Rumor: Apple's new iPad Pros could debut next week, with or without an event

2

Comments

  • Reply 21 of 43
    jkichline said:
    Apple has foresaken the Mac Pro, not updating it in over 3 years. Not to mention the Mac mini & iMacs. They've also discontinued their cinema displays & airport & time capsule. All they seem to be really focusing on now are their iOS devices. Their annual iPhone updates are huge events. And they seem to be touting their iPads as laptop replacements. So I seriously doubt Apple will just quietly drop the new iPad pros(including a new 10.5" bezel-less model) without holding a huge event. No way. The event will either be at the end of March or on April 4th as recently rumored. 
    The MacPro hasn't been updated because Intel has delayed rollout of the processors required for the MacPro. They simply do not have a next generation Xeon processor that includes TB3 support. Once they do, you will likely see a refresh. Sorry but Apple is hamstrung by Intel shifting their focus to mobile processors and away from the server market.
    Oh come on.. there has a suitable XEON line since 2014. 
    If they wanted they could have kept it a lot more up to date.
    Even without fancy new TB3 people wouldn't be nearly as frustrated if they did that.
  • Reply 22 of 43
    jSnivelyjSnively Posts: 429administrator
    I don't want to have to empty out the majority of this thread.

    Get back on topic. Maybe also look over our commenting guidelines.
    edited March 2017 watto_cobra
  • Reply 23 of 43
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    jkichline said:
    Apple has foresaken the Mac Pro, not updating it in over 3 years. Not to mention the Mac mini & iMacs. They've also discontinued their cinema displays & airport & time capsule. All they seem to be really focusing on now are their iOS devices. Their annual iPhone updates are huge events. And they seem to be touting their iPads as laptop replacements. So I seriously doubt Apple will just quietly drop the new iPad pros(including a new 10.5" bezel-less model) without holding a huge event. No way. The event will either be at the end of March or on April 4th as recently rumored. 
    The MacPro hasn't been updated because Intel has delayed rollout of the processors required for the MacPro. They simply do not have a next generation Xeon processor that includes TB3 support. Once they do, you will likely see a refresh. Sorry but Apple is hamstrung by Intel shifting their focus to mobile processors and away from the server market.
    Oh come on.. there has a suitable XEON line since 2014. 
    If they wanted they could have kept it a lot more up to date.
    Even without fancy new TB3 people wouldn't be nearly as frustrated if they did that.
    Actually, @jkichline is right. I've been saying this all along and yet some people just think all Xeon CPU's are all the same. In the MacPro's current form, and with TB3 support, there is no suitable Xeon CPU successor for Apple to use until Intel releases it. Its been delayed a couple of times now. So blame Intel, not Apple. It makes no sense for Apple to release something like a MacPro without TB3 support when you can currently get something $2000 cheaper that does. Apple isn't going to release an update just for shits and giggles.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 24 of 43
    sog35 said:
    And new iPad Pros will be awesome too.  I'm sorry that you are niche user. You may wish for many things. I want an iOS desktop computer, that does not mean I get it.

    I know it's a little OT, but I think an iOS desktop would be a great idea too. A little powerhouse in the chassis of something the same size as the Apple TV. Could offer competition to Chromebooks in the education market too.
  • Reply 25 of 43

    I am hoping for an iPad Pro with some iOS extensions/capabilities more akin to macOS...

    IMO, there is a need for a touch UI (fingers and pencil) as well as [separate] kb with trackpad (including a cursor displayed on the iPad).

