Apple's Mac Pro retail inventories suggest refresh on the horizon
Reports that Apple's Mac Pro models are listed as unavailable in several retail stores' web based Reserve and Pickup listings may indicate the coming of a long overdue update to the high end desktop models.
A report by MacRumors relayed checks by users at multiple retail stores that showed no availability of either the Quad-Core, 8-Core, or both Mac Pro models.
In March, AppleInsider tips pointed toward new Mac Pro models being released by June, alongside a new 27" LED Cinema Display.
It's believed that Apple will stick to its existing Xeon strategy, employing a pair of pricey Xeon 5600 Series "Gulftown" chips into a wallet-crunching dodeca-core Mac Pro, while offering a single processor model with 6 cores at prices similar to today's $2,500 quad-core model.
Another indication of upcoming Mac Pro models was noted by the site earlier this month, when the Mac mini shipped with a new build of Mac OS X incorporating driver support for high end graphic cards.
The new drivers, including support for AMD's ATI 5000 series video cards, have reportedly been successfully used to get an ATI Radeon 5870 working within an existing Mac Pro. Nvidia has also released Mac OS X drivers for its GeForce GTS 480 cards, incorporating support for Fermi, the next generation of its CUDA technology.
Earlier this month, HardMac reported that new Mac Pros would also deliver USB 3.0 and faster FireWire 1600 or 3200 ports. Existing pro Macs supply FireWire 800. The new Mac Pros are not yet expected to debut the new LightPeak cabling technology however.
A report by MacRumors relayed checks by users at multiple retail stores that showed no availability of either the Quad-Core, 8-Core, or both Mac Pro models.
In March, AppleInsider tips pointed toward new Mac Pro models being released by June, alongside a new 27" LED Cinema Display.
It's believed that Apple will stick to its existing Xeon strategy, employing a pair of pricey Xeon 5600 Series "Gulftown" chips into a wallet-crunching dodeca-core Mac Pro, while offering a single processor model with 6 cores at prices similar to today's $2,500 quad-core model.
Another indication of upcoming Mac Pro models was noted by the site earlier this month, when the Mac mini shipped with a new build of Mac OS X incorporating driver support for high end graphic cards.
The new drivers, including support for AMD's ATI 5000 series video cards, have reportedly been successfully used to get an ATI Radeon 5870 working within an existing Mac Pro. Nvidia has also released Mac OS X drivers for its GeForce GTS 480 cards, incorporating support for Fermi, the next generation of its CUDA technology.
Earlier this month, HardMac reported that new Mac Pros would also deliver USB 3.0 and faster FireWire 1600 or 3200 ports. Existing pro Macs supply FireWire 800. The new Mac Pros are not yet expected to debut the new LightPeak cabling technology however.
Comments
Glad to see this. Being an content producer who depends of his Macs for work, it's a welcome sight. Tired of playing second fiddle to phones and such. It's all about the Mac right?
I hope so.
The only thing I can add to my previous comments is that I don't think they need a design refresh, wich is insane because they've had the same design for like 6-7 years now.
Glad to see this. Being an content producer who depends of his Macs for work, it's a welcome sight. Tired of playing second fiddle to phones and such. It's all about the Mac right?
Apple hasn't been any less atentive to the Mac Line up than they have been in the past. In fact this year has shown that they are still willing to innovate.
For example the new MBPs that auto switch video chips as needed. I'm not aware of any manufacture outside of Apple that goes beyound Intel reference designs like Apple does. Then we have the Mini within which Apple lowered power demand again while increasing performance.
The Mac Pro on the other hand has never been the type of product Apple has updated frequently. The update free stretch on the current model isnt that far out of the ordinary. So why the whine?
If you want a Mac that gets uodated frequently you should be asking for an XMac. That is a Mac built around the more common hardware available instead of server grade hardware. Instead of knocking a niche product like the Mac Pro knock the missing product in Apples lineup.
Dave
I hope so.
The only thing I can add to my previous comments is that I don't think they need a design refresh, wich is insane because they've had the same design for like 6-7 years now.
says you. They could definitely stand to slim that thing down in a few areas. It weighs like 100lbs and it has 4 spoilers... you know... for keeping it on the ground? Yea, it's totally top heavy. It's truly tower and most of it is hollow space for airflow. So what you have is a giant metal wind tunnel. How about instead of the massive super heavy tower, they make something where you swap out the components just as easily, only with half the metal (smaller shipping footprint and materials cost), and naturally the better performance that you'd get from an internals upgrade.
