A recent article on Bloomberg by Mark Gurman seems to support that theory. According to Gurman, he claims that Apple’s Mac team is no longer what it once was and no longer have the same clout they have with the design team and software team. A good example is when the team tried to introduce the tiered battery system found in the 12-inch MacBook to the new MacBook Pros.
However failed tests resulted in Apple reverting to an older and more standard design that actually resulted in worse battery life. Gurman also notes how departures of key members on the Mac team have slowed things down as a whole. He also says how Jony Ive’s design team is meeting with the Mac team less frequently, and how concepts aren’t as reviewed quite as frequently anymore.
On Apple’s end, they reassure users that it’s business as usual. In fact a recent message from Apple’s CEO Tim Cook revealed that the company had “great desktops” on its roadmap. Whether or not he was just trying to boost morale or if that’s really the case remains to be seen, but with the focus being on wearables, the talks about augmented reality, and also rumors of car plans, we guess we shouldn’t be surprised.