There was a mention of new chips suitable for a mac pro update at another site, but they only detailed a wee Mhz bump I thought. The x5 multiples of cores sounds much more interesting.
A base of 5 cores, 10, 15 and 20 core options, assuming they'd fit, would make for a major step up.
the architecture is very interesting but I'm not sure it has worked its way into Xeon chips suitable for the Mac Pro yet. Yeah the clock rate bumps are minor in some cases but the performance of the cores is much better and internals of the chips vastly improved. The sense that I got was an overall big step forward for Xeon hardware.
The five core island of cores is an interesting approach, I'm not sure why they went five cores though
There's was also some news on the next GPUs on the way. AI doesn't seem to report this stuff so much anymore.
AI has pretty much given up on what might be called reporting. That is people going out and actually finding a story. Sad really.
As for GPUs I can see a performant update this year. The GPU manufactures are basically on a two year cycle now and I believe new hardware is due this year that would make for a worthwhile update. I just don't track this stuff like I use to, but I see enough happening that suggests that the Mac Pro can get a nice upgrade this year. The only scary thing is If Intel raises prices again.
Indeed. Plus a way to avoid any malware left behind on a stick after lending it out. Happened to this friend of mine that is going to get the external SuperDrive: as of now I fully agree with because it has corrupted his iPhoto lib and even a TM backup wouldn't properly restore anymore. So I created a new lib and imported all the .jpg's from the lib package (masters folder). He is contemplating on whether to wait for a solution from me or to redo his photo collection (rotating portrait photos, tagging et cetera) You wouldn't happen to know a solution for a blank iPhoto library with only a spinning wheel (grey iPhoto wheel, not the color OSX one) not displaying any thumbnails would you? I have started iPhoto with Cmd-Option and rebuild thumbnails, permissions, DB, everything to no avail.
Whoa that has to suck!
It might be too late but I was thinking that the iPhoto repository was like an app bundle which is like a disk image where you could open it and look around inside. Either that or it was a zip file. It has been a very long time since I've done anything with iPhotos so I'm pulling at straws here but I thought you could open that repository file and look at it with the same tools you use to look at *.DMGs. Please realize that I literally have just rolled out of bed in the middle of the night here (can't sleep) and may be foggy.
I don't see them killing it. They may be killing Pro apps, Business HW and the lot, but the Mini remains a 'valid' option in their lineup, no matter if they're not selling like hot cakes iPhones.
I'm not sure where this idea has come from that they are killing Pro apps. In some cases they have made dramatic improvements even though the software has been rejected by a few loud individuals. In other cases like Aperture I see the software getting dropped due to sales being crap.
It is sort of like Apples dropping of XServe a few years ago. If you are the one that was actually using the XServe hardware it sucks big time. Unfortunately it looks like the number of actually XServe installations where a few hundred. In other words nobody was taking Apples servers seriously. If you can't move ten thousand servers per year you really don't have a business. So would you expect Apple to continue in a business where it looses money?
By the way I do believe that Apple problems with XServe where self created.
It's indeed quite expensive in The States, compared to my little country. I buy €899 iPhones (that includes tax) and get an el cheapo SIM, currently €14/m Not much data, but I usually don't check my mail while cycling or anything. Mainly use WiFi at friends places. Mostly used for calls anyway.
Indeed, a shame. So, thanks for that link!
yeah it is really a huge drain, especially when you don't use the cell phones data much. At least with my iPad I use the cell feature often. So I need to look for a good plan.
"The king of the FirePros is the W9100 with up to 16 GB of GDDR memory, support for up to 6 4K displays. It should be stated that the previous generation W9000 was the GPU that forms the basis of the high end GPU inside Apple’s radical new Mac Pro, that custom FirePro being named the D700. One wonders if Apple will be updating their new Mac Pro with updates to reflect AMD’s latest pro kit?"
There is a very good chance in my mind. The biggest issue for Apple is confidence in AMDs hardware. I wouldn't want to ship any GPU workstation hardware, from any GPU manufacture, without making sure it is stable in the machine. GPU manufactures have a history of pushing the technology too hard and end up shipping product with a poor life span. I suspect one of the reasons that Apple under clocked most of the Mac Pros GPUs was to assure themselves that the GPUs would have a long life span in their machines. Too many GPU chips run on the edge of reliability so we will have to wait and see what Apple implements.