    edited March 2017
  • Reply 26 of 43
    yojimbo007yojimbo007 Posts: 1,165member
    ronmg said:
    Apple has foresaken the Mac Pro, not updating it in over 3 years. Not to mention the Mac mini & iMacs. They've also discontinued their cinema displays & airport & time capsule. All they seem to be really focusing on now are their iOS devices. Their annual iPhone updates are huge events. And they seem to be touting their iPads as laptop replacements. So I seriously doubt Apple will just quietly drop the new iPad pros(including a new 10.5" bezel-less model) without holding a huge event. No way. The event will either be at the end of March or on April 4th as recently rumored. 
    My God, the whining!! The majority of 'pro' users can get a 27" 5K iMac fully loaded with 4 GHz i7, 32 GB Ram, 1 TB Flash, and 4 GB Video for $3,600, add multiple screens and external hard drives, and be just fine. Apple doesn't care about the EXTREME pro users because there are maybe a thousand of those in the US - hardly enough to dedicate development time toward. So buy a fully loaded iMac or move to Windows.
    Just to maintain their reputation as the best and most powerful computing platformn and prove their IT technological prowess as best in the world they need to tend to those power users... regardless of numbers.. Its not all about direct dollor And cents profit, thats super shortsighted........ ... its about esabilishing and image of credibility as the best computing company. Period ! IPhone is nothing more than another computer. Just because they have something super successful in their hands (iphone) they should not forget about their legs .
  • Reply 27 of 43
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,834member
    They've also discontinued their cinema displays & airport & time capsule.
    Uh, no they didn't. Lots of rumors but nothing from Apple, and they're still for sale.
    edited March 2017 pscooter63watto_cobra
  • Reply 28 of 43
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,834member
    sog35 said:
    Sure Bob..............
    Except the last quarter (Oct-Dec2016) was the biggest quarter for Mac sales in Apple's history.
    maybe take at least those seriously:

    Macworld "Pros have been dissatisfied with Apple of late, and it’s not hard to see why. The so-long-in-the-tooth-it-qualifies-as-a-fang Mac Pro hasn’t been updated in more than three years, but still commands a hefty price tag. And last fall’s new MacBook Pro added the splashy new Touch Bar while seeming to skimp on practicalities like RAM and processor power."

    The Verge "Apple should stop selling four-year-old computers"

    Apple is doing better than Verge, so... But yeah it would be nice if the MP were updated; theres clearly something holding it up.

    The RAM complaint on the MBP is bunk. They didn't "skimp", they went with a mobile system that uses low power RAM and not desktop, because it's not, you know, a desktop. This RAM has an upper capacity limit. In real life this hasn't proven to be an issue:

    https://www.zdziarski.com/blog/?p=6355
    edited March 2017 watto_cobra
  • Reply 29 of 43
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,152member
    sog35 said:
    sog35 said:
    Sure Bob..............
    Except the last quarter (Oct-Dec2016) was the biggest quarter for Mac sales in Apple's history.
    maybe take at least those seriously:

    Macworld "Pros have been dissatisfied with Apple of late, and it’s not hard to see why. The so-long-in-the-tooth-it-qualifies-as-a-fang Mac Pro hasn’t been updated in more than three years, but still commands a hefty price tag. And last fall’s new MacBook Pro added the splashy new Touch Bar while seeming to skimp on practicalities like RAM and processor power."

    The Verge "Apple should stop selling four-year-old computers"

    The heat must have reached even Cook as he felt the need to tell his employees that Apple is committed to the Mac and that ‘great desktops’ are coming.
    Which he said again at your beloved earnings call where he even addressed the pro users themselves.

    They clearly know they have let down a lot of the pros.
    The question is if they care enough about them now to give them what they need.
    The Mac had the biggest sales quarter in its history in December. 

    The Mac line is doing GREAT. 

    And new iPad Pros will be awesome too.  I'm sorry that you are niche user. You may wish for many things. I want an iOS desktop computer, that does not mean I get it.
    Imagine would those sales could have been if Apple just kept its computers up to date, let alone came out with new models. As it is you would have to be absolutely brainless to buy a Mac Pro or anything but the lowest end iMac right now, if you aren't just jumping ship to the dark side.

    it is so astonishing I have to think it is a deliberate strategy by some Apple executive to prove the future is iOS as Mac sales are low in comparison.
    edited March 2017
  • Reply 30 of 43
    boredumbboredumb Posts: 1,418member
    "Citing unnamed 'reputable supply chain analysts',..."
    What a strange world...
    What bizarre phrases we invent...
    What a sorry spitwad fight journalism is...
    elijahg
  • Reply 31 of 43
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    entropys said:
    sog35 said:
    sog35 said:
    Sure Bob..............
    Except the last quarter (Oct-Dec2016) was the biggest quarter for Mac sales in Apple's history.
    maybe take at least those seriously:

    Macworld "Pros have been dissatisfied with Apple of late, and it’s not hard to see why. The so-long-in-the-tooth-it-qualifies-as-a-fang Mac Pro hasn’t been updated in more than three years, but still commands a hefty price tag. And last fall’s new MacBook Pro added the splashy new Touch Bar while seeming to skimp on practicalities like RAM and processor power."

