Intel Mac Pro refresh hinted at in Xcode beta

AppleInsider

Amid Apple's transition to first-party silicon across its Mac lineup, evidence that the company may be working on an Intel-based Mac Pro has been discovered in the latest version of Xcode.

Credit: Andrew O'Hara, AppleInsider

The evidence was first spotted by Brendan Shanks, a developer at CodeWeavers. According to Shanks, the first beta version of Xcode 13 contains a reference to Intel Ice Lake Xeon processor support.

Interesting addition to usr/include/mach/machine.h in Xcode 13 beta 1: CPUFAMILY_INTEL_ICELAKE_SP.

Mac Pro refresh coming? pic.twitter.com/e3OQuLyUeV

-- Brendan Shanks (@realmrpippy)

June 8, 2021

More specifically, Xcode refers to Ice Lake SP, Intel's latest scalable Xeon processor. Apple currently uses Xeon processors in its desktop Mac Pro model, which was first unveiled in June 2018. That makes a Mac Pro the most likely candidate for a future Intel Mac.

The Intel reference seems to back up previous rumors of a Mac Pro with non-Apple Silicon chips.

Back in January, Bloomberg reported that Apple was working on two Mac Pro devices. One would be a smaller, redesigned desktop with an Apple Silicon chip, while the second would be identical to the current Mac Pro and would continue to use an Intel processor.

Similarly, in May, references in a macOS Big Sur beta appeared to point toward an unreleased 10-core Intel Core i9 processor.

Apple has said that the transition to Apple Silicon, announced in June 2020, would take about two years to complete. Given that the first M1 Macs were released in November 2020, there is indeed still time for an Intel Mac to be released within that timeframe.

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lam92103

Come on Apple, we need a non-overpriced MacProMini with Desktop level components, for normal people. It'll be a hit with the gaming crowd, developers and be a good general purpose computer.

Don't include a GPU by default, so that we can just install our own and use it for gaming.

Rayz2016

lam92103 said:

Come on Apple, we need a non-overpriced MacProMini with Desktop level components, for normal people. It'll be a hit with the gaming crowd, developers and be a good general purpose computer.

Don't include a GPU by default, so that we can just install our own and use it for gaming.

For every yes there are a thousand nos. 

I think this one might be a no. 

lkrupp

lam92103 said:

Come on Apple, we need a non-overpriced MacProMini with Desktop level components, for normal people. It'll be a hit with the gaming crowd, developers and be a good general purpose computer.

Don't include a GPU by default, so that we can just install our own and use it for gaming.

Not no way, no how, not gonna happen. And by the way, the current Mac Pro is not in any way overpriced for what it is, a real pro machine that's right up there with the big work stations. You really should just go to MicroCenter, pick up a bunch of parts off the shelves, assemble your dream gaming machine, and be happy. If you haven’t gotten the memo yet, know that Apple does not want you for a customer.

dysamoria

lam92103 said:

Come on Apple, we need a non-overpriced MacProMini with Desktop level components, for normal people. It'll be a hit with the gaming crowd, developers and be a good general purpose computer.

Don't include a GPU by default, so that we can just install our own and use it for gaming.

I’m with you. I’m sure it won’t happen, though.

Johar

It has been sadly obvious for oh, about as many years as Steve Jobs have been dead, that Apple is firmly opposed to any kind of state-of-the-art gaming on the Mac.

I've been a Mac user since I got my first Macintosh SE (so quite a while) and it has always been a bit of a challenge to be a gamer on that platform. But Steve Jobs regularly trotted out gaming celebs like John Carmack to tout the gaming prowess of Mac OS X. We also got OpenGL, PC compatible ports and eventually the ability to boot straight into Windows and play any game we wanted.

Under Cook, mobile games seem to be OK, but game developers on the Mac are given such a cold shoulder that even Mac gaming stalwart Blizzard refrained from launching their latest hit game Overwatch on the Mac. This was the first game since the start of that company that wasn't simultaneoulsy launched on both PC and Mac. Apples anemic GPU choices didn't enable the game to meet Blizzard's user experience standards.

What I don't get is the joy that clowns like Lkrupp seems to derive from the fact that Mac users now need to purchase a second computer for gaming. Is there any reason at all to celebrate that one specific, and incidentally very popular, activity simply can't be adequately performed on a Mac computer?

martinxyz

lam92103 said:

Don't include a GPU by default, so that we can just install our own and use it for gaming.

