Hopefully the new iMac will give me enough justification to upgrade my C2D. But, it's going to take more than USB 3.0 to get me excited. What about eSATA that I have on several of my external HDs?
Personally, I would love to see the following:
1. Blu-ray (as a storage option, not for watching movies)
2. Two internal HDs optionally configured as a Raid 1 in the 27" model. There has to be enough space in the case and an internal Raid would be a great. The iMac would automatically boot from the mirrored HD in the event of the primary drive failing and alert the user to take their Mac into the Apple Store to replace the failed HD.
3. Ambient backlit keyboard like those on the MacBook Pro.
4. Perhaps lose the white on the mouse and keyboard, which feels a bit out of place on an aluminum and black machine.
5. Optional multi-touch input device to be used in conjunction or as a replacement for the Magic Mouse.
6. Not really iMac specific, but could Apple PLEASE begin updating software between versions of OS X? With the time between OSes increasing, I don't see how Apple can hold off on upgrades to key software such as Mail. I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO STRUGGLE USING WIDEMAIL OR LETTERBOX FOR WIDESCREEN MAIL PREVIEWS WHEN MOBILEME AND THE IPAD ALREADY HAVE THAT FEATURE!
The only question I have is - did you submit any of this directly to Apple? That's where stuff like this actually gets consideration. If not please do!
I Shopped in 4 local <<10036 and 10310 zip codes>> Best Buys for a Fire Wire 800 1tb or 2tb drives . 2 YRS ago i found them . Now they all but are gone and people who work there look at I am like i am nuts. Apple stores sell them at such a high price .
Sadly...this is so true. I always thought the iPods and iPhones were supposed to be a gateway drug to bring users into the Mac fold. Now, I think they're slowly becoming a gadget company instead of a computer company.
In the event that you may not have noticed, those "gadgets" you so lightly dismiss, are part of a shifting paradigm that will gradually impact your desktop. Just because someone can't see it, doesn't understand how it will work, doesn't mean it isn't happening. Look at the impact of the App Store on development. Where developers once only produced a handful of products at much higher price points, now they are rapidly expanding variations of their old desktop apps to deliver to haldheld/mobile devices in numbers not seen before. And as mobile devices gain power and capacity, they will slowly overtake your desktop in capability and capacity.
A lot of techy people, fans and otherwise are effectively trapped in a 20th century meme of how someone MUST interface with the computing device and being locked in are unable to see themselves as doing things any other way. In the same way most people thought that a keyboard and minature screen was the only effective interface for cellphones. In this case their knowledge is actually a hinderance to adopting new interfaces and technologies, where the average consumer is not hampered by pre-conceived ideas about how things SHOULD work and are open to how things could would differently and better. The iPod/iTunes, iPhone and iPad consumer uptake have effectively demonstrated this.
A friend of mine, has been waiting for this update all year. He needed a new Mac Pro to run SL server on for his office. I told him "just wait the new 6 core version is coming out soon" but months later its still vapor. He got tired of waiting and his new Mac Pro arrived yesterday.
Apple used to be first to market with new CPU's and such and the Mac Pro was the one that usually did it. I guess its just another sign that iOS is Apple and the Mac is being slowly left out of the loop.
and I'm sure your friend is enjoying how much better it performed than the aging G5 or Windows Server he was replacing.
For starters... I've always recommended that people "never" wait for the latest and super duper greatest desktop, unless we're talking about normal and realistic upgrade cycles. It's an eternally elusive jabberwocky. Even if you spent a fortune buying the perfect machine, the shine falls off real quick and operating issues are more about practical application. Like, does it work with the other $30K of hardware sitting next to the workstation?
From my experience, the professional community has benefited greatly from a more stable desktop platform. Hasn't the entire desktop market hit a plateau? Isn't "everyone" using the same chips? How is the need to upgrade less often a bad thing?
I love it when my cheaper gadgets get stupid features, but the pro line shouldn't be about that. When a workstation costs at minimum as much as cheap car and could cost as much as a sports car, it's a minimum of a 5 year investment.
There are many reasons why Apple has turned their attention to iOS. The most obvious is that their desktop line doesn't need as much attention. None of us are in awe of our workstations any more. When Intel relases a new chip, Apple gets it and sometimes before everyone else.
