Apple tells reseller new Mac Pro coming in spring 2013

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  • Reply 41 of 529
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    Will they create a new tagline, or simply reuse an old one?


    [LIST=1]
    [*] The Power Macintosh G3: Performance, capabilities, and style that will dazzle you every day you use it.
    [*] Move over, speed of light. Introducing the Power Mac G4.
    [*] Two brains are better than one.
    [*] Power Mac G4 Cube. So much technology. So little space.
    [*] Power to burn.
    [*] Pro create. Introducing the new Power Mac G4.
    [*] Introducing the new Power Mac G4. All with dual processors.
    [*] The new Power Mac G4. Faster, more expandable, and more affordable than ever.
    [*] The Power Mac G5. The world's fastest personal computer.
    [*] The new Power Mac G5. Engineered for the creative class.
    [*] The 64-bit professional dream machine.
    [*] Power Mac G5. The power of four.
    [*] Room to grow. Introducing Mac Pro.
    [*] Professional velocity.
    [*] The new Mac Pro. Tower of 8-core power.
    [*] The new Mac Pro. Beauty outside. Beast inside.
    [*] Mac. To the power of 12.
    [*]
    [/LIST]
  • Reply 42 of 529
    jeffdmjeffdm Posts: 12,951member
    zunx wrote: »
    Hopefully with a new Thunderbolt Display with matte option (even if more expensive) to avid glare, reflections, headaches and sore eyes. It is a serious health and productivity issue!

    Please take a look at the new iMac. Its new lowered reflection coating should make it good for nearly everyone, much of the rest might just be looking for something to complain about.
  • Reply 43 of 529
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    macxpress wrote: »
    Please make it smaller and cheaper....I bet it will sell well.

    Define well because I think no desktop tower will not sell well going forward in comparison to any other consumer PC class.
  • Reply 44 of 529
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post





    It's actually both: it was marketed as de desktop for professionals. And the iMac was the desktop for consumers. Surely you remember that slide fromt he old iCEO days. Desktop/Laptop / Professional/Consumer


     


    Yeah, I remember.  But to the consumer it's never been presented as a desktop alternative, that was my only point.  


     


    I just find it sad that the minute this rumour raises it's head, there are half a dozen comments by people who are basically expecting an "X Mac" mini-tower (that Apple has never made and never should make).  You do not need a Mac Pro for an "iPhoto server" for instance.  


     


    It's the same tired old crap over and over again from people who think Macs are just like PC's, and that they should be like PC's because of course *everyone* want's to be able to swap graphics cards, etc. etc. blah-blah-blah. 


     


    If they do finally make what these people want, IMO it would be evidence of Apple's decline because it's placing consumerism over professional well-deisgned products if they go that direction.  


     


    I honestly hope that whatever they come up with, that it still costs $3,000 for a good configuration.  

  • Reply 45 of 529
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    gazoobee wrote: »
    The Mac Pro isn't, and never has been, a "desktop".  It's a Pro grade machine.  The Mac/iMac is the only "desktop" class machine that Apple has ever sold. 

    All towers are desktop PCs. You only have three classes of PC: desktop, notebook, and rack. Only two of those have ever been in the consumer realm. The Mac Pro to the Mac mini to the iMac are all designated as desktop PCs. Within that category you have different types of desktops: tower, AIO (all-in-one), SFF (small form-factor). I'm not sure if those are the only subcategories for desktops but it's all I can think of.
  • Reply 46 of 529
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TBell View Post


     


     


    To each their own, but I would love to have a business in France. The French are very passionate people and we need more of that in the world. 



     


    I was meaning because of the leaks.  Generally they come from China (and a few from Russia), both essentially lawless countries.  


     


    However France (specifically Mac suppliers and resellers in France), has recently been the source of huge amounts of leaks of Apple products, parts, etc. as well.  


     


    It's what that fact "says" about France, and the general attitude towards the law that would make steer me clear.  You can't do effective business in a country that doesn't value IP and follow the law on IP.  Russia and China have never even pretended to care about such things, but France is supposedly a "western" country in the European Union. They are supposed to follow the law on such things, but they clearly don't.  

