Rumor: Apple's new Mac Pro, Mac mini with Thunderbolt coming by August
Apple will release updates for its Mac Pro and Mac mini desktops in August, adding Intel's latest generation Sandy Bridge processors and the new high-speed Thunderbolt port, according to a new rumor.
Brian Tong of CNet wrote on his official Twitter account on Sunday that "all new" next-generation Mac Pros and Mac Minis will launch "either end of July (or) first week of August."
He then followed up with a second post, in which he said that August is "more likely." He also suggested that Sandy Bridge and Thunderbolt would appear on both machines, as expected, though he added that "no details for specs or configurations were given."
Tong in March correctly pointed to the launch of new iMacs, also with Thunderbolt ports and Sandy Bridge processors. He said the updated all-in-one desktops would arrive by early May, and they went on sale right on schedule.
The Mac Pro was last updated in late July of 2010. The tower was upgraded to 12 processing cores with Intel Xeon processors, making them up to 50 percent faster than their predecessors.
Just a month before, a redesigned Mac mini was released in June adding an HDMI port for easy connectivity to a high-definition television. The Mac mini also sports a built-in SD card slot for grabbing photos and videos from a digital camera, all in a size just 7.7 inches square and 1.4 inches thin starting at $699.
The MacBook Air is also expected to receive an upgrade in the near future to be outfitted with Sandy Bridge processors and a Thunderbolt port. Last week, AppleInsider exclusively reported that Apple is expected to hold off on releasing any new Mac hardware until its next-generation operating system, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, goes on sale in July.
Brian Tong of CNet wrote on his official Twitter account on Sunday that "all new" next-generation Mac Pros and Mac Minis will launch "either end of July (or) first week of August."
He then followed up with a second post, in which he said that August is "more likely." He also suggested that Sandy Bridge and Thunderbolt would appear on both machines, as expected, though he added that "no details for specs or configurations were given."
Tong in March correctly pointed to the launch of new iMacs, also with Thunderbolt ports and Sandy Bridge processors. He said the updated all-in-one desktops would arrive by early May, and they went on sale right on schedule.
The Mac Pro was last updated in late July of 2010. The tower was upgraded to 12 processing cores with Intel Xeon processors, making them up to 50 percent faster than their predecessors.
Just a month before, a redesigned Mac mini was released in June adding an HDMI port for easy connectivity to a high-definition television. The Mac mini also sports a built-in SD card slot for grabbing photos and videos from a digital camera, all in a size just 7.7 inches square and 1.4 inches thin starting at $699.
The MacBook Air is also expected to receive an upgrade in the near future to be outfitted with Sandy Bridge processors and a Thunderbolt port. Last week, AppleInsider exclusively reported that Apple is expected to hold off on releasing any new Mac hardware until its next-generation operating system, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, goes on sale in July.
Comments
1) Core i7 (mobile version)
2) up to 16 GB RAM (4x4GB SODIMM)
3) Thunderbolt AND USB3.0 (need at least USB2.0 of course, for my mouse/keyboard)
4) Radeon 6000 series mobile GPU, preferably as an MXM module that's upgradeable later
Of course since I'm wishing here I might as well add a pony to the list ... :-)
It would depend on the Mac Mini. It's probably too much to hope for but here's my wish list:
1) Core i7 (mobile version)
2) up to 16 GB RAM (4x4GB SODIMM)
3) Thunderbolt AND USB3.0 (need at least USB2.0 of course, for my mouse/keyboard)
4) Radeon 6000 series mobile GPU, preferably as an MXM module that's upgradeable later
Of course since I'm wishing here I might as well add a pony to the list ... :-)
I'd love that too, but the actual specs will likely be
1) Core i7 (mobile version)
2) 4GB RAM (upgradeable to 8GB)
3) TB and USB 2.0 (No USB 3.0 support until Ivy Bridge, which I don't believe will be out by then, but shouldn't matter since you can plug a USB 3.0 hub into the Thunderbolt port if you need USB 3.0)
4) Only gonna get the HD 3000 that comes with the i7. The Mini doesn't have the thermal design to handle a dedicated GPU. If Apple added a Mini with any kind of GPU comparable to the iMac I would jump on it in a heartbeat, but unless Apple makes the Mini bigger so it can handle the heat (which Jobs will never allow), then we're out of luck.