    The Verge "Apple should stop selling four-year-old computers"

    The heat must have reached even Cook as he felt the need to tell his employees that Apple is committed to the Mac and that ‘great desktops’ are coming.
    Which he said again at your beloved earnings call where he even addressed the pro users themselves.

    They clearly know they have let down a lot of the pros.
    The question is if they care enough about them now to give them what they need.
    The Mac had the biggest sales quarter in its history in December. 

    The Mac line is doing GREAT. 

    And new iPad Pros will be awesome too.  I'm sorry that you are niche user. You may wish for many things. I want an iOS desktop computer, that does not mean I get it.
    Imagine would those sales could have been if Apple just kept its computers up to date, let alone came out with new models. As it is you would have to be absolutely brainless to buy a Mac Pro or anything but the lowest end iMac right now, if you aren't just jumping ship to the dark side.

    it is so astonishing I have to think it is a deliberate strategy by some Apple executive to prove the future is iOS as Mac sales are low in comparison.
    You can play the what if game all day long, however does the average consumer really care when the iMac was updated last? Do they even know? Today's iMac is more than good enough for the average consumer. Other than maybe a design change, there isn't really anything absolutely necessary that needs to be updated for most consumers. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 32 of 43
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member

    bdkennedy said:
     Apple doesn't care about the EXTREME pro users because there are maybe a thousand of those in the US - hardly enough to dedicate development time toward. So buy a fully loaded iMac or move to Windows.
    So I guess Apple only sold a thousand Mac Pro's then.
    I bet they didn't really sell a hell of a lot to be honest. It is leaning toward a niche product. I'm sorry if you don't want to believe that but it really is. This isn't the good ole days where you needed a really high end computer to do things. Today, a maxed out iMac (maybe even less) is more than adequate for professionals. Not everyone needs a MacPro to do their "Professional" work anymore. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 33 of 43
    smarkysmarky Posts: 75member
    I have a maxed iMac I bought at the end of 2015, it's a great machine and I am somewhat happy that they haven't upgraded it yet, since I shelled out so much for it and I waited and waited through a few revisions until I felt the time was right.... I am not sure if I bought a machine that was a little above what I needed, but then again.... I use this machine for everything, the screen is great, it's my TV in my room and it also games pretty well, I hooked it up to an Xbox controller and boot camp and the games play really well and certainly better than an Xbox 1 or PS 4 etc.... I've never done anything on the machine that was slow or I wished was somewhat different or had more power, although going around an electronics store today, it was crazy some of the nice windows machines out there that were a third of the cost!

    I have an iPhone and this iMac, I am now thinking of adding something portable, I don't want to fork out the expensive prices for an Apple laptop, when I have this iMac here, so am thinking an iPad Pro is a good choice, which is silly is I am mostly looking to use this in my own house, even likely mostly in the same room as the iMac, I find myself using my iPhone a lot in bed, or when sat in my room and I want something with a bigger screen to bridge the gap.

    What is kinda disappointing is the fact I have all this power in the iMac just sat there, it's a shame there isin't a device that I can use to stream all this processing power to something more portable, particularly as I said, I will be using it in a very close distance from the actual iMac.

    I have been waiting for this iPad update since I started thinking about this last year, it will be a bit disappointed if it's just a simple spec bump without an event, the tablet market is crowded, Apple could do with doing something a bit better here or dropping the prices a little bit.