  • Reply 47 of 529
    iqatedoiqatedo Posts: 1,822member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by MacApfel View Post


    I'm in a university environment as well - unfortunately this does not mean I'm buffered against cost. I know from different institutions that Wolfram is very difficult to deal with when it comes to licencing. So I don't expect the price to go down. It that way, Mathematica is like Apple: great product, and it will most certainly keep its premium. (It's quite funny that the name Mathematica goes back to a suggestion from Steve Jobs.)



    Yes, Steven Wolfram and Steve Jobs were quite close professionally I believe. Interesting to see where Wolfram goes over the next few years.

  • Reply 48 of 529
    gazoobeegazoobee Posts: 3,754member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post





    All towers are desktop PCs. You only have three classes of PC: desktop, notebook, and rack. Only two of those have ever been in the consumer realm. The Mac Pro to the Mac mini to the iMac are all designated as desktop PCs. Within that category you have different types of desktops: tower, AIO (all-in-one), SFF (small form-factor). I'm not sure if those are the only subcategories for desktops but it's all I can think of.


     


    Again, I meant "desktop" in the sense of "consumer desktop."  Apologies for the confusion.  I thought at least here that everyone would know what I mean.  


     


    The Mac Pro is exclusively a high-end professional machine  and has never been suggested as a "desktop" for a consumer.  It's not in the same class, nor is it the same thing as that little plastic mini-tower that people have used for desktops in the past.  


     


    It's never suggested that the Mac Pro is deployed as a "desktop" option in business either.  If you are outfitting an office, you don't give your secretaries a choice between an iMac and a Mac Pro.  You just give the a choice between different types of iMacs or a Mac mini.  


     


    The Mac Pro is also never deployed (or only an idiot would deploy it thusly), as a "desktop" when outfitting something like a call centre either.  


     


    In short, anywhere you would deploy a PC mini-tower as a "desktop," you would not deploy a Mac Pro.  So while "the boss" might flatter himself by buying a Mac Pro for his desktop, and while often the self-verified "important" people in an organisation might use it as a desktop, it's not really a "desktop" in the sense that the word is usually used.  


     


    It's maybe a "vanity desktop" in those situations.  


     


    The Art Department, the Media department, and the IT guys might use it as a "professional desktop," but that still doesn't make it at all the same thing as a PC, mini-tower, "desktop."

  • Reply 49 of 529
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    gazoobee wrote: »
    I just find it sad that the minute this rumour raises it's head, there are half a dozen comments by people who are basically expecting an "X Mac" mini-tower (that Apple has never made and never should make).  You do not need a Mac Pro for an "iPhoto server" for instance.  

    Actually, I consider the Mini to be the desired x-Mac. What are the characteristics of the xMac that people want? Expandability and low price. The Mini is clearly low priced and with Thunderbolt has expandability galore.

    Granted, adding a high end video card is somewhat expensive at this point, but it's possible with some of the expansion boxes.
  • Reply 50 of 529
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    Facts we know:

    - a Mac Pro is coming in 2013
    - Ivy Bridge E is scheduled for Q3 2013 (beginning July)
    http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Ivy_Bridge-E-LGA_2011-X79-cpu-mobo,16588.html
    - right now Intel doesn't have a Xeon chipset for USB 3, SATA 6G, PCIe3 etc - Apple would have to add those themselves without a new chipset

    From the above link:
    "What remains to be seen is if Intel will launch a new chipset, along with the release of the Ivy Bride-E processors. If history repeats itself, expect Intel to release a new chipset with Ivy Bridge-E to replace the X79 chipset. As with the current Ivy Bridge, Intel released a new chipset with the transfer to the Ivy Bridge processor, though it made certain current LGA 1155 chipsets were compatible. With current X79 chipsets not fully certified for PCIe 3.0, we look for the new chipset to be fully PCIe 3.0 certified, along with other features being implemented with the Lynx Point Chipset on the "Haswell" platform."

