Apple exec suggests new iMacs may not come till 2013

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  • Reply 61 of 169
    palegolaspalegolas Posts: 1,361member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post



    Blogger and developer Marco Arment called the update "half-assed," noting that Apple appeared to have sent the message that it "doesn't give a sh*t about the Mac Pro."


    Though my initial reaction was in the line of Marco's I've now been thinking about this a little bit. And you know... Generally, Apple doesn't update if they don't have something phenomenal, and fundamental to introduce. It might be small or big, but it has to be something worth telling the world about. I think the Mac Pro team is feeling this tremendous pressure to "reinvent the professional work station". And this year simply isn't the year that they can do it. Thunderbolt 2 isn't here, Retina Cinema Displays aren't here, enough research on touch screen for pros hasn't been done yet etc. They simply just don't have it. So I think this half-assed update is really just a little gesture to say "we hear you, but you'll have to wait just a little longer".

  • Reply 62 of 169
    smalmsmalm Posts: 677member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by orange whip View Post


    - they only change something when they have something better to replace it - the Mac Pro is great design - what competing product would you suggest is anywhere close to the Mac Pro.... hmm, I thought so....



    It's not the outside of the Mac Pro they need to change it's the inside.


    On the entry model both the CPU and the GPU are from 2009.


    I'm pretty sure something better came out the last three years.

  • Reply 63 of 169
    zoffdinozoffdino Posts: 192member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by palegolas View Post


    Though my initial reaction was in the line of Marco's I've now been thinking about this a little bit. And you know... Generally, Apple doesn't update if they don't have something phenomenal, and fundamental to introduce. It might be small or big, but it has to be something worth telling the world about. I think the Mac Pro team is feeling this tremendous pressure to "reinvent the professional work station". And this year simply isn't the year that they can do it. Thunderbolt 2 isn't here, Retina Cinema Displays aren't here, enough research on touch screen for pros hasn't been done yet etc. They simply just don't have it. So I think this half-assed update is really just a little gesture to say "we hear you, but you'll have to wait just a little longer".



     


    They don't need anything phenomenal. It's a stable, mature platform and I think all users want to see it progress steadily, one step at a time. Apparently, cramming a pair of Xeon E5, putting Thunderbolt and SATA-III is so hard for Apple in the 2+ years since the current generation rolled out. If they want to say "We hear you, but please, a little more patience", just say it. That, and an ETA for the new machine would do more than enough. What's the point of upgrading to a phenomenal platform that takes you 5+ years for a meaningful upgrade? I'm not buying the current Mac Pro. The ones in my studio are at the tipping point—neither fast nor slow for their workload. But I'm having serious consideration about going back to Windows PC now.... if only Windows 8 doesn't suck so badly.

  • Reply 64 of 169
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ThePixelDoc View Post




    Well that made me laugh! image Adobe can't even integrate their suite to work and look the same across programs, I can't imagine for the life of me that they could ever create an OS!



    The dumbing down of Apple products ultimately leads away from where I want to go. Adobe specializes in products for creative professionals so I feel a lot more secure with their focus than I do with Apple's. Apple wants to sell products that specifically appeal to the non-professional which is fine and I understand that there a billions more of those people then there are creative professionals, I just don't happen to fall into that category. 

  • Reply 65 of 169
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,258member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Entropys View Post



    Bet new iMacs and minis come out with the release of mountain lion. Same form factor and iMac monitors.


     


    Sounds plausible. 


     


    Regarding the Mac Pro (I own the 2009 version), I'm personally kind of glad to be spared the decision of whether to upgrade. But I think it was a mistake not to boost the current model up to contemporary Xeons, GPUs, and add thunderbolt. It seems like that would not have been too hard and would have satisfied a lot of people's needs. 


     


    I don't agree that Apple is "abandoning" pro users, but I think Apple is badly mishandling pro users. It's kind of weird. 

  • Reply 66 of 169
    kotatsukotatsu Posts: 1,010member


    I suspect the reason for the delay is that to give the 27" iMac a 'retina' display would require screen resolutions which simply don't exist yet outside of the ultra high end.  It's a shame, as I may well have bought one had they been available.

  • Reply 67 of 169
    conrailconrail Posts: 489member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by zoffdino View Post


     


    Don't see anything wrong with the current design. It's Bahaus-inspired, minimalist style, but I rest my case here... Aesthetics is a matter of personal taste.


     


    I absolutely love the internal layout of the Mac Pro though, everything is just so easy to get to, and not a single cable to be easily seen. It reminds me of Steve Jobs "art is also the unseen part" motto. If anything, he would have loved this design so much.



    I don't see what's wrong with the current design either.  It actually keeps the computer cool, which is more than you can say for any other device that runs OS X.  


     


    Style is nice, but not burning out the components is even nicer.


     


    Apple had better hope that Android never gets it's shit together...