And no pony, only a miniature horse
Last week, AppleInsider exclusively reported that Apple is expected to hold off on releasing any new Mac hardware until its next-generation operating system, Mac OS X 10.7 Lion, goes on sale in July.
Do you know what it means to "exclusively report"? It means that you are the only one reporting that. This information was widely reported, so obviously it does not fit the "exclusive" category. AI has put this in many articles lately and it is getting a little old. That is my exclusive comment on this matter.
About the updates - these would be welcome updates. I would like to consider the purchase of a mini, but I am not sure it has hit the right price point for what I need. Although coupling it with Lion and the server add-ons would make for a great little system.
I never thought I'd get to the point where my current Mac was actually good enough to handle everything I needed without being slow. There's no way I'd ever downgrade to a Mac Mini, and the iMac includes a screen when I already have the 30". I'm stuck.
I'm stuck, much in the same way you are - though it's not that bad place to be in
I just popped a GTX 470 in (literally less than an hour ago) - flashed to be Mac compatible. Aperture flies - but more importantly, Civilization V doesn't bog down - especially when booted into Windows 7. I think I'm good for another couple of years. If I spend any more money on upgrades it will be for another, bigger SSD - I'm still hard drive I/O bound and the 120GB SSD I have now isn't big enough. I'm hoping the card based SSD's that can use the larger, cheaper flash chips keep coming down in price - especially since I have the space inside the big 'ol tower
Mac Pro is the only machine remaining that hasn't been tainted by this new design strategy.
I hope they don't decide that the Mac Pro needs a splash of black plastic to match the rest of the line. I for one think that we were sorely robbed of amazing looking laptops when Apple decided to pair its awesome case designs with black keyboards, rubber and screen bezels. Can you imagine how amazing those things would look if it was ALL silver like the old PowerBook G4?
Mac Pro is the only machine remaining that hasn't been tainted by this new design strategy.
Interesting criticism. While I understand what you're saying about the black trim on the current MacBook/iMac line, I don't agree. I like the black bezel around my MacBook, and I like the black keys, though I wish backlit keyboards were standard, and not only on select models.
I DO agree with you on the Mac Pro comment. I think it's a fine design as it is, and doesn't need any black trim. It's a testament to Apple's sense of industrial design that the Mac Pro case is nearly 10 years old. I'd say THE best designed an engineered tower ever.
I definitely can't afford a Mac Pro tower, but I DO have my eye on a new Mini Lion Server. I think that will be perfect for my needs.
I hope they don't decide that the Mac Pro needs a splash of black plastic to match the rest of the line. I for one think that we were sorely robbed of amazing looking laptops when Apple decided to pair its awesome case designs with black keyboards, rubber and screen bezels. Can you imagine how amazing those things would look if it was ALL silver like the old PowerBook G4?
Mac Pro is the only machine remaining that hasn't been tainted by this new design strategy.
On the other hand, I think that 100% black is nice. I like the look of my black macbook. This doesn't really matter much to me, since I'm not looking to get one, but it would be cool if Apple made the mini 100% black, just like they did with Apple TV. And I agree with you on one point, I also never did like the look of those 50/50 Apple laptops, which featured unmatched colors. They should keep it simple, all one color.
With Apple's current direction, I'm wondering if the Mac Pro and Mac mini will lose their optical drives in these updates. Certainly the optical drive is an endangered species.
The Mini only would if the new Time Capsule/AirPort Extreme have drives built in.
The Mac Pro won't for a decade, even though anyone using it for work would already have a standalone multi-disc burner...
I'd love that too, but the actual specs will likely be
1) Core i7 (mobile version)
2) 4GB RAM (upgradeable to 8GB)
3) TB and USB 2.0 (No USB 3.0 support until Ivy Bridge, which I don't believe will be out by then, but shouldn't matter since you can plug a USB 3.0 hub into the Thunderbolt port if you need USB 3.0)
4) Only gonna get the HD 3000 that comes with the i7. The Mini doesn't have the thermal design to handle a dedicated GPU. If Apple added a Mini with any kind of GPU comparable to the iMac I would jump on it in a heartbeat, but unless Apple makes the Mini bigger so it can handle the heat (which Jobs will never allow), then we're out of luck.