    If it was coming in early Spring, they either have an early exclusive for both the chipset and the processor (they had a short exclusive with the 2010 model) or they'd be going with Sandy Bridge (2 year old architecture at that point) with likely USB 2, SATA 3G and PCIe 2.
    A more likely outcome is that they will launch it at WWDC in early June with Ivy Bridge E and it will have a new chipset supporting USB 3, PCIe 3, SATA 6G and maybe even Thunderbolt. This will mean Europe will have to survive on reseller supplies for 3-4 months so they'd need about 1 million units to avoid all professional creative work grinding to a halt - TV ads will stop running, there will be no music, websites wil revert to text-only and we'll all have to start playing board games instead of going to the movies. The horror. But no, the iMac survived with a 5 week hiatus for the 21.5" and longer for the 27" so a June launch wouldn't be the end of the world and it might have to ship in July if they don't get a short exclusive.
  • Reply 51 of 529


    I wish people would stop asking for a smaller tower. This is a workstation not a desktop, workstations are trucks. Workstations are certified platforms, with near server specs for reliability. When you use workstations for 99.999% uptime on things like rocket, and satellite control you need a solid platform. Or any other heavy level effort. Apple's desktops are the Mini and the iMac and I do not think they are ever going to make a cheap desktop that's upgradable. 


     


    It is my sincere hope they don't lower the bar, I'm very happy with the current design. I'd be thrilled if they added the latest IO (USB3, SATA 3 or 3.5, ThunderBolt) This workstation should be a measure of the highest order, not a dumbed down desktop. It's a heavy lifting beast, wrapped inside a candy coated shell and I for one would not want it any other way.


     


    Please do not screw with excellence. 

  • Reply 52 of 529
    hmmhmm Posts: 3,405member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post







    Granted, adding a high end video card is somewhat expensive at this point, but it's possible with some of the expansion boxes.


     


    There are 0 thunderbolt certified video cards. You won't even find one with compliant drivers in Sonnet's supported list. Even if you get it working, you're likely to have to reboot if it becomes disconnected, and I would not count on full performance, although it probably depends on use.

  • Reply 53 of 529
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post





    Actually, I consider the Mini to be the desired x-Mac. What are the characteristics of the xMac that people want? Expandability and low price. The Mini is clearly low priced and with Thunderbolt has expandability galore.



    Granted, adding a high end video card is somewhat expensive at this point, but it's possible with some of the expansion boxes.


    The issue with this is and always has been, I don't want cables, boxes, hard drives, etc all over my desk or else the pretty iMac will end p looking like the Dell shown below which is precisely what Apple tries to prevent. If I have a tower, I can put everything inside it where it should be.


     


     


  • Reply 54 of 529
    neilmneilm Posts: 985member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by lightknight View Post



    Should be titled "Rumor: New Mac Pro might be headed to France in Spring"


     


    Because of course Apple has always made unique models for the French market.

  • Reply 55 of 529
    512ke512ke Posts: 782member
    Aaah. A thread like in the old days. Apple fans intelligently discussing Apple stuff.
  • Reply 56 of 529
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by NeilM View Post


     


    Because of course Apple has always made unique models for the French market.



     


    They do...everything is in French! image

  • Reply 57 of 529
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    jragosta wrote: »
    Actually, I consider the Mini to be the desired x-Mac. What are the characteristics of the xMac that people want? Expandability and low price. The Mini is clearly low priced and with Thunderbolt has expandability galore.

    Granted, adding a high end video card is somewhat expensive at this point, but it's possible with some of the expansion boxes.

    Oh man, that'll be a tough argument. I think the rebuttals to that will high-cost of TB and use of notebook-grade components make it a far cry from the desired xMac power and cheapmexpandabioity people have Ben cloaking for.
    gazoobee wrote: »
    Again, I meant "desktop" in the sense of "consumer desktop."  Apologies for the confusion.  I thought at least here that everyone would know what I mean.  

    The Mac Pro is exclusively a high-end professional machine  and has never been suggested as a "desktop" for a consumer.  It's not in the same class, nor is it the same thing as that little plastic mini-tower that people have used for desktops in the past.  