Now, as it has always been, drivers would be the issue. Moving forward, there's talk that Apple may be walking away from external GPUs supplied by traditional vendors in favour of their own silicon. We live in interesting times.

Come on Apple, we need a non-overpriced MacProMini with Desktop level components, for normal people. It'll be a hit with the gaming crowd, developers and be a good general purpose computer.

Room for, say, 3 PCI cards, and a couple of NVMe sticks in a chassis a quarter of the volume of the current Mac Pro would be welcome. With so many components shrinking, it's time to shed some size from the traditional tower.

auxio

Johar said:

What I don't get is the joy that clowns like Lkrupp seems to derive from the fact that Mac users now need to purchase a second computer for gaming.

As a casual gamer who only uses PCs for my job (and even then, barely), I definitively say that I don't need to purchase a second computer.  What I don't get is how hardcore gamers can't see that they are in a niche and don't represent the majority.  But I guess when you don't get out and interact with teachers, doctors, lawyers, construction workers, etc, etc, it's difficult to see that.

I mean, I'm certainly down my own rabbit hole when it comes to how far I've gone with music (digging up obscurities from past and present), but I'm under no illusions that Apple Music should cater to my niche.

Beats

Intel? WHY?

Apple’s M2 is gonna destroy everything Intel. Apple will(I hope) was a few months more for it before releasing a new Mac Pro.

lam92103 said:

Come on Apple, we need a non-overpriced MacProMini with Desktop level components, for normal people. It'll be a hit with the gaming crowd, developers and be a good general purpose computer.

Don't include a GPU by default, so that we can just install our own and use it for gaming.

An iMac?

If you want a low end Mac Pro get the lowest configuration? How about an M1 Mac Mini?

Your post confuses me. 

Rayz2016

Johar said:

It has been sadly obvious for oh, about as many years as Steve Jobs have been dead, that Apple is firmly opposed to any kind of state-of-the-art gaming on the Mac.

I've been a Mac user since I got my first Macintosh SE (so quite a while) and it has always been a bit of a challenge to be a gamer on that platform. But Steve Jobs regularly trotted out gaming celebs like John Carmack to tout the gaming prowess of Mac OS X. We also got OpenGL, PC compatible ports and eventually the ability to boot straight into Windows and play any game we wanted.

Under Cook, mobile games seem to be OK, but game developers on the Mac are given such a cold shoulder that even Mac gaming stalwart Blizzard refrained from launching their latest hit game Overwatch on the Mac. This was the first game since the start of that company that wasn't simultaneoulsy launched on both PC and Mac. Apples anemic GPU choices didn't enable the game to meet Blizzard's user experience standards.

What I don't get is the joy that clowns like Lkrupp seems to derive from the fact that Mac users now need to purchase a second computer for gaming. Is there any reason at all to celebrate that one specific, and incidentally very popular, activity simply can't be adequately performed on a Mac computer?

I don’t think I’ve seen anything to indicate that Apple was interested in hardcore gaming when Steve Jobs was alive. It certainly hasn’t gotten any better, but we’re you expecting it to?

Hardcore gaming is a niche that Apple just isn’t interested. I’d say they lean towards games that folk play in short bursts before leaving the house for some exercise. It could be that you’re  part of a demographic that Apple feels it shouldn’t encourage to expand. 

Johar

There seems to be some confusion about "gamers". The desire to play graphically advanced games at high frame rates doesn't equate to an anti-social, sedentary life, spent in front of a blinged out gaming rig. It's like assuming that everyone who likes a great cinematic experience in front of a large screen TV with a surround sound system by definition have to be wasting their life away binging TV shows all the time.

Hardcore gamers are mostly kids in the 10-25 year old bracket with gaming, often both competitive and social, as a major interest. I would advise against letting your prejudices paint them all as degenerate lowlifes. And the size of the gaming market seems to contradict the notion that playing games is a niche.

crowley

Beats said:

Intel? WHY?

Apple’s M2 is gonna destroy everything Intel. Apple will(I hope) was a few months more for it before releasing a new Mac Pro.

lam92103 said:

Come on Apple, we need a non-overpriced MacProMini with Desktop level components, for normal people. It'll be a hit with the gaming crowd, developers and be a good general purpose computer.