The "new" is in how we interact with the information attached to the workstation, touch and tablet computing. I can't wait to see what new devices or software we have in store for us. I'm loving it already. I mean, being able to administer an entire network, with an touch tablet and a bit of nifty programing in my hands has, well.... "changed my life". Sad I know.
Finally, as far as I can tell Apple is still is first in allot of things desktop related.. Isn't that the point of this article?
Don't hold your breath for Blu-Ray. Besides likely being a transitional technology, I don't believe Apple wants to saddle its customers with Sony's licensing fees.
Blu-Ray players are cheap enough. I surmise Apple's market research concluded most people interested in Blu-Ray already have large format TVs and home theaters much more suitable for HD video and sound, so the addition of this on their computers is of limited value.
Sure, I wish Blu-Ray were available on Macs too, but I wouldn't be willing to pay anything more for it. It's not anything close to being a show-stopper for me. I haven't watched a movie on a Mac since building my home theater, nor would I want to (haven't set foot in a movie theater since then either)
Ripping movies greater than DVD size is another story, but given the media cost, is it really worth the effort?
Quote:
Originally Posted by kotatsu
Looks like my Win 7 box won't be replaced anytime soon then.
It will, when you've finally had enough with Windows, spyware, viruses, etc...
I don't understand why Apple doesn't do a basic hardware refresh every 6 months for their desktops, they wouldn't have to redesign the asphetics at all.
The current generation of Mac Pro's are now a joke and Apple should be ashamed to still be trying to sell them, even the iMacs are really starting to show their age (internally I mean).
your needs of course, but none of the people I know who are driving business and workflows on MacPros are complaining about performance at all. In fact even among the high-end animation and graphics folks they talk about finding ways to tap more of the MacPro's capacity in what they are doing - frequently it is they themselves that can't keep up with what it is capable of. How would 6 month updates do anything but simply incrementalize minor updates on a platform that already performs extraordinarily well? Simply for the gratification of being in a lock-step with the goofball PC manufacturers who throw feature after feature on incremental models just to pique your interest?
That's part of the race to the bottom that I don't believe Apple supports. I'm sure there a re labs at one Infinity Loop that are dedicated to checking out the latest-greatest to see if they are worth including in the next update.
and I'm sure your friend is enjoying how much better it performed than the aging G5 or Windows Server he was replacing.
For starters... I've always recommended that people "never" wait for the latest and super duper greatest desktop, unless we're talking about normal and realistic upgrade cycles. It's an eternally elusive jabberwocky. Even if you spent a fortune buying the perfect machine, the shine falls off real quick and operating issues are more about practical application. Like, does it work with the other $30K of hardware sitting next to the workstation?
From my experience, the professional community has benefited greatly from a more stable desktop platform. Hasn't the entire desktop market hit a plateau? Isn't "everyone" using the same chips? How is the need to upgrade less often a bad thing?
I love it when my cheaper gadgets get stupid features, but the pro line shouldn't be about that. When a workstation costs at minimum as much as cheap car and could cost as much as a sports car, it's a minimum of a 5 year investment.
There are many reasons why Apple has turned their attention to iOS. The most obvious is that their desktop line doesn't need as much attention. None of us are in awe of our workstations any more. When Intel relases a new chip, Apple gets it and sometimes before everyone else.
The "new" is in how we interact with the information attached to the workstation, touch and tablet computing. I can't wait to see what new devices or software we have in store for us. I'm loving it already. I mean, being able to administer an entire network, with an touch tablet and a bit of nifty programing in my hands has, well.... "changed my life". Sad I know.
Finally, as far as I can tell Apple is still is first in allot of things desktop related.. Isn't that the point of this article?
I assume you are using an iPad - what apps are you using?
I support the 'gadgets' and what have you. Still, I like computers where I type on the command line, try out open source and in-development software, experiment, etc. It's fun. I hope gadgets can continue to support that sort of activity. Plus, Apple makes incredible desktops and laptops, IMO the best out there, and it'd be a shame to see them neglected.
Personally I like the MacBook Air a lot, and would love to see an update there. I think it's a great machine, it just needs steady updates if Apple can find the necessary components....
I don't understand why Apple doesn't do a basic hardware refresh every 6 months for their desktops, they wouldn't have to redesign the asphetics at all.
