Apple Svp Phil Schiller Talks Thinnovation On Mac Lineup Optical Media Windows 8 And Value

Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller, who was on stage for the majority of Apple’s Mac announcements earlier this week, sat down with TIME following the event to talk Macs. The first topic of conversation was the sometimes-controversial design of recent Mac refreshes, including: the removal of optical drives, lack of repairability, and new I/O standards:

While calling Blu-ray a “complex and not-great technology,” Phil talked the removal of old standards, such as optical drives, and the move to SSDs:

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When asked about the possibility of making cheaper Macs, Schiller said he doesn’t consider Macs high priced for the value, and that Apple “wouldn’t make something cheap or low quality”:

Unlike CEO Tim Cook, who referred to Microsoft’s new Windows 8 Surface tablet as a car that flies and floats, Schiller didn’t have much to say about Windows 8:

For more of Harry McCracken’s interview with Schiller, head over to TIME.

• Apple SVP of Marketing Phil Schiller defends iPad mini’s $329 price tag (9to5mac.com)
• Apple SVP Phil Schiller on iPod Touch ambiant light sensor omission: It is too thin (9to5mac.com)
• Apple Marketing SVP comments on iPhone 5 scratches and chips: ‘That is normal’ for aluminum products (9to5mac.com)
• Apple unveils new, slimmer iMac: 21.5-inch and 27-inch models (9to5mac.com)