    It's never suggested that the Mac Pro is deployed as a "desktop" option in business either.  If you are outfitting an office, you don't give your secretaries a choice between an iMac and a Mac Pro.  You just give the a choice between different types of iMacs or a Mac mini.  

    The Mac Pro is also never deployed (or only an idiot would deploy it thusly), as a "desktop" when outfitting something like a call centre either.  

    In short, anywhere you would deploy a PC mini-tower as a "desktop," you would not deploy a Mac Pro.  So while "the boss" might flatter himself by buying a Mac Pro for his desktop, and while often the self-verified "important" people in an organisation might use it as a desktop, it's not really a "desktop" in the sense that the word is usually used.  

    It's maybe a "vanity desktop" in those situations.  

    The Art Department, the Media department, and the IT guys might use it as a "professional desktop," but that still doesn't make it at all the same thing as a PC, mini-tower, "desktop."

    Point taken and I see the problem with the term desktop when it'll likely never be on a desk due to its size and weight. However, I don't think the call center example is good since they are unlikely to use even a Mac mini or iMac due to cost.
  • Reply 58 of 529
    neilmneilm Posts: 985member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by macxpress View Post


    The issue with this is and always has been, I don't want cables, boxes, hard drives, etc all over my desk or else the pretty iMac will end p looking like the Dell shown below. If I have a tower, I can put everything inside it where it should be.


     



     


    Exactly. And that's not only a question of tidiness, but also of reliability: you don't trip over internal cables and accidentally disconnect them in the middle of a job.


     


    Internal drives are also faster and less expensive. These days I routinely configure our Mac Pros with a third party 256GB SSD boot/application drive, and repurpose the original HD as an internal Time machine backup drive. And that still leaves two open drive bays, three if you count the open optical bay.

  • Reply 59 of 529
    welshdogwelshdog Posts: 1,897member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by rob53 View Post

     As a workstation, it beat the snot out of Dell, HP and Sun workstations but has languished in recent years.


    I don't think that is necessarily true.  We have a z800 that is nearly identical to our Mac Pros in every way except the lack of OS X.  The motherboards are very similar and they have comparable feature.  It has run our Autodesk Flame compositing system for year now without issue and with great performance.  Not sure about Sun, but I figure they also have something similar.  Dell?  Who knows.


     


    The Mac Pro is/was a solid performer, but it never has been bleeding edge.

  • Reply 60 of 529


    Originally Posted by AndreiD View Post


    We need a real desktop that also is expandable and has easy access.



     


    If anything, that's the exact opposite of what we need and the exact opposite of what people are saying they want. The Mac Pro isn't a desktop.


     



    Originally Posted by Blastdoor View Post

    Apple's increased transparency regarding their plans for the Mac Pro is really encouraging. …it's a big improvement to have Tim Cook announcing a new product way in advance…


     


    This is the complete opposite of what you should be feeling about this.


     




    Originally Posted by rob53 View Post

    Remember, Apple can't sell the current Mac Pro in the EU because of power and fan problems so this could simply be a redesigned enclosure to pass regulations.


     



    You must be joking about that.


     



    Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post

    Will they create a new tagline, or simply reuse an old one?


     


    Mac. To the power of 12.


    16. Time to Samba.



     


    image


     


    This could even be the ad, just replace the 16s on sticks with Apple logos and the big 16 with a dancing Mac Pro with eyes.


     


    As for the "desktop" designation,


     



    …workstation-class computers…





    Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post

    It's actually both: it was marketed as de desktop for professionals.






    As for the desktop issue, the Mac Pro is closer to the historical "workstation" nomenclature than calling it a pro desktop.






    Originally Posted by Elderloc View Post

    This is a workstation not a desktop…



     


    Some people get it.


     




    Originally Posted by macxpress View Post

    Correct, its a desktop. It may not be sitting on your desktop, but its still classified as a "desktop" computer.




    Originally Posted by AndreiD View Post

    It is a pro desktop sure! But the fact of the matter is it is still a desktop.


     


    And some people just do not get it at all.

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