Because on the high end, intel doesn't have new chips that often. They could do updates to more ram or bigger hard drives in the interim (sometimes they do, sometimes they don't). Or lower prices, but Apple never does that apart from product upgrades.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jragosta
There's no idea of what the specs will be, how it will perform, nor what it will cost - just a rumor that there will be an update soon (big surprise there). Yet the trolls are already running around claiming that it's overpriced and underpowered. Amazing.
While you have a point, the last update of the MP was overpriced and way underpowered for the base model - people are going to get cynical like that when a new machine doesn't outperform the old one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lukeskymac
Urrrrr, the iMac and the Mac Pro are known to be the cheapest and most powerful computers of their respective lines.
MP is cheapest? I don't get that. And the base MP isn't especially powerful, especially for the price - it gets blown away by PCs half the price, not to mention outperformed by the higher end iMacs. Not impressive for a "pro" machine, and a damn expensive one.
I Shopped in 4 local <<10036 and 10310 zip codes>> Best Buys for a Fire Wire 800 1tb or 2tb drives . 2 YRS ago i found them . Now they all but are gone and people who work there look at I am like i am nuts. Apple stores sell them at such a high price .
I move 400 g of movie data back and forth all the time . FIRE WIRE 800 blazes thru ,
usb 2 is so f--ing slow .
what is light speak ??
peace and thank god no one is talking about you know what !!!
9
best buy sells macs ?? so why not sell mac users drives ???
duh
nine
OWC (Other World Computing) has great deals of Firewire HDD. Excellent product selection and great customer service if you run into a problem. Check out there Mercury Elite Pro series. It's all that you need if you are looking into a firewire desktop set up.
Apple will update its Mac Pro desktop at the end of this summer, and its all-in-one iMac a few weeks later, adding both USB 3.0 and faster FireWire connectivity to the machines, a new rumor states.
French Mac website Hardmac reported Friday that Apple aims to update the desktops in time for its back to school sales period. The report cited one of the site's "better sources" in relaying the information.
by the end of the summer?? in time for its back to school sale?? how many students need a mac pro? how many students can afford a mac pro? no blu-ray??
Well, it'll be interesting to see what these alleged upcoming refreshes end up consisting of. My iMac is coming up on 3 years old and I've got a few buyers just waiting for me to upgrade so they can get their hands on "Rob's latest hand-me-down". The questions is, will I finally spring for a MacPro.
For starters... I've always recommended that people "never" wait for the latest and super duper greatest desktop, unless we're talking about normal and realistic upgrade cycles.
But in this case we ARE talking about normal upgrade cycles. The MP has been overdue for a while now, and it's definitely worth waiting for unless you absolutely need a machine today. Sure, today's model is better than some older machines, but do you really want to buy a machine and find out that if you would have waited a month or two you could have had a much faster machine, and maybe at a lower price.
With products that constantly update (mainly on the PC side) timing doesn't matter as much, but for a model that updates about once a year, I'd say it's extremely prudent to be aware of timing and wait for the new model if that is an option.
Quote:
Originally Posted by spliff monkey
Hasn't the entire desktop market hit a plateau? Isn't "everyone" using the same chips?
Considering that the next gen will be 6/12 cores, I wouldn't call that a plateau. And no, Apple isn't using the same chips that are available in PC's, at least not yet. We're not talking about stupid features, we're talking about potentially a major speed bump.
Hardly a troll. I have been using Apple computers since my II GS in 1989... I just don't kiss Apple's ass over everything they release (or about to release).
According to MacRumor's buyer's guide, the current MacPro is over 500 days old without an update. That is pathetic. Plain and simple.
What does that have to do with your assertion that the next (yet unannounced) Mac Pro is overpriced and underpowered?
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacinScott
Hopefully the new iMac will give me enough justification to upgrade my C2D. But, it's going to take more than USB 3.0 to get me excited. What about eSATA that I have on several of my external HDs?
Personally, I would love to see the following:
1. Blu-ray (as a storage option, not for watching movies)
2. Two internal HDs optionally configured as a Raid 1 in the 27" model. There has to be enough space in the case and an internal Raid would be a great. The iMac would automatically boot from the mirrored HD in the event of the primary drive failing and alert the user to take their Mac into the Apple Store to replace the failed HD.