In any event I still think everything is in place for a nice Mac Pro update this year.
It might be too late but I was thinking that the iPhoto repository was like an app bundle which is like a disk image where you could open it and look around inside.
Thanks, yes, that is indeed how it works. And my way of simply getting the .jpg files back. I'll dig into the DB structure and perhaps can overwrite the clean keyword folder and .plist stuff from backup.
Have a foggy-less day sir.
I'm not sure where this idea has come from that they are killing Pro apps. In some cases they have made dramatic improvements even though the software has been rejected by a few loud individuals. In other cases like Aperture I see the software getting dropped due to sales being crap.
I think their photos application is the best way forward. It became messy with iPhoto + Aperture + iOS stock photos app + $4.99 iOS iPhoto separate app that they thought they ought to do better. And rightfully so; I use Aperture almost daily and while I think it's a great application, the integration with iOS isn't. It's good, but definitely no cigar.
With the new OSX Photos app coming and seamless integration with iOS, all edits syncing over, I think they finally struck gold. Anything they didn't include can be picked up by the development world. I'm guessing there won't be a way to import a .gpx file so one can map their DSLR photos on a map. (just a guess, but one of the many great tools Aperture now has)
It is sort of like Apples dropping of XServe a few years ago. If you are the one that was actually using the XServe hardware it sucks big time. Unfortunately it looks like the number of actually XServe installations where a few hundred. In other words nobody was taking Apples servers seriously. If you can't move ten thousand servers per year you really don't have a business. So would you expect Apple to continue in a business where it looses money?
I got two while at my previous employer, and they worked great. But yes, no large selling numbers means killing a product. Or make it better. They choose the former, which is ok.
In any event I still think everything is in place for a nice Mac Pro update this year.
Indeed. Plus a way to avoid any malware left behind on a stick after lending it out. Happened to this friend of mine that is going to get the external SuperDrive: as of now I fully agree with because it has corrupted his iPhoto lib and even a TM backup wouldn't properly restore anymore.
I have a USB with a write lock. Its a little more expensive but useful for the extra safety.
Quote:
So I created a new lib and imported all the .jpg's from the lib package (masters folder). He is contemplating on whether to wait for a solution from me or to redo his photo collection (rotating portrait photos, tagging et cetera) You wouldn't happen to know a solution for a blank iPhoto library with only a spinning wheel (grey iPhoto wheel, not the color OSX one) not displaying any thumbnails would you? I have started iPhoto with Cmd-Option and rebuild thumbnails, permissions, DB, everything to no avail.
If you've done the "Rebuild Library" from the library menu and failed you may try to manually delete AlbumData.xml inside the library package and try that way.
As with every other recovery process I hope you have a good backup of the corrupted library because any step in the recovery could lead to an unrecoverable state that might otherwise been fixable from the initial state.
Once you get enough photos iPhoto starts sucking big time. Alas Aperture is dead and Photos not yet here.
I have a USB with a write lock. Its a little more expensive but useful for the extra safety.
That's a good tip; thanks.
If you've done the "Rebuild Library" from the library menu and failed you may try to manually delete AlbumData.xml inside the library package and try that way.
Another good tip! Will try that over the weekend.
As with every other recovery process I hope you have a good backup of the corrupted library because any step in the recovery could lead to an unrecoverable state that might otherwise been fixable from the initial state.
He does have a good backup. Heck, he hasn't called me for Mac support for the life of the machine, 7 years now (try that with Windows). I know what I'm doing as far as getting his config back. The photos themselves are good though, he's already happy that at least that restore worked, but I told him not to go through the hassle of readjusting all 13,000 as I'd like to restore to the old state it was in.
Once you get enough photos iPhoto starts sucking big time. Alas Aperture is dead and Photos not yet here.
Very true. Strangely he did buy Aperture 3 (the €299 DVD) and installed it. But he's no techie, and found the amount of options to be overwhelming so went back to iPhoto. In his case, I can understand it (though I wish he hadn't; I dislike iPhoto for all obvious reasons)
Of note, Aperture is not exactly dead; they'll release an update for X1010 compatibility, but yes, there won't be any more features added, unfortunately. I'm already in the process of cleaning up my library. Wish there was some news on the new Photos app, but alas, Apple is doing it Apple-style. Again. Which is actually kinda nice at the same time.