And no pony, only a miniature horse
I hope that they drop the legacy HDMI port now that they have Thunderbolt. In fact, they could drop all the ports except Thunderbolt, because that is now all that is needed. The rest are like floppy Disks.
I'm stuck, much in the same way you are - though it's not that bad place to be in
I just popped a GTX 470 in (literally less than an hour ago) - flashed to be Mac compatible. Aperture flies - but more importantly, Civilization V doesn't bog down - especially when booted into Windows 7. I think I'm good for another couple of years. If I spend any more money on upgrades it will be for another, bigger SSD - I'm still hard drive I/O bound and the 120GB SSD I have now isn't big enough. I'm hoping the card based SSD's that can use the larger, cheaper flash chips keep coming down in price - especially since I have the space inside the big 'ol tower
Here's what I did, and you can always do a variation of this. Bay1 = 120GB OWC SSD, Bay 2 = 2TB hard drive, Bay 3 = 2 TB hard drive, Bay 4 = 2 TB hard drive.
I basically broke my data up into the different drives. Bay 1 is for the OS and the apps and such, but none of the data. Bay 2 is all photos. Ever since I switched over to a D-90 I've been consuming so much hard drive space that it made sense to have a drive just for iPhoto / Aperture. Bay 3 is raw HD Video. I don't mess around with FCP, I just use iMovie and I'm happy with it. I shoot 1080p though, so it needs elbow room. iMovie saves to this drive. Bay 4 is everything else. My documents folder is here and I save various projects I'm working on here.
Everything is backed up on an external 8TB FW800 drive, also from OWC.
This setup probably isn't ideal for a lot of people on here, but it works for me. I'd love to have 12 cores to chew through my HD photos and video, but the cost of a new Mac Pro is quite painful when I don't "need" a new Mac Pro. Even with a 667 MHz bus, it's damn zippy with that SSD. I'm stuck with what I have until I can pile together another $8k for a new Mac Pro.
With Apple's current direction, I'm wondering if the Mac Pro and Mac mini will lose their optical drives in these updates. Certainly the optical drive is an endangered species.
The only thing it needs is the Thunderbolt port. The old-fashioned optical drives can be added to a Mini as a peripheral.
Thunderbolt ports can plug in an external video card of arbitrary power - as a peripheral. Same with data drives. Same with Ethernet connections. Same with everything. Mice and keyboards, printers, whatever. At MUCH higher speeds than existing technology.
I want to see the Mac Mini with nothing. Nothing but a Thunderbolt port.
Steve would be doing us all a huge favor if he decided on that.
My current Mac Pro is great at a lot of things, but the 667 MHz Bus and Memory are killing me. It's also unable to boot into the 64-bit kernel, though it handles all the 64-bit apps well. My 30" Cinema Display is still going strong and I see no sense in replacing it. That all said, this new Mac Pro might just entice me to upgrade. I just don't know if I'm willing to part with that kind of money for a computer that I only use at home. I never thought I'd get to the point where my current Mac was actually good enough to handle everything I needed without being slow. There's no way I'd ever downgrade to a Mac Mini, and the iMac includes a screen when I already have the 30". I'm stuck.
The memory bus is not the problem. Using 1333mhz or faster memory only gives you between 5-8% more performance. Especially since you have Fully Buffered memory. If you use 4 modules/8 moduels the memory is interleaving and makes up almost for the dual/triple channel Dram in newer MacPros.
If your Mac is slow. Start activity monitor. Majority of the cases I have seen with slow macs are hanging Flash processes and I/O problems.
One major problem with Macpro + Raided file system. When your disks are more then 80% full I/O can get crazy. I have seen 3000-4000 I/O per sec when that happens. An ordinary disk manage about 100 I/Os.
If I/O make shure to have at least 20% free. Consider SSD.
With I7core Intel raised the Xeon prices dramatically. The slowest dual capable processor costed almost 700 dollar. Dual processor macs started to cost 3000 dollars.
Thans to competition from AMD, intel has slashed the Xeon prices back to 300-400 dollar. We should be able to get a dual processor MacPro that is 600-800 cheaper.
Yes I know I'm delusional but we can live in hope - it'll probably happen b4 apple get around to rewritting it from the ground up