April Fools: Apple's 'Bounce Back' campaign for pros looks to court ex-Mac users who jumped to Windo

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
After spending years courting users to switch from Windows to a Mac, Apple has apparently found itself losing professional users to Microsoft ? a trend it hopes to reverse with a new program apparently dubbed "Bounce Back." [Update: Nope.]

Update: CNet has updated its original story to note that it was duped by an April Fools prank. Accordingly, we have pulled this story from our main page.

Mac Pro


Details on Apple's anticipated initiative were shared with CNet by video producer Lou Borella, who created the We Want a New Macpro Facebook page. Borella said he was contacted by Apple about the "Bounce Back Program," which is aimed at professionals who have jumped from OS X to Windows.

"I have to send in my serial numbers from the Windows OS that I have used over the years to prove that I am a 'bounce back switcher,'" he said.

It's unclear whether Apple's new program will be a public initiative backed by a formal advertising campaign, or if Apple simply plans to privately contact users in an effort to woo them.

The fact that Apple contacted Borella, whose Mac Pro group has nearly 20,000 likes, could suggest that the company is planning to introduce its new Mac Pro in the near future. In a rare move, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook publicly stated last June that Apple planned to launch an updated Mac Pro at some point in 2013.

Professional users have been eagerly awaiting a new high-end desktop from Apple, as the company's current Mac Pro has languished without meaningful updates for years. The systems were also pulled from Apple's online stores in Europe in February, because the aging desktop platform is incompatible with a new European standard for protected fan blades.

Mac Pro (Hero)


One rumor last month claimed that Apple has been building large-capacity solid-state drives with storage up to 2 terabytes for use in its next Mac Pro. The company was said to have built a first batch of 2-terabyte hard drives emblazoned with the Apple logo.

Apple's apparent "Bounce Back" campaign dovetails with the Mac maker's new initiative which aims to win back video editors who abandoned Final Cut Pro after the launch of Final Cut Pro X. Apple hopes that professional video editors will take another look at Final Cut Pro after hearing from high-profile users who rely on the latest version for their editing needs.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 20
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Didn't Tim Cook say late 2013?

    [QUOTE]Although we didn’t have a chance to talk about a new Mac Pro at today’s event, don’t worry as we’re working on something really great for later next year.[/QUOTE]

    Hard to believe you'd go to the trouble of writing this article without knowing that fact.
  • Reply 2 of 20
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    Imagine if they did a massive combined launch at WWDC:
    - A new Mac Pro
    - A new Retina Cinema Display
    - A bunch of Apple and third party pro apps all updated for the new box (Retina support, Grand Central Dispatch support, OpenCL support...)
  • Reply 3 of 20
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 3,258member
    Dare I say it, but I wonder if this apparent new push to get pros back would have happened with SJ in charge. We might be seeing a tangible benefit to Cook being CEO instead of Jobs.

    I for one will be thrilled if Apple makes good on its promises; also if they try and go after more than just graphics/video pros (though that's the obvious place to start).

    With Microsoft trying to force its mobile phone UI onto PCs and workstations, Apple has an opportunity to sell computers and software that are better attenuated to their intended use.

    And while the market for high-end PCs may be stagnant, its still a big market, and Apple has plenty of room to grow share (though admittedly Apple's share of the high-end is much higher than its share of the low end... and the low end is definitely ignorable).
  • Reply 4 of 20
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ascii View Post



    Imagine if they did a massive combined launch at WWDC:

    - A new Mac Pro

    - A new Retina Cinema Display

    - A bunch of Apple and third party pro apps all updated for the new box (Retina support, Grand Central Dispatch support, OpenCL support...)


     


    The software will come when it's ready, so that's not a biggie. And I wouldn't expect a Retina Thunderbolt Display this year,

  • Reply 5 of 20
    mazda 3smazda 3s Posts: 1,613member

    Quote:


    Apple's 'Bounce Back' campaign for pros looks to court ex-Mac users to jumped to Windows



    What?

  • Reply 6 of 20
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ascii View Post



    Imagine if they did a massive combined launch at WWDC:

    - A new Mac Pro

    - A new Retina Cinema Display

    - A bunch of Apple and third party pro apps all updated for the new box (Retina support, Grand Central Dispatch support, OpenCL support...)


     


    WWDC is usually a software-only event these days. It could happen though.

  • Reply 7 of 20
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,857member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post



    Didn't Tim Cook say late 2013?


     


    He said,


     


    Quote:


    "Although we didn't have a chance to talk about a new Mac Pro at today's event, don't worry as we're working on something really great for later next year,"



     


    which is not the same as "late 2013". A bit ambiguous, but it could mean any time this year.

  • Reply 8 of 20
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by RichL View Post


     


    WWDC is usually a software-only event these days. It could happen though.



    Retina MacBook Pro was announced there last year.  iPhone 4 was announced there in 2010.  We've had no product announcements since October, and no indication we'll get any before WWDC.  I think they'll have to introduce more than just software, unless they have major changes to iOS that would trump any new hardware announcement.

  • Reply 9 of 20
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post


     


    And I wouldn't expect a Retina Thunderbolt Display this year,



    That's the only guaranteed way to get pros back though, by simply having stuff the other guy doesn't. Whether that be early Retina displays or apps that only exist on the Mac.