Report claims rumored refreshed Mac mini could launch next month
If true that would be good news. Well as long as they don't lower performance by going to a very low power Broadwell chip. If they go that route we would be better off with an ARM in the machine.
If true that would be good news. Well as long as they don't lower performance by going to a very low power Broadwell chip. If they go that route we would be better off with an ARM in the machine.
No. Broadwell Y/Core M would be both faster and more useful. Especially the 5Y70 version. It's not as fast as a Core i7 but almost as good as a 15W TDP Core i5.
The difference between the A8 and the Broadwell Y is the difference between a Core 2 Duo and a Core i5.
No. Broadwell Y/Core M would be both faster and more useful. Especially the 5Y70 version. It's not as fast as a Core i7 but almost as good as a 15W TDP Core i5.
The difference between the A8 and the Broadwell Y is the difference between a Core 2 Duo and a Core i5.
Moving to ARM for a desktop computer is idiocy in 2014.
In any case, it's probably just haswell that we see in any updated mini. Hopefully with still a Core i7 option but probably not anymore.
The use of ARM in desktops is will most likely start to appear in 2015. The Opteron A1100, though categorized as a server CPU is as powerful as the i5 found in the Mac Mini, though the development kit isn't cheap, starts at around 1100 for the PCIe board the you can insert into any current desk to computer, the full version with 16GB of RAM however runs in in the mid 2,000's. It's a start though and by mid 2015 we will most defiantly start seeing an influx of these type of ARM CPU's. The Nvidia Denver has more cache then a Intel i3 CPU for instance so I think their real serious about gaining as much performance for possible usage outside of just mobile.
No. Broadwell Y/Core M would be both faster and more useful. Especially the 5Y70 version. It's not as fast as a Core i7 but almost as good as a 15W TDP Core i5.
It all depends upon which direction Apple goes. If they want to ship a fan less Mini I doubt it will be built on a 15 watt chip.
The difference between the A8 and the Broadwell Y is the difference between a Core 2 Duo and a Core i5.
Unfortunately that link tells us very little about the actual hardware, the clock rate and more importantly the power (thermal) of the chip was not mentioned. So it isn't possible to do a rational comparison. As it is A8 appears to perform closer to an i3 or a slow i5 in some tasks.
Moving to ARM for a desktop computer is idiocy in 2014.
For a low end machine I don't think it would be a big problem. I wouldn't expect Apple to ship a low power optimized ARM implementation for the desktop either. WE don't even know where the A8 tops out clock wise nor how well it would run with a better memory interface. This doesn't even take into account more CPU cores that Apple could easily add.
In any case, it's probably just haswell that we see in any updated mini.
Sadly that is probably the truth. Haswell should have happened well over a year ago. If it did I might have purchased a Mini.
Hopefully with still a Core i7 option but probably not anymore.
Actually I'd like to see two options. A dirt cheap Mini and a workstation Mini or Mini replacement. I'd really like to be able to buy desktop Macs that are priced around $300 for many low end uses. I wouldn't expect such a machine to handle desktop chores though thus the need for a workstation node Mini.
That would be nice.
I've lost all confidence in Apple doing the right thing with respect to the Mini. They need to deliver something relatively quickly though.
Actually Intel released new hardware some time ago in the Xeon series. Actually the hardware has gone through a significant overhaul and it would be nice to see this design in the Pro. Either that or they go Xeon Phi which supposedly in the new version can support an operating system. Either way the next rev of the Pro could be very interesting.