  • Reply 68 of 169
    conrailconrail Posts: 489member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by mstone View Post


    The dumbing down of Apple products ultimately leads away from where I want to go. Adobe specializes in products for creative professionals so I feel a lot more secure with their focus than I do with Apple's. Apple wants to sell products that specifically appeal to the non-professional which is fine and I understand that there a billions more of those people then there are creative professionals, I just don't happen to fall into that category. 



    I remember a time when the computer industry amazed people by allowing them to do things they could only dream of before.  Apparently, people now dream of asking their phone if it's raining so they don't have to look out the window.

  • Reply 69 of 169
    blur35mmblur35mm Posts: 44member


    I think what happened was they were seriously considering killing off the Mac Pro and they dripped the rumor out there to see the reaction last year.  They got caught with their pants down and are now scrambling to come up with something.  It is gonna be too little too late for some folks like me who are pushing the limits of our early 2008 Mac Pros which have zero GPU options over the 2009+ models not to mention that SSD and Ram only take us so far.  Truly disappointing.  And I disagree with those making excuses for Apple blaming Intel or saying it takes time.  A company that large has the resources and early access to prototype something in a few days, show it off to the world and say "when the chips are ready these ship this summer".  They don't even need to demo it just use the same case design and give a groundbreaking updated spec!

  • Reply 70 of 169
    haarhaar Posts: 563member
    mstone wrote: »
    I'm just saying everything isn't about profit. If you happen to know about medicine or aviation or a number of other professional disciplines you will see names like 3M, Mobil, etc listed on the devices and accessories because they understand that entire industries depend on them to provide technology that is crucial to civilization. Apple cares only about profit not civilization contrary to their warmhearted video of helping th blind, the disadvantaged and hadicapped and they claim this is why we do what we do. It is all about profit. Nothing more nothing less.

    I respect 3M, but you lost me after that!... (BTW, 3M products are expensive, and they get the job done without question....)
    Mobil is just an oil company...
  • Reply 71 of 169
    The present case design does the job. Why change for the sake of change? Besides, as Apple slowly leaves the computer business, there is no need for them to invest in something they really are no longer interested in supporting.
  • Reply 72 of 169
    26chrisr wrote: »
    To be perfectly honest, anyone buying a iMac today is being ripped off by Apple PERIOD.

    Since the May 2011 iMac appeared, the cost of its components have dropped substantially, particularly the CPU, RAM, GPU and LCD panel - given the Apple premium is already 30% on all their  desktops at launch, that means today anyone one purchasing the iMac is giving 50% of the price to Apple directly in profit.

    The company has no excuses, its a blatant rip-off and the fools purchasing 18 month old technology don't have much of a clue - they are but shinny toys to go with their iOS toys.

    All desktop users are asking for - that's those of us who making both a living and enjoy leisure time on their Mac's - is a slight revision of the existing product and not a new Steve Ive inspired re-design.

    Surely, it is not too difficult to make the leap to Ivy Bridge and a new GPU - perhaps with additional RAM and larger HDD in top end model.

    Judging by the Mac Pro revision, it appears Apple are giving us the finger - God I wish I'd not sold by iMac BTO 27in i7 now, I'm still using the other one I own, but without a refresh, I'm tempted to do a Hackintosh and utilise latest top end Sandy Bridge i7K's - with the money I save, I can then easily afford a Dell 27in monitor or Apple TB LCD - Aesthetics are one thing, exploitation is another, and Apple are now exploiting the Sheople and becoming more and more a business focused on the elite, rather than your average consumer. 

    Then don't buy one.
  • Reply 73 of 169
    drblankdrblank Posts: 3,385member


    If Apple doesn't announce new iMacs, MacPros, etc. or other desktops there are probably some key components that aren't ready to ship yet.  IF that's the case then it is probably going to be worth the wait for those, especially if it is related to things other than the processors.


     


    Just a guess.  It might be video related and some of it might be something else that they are keeping quiet on.


     


    One thing about Apple and desktops.  Desktops aren't selling as well as laptops and if they have to wait another 6 or so months for various technologies other than the processors, it's probably the only thing they can do since designing two different mother boards doesn't make sense from a logistic standpoint.  Why introduce one new motherboard design and then another one 6 or 7 months from now that will be a drastic change.


     


    That's the only thing I can think of.

  • Reply 74 of 169
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    mstone wrote: »
    I'm just saying everything isn't about profit. If you happen to know about medicine or aviation or a number of other professional disciplines you will see names like 3M, Mobil, etc listed on the devices and accessories because they understand that entire industries depend on them to provide technology that is crucial to civilization. Apple cares only about profit not civilization contrary to their warmhearted video of helping th blind, the disadvantaged and hadicapped and they claim this is why we do what we do. It is all about profit. Nothing more nothing less.

    I'm not seeing where any major corporation really cares about helping civilization out of any sense of altruism. Medicine and aviation are just industries to big business. Unless you can point where they provide those products and services at cost to a significant collection of users, I just don't see it.