    The 12 inch iPad pro is a beast, but I am not sure if it is a little big to hold, so i'm liking the idea of something a little bigger screen than the standard iPad, with smaller bazels, hope we see that! 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 34 of 43
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    I just want to see a regular iPad Air 3 type iPad with the smart connector...unless Apple can drop the current 9.7" iPad Pro price down to the iPad Air 2 level. 
    edited March 2017 watto_cobra
  • Reply 35 of 43
    k2kwk2kw Posts: 2,075member
    Apple has foresaken the Mac Pro, not updating it in over 3 years. Not to mention the Mac mini & iMacs. They've also discontinued their cinema displays & airport & time capsule. All they seem to be really focusing on now are their iOS devices. Their annual iPhone updates are huge events. And they seem to be touting their iPads as laptop replacements. So I seriously doubt Apple will just quietly drop the new iPad pros(including a new 10.5" bezel-less model) without holding a huge event. No way. The event will either be at the end of March or on April 4th as recently rumored. 
    I wish the iPad could be a laptop replacement.   It can't without mouse support unfortunately.   And better file and printer support is needed.
    Apple should make an iosBook (a laptop based on the iPad).
  • Reply 36 of 43
    ronmg said:
    Apple has foresaken the Mac Pro, not updating it in over 3 years. Not to mention the Mac mini & iMacs. They've also discontinued their cinema displays & airport & time capsule. All they seem to be really focusing on now are their iOS devices. Their annual iPhone updates are huge events. And they seem to be touting their iPads as laptop replacements. So I seriously doubt Apple will just quietly drop the new iPad pros(including a new 10.5" bezel-less model) without holding a huge event. No way. The event will either be at the end of March or on April 4th as recently rumored. 
    My God, the whining!! The majority of 'pro' users can get a 27" 5K iMac fully loaded with 4 GHz i7, 32 GB Ram, 1 TB Flash, and 4 GB Video for $3,600, add multiple screens and external hard drives, and be just fine. Apple doesn't care about the EXTREME pro users because there are maybe a thousand of those in the US - hardly enough to dedicate development time toward. So buy a fully loaded iMac or move to Windows.
    Yeah, stop the whining.
    Buy the almost 2 year old overpriced hardware or switch to windows.

    Your "fully loaded" iMac was last updated in october of 2015 yet it still costs the same.
    The GPU in that machine is a joke, the CPU is fifth gen, not even sixth, we are at seven right now, flash is overpriced as usual and forget futureproof because it doesn't even have usb-c yet.

    Clearly Apple doesn't give a shit about not even mid level pro users any more or they would update their fucking desktops at least every year.

    So don't give people crap about complaining because they have every reason to.
    And for your suggestion to move to windows I have done that because I need a workstation and this is beyond anything apple sells right now.
    BUT I would love to come back to OSX.

    At the end of the day, the people who complain are Apple lovers, not haters.
    I'm kind of curious what type of performance difference there is running OSX on the dated Mac hardware as opposed to running it under VMWare Workstation (with patch) on a Linux host machine with all the latest and greatest hardware.
  • Reply 37 of 43
    misamisa Posts: 827member
    I would buy it if it comes with 4K resolution OLED display. If OLED is impossible for now at least give us 4K. That would be great.
    In an iPad? It's as close to 4K as it's going to be able to get without changing the aspect ratio. The iPad Pro has 2732 x 2048, which a 4K screen is 3840x2160. You're literately asking for 5.2% more screen real estate. But no 4K content is produced in a 4:3 ratio. 4K is not really usable in a sub 30" screen anyway. I have a 24" 4K and it's the same difference between a non-retina and a retina display when upgrading from 1080p. The pixel density at 4K in a roughly 10"-12" screen is 4x denser than a 1080p screen.

    Now if you're talking about MBP, same issue. The 15" is 2880x1800 which would still require 33% more screen real estate. Once you go beyond 1080HD, you are in the realm of UI scaling instead of native resolution, so you need a more powerful GPU, and Intel's iGPU's are rubbish.
    edited March 2017 pscooter63
  • Reply 38 of 43
    elijahgelijahg Posts: 2,753member
    macxpress said:
    entropys said:
    sog35 said:
    sog35 said:
    Sure Bob..............
    Except the last quarter (Oct-Dec2016) was the biggest quarter for Mac sales in Apple's history.
    maybe take at least those seriously:

    Macworld "Pros have been dissatisfied with Apple of late, and it’s not hard to see why. The so-long-in-the-tooth-it-qualifies-as-a-fang Mac Pro hasn’t been updated in more than three years, but still commands a hefty price tag. And last fall’s new MacBook Pro added the splashy new Touch Bar while seeming to skimp on practicalities like RAM and processor power."

    The Verge "Apple should stop selling four-year-old computers"

    The heat must have reached even Cook as he felt the need to tell his employees that Apple is committed to the Mac and that ‘great desktops’ are coming.
    Which he said again at your beloved earnings call where he even addressed the pro users themselves.

    They clearly know they have let down a lot of the pros.
    The question is if they care enough about them now to give them what they need.
    The Mac had the biggest sales quarter in its history in December. 

    The Mac line is doing GREAT. 