I have a Xeon Phi in my HP Z60, as well as two Tesla cards, they were all bought used from eBay but out of the two architectures I definitely prefer the Tesla. A misconception with the Xeon Phi is that you can just simply plug one into a your computer and it will add more power, no, it's actually a self contained computer running it's own OS, a Linux variant called uOS and no other OS can be used. To use it's capabilities you have to write your code to specifically utilize it, though not hard it certainly isn't anything you just pickup over a weekend. In this regard I think using a Tesla card is better as there are many applications that already have built in support for it. Not just that but the performance is out of this world, especially when encoding media files. Unfortunately the Mac Pro doesn't have any free slots to add one but you can buy a external Nvidia 1U that has either 2 or 4 Tesla units in it. There not that expensive either, you can buy the server chassis for about 100 bucks and each Tesla 2050 card cost between 200 to 300 buck, the 2050 isn't of course as powerful as say a K10 but put 4 of the 2050's in one box and it will be for less than half of one K10. There is also the alternative, buy 3 to 5 Nvidia K1 Denver development boards and stack them into a mini GPU compute station. When clustered together they become one hell of a little workhorse. Also of note AMD had a HPC similar to Xeon Phi and Tesla called FireStream, though AMD hasn't done anything with platform for a while as they believe the FireStream family to be redundant, so their focus is with the FirePro, though I heard they might resurrect the FireStream do to Nvidia's success in the server market.
If anyone sees a Tesla desk side go up on eBay please let me know, I would really like to have one, if not just for the case as you can put 2 Quadro cards in it as well.
I have a Xeon Phi in my HP Z60, as well as two Tesla cards, they were all bought used from eBay but out of the two architectures I definitely prefer the Tesla. A misconception with the Xeon Phi is that you can just simply plug one into a your computer and it will add more power, no, it's actually a self contained computer running it's own OS, a Linux variant called uOS and no other OS can be used.
Currently the best. It can do is act as a co-processor in the same way a GPU does.
To use it's capabilities you have to write your code to specifically utilize it, though not hard it certainly isn't anything you just pickup over a weekend. In this regard I think using a Tesla card is better as there are many applications that already have built in support for it.
It isn't much worst that learning any other non mainstream programming technology. OpenCL, DSP programming and other technologies may be "different" but different isn't impossible.
Not just that but the performance is out of this world, especially when encoding media files. Unfortunately the Mac Pro doesn't have any free slots to add one but you can buy a external Nvidia 1U that has either 2 or 4 Tesla units in it.
The potential here would be for future Zeon Phi's that Intel supposedly will deliver In the next generation that are supposedly going to be able to support mainstream operating systems. So if they do deliver it would be interesting to see how the chip fares as a applications processor. Due to the structure of the Phi the results would likely be highly mixed.
There not that expensive either, you can buy the server chassis for about 100 bucks and each Tesla 2050 card cost between 200 to 300 buck, the 2050 isn't of course as powerful as say a K10 but put 4 of the 2050's in one box and it will be for less than half of one K10.
I have to wonder what Apples long term GPU interests are for the Mac Pro. That is will they look outside of AMD to try to get parts designed in. In the end I'm not sure it makes a huge difference, AMD and NVidia each have their strengths and weakness and you will never make everybody happy anyways.
There is also the alternative, buy 3 to 5 Nvidia K1 Denver development boards and stack them into a mini GPU compute station. When clustered together they become one hell of a little workhorse. Also of note AMD had a HPC similar to Xeon Phi and Tesla called FireStream, though AMD hasn't done anything with platform for a while as they believe the FireStream family to be redundant, so their focus is with the FirePro, though I heard they might resurrect the FireStream do to Nvidia's success in the server market.
It is largely marketing. This is probably why Apple stamps a unique part number on the GPUs in the Mac Pro. The drivers have a greater impact on how "pro" the card is.
If anyone sees a Tesla desk side go up on eBay please let me know, I would really like to have one, if not just for the case as you can put 2 Quadro cards in it as well.
Looking for a machine to keep your bomb shelter warm? ????????????????????????
It may turn out that the wait to Retinize the mass-market-focused Air, Mini and iMac may have been for Display Port 1.3.
I doubt it. Haswell would have made for an excellent GPU upgrade in the Mini. To delay for over a year just for display port 1.3 would be very stupid in my mind.
Apple strangely didn't update the TB Display when the Pro shipped.
Since the Pro is a niche machine, maybe they want to be sure all their lines can take advantage of it when it does.
I suspect it has a lot to do with the lack of profits in displays and the fact that most users buy Mini's and Pro's because they don't want Apple displays. Beyond that it will be some time before the Mini has the GPU chops to drive demanding applications across the new ultra high resolution displays.
It isn't much worst that learning any other non mainstream programming technology. OpenCL, DSP programming and other technologies may be "different" but different isn't impossible.