  • Reply 10 of 20
    tzterritzterri Posts: 110member
    Return of the 17" Macbook Pro would be a good start.
  • Reply 11 of 20
    umumumumumum Posts: 76member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TzTerri View Post



    Return of the 17" Macbook Pro would be a good start.


     


    this


     


    high resolution is no substitute for field of view, 15" is just too small for some of the things i do on the move

  • Reply 12 of 20
    sdo2000sdo2000 Posts: 29member
    tzterri wrote: »
    Return of the 17" Macbook Pro would be a good start.

    That would be amazing. I would love to upgrade my 17" mbp 2.66ghz matte screen mid 2010 with a retina version when the time is right for me to upgrade. Right now it still runs everything great I just don't know what I would get to replace it when the time comes if they never come back.
  • Reply 13 of 20
    zoffdinozoffdino Posts: 192member


    Well... that's a good start. But like a divorced spouse wanting a comeback, I'm bound to ask "how can I be sure this won't happen next time?" Four years down the road, when I'm again in the market for new Mac workstations, how do I know that Apple will have a Mac Pro on sale with the chip Intel release 6 months ago, not 2 years prior. And how do I know that your Pro software aren't discontinued like Shake and Aperture?

  • Reply 14 of 20
    jollypauljollypaul Posts: 328member


    This "please come back" program fits nicely with the shift from last year's "can they maintain momentum" to this year's "can they regain momentum". I'm pulling for you Apple, please don't let another year pass with only incremental upgrades and bungled roll outs like maps.

  • Reply 15 of 20
    reason88reason88 Posts: 12member
    Guys the article is updated with "April's fool day"
  • Reply 16 of 20
    mr. memr. me Posts: 3,221member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Reason88 View Post



    Guys the article is updated with "April's fool day"


     


    It truly amazing to me the number of forum members who do not understand the concept of April Fools Day.

  • Reply 17 of 20
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    mr. me wrote: »
    reason88 wrote: »
    Guys the article is updated with "April's fool day"

    It truly amazing to me the number of forum members who do not understand the concept of April Fools Day.

    Every day is April Fools day at AI. When the real one comes along, no one can tell the difference. ;)

    I noticed you pointed this out in the iPlay thread, everybody was aware that was an April Fools. I guess this one was a little more plausible assuming the rumour about the marketing campaign is genuine and unrelated to this.

    April Fools day should really be an international holiday - no one can ever be taken seriously on April 1st. That should be next year's April Fools, just tell everyone it's a new holiday and to stay at home.
  • Reply 18 of 20
    fyngyrzfyngyrz Posts: 61member
    Edit: lol, should have known better. There's not even a ray of hope here. Just more April foolery to waste people's time.

    ---

    Bounce back, eh? I didn't go to Windows, but I *did* switch from Aperture to Lightroom when Apple arbitrarily tied new camera RAW file support to the OS release level.

    I bought Aperture 1, and the upgrades to 2 and 3. I run 10.6.8, a very stable and functional version of the OS; but the upgrade from 10.5 to 10.6 was a nightmare, with a great deal of my scripting breaking, cron events sundered, etc. It took me weeks to straighten everything out, and I'm unwilling to upgrade and fight all that again when there aren't any real features I require. Add to that the utterly arbitrary and capricious nature of tying RAW formats to OS level such that my camera doesn't work with Aperture (or iPhoto) unless I upgrade the entire OS, and Apple's "professional" support begins to look like a sham.

    Adobe's Lightroom, on the other hand, works just fine with the new DSLR. While I wouldn't have gone there previously because Aperture really did do everything I wanted (until it wouldn't do *anything* I wanted), I have to say that the developer that considers my needs instead of shoving me aside arbitrarily is the one that will get my money.

    I get that OS upgrades can sometimes provide things that make a new app not work. Makes sense to me, and that's a potential reason to lean towards an upgrade, even if it is expected to be disruptive. But to tie completely unrelated things to the OS level like minor changes in existing file formats (specifically Canon's CR2 RAW files), that is, as I said, arbitrary and capricious, and my reaction is to lift the middle finger and take my business elsewhere.

    If Apple knew what "professional" meant, they would *never* do things like this.
  • Reply 19 of 20
    I have been an Apple addict since I gave up Windows.

    Still I am loosing faith in Apple OS X. Apple is apparently putting most of it's effort in iPhones and iPads. The OS X is getting more like IOS and that is not great in all perspectives.

    I am using Pages and Keynote for my living, but hey, we are still on iWork 2009. WHat about the updates? If Apple drops out an OS X what will be left. I was not to happy with iPhone 5 and are considering jumping to Galaxy SIIII.

    Watch out Apple, you are about to loose "It".

    Stefan
  • Reply 20 of 20
    hmmhmm Posts: 3,405member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Ireland View Post



    Didn't Tim Cook say late 2013?

    Hard to believe you'd go to the trouble of writing this article without knowing that fact.




    He really didn't specify a part of 2013. He said presumably "later in 2013". You aren't going to get a statement like Q3 2013 when their policy is not to discuss unreleased products.

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