    And new iPad Pros will be awesome too.  I'm sorry that you are niche user. You may wish for many things. I want an iOS desktop computer, that does not mean I get it.
    Imagine would those sales could have been if Apple just kept its computers up to date, let alone came out with new models. As it is you would have to be absolutely brainless to buy a Mac Pro or anything but the lowest end iMac right now, if you aren't just jumping ship to the dark side.

    it is so astonishing I have to think it is a deliberate strategy by some Apple executive to prove the future is iOS as Mac sales are low in comparison.
    You can play the what if game all day long, however does the average consumer really care when the iMac was updated last? Do they even know? Today's iMac is more than good enough for the average consumer. Other than maybe a design change, there isn't really anything absolutely necessary that needs to be updated for most consumers. 
    Quite likely yes. A survey a few years ago found that on average, Mac users are much more informed than PC users, therefore they're more likely to research their prospective purchase.

    I really don't see the point in Apple bothering to update the iPad hardware. The hardware is powerful enough as it is, it's the software that lets them down. Without more powerful and more capable software, the hardware power is irrelevant. iOS on the iPad really hasn't advanced significantly since around iOS 6.
  • Reply 39 of 43
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    macxpress said:

    bdkennedy said:
     Apple doesn't care about the EXTREME pro users because there are maybe a thousand of those in the US - hardly enough to dedicate development time toward. So buy a fully loaded iMac or move to Windows.
    So I guess Apple only sold a thousand Mac Pro's then.
    I bet they didn't really sell a hell of a lot to be honest. It is leaning toward a niche product. I'm sorry if you don't want to believe that but it really is. This isn't the good ole days where you needed a really high end computer to do things. Today, a maxed out iMac (maybe even less) is more than adequate for professionals. Not everyone needs a MacPro to do their "Professional" work anymore. 
    Other workstation manufacturers can be used as a reference point. HP is the biggest workstation seller, noted at the following site as having 38% share of a market of 1.23m units (467k units):

    http://jonpeddie.com/publications/workstation_report

    HP's revenue last year was:
    Notebooks = $16.9b
    Desktops = $9.9b
    Workstations = $1.8b (6% of their revenue), $3800 ASP going by above unit volume
    Other (tablets etc) = $1.1b
    Total = $29.9b

    They are one of the biggest personal computer sellers too with around 60m units per year.

    Apple's Mac revenue is $22.8b from 18.4m units so they are making close to the same revenue as one of the biggest PC manufacturers with <1/3 the units.

    Let's assume Apple matched HP's workstation revenue, if you divide $1.8b by the entry $3k price, that means ~600k units per year vs 18m overall Macs (~3% of their Macs). If they sold this many, they'd be the number 1 workstation seller. They aren't listed as 10% in the above link vs HP (nor even 2% like Fujitsu) so units have to be less than 1/4 of this e.g 150k per year or 0.8% of their Macs. This is roughly 1 per day per store.

    Apple's not trying to redefine what 'Pro' is when they market products like the iPad Pro, they are marketing to a target demographic. The Mac Pro audience barely exists any more on any platform relative to the whole industry. The unit numbers have actually remained quite steady over the years but that's the problem - everything else scaled up in volume and it hasn't. Manufacturers like Boxx etc have a few million in revenue so volume is a few thousand units.

    Apple sells 45m iPads in a year vs 150k Mac Pros. Even if 5m are iPad Pros at $700 = $3.5b. 150k MP at $4k = $0.6b.

    There's a lot of numbers there and they've been mentioned before but they are easy to gloss over so here's a soundbite to keep in mind:
    Apple sells 300 iPads and 120 other Macs for every Mac Pro sold.

    That's not to say that there's no reason to maintain it, it's an important category of product but if it's updated then it will be done whenever it makes sense in light of the low units and related discussion is more suitable then. Until such time, Apple targets the far larger iPad and lower-end Mac audience.
    edited March 2017
  • Reply 40 of 43
    'Apple has foresaken the Mac Pro, not updating it in over 3 years. ..' I'm listening to an interview with a composer who uses a 6-core Mac Pro he got several years ago. He says it's blindingly fast and does everything instantly. When asked what he would do if Apple doesn't update the Pro, he says "Well, I would just go back to what I was doing before, having a different Mac for various functions, and run them all in parallel." He did not seem worried about an upgrade path.
Sign In or Register to comment.