Your right but the amount of reusable code and support for GPU's outnumbers Intel stuff 100 to 1. Though Intel does have a pretty impressive how to book. They'll both do the job, as a Mac user though I'm surprise your advocating the Phi as the Mac Pro will never see one added. You can easily connect an external Tesla box up to both a Mac Pro and MacBook Pro as long as it has a PCIe adaptor slot or Thunderbolt.
The potential here would be for future Zeon Phi's that Intel supposedly will deliver In the next generation that are supposedly going to be able to support mainstream operating systems. So if they do deliver it would be interesting to see how the chip fares as a applications processor. Due to the structure of the Phi the results would likely be highly mixed.
Support for a wider range of operating systems would defiantly help. I would love to see a external box that I could use with a notebook and workstation alike. Like with the little K1 Dev board, Nvidia could easily make a more powerful version with 4 times the Cuda cores and still maintain a small size. I haven't used the Phi for much, I bought it because the price wasn't so bad and I absolutely dig HPC, the more the marrier.
I have to wonder what Apples long term GPU interests are for the Mac Pro. That is will they look outside of AMD to try to get parts designed in. In the end I'm not sure it makes a huge difference, AMD and NVidia each have their strengths and weakness and you will never make everybody happy anyways. It is largely marketing. This is probably why Apple stamps a unique part number on the GPUs in the Mac Pro. The drivers have a greater impact on how "pro" the card is.
That's a good question, I'm not really sure what Apples long time goals are with the Mac Pro. One of the reasons why I have fallen head over heals for the new K1 Dev board is that I can start using pretty much anything to tap into it's power. I have a feeling that it doesn't have much of a future or that Apple will invest to much time in the platform. It is more the obvious that Apple makes their money with mobile and once they combine OSX with iOS and I have no doubt that it will happen, the Mac Pro might have a hard time finding a place in that world, who knows just talking out loud. With portable HPC's like I suggested, the MacBook could easily replace it, need more power just add another computation brick.
Looking for a machine to keep your bomb shelter warm? ????????????????????????
I like things like this, it's not picky what you use it with and it can me upgraded easily. Plus it looks cool with that green glowy Nvidia badge. When it's sitting next to my SGI Tezro it will look mean as all hell.
Your right but the amount of reusable code and support for GPU's outnumbers Intel stuff 100 to 1. Though Intel does have a pretty impressive how to book. They'll both do the job, as a Mac user though I'm surprise your advocating the Phi as the Mac Pro will never see one added.
I've learned to never say never.
As to Phi in a Mac, that would only work if Phi is upgraded to fully support an OS such a Mac OS. There are indications that the next phi may very well be able to do that. In effect Phi would replace the run of the mill XEON processor in the Mac Pro. For some work loads this would be a fantastic upgrade for others it might be more ho hum.
You can easily connect an external Tesla box up to both a Mac Pro and MacBook Pro as long as it has a PCIe adaptor slot or Thunderbolt.
Support for a wider range of operating systems would defiantly help. I would love to see a external box that I could use with a notebook and workstation alike.
You could probably build one with an external TB connected chassis assuming you could find a chassis with the power handling capability needed. The problem is I don't think Intel supports Phi real well in Mac OS.
Like with the little K1 Dev board, Nvidia could easily make a more powerful version with 4 times the Cuda cores and still maintain a small size.
The sub 28 nm technology is really impressive, all one has to do is pick up any smart phone and let their mind drift back to the days of the 6502 and the ""computers"" built around that chip. I put computers in double quotes there because even my old iPhone 4 runs circles around the hardware we had back then, it even runs circles around many of the i86 computers I've owned over the years.
I haven't used the Phi for much, I bought it because the price wasn't so bad and I absolutely dig HPC, the more the marrier.
I think you are addicted to tech.
That's a good question, I'm not really sure what Apples long time goals are with the Mac Pro. One of the reasons why I have fallen head over heals for the new K1 Dev board is that I can start using pretty much anything to tap into it's power. I have a feeling that it doesn't have much of a future or that Apple will invest to much time in the platform.