3. Ambient backlit keyboard like those on the MacBook Pro.
4. Perhaps lose the white on the mouse and keyboard, which feels a bit out of place on an aluminum and black machine.
5. Optional multi-touch input device to be used in conjunction or as a replacement for the Magic Mouse.
6. Not really iMac specific, but could Apple PLEASE begin updating software between versions of OS X? With the time between OSes increasing, I don't see how Apple can hold off on upgrades to key software such as Mail. I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO STRUGGLE USING WIDEMAIL OR LETTERBOX FOR WIDESCREEN MAIL PREVIEWS WHEN MOBILEME AND THE IPAD ALREADY HAVE THAT FEATURE!
1. Available from third parties if you need it. Apparently, Apple's research says that the number of people who would use it is too small to justify inclusion as a standard (or even BTO option)
2. Possible, but RAID is generally considered a 'high end' feature. For example, they only offer RAID in the server version of the Mini. With Time Machine, it's not as critical as it once was.
3. I'm not sure how many people this matters to. Unlike a laptop, I'd guess that few people use desktop computers in the dark. Could be wrong, though.
4. I could picture the Magic Mouse in black.
5. They do. Many of the x.x.x updates update the applications, as well.
I would like to see eSATA added as a port on the iMac because I would rather not buy a MacPro to replace the G5 tower.
Comes down to demand. If eSATA ever becomes so standard that a large number of consumers (the iMac is targeted at consumers, not business or high-end users) use it, then it would probably be adopted.
Quote:
Originally Posted by minderbinder
While you have a point, the last update of the MP was overpriced and way underpowered for the base model - people are going to get cynical like that when a new machine doesn't outperform the old one..
Not true. The MacPro machines have always been in line with similar high end machines (hint, if the machine has a desktop processor instead of a Xeon, it doesn't count). Granted, they couldn't compete with a home-built machine, but they never intended to.
I would also like to see a tower targeted more at consumers (desktop CPU instead of Xeon, less expensive case and internals) than at professionals, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. For now, the Mac Pro is a high end professional graphics workstation - and it's priced that way.
Comments
Hopefully the new iMac will give me enough justification to upgrade my C2D. But, it's going to take more than USB 3.0 to get me excited. What about eSATA that I have on several of my external HDs?
Personally, I would love to see the following:
1. Blu-ray (as a storage option, not for watching movies)
2. Two internal HDs optionally configured as a Raid 1 in the 27" model. There has to be enough space in the case and an internal Raid would be a great. The iMac would automatically boot from the mirrored HD in the event of the primary drive failing and alert the user to take their Mac into the Apple Store to replace the failed HD.
3. Ambient backlit keyboard like those on the MacBook Pro.
4. Perhaps lose the white on the mouse and keyboard, which feels a bit out of place on an aluminum and black machine.
5. Optional multi-touch input device to be used in conjunction or as a replacement for the Magic Mouse.
6. Not really iMac specific, but could Apple PLEASE begin updating software between versions of OS X? With the time between OSes increasing, I don't see how Apple can hold off on upgrades to key software such as Mail. I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO STRUGGLE USING WIDEMAIL OR LETTERBOX FOR WIDESCREEN MAIL PREVIEWS WHEN MOBILEME AND THE IPAD ALREADY HAVE THAT FEATURE!
The only question I have is - did you submit any of this directly to Apple? That's where stuff like this actually gets consideration. If not please do!
I Shopped in 4 local <<10036 and 10310 zip codes>> Best Buys for a Fire Wire 800 1tb or 2tb drives . 2 YRS ago i found them . Now they all but are gone and people who work there look at I am like i am nuts. Apple stores sell them at such a high price .
LaCie has an online store in addition to a factory referb store. You can save a buck or two by going that route for FW800. http://www.lacie.com/us/products/cle...ucts/?id=10007
Since you claim to live in the methane seas of Neptune, ...
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=neptune,+nj
UPS delivers there. Just stay out of the ocean.
Sadly...this is so true. I always thought the iPods and iPhones were supposed to be a gateway drug to bring users into the Mac fold. Now, I think they're slowly becoming a gadget company instead of a computer company.
