — contributing to what it is today. It’s in Apple’s best interest to keep those users happy because a good portion of them have influence over their friends and family’s purchasing decisions. If they switch to Windows, many of their friends will switch back too.

macOS is the current platform of choice for these users and Apple needs to build Macs that appeal to them. But you can’t do that if you’ve shifted the entire company’s focus toward an entirely separate product line.