There are lots of unknowns there. The mac Pro to me is a very innovative and forward looking platform. It is a platform adapted to the realities of what the next few process shrinks will do for high performance computing. I've mentioned in other threads but today silicon is the Printed Circuit Board of the 70's and 80's. It is there that companies like Apple and Intel will be spending their energies in the future. PC's will very well become SoC machines with tiny mother boards to support some RAM and a few analog parts. Apples A8 pretty much bodies the trend and Intel will have hardware approaching this level of integration soon. At the high performance end of the spectrum Intel will be going high integration in a big way with Phi's shipping with huge amounts of RAM in the package.
It is more the obvious that Apple makes their money with mobile and once they combine OSX with iOS and I have no doubt that it will happen, the Mac Pro might have a hard time finding a place in that world, who knows just talking out loud. With portable HPC's like I suggested, the MacBook could easily replace it, need more power just add another computation brick.
I like things like this, it's not picky what you use it with and it can me upgraded easily. Plus it looks cool with that green glowy Nvidia badge. When it's sitting next to my SGI Tezro it will look mean as all hell.
Comments
The five core island of cores is an interesting approach, I'm not sure why they went five cores though
AI has pretty much given up on what might be called reporting. That is people going out and actually finding a story. Sad really.
As for GPUs I can see a performant update this year. The GPU manufactures are basically on a two year cycle now and I believe new hardware is due this year that would make for a worthwhile update. I just don't track this stuff like I use to, but I see enough happening that suggests that the Mac Pro can get a nice upgrade this year. The only scary thing is If Intel raises prices again.
It might be too late but I was thinking that the iPhoto repository was like an app bundle which is like a disk image where you could open it and look around inside. Either that or it was a zip file. It has been a very long time since I've done anything with iPhotos so I'm pulling at straws here but I thought you could open that repository file and look at it with the same tools you use to look at *.DMGs. Please realize that I literally have just rolled out of bed in the middle of the night here (can't sleep) and may be foggy. I'm not sure where this idea has come from that they are killing Pro apps. In some cases they have made dramatic improvements even though the software has been rejected by a few loud individuals. In other cases like Aperture I see the software getting dropped due to sales being crap.
It is sort of like Apples dropping of XServe a few years ago. If you are the one that was actually using the XServe hardware it sucks big time. Unfortunately it looks like the number of actually XServe installations where a few hundred. In other words nobody was taking Apples servers seriously. If you can't move ten thousand servers per year you really don't have a business. So would you expect Apple to continue in a business where it looses money?
By the way I do believe that Apple problems with XServe where self created. yeah it is really a huge drain, especially when you don't use the cell phones data much. At least with my iPad I use the cell feature often. So I need to look for a good plan.
There is a very good chance in my mind. The biggest issue for Apple is confidence in AMDs hardware. I wouldn't want to ship any GPU workstation hardware, from any GPU manufacture, without making sure it is stable in the machine. GPU manufactures have a history of pushing the technology too hard and end up shipping product with a poor life span. I suspect one of the reasons that Apple under clocked most of the Mac Pros GPUs was to assure themselves that the GPUs would have a long life span in their machines. Too many GPU chips run on the edge of reliability so we will have to wait and see what Apple implements.
In any event I still think everything is in place for a nice Mac Pro update this year.
Thanks, yes, that is indeed how it works. And my way of simply getting the .jpg files back. I'll dig into the DB structure and perhaps can overwrite the clean keyword folder and .plist stuff from backup.
Have a foggy-less day sir.
I think their photos application is the best way forward. It became messy with iPhoto + Aperture + iOS stock photos app + $4.99 iOS iPhoto separate app that they thought they ought to do better. And rightfully so; I use Aperture almost daily and while I think it's a great application, the integration with iOS isn't. It's good, but definitely no cigar.
With the new OSX Photos app coming and seamless integration with iOS, all edits syncing over, I think they finally struck gold. Anything they didn't include can be picked up by the development world. I'm guessing there won't be a way to import a .gpx file so one can map their DSLR photos on a map. (just a guess, but one of the many great tools Aperture now has)
I got two while at my previous employer, and they worked great. But yes, no large selling numbers means killing a product. Or make it better. They choose the former, which is ok.
Let's hope so, including the Mini.