In the event that you may not have noticed, those "gadgets" you so lightly dismiss, are part of a shifting paradigm that will gradually impact your desktop. Just because someone can't see it, doesn't understand how it will work, doesn't mean it isn't happening. Look at the impact of the App Store on development. Where developers once only produced a handful of products at much higher price points, now they are rapidly expanding variations of their old desktop apps to deliver to haldheld/mobile devices in numbers not seen before. And as mobile devices gain power and capacity, they will slowly overtake your desktop in capability and capacity.
A lot of techy people, fans and otherwise are effectively trapped in a 20th century meme of how someone MUST interface with the computing device and being locked in are unable to see themselves as doing things any other way. In the same way most people thought that a keyboard and minature screen was the only effective interface for cellphones. In this case their knowledge is actually a hinderance to adopting new interfaces and technologies, where the average consumer is not hampered by pre-conceived ideas about how things SHOULD work and are open to how things could would differently and better. The iPod/iTunes, iPhone and iPad consumer uptake have effectively demonstrated this.
A friend of mine, has been waiting for this update all year. He needed a new Mac Pro to run SL server on for his office. I told him "just wait the new 6 core version is coming out soon" but months later its still vapor. He got tired of waiting and his new Mac Pro arrived yesterday.
Apple used to be first to market with new CPU's and such and the Mac Pro was the one that usually did it. I guess its just another sign that iOS is Apple and the Mac is being slowly left out of the loop.
and I'm sure your friend is enjoying how much better it performed than the aging G5 or Windows Server he was replacing.
For starters... I've always recommended that people "never" wait for the latest and super duper greatest desktop, unless we're talking about normal and realistic upgrade cycles. It's an eternally elusive jabberwocky. Even if you spent a fortune buying the perfect machine, the shine falls off real quick and operating issues are more about practical application. Like, does it work with the other $30K of hardware sitting next to the workstation?
From my experience, the professional community has benefited greatly from a more stable desktop platform. Hasn't the entire desktop market hit a plateau? Isn't "everyone" using the same chips? How is the need to upgrade less often a bad thing?
I love it when my cheaper gadgets get stupid features, but the pro line shouldn't be about that. When a workstation costs at minimum as much as cheap car and could cost as much as a sports car, it's a minimum of a 5 year investment.
There are many reasons why Apple has turned their attention to iOS. The most obvious is that their desktop line doesn't need as much attention. None of us are in awe of our workstations any more. When Intel relases a new chip, Apple gets it and sometimes before everyone else.
The "new" is in how we interact with the information attached to the workstation, touch and tablet computing. I can't wait to see what new devices or software we have in store for us. I'm loving it already. I mean, being able to administer an entire network, with an touch tablet and a bit of nifty programing in my hands has, well.... "changed my life".
Finally, as far as I can tell Apple is still is first in allot of things desktop related.. Isn't that the point of this article?
... and the other is the lack of blu-ray.
Try Newegg or OWC for Blu-Ray drives.
Don't hold your breath for Blu-Ray. Besides likely being a transitional technology, I don't believe Apple wants to saddle its customers with Sony's licensing fees.
Blu-Ray players are cheap enough. I surmise Apple's market research concluded most people interested in Blu-Ray already have large format TVs and home theaters much more suitable for HD video and sound, so the addition of this on their computers is of limited value.
Sure, I wish Blu-Ray were available on Macs too, but I wouldn't be willing to pay anything more for it. It's not anything close to being a show-stopper for me. I haven't watched a movie on a Mac since building my home theater, nor would I want to (haven't set foot in a movie theater since then either)
Ripping movies greater than DVD size is another story, but given the media cost, is it really worth the effort?
Looks like my Win 7 box won't be replaced anytime soon then.
It will, when you've finally had enough with Windows, spyware, viruses, etc...
I don't understand why Apple doesn't do a basic hardware refresh every 6 months for their desktops, they wouldn't have to redesign the asphetics at all.
The current generation of Mac Pro's are now a joke and Apple should be ashamed to still be trying to sell them, even the iMacs are really starting to show their age (internally I mean).
your needs of course, but none of the people I know who are driving business and workflows on MacPros are complaining about performance at all. In fact even among the high-end animation and graphics folks they talk about finding ways to tap more of the MacPro's capacity in what they are doing - frequently it is they themselves that can't keep up with what it is capable of. How would 6 month updates do anything but simply incrementalize minor updates on a platform that already performs extraordinarily well? Simply for the gratification of being in a lock-step with the goofball PC manufacturers who throw feature after feature on incremental models just to pique your interest?