I don't know how the newest AMD chips compare to the intel chips in regards to performance, but they have way more cores.
says you. They could definitely stand to slim that thing down in a few areas. It weighs like 100lbs and it has 4 spoilers... you know... for keeping it on the ground? Yea, it's totally top heavy. It's truly tower and most of it is hollow space for airflow. So what you have is a giant metal wind tunnel. How about instead of the massive super heavy tower, they make something where you swap out the components just as easily, only with half the metal (smaller shipping footprint and materials cost), and naturally the better performance that you'd get from an internals upgrade.
I don't know how the newest AMD chips compare to the intel chips in regards to performance, but they have way more cores.
Well considering how they shrunk the Mini quite a bit maybe we do have that to look forward to. Apple still likes aluminum, but now they like it heavily CNC machined instead of punched and hydro formed.
Woot, I hope it's a good update with real GPUs
You'll get a real GPU, only it will be a few generations behind what is available for PC's, 30+% dearer and the drivers will be crap so whatever they are they'll perform like PC GPU cards from 2008.
Woot, I hope it's a good update with real GPUs
I'm somewhat entertained by Apples insistence of always releasing major hardware updates just before ATI does the same, virtually granting that Macs will perpetually lag behind PCs in GPU performance.
In March, AppleInsider tips pointed toward new Mac Pro models being released by June, alongside a new 27" LED Cinema Display.
I wonder if they'll bother building a 27". The amount of sales that model will generate is bound to be so low that the price would be high enough for them to be as well making the 27" iMac take a video input. Which they have done.
Dell 24" IPS = $539. Apple 24" IPS = $900.
Dell sell a 27" IPS for $1100. Using the price difference from the 24", Apple's could be $1460. Apple sell a 27" iMac for $1700. So you just buy the 27" iMac and you get a spare computer thrown in to use if your other one breaks. The original 30" was over $3k. If they can get the USB ports and maybe FW800 to work over a mini-dp aux connection, even better.
It's believed that Apple will stick to its existing Xeon strategy, employing a pair of pricey Xeon 5600 Series "Gulftown" chips into a wallet-crunching dodeca-core Mac Pro, while offering a single processor model with 6 cores at prices similar to today's $2,500 quad-core model.
They aren't all that pricey relatively. The i7-980x is more expensive than the lower-end Xeons. The Xeons work in dual processor configs too unlike the desktop chips. If the Mac Pro update is imminent and they do in fact use the Xeons, it's a bit odd that they haven't updated earlier. The processors have been out for 4 months now or something like that.
USB 3 is a must but I don't think that would have delayed the release. The final product will likely answer a lot of questions but I will reiterate that if all they do this time round is drop in the expected 3600/5600 Xeons and do nothing else then it will be a pretty disappointing update because besides doing nothing, it's pretty much the least effort they could expend on that lineup.
I'm somewhat entertained by Apples insistence of always releasing major hardware updates just before ATI does the same, virtually granting that Macs will perpetually lag behind PCs in GPU performance.
You really need to come inside the bubble. Because inside the bubble those things don't exist.
Hope "THEY" don't get their hands on a few of these. After all, how much processing power does one need to be productive at work place or at home.
Dodeca-cores? What are we trying to do by producing these monsters? These machines are already many thousand times faster than the simulator for the first atomic bomb.
Hope "THEY" don't get their hands on a few of these. After all, how much processing power does one need to be productive at work place or at home.
And how many times more powerful are our brains compared to the earliest organisms that we can justify as having ?brains??
(This comment does not apply in Texas, Alabama or Mississippi).
Me? I'm quite satisfied with an iMac, no cables (except the pwr cord and my iPhone 3Gs dock). I love the new Magic Mouse, Apple BT keyboard and Time Capsule for wireless Time Machine backups.
I use our second bedroom sort of as a 'telecommunications' room. The cable modem, Time Capsule, digital camera, BT headphones, Mophie iPhone battery are all in there sitting/charging on a dresser-No pwr bricks or cables in my office!
The only items in my office are the iMac on my desk, a Brother wireless printer on my credenza and in the closet is a 1' stack of copy paper....nothing else!
I have nothing in my desk draws except one red felt-tip pen.
Best!
PS. When I get my iPad, it will be on a dock in the living room with the Origami slide show loaded.
PPS. Also, in my living room is my flat screen TV with my AppleTV's slide show with all my photos showing with the internet radio playing beautiful 'ambient/light guitar' music in the background. Very soothing and my friends love to see photos of themselves when they come over. It's better than an aquarium!
PPPS. Damn, I love Apple. But I really love no cables! Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
A new look is long overdue. I predict jobs and I've will make it out of glass. White glass!
I think Apple should just forgo anything 'white' anymore...
Ps. Pss. Psss.
Sounds like a fun setup you have there man. Also, it's PS, PPS, PPPS. Post-script. Post-post-script, etc.