Indeed. Plus a way to avoid any malware left behind on a stick after lending it out. Happened to this friend of mine that is going to get the external SuperDrive: as of now I fully agree with because it has corrupted his iPhoto lib and even a TM backup wouldn't properly restore anymore.
I have a USB with a write lock. Its a little more expensive but useful for the extra safety.
If you've done the "Rebuild Library" from the library menu and failed you may try to manually delete AlbumData.xml inside the library package and try that way.
As with every other recovery process I hope you have a good backup of the corrupted library because any step in the recovery could lead to an unrecoverable state that might otherwise been fixable from the initial state.
Once you get enough photos iPhoto starts sucking big time. Alas Aperture is dead and Photos not yet here.
That's a good tip; thanks.
Another good tip! Will try that over the weekend.
He does have a good backup. Heck, he hasn't called me for Mac support for the life of the machine, 7 years now (try that with Windows). I know what I'm doing as far as getting his config back. The photos themselves are good though, he's already happy that at least that restore worked, but I told him not to go through the hassle of readjusting all 13,000 as I'd like to restore to the old state it was in.
Very true. Strangely he did buy Aperture 3 (the €299 DVD) and installed it. But he's no techie, and found the amount of options to be overwhelming so went back to iPhoto. In his case, I can understand it (though I wish he hadn't; I dislike iPhoto for all obvious reasons)
Of note, Aperture is not exactly dead; they'll release an update for X1010 compatibility, but yes, there won't be any more features added, unfortunately. I'm already in the process of cleaning up my library. Wish there was some news on the new Photos app, but alas, Apple is doing it Apple-style. Again. Which is actually kinda nice at the same time.
Of note, Aperture is not exactly dead;
Well..it's mostly dead. Even if it's feeling happy and going for a walk (to mix two different movies together).
Well..it's mostly dead.
Perhaps what we need is Miracle Max.
Report claims rumored refreshed Mac mini could launch next month
If true that would be good news. Well as long as they don't lower performance by going to a very low power Broadwell chip. If they go that route we would be better off with an ARM in the machine.
No. Broadwell Y/Core M would be both faster and more useful. Especially the 5Y70 version. It's not as fast as a Core i7 but almost as good as a 15W TDP Core i5.
The difference between the A8 and the Broadwell Y is the difference between a Core 2 Duo and a Core i5.
http://hothardware.com/News/First-Actual-Intel-Broadwell-Tablet-Benchmarks-From-IDF-2014/
Moving to ARM for a desktop computer is idiocy in 2014.
In any case, it's probably just haswell that we see in any updated mini. Hopefully with still a Core i7 option but probably not anymore.
The use of ARM in desktops is will most likely start to appear in 2015. The Opteron A1100, though categorized as a server CPU is as powerful as the i5 found in the Mac Mini, though the development kit isn't cheap, starts at around 1100 for the PCIe board the you can insert into any current desk to computer, the full version with 16GB of RAM however runs in in the mid 2,000's. It's a start though and by mid 2015 we will most defiantly start seeing an influx of these type of ARM CPU's. The Nvidia Denver has more cache then a Intel i3 CPU for instance so I think their real serious about gaining as much performance for possible usage outside of just mobile.
Actually I'd like to see two options. A dirt cheap Mini and a workstation Mini or Mini replacement. I'd really like to be able to buy desktop Macs that are priced around $300 for many low end uses. I wouldn't expect such a machine to handle desktop chores though thus the need for a workstation node Mini.
I have a Xeon Phi in my HP Z60, as well as two Tesla cards, they were all bought used from eBay but out of the two architectures I definitely prefer the Tesla. A misconception with the Xeon Phi is that you can just simply plug one into a your computer and it will add more power, no, it's actually a self contained computer running it's own OS, a Linux variant called uOS and no other OS can be used. To use it's capabilities you have to write your code to specifically utilize it, though not hard it certainly isn't anything you just pickup over a weekend. In this regard I think using a Tesla card is better as there are many applications that already have built in support for it. Not just that but the performance is out of this world, especially when encoding media files. Unfortunately the Mac Pro doesn't have any free slots to add one but you can buy a external Nvidia 1U that has either 2 or 4 Tesla units in it. There not that expensive either, you can buy the server chassis for about 100 bucks and each Tesla 2050 card cost between 200 to 300 buck, the 2050 isn't of course as powerful as say a K10 but put 4 of the 2050's in one box and it will be for less than half of one K10. There is also the alternative, buy 3 to 5 Nvidia K1 Denver development boards and stack them into a mini GPU compute station. When clustered together they become one hell of a little workhorse. Also of note AMD had a HPC similar to Xeon Phi and Tesla called FireStream, though AMD hasn't done anything with platform for a while as they believe the FireStream family to be redundant, so their focus is with the FirePro, though I heard they might resurrect the FireStream do to Nvidia's success in the server market.