That's part of the race to the bottom that I don't believe Apple supports. I'm sure there a re labs at one Infinity Loop that are dedicated to checking out the latest-greatest to see if they are worth including in the next update.
and I'm sure your friend is enjoying how much better it performed than the aging G5 or Windows Server he was replacing.
For starters... I've always recommended that people "never" wait for the latest and super duper greatest desktop, unless we're talking about normal and realistic upgrade cycles. It's an eternally elusive jabberwocky. Even if you spent a fortune buying the perfect machine, the shine falls off real quick and operating issues are more about practical application. Like, does it work with the other $30K of hardware sitting next to the workstation?
From my experience, the professional community has benefited greatly from a more stable desktop platform. Hasn't the entire desktop market hit a plateau? Isn't "everyone" using the same chips? How is the need to upgrade less often a bad thing?
I love it when my cheaper gadgets get stupid features, but the pro line shouldn't be about that. When a workstation costs at minimum as much as cheap car and could cost as much as a sports car, it's a minimum of a 5 year investment.
There are many reasons why Apple has turned their attention to iOS. The most obvious is that their desktop line doesn't need as much attention. None of us are in awe of our workstations any more. When Intel relases a new chip, Apple gets it and sometimes before everyone else.
The "new" is in how we interact with the information attached to the workstation, touch and tablet computing. I can't wait to see what new devices or software we have in store for us. I'm loving it already. I mean, being able to administer an entire network, with an touch tablet and a bit of nifty programing in my hands has, well.... "changed my life".
Finally, as far as I can tell Apple is still is first in allot of things desktop related.. Isn't that the point of this article?
I assume you are using an iPad - what apps are you using?
how about a wireless keyboard that has a numeric keypad....
nothing like working on a spreadsheet with a laptop sized keyboard.
Amen to that!!!
Personally I like the MacBook Air a lot, and would love to see an update there. I think it's a great machine, it just needs steady updates if Apple can find the necessary components....
I don't understand why Apple doesn't do a basic hardware refresh every 6 months for their desktops, they wouldn't have to redesign the asphetics at all.
Because on the high end, intel doesn't have new chips that often. They could do updates to more ram or bigger hard drives in the interim (sometimes they do, sometimes they don't). Or lower prices, but Apple never does that apart from product upgrades.
There's no idea of what the specs will be, how it will perform, nor what it will cost - just a rumor that there will be an update soon (big surprise there). Yet the trolls are already running around claiming that it's overpriced and underpowered. Amazing.
While you have a point, the last update of the MP was overpriced and way underpowered for the base model - people are going to get cynical like that when a new machine doesn't outperform the old one.
Urrrrr, the iMac and the Mac Pro are known to be the cheapest and most powerful computers of their respective lines.
MP is cheapest? I don't get that. And the base MP isn't especially powerful, especially for the price - it gets blown away by PCs half the price, not to mention outperformed by the higher end iMacs. Not impressive for a "pro" machine, and a damn expensive one.
I Shopped in 4 local <<10036 and 10310 zip codes>> Best Buys for a Fire Wire 800 1tb or 2tb drives . 2 YRS ago i found them . Now they all but are gone and people who work there look at I am like i am nuts. Apple stores sell them at such a high price .
I move 400 g of movie data back and forth all the time . FIRE WIRE 800 blazes thru ,
usb 2 is so f--ing slow .
what is light speak ??
peace and thank god no one is talking about you know what !!!
9
best buy sells macs ?? so why not sell mac users drives ???
duh
nine
OWC (Other World Computing) has great deals of Firewire HDD. Excellent product selection and great customer service if you run into a problem. Check out there Mercury Elite Pro series. It's all that you need if you are looking into a firewire desktop set up.
Rumors of a new Mac Pro have persisted for all of 2009
Your calendar called, it's 2010 now
Apple will update its Mac Pro desktop at the end of this summer, and its all-in-one iMac a few weeks later, adding both USB 3.0 and faster FireWire connectivity to the machines, a new rumor states.