    Apple seems to be doing a much better job than most other electronics companies in reducing questionable chemicals and energy use.
  • Reply 75 of 169
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by myapplelove View Post


    apple is giving its user base the collective finger with the mac pro "updates". It's like they are doing it intentionally. Get Ive to redesign or touch up the case and stick the latest of other people's hardware in there, how the hell can't this be done in 3 years time? That should be a few weeks' work at most. 



     


    It could be done in 5 minutes, if you don't really care about it being done well. 


     


    Ive and team care. So they are going to take the time. They are going to wait until they can release a machine they are proud to put their names on and not just any old crap that was slammed together over a couple of beers and a plate of onion rings. 

  • Reply 76 of 169
    drblankdrblank Posts: 3,385member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by The Friendly Grizzly View Post



    The present case design does the job. Why change for the sake of change? Besides, as Apple slowly leaves the computer business, there is no need for them to invest in something they really are no longer interested in supporting.


    I don't think it is that.  I think they are going to announce something, but they with the iMac, they might have to wait for new panels that haven't shipped yet, there might be new graphics chips that haven't shipped yet, and there might be some other components that haven't shipped yet, so it doesn't make sense to announce one upgrade now and then another MAJOR upgrade in 6 or 7 months from now.


     


    I can think of things they might be doing to both iMacs and MacPros that would require waiting.  Will it be worth the wait?  YES.


     


    To say Apple is slowly leaving the computer business is a false statement.  Their computer business is still growing, just not as fast as the tablet and smartphone business.  Don't make assumptions. Computers are NOT dead, it is just not growing AS fast as other products and they would probably rather make giant upgrades every time they feel it is worth releasing.  Part of it is video related and part is processor related and other components like WIFi, audio, SSD, etc.

  • Reply 77 of 169
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by zunx View Post




    Hopefully with matte display. At least as an option. Even if more expensive. Oherwise, no purchase. Sign the petition at


    MacMatte (matte petition)




     


    Hasn't done any good so far and won't. There won't be a matte screen especially now that Apple has released this reduced glare glossy in the retina MBP. That is the way they will go. 

  • Reply 78 of 169
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ascii View Post


    "Our pro customers are so important to us that we will have something for you late next year." Lol, something about that seems self-contradictory...



     


    It's also vague. We don't know what question was put to Tim. It's possible that he was asked about a redesign etc and he answered to that. A full redesign. And that could be coming much later this year to next year. 


     


    But spec updates, which he might consider out of the range of the question he was asked, could be coming as early as next week. 

  • Reply 79 of 169
    drblankdrblank Posts: 3,385member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by haar View Post





    I respect 3M, but you lost me after that!... (BTW, 3M products are expensive, and they get the job done without question....)

    Mobil is just an oil company...


    Apple designs great products, from a cost standpoint they have to make the products cost effective by the number of computers they design and the frequency at which they update them. These guys have to do it when it makes sense to do it.  Yeah, they have to consider profits.  They have all kinds of people making demands on these people.  They have customers that scream for the latest and greatest, they have shareholders that want a particular Return on Investment, there are also technologies that aren't ready to ship because of one reason or another.  And then there is the point of does it make sense to upgrade a system now and wait another 6 to 7 months for a BIGGER upgrade.  Everyone is so used to this Moore's law and when the speed of which they can pump new products slows down a few months and delays a product announcement, everyone freaks out and makes false assumptions.  Yeah, Apple has been growing at an INCREDIBLY fast rate, but the desktop market hasn't, it is still there, for Apple, it is still growing, just not fast enough to warrant new computer models as fast as they used to, especially when there are several different technologies coming out a slightly different times that they have no control over.  So what, that doesn't mean they aren't going to put out new products? It is just now as FAST between refreshes.  What you honestly think that Apple themselves are going to run their own business on Smartphones and iPads?  You have got to have a screw loose if you think that and Apple is not going to change from using Macs to using PCs running Windows.  That won't ever happen.

  • Reply 80 of 169
    rabbit_coachrabbit_coach Posts: 1,114member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by MR Minsky View Post


    Having fallen in love with all things Apple, I've been waiting 6 months now for my first Apple computer. Not a notebook - why bother when you've got an iPad and need a big screen ?


     


    So my sights are set on a beautiful new iMac to replace a supercharged PC (with age comes wisdom ... "it just works" starts to appeal).


     


    Why the delay ? Saving the cash, waiting for the new intel processors and now waiting on Apple. Aaaarh the pain.  I agree with previous comments, the design is already superb, just update the insides with :


     


    (a) ivy bridge processor - less heat, more speed; what's not to like


    (b) Nvidia graphics - more power (nice) and better drivers (on windows) than ATI


    (c) a bigger top end hard disk (at least 3Tb please)


     


    Fingers crossed for an update soon, but I'm starting to feel that this is going to be a long wait (big sigh - I hate waiting).


     



     


     



    My advice for anything computer related: If you need one - buy one and never look back! Anything else is masochism.
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