If anyone sees a Tesla desk side go up on eBay please let me know, I would really like to have one, if not just for the case as you can put 2 Quadro cards in it as well.
Haswell should have happened well over a year ago.
It may turn out that the wait to Retinize the mass-market-focused Air, Mini and iMac may have been for DisplayPort 1.3.
Apple strangely didn't update the TB Display when the Pro shipped.
Since the Pro is a niche machine, maybe they want to be sure all their lines can take advantage of it when it does.
Looking for a machine to keep your bomb shelter warm? ????????????????????????
I suspect it has a lot to do with the lack of profits in displays and the fact that most users buy Mini's and Pro's because they don't want Apple displays. Beyond that it will be some time before the Mini has the GPU chops to drive demanding applications across the new ultra high resolution displays.
Your right but the amount of reusable code and support for GPU's outnumbers Intel stuff 100 to 1. Though Intel does have a pretty impressive how to book. They'll both do the job, as a Mac user though I'm surprise your advocating the Phi as the Mac Pro will never see one added. You can easily connect an external Tesla box up to both a Mac Pro and MacBook Pro as long as it has a PCIe adaptor slot or Thunderbolt.
Support for a wider range of operating systems would defiantly help. I would love to see a external box that I could use with a notebook and workstation alike. Like with the little K1 Dev board, Nvidia could easily make a more powerful version with 4 times the Cuda cores and still maintain a small size. I haven't used the Phi for much, I bought it because the price wasn't so bad and I absolutely dig HPC, the more the marrier.
That's a good question, I'm not really sure what Apples long time goals are with the Mac Pro. One of the reasons why I have fallen head over heals for the new K1 Dev board is that I can start using pretty much anything to tap into it's power. I have a feeling that it doesn't have much of a future or that Apple will invest to much time in the platform. It is more the obvious that Apple makes their money with mobile and once they combine OSX with iOS and I have no doubt that it will happen, the Mac Pro might have a hard time finding a place in that world, who knows just talking out loud. With portable HPC's like I suggested, the MacBook could easily replace it, need more power just add another computation brick.
I like things like this, it's not picky what you use it with and it can me upgraded easily. Plus it looks cool with that green glowy Nvidia badge. When it's sitting next to my SGI Tezro it will look mean as all hell.
As to Phi in a Mac, that would only work if Phi is upgraded to fully support an OS such a Mac OS. There are indications that the next phi may very well be able to do that. In effect Phi would replace the run of the mill XEON processor in the Mac Pro. For some work loads this would be a fantastic upgrade for others it might be more ho hum. You could probably build one with an external TB connected chassis assuming you could find a chassis with the power handling capability needed. The problem is I don't think Intel supports Phi real well in Mac OS. The sub 28 nm technology is really impressive, all one has to do is pick up any smart phone and let their mind drift back to the days of the 6502 and the ""computers"" built around that chip. I put computers in double quotes there because even my old iPhone 4 runs circles around the hardware we had back then, it even runs circles around many of the i86 computers I've owned over the years. I think you are addicted to tech. There are lots of unknowns there. The mac Pro to me is a very innovative and forward looking platform. It is a platform adapted to the realities of what the next few process shrinks will do for high performance computing. I've mentioned in other threads but today silicon is the Printed Circuit Board of the 70's and 80's. It is there that companies like Apple and Intel will be spending their energies in the future. PC's will very well become SoC machines with tiny mother boards to support some RAM and a few analog parts. Apples A8 pretty much bodies the trend and Intel will have hardware approaching this level of integration soon. At the high performance end of the spectrum Intel will be going high integration in a big way with Phi's shipping with huge amounts of RAM in the package.
Reboot coming
Truthfully speaking NO. Hopefully perhaps.