French Mac website Hardmac reported Friday that Apple aims to update the desktops in time for its back to school sales period. The report cited one of the site's "better sources" in relaying the information.
by the end of the summer?? in time for its back to school sale?? how many students need a mac pro? how many students can afford a mac pro? no blu-ray??
For starters... I've always recommended that people "never" wait for the latest and super duper greatest desktop, unless we're talking about normal and realistic upgrade cycles.
But in this case we ARE talking about normal upgrade cycles. The MP has been overdue for a while now, and it's definitely worth waiting for unless you absolutely need a machine today. Sure, today's model is better than some older machines, but do you really want to buy a machine and find out that if you would have waited a month or two you could have had a much faster machine, and maybe at a lower price.
With products that constantly update (mainly on the PC side) timing doesn't matter as much, but for a model that updates about once a year, I'd say it's extremely prudent to be aware of timing and wait for the new model if that is an option.
Hasn't the entire desktop market hit a plateau? Isn't "everyone" using the same chips?
Considering that the next gen will be 6/12 cores, I wouldn't call that a plateau. And no, Apple isn't using the same chips that are available in PC's, at least not yet. We're not talking about stupid features, we're talking about potentially a major speed bump.
Hardly a troll. I have been using Apple computers since my II GS in 1989... I just don't kiss Apple's ass over everything they release (or about to release).
According to MacRumor's buyer's guide, the current MacPro is over 500 days old without an update. That is pathetic. Plain and simple.
What does that have to do with your assertion that the next (yet unannounced) Mac Pro is overpriced and underpowered?
Hopefully the new iMac will give me enough justification to upgrade my C2D. But, it's going to take more than USB 3.0 to get me excited. What about eSATA that I have on several of my external HDs?
Personally, I would love to see the following:
1. Blu-ray (as a storage option, not for watching movies)
2. Two internal HDs optionally configured as a Raid 1 in the 27" model. There has to be enough space in the case and an internal Raid would be a great. The iMac would automatically boot from the mirrored HD in the event of the primary drive failing and alert the user to take their Mac into the Apple Store to replace the failed HD.
3. Ambient backlit keyboard like those on the MacBook Pro.
4. Perhaps lose the white on the mouse and keyboard, which feels a bit out of place on an aluminum and black machine.
5. Optional multi-touch input device to be used in conjunction or as a replacement for the Magic Mouse.
6. Not really iMac specific, but could Apple PLEASE begin updating software between versions of OS X? With the time between OSes increasing, I don't see how Apple can hold off on upgrades to key software such as Mail. I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO STRUGGLE USING WIDEMAIL OR LETTERBOX FOR WIDESCREEN MAIL PREVIEWS WHEN MOBILEME AND THE IPAD ALREADY HAVE THAT FEATURE!
1. Available from third parties if you need it. Apparently, Apple's research says that the number of people who would use it is too small to justify inclusion as a standard (or even BTO option)
2. Possible, but RAID is generally considered a 'high end' feature. For example, they only offer RAID in the server version of the Mini. With Time Machine, it's not as critical as it once was.
3. I'm not sure how many people this matters to. Unlike a laptop, I'd guess that few people use desktop computers in the dark. Could be wrong, though.
4. I could picture the Magic Mouse in black.
5. They do. Many of the x.x.x updates update the applications, as well.
I would like to see eSATA added as a port on the iMac because I would rather not buy a MacPro to replace the G5 tower.
Comes down to demand. If eSATA ever becomes so standard that a large number of consumers (the iMac is targeted at consumers, not business or high-end users) use it, then it would probably be adopted.
While you have a point, the last update of the MP was overpriced and way underpowered for the base model - people are going to get cynical like that when a new machine doesn't outperform the old one..
Not true. The MacPro machines have always been in line with similar high end machines (hint, if the machine has a desktop processor instead of a Xeon, it doesn't count). Granted, they couldn't compete with a home-built machine, but they never intended to.
I would also like to see a tower targeted more at consumers (desktop CPU instead of Xeon, less expensive case and internals) than at professionals, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. For now, the Mac Pro is a high end professional graphics workstation - and it's priced that way.
BTW Transition laptops to this as soon as possible as well please. I currently have no need for MP.
Yay!! Another underpowered and overpriced update are on their way...
These days if you want power, you better build your own machine from proven OSX compatible parts.