Don't include a GPU by default, so that we can just install our own and use it for gaming.

An iMac?

If you want a low end Mac Pro get the lowest configuration? How about an M1 Mac Mini?

Your post confuses me. 

A sub-$2000 machine that can take a discrete graphics card. Not difficult to understand.

michelb76

I'm very worried how much an Mx Mac Pro is going to cost. Given this refresh, it's definitely not ready and memory will most likely be incredibly expensive. Maybe it will have support for external GPU's, even though we don't have much choice there. I guess we'll see a semi-pro mac first, for the price of the iMac Pro.

sedicivalvole

Who said hardcore gaming? 

Only the people defending why the Macs gaming capability is so shit. 

The original poster didn’t say he was hardcore gaming. Casual gamers like myself also have this issue. I am very much a casual gamer, but all my Macs are useless for it. Even the Mac Pro. 

Very very disappointing that a company like Blizzard apparently felt they had no
choice and released for Windows only at launch. Sad times. 

Sort it out Apple, it’s easily within your power and would remove another obstacle a lot of people struggle with. 

Fidonet127

sedicivalvole said:

Who said hardcore gaming? 

Only the people defending why the Macs gaming capability is so shit. 

The original poster didn’t say he was hardcore gaming. Casual gamers like myself also have this issue. I am very much a casual gamer, but all my Macs are useless for it. Even the Mac Pro. 

Very very disappointing that a company like Blizzard apparently felt they had no
choice and released for Windows only at launch. Sad times. 

Sort it out Apple, it’s easily within your power and would remove another obstacle a lot of people struggle with. 

Macs are useless for casual gaming is utterly nonsense. It may not have the same games as Windows, however it does have lots of casual games. Most of Apple Arcade is casual gaming. Part of reason Apple went with their own silicon is so developers can bring over iOS apps and thus games to the Mac. As part of the Rosetta 2 demo was a game. The ASi Macs brought a lot of built in power for CPU, GPU and ML/NE. By doing so, developers know by targeting these ASi Macs, they have a good baseline for powerful apps, including games and use the same code base as iOS. I’m able to run my favorite game on totally maxed out settings for details, etc and still get smooth graphics with good frame rates on my ASi Mac. Yet this is only the low end ASi Macs. There is no magic wand for Apple to wave and fix everything about gaming on the Mac. Windows will always be the larger market. 

crowley

Fidonet127 said:

sedicivalvole said:

Who said hardcore gaming? 

Only the people defending why the Macs gaming capability is so shit. 

The original poster didn’t say he was hardcore gaming. Casual gamers like myself also have this issue. I am very much a casual gamer, but all my Macs are useless for it. Even the Mac Pro. 

Very very disappointing that a company like Blizzard apparently felt they had no
choice and released for Windows only at launch. Sad times. 

Sort it out Apple, it’s easily within your power and would remove another obstacle a lot of people struggle with. 

Macs are useless for casual gaming is utterly nonsense. It may not have the same games as Windows, however it does have lots of casual games. 

Agree with this.  It has plenty of non-casual games as well, Paradox reliably publish on the Mac.  And the indie scene is pretty great.

mpantone

Johar said:

What I don't get is the joy that clowns like Lkrupp seems to derive from the fact that Mac users now need to purchase a second computer for gaming. Is there any reason at all to celebrate that one specific, and incidentally very popular, activity simply can't be adequately performed on a Mac computer?

At some point in the not-too-distant future, a lot of gaming will be done using streaming services like Nvidia GeForce NOW, Microsoft xCloud, whatever.

At least in 2021, for the Mac user who wants to play videogames, the best option is likely a console (PS5 or Xbox X|S).

While I am a longtime Mac user, I play videogames on Windows PCs since the available library is magnitudes larger than what is available to macOS gamers.

It's worth pointing out that the videogame industry blew past Hollywood in revenue back in the Nineties. It's not some niche activity.

But some AppleInsider commenters are locked in a worldview that hasn't changed for twenty years. They probably have no idea that the guy controlling a multi-million dollar Navy ROV or Air Force drone is probably some 24-year-old corporal (who played Starfox as a kid) with a 3-star general/admiral (in his early sixties) standing over his/her shoulder.