Potential reference to new Mac Pro found in OS X El Capitan code

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited November 2015
Apple could be nearing release of an expected Mac Pro refresh, as code buried in the latest version of Apple's OS X 10.11 El Capitan references an unknown Mac model with boosted specs and hardware not found in shipping machines.




Spotted by Pike's Universum during an XHCI debugging session, a plist file hidden away in OS X references a Mac identified as "AAPLJ95,1" with a whopping 10 USB 3.0 ports. Current Mac Pro models come with four USB 3.0 ports, the same allotment given to iMac and Mac mini.

Further, the "AAPLJ95,1" product identifier is similar to the "AAPLJ90,1" designation that first popped up in Mac Pro benchmark testing in 2013. While not clearly defined as Apple's flagship desktop, the designation and its listed specs were found alongside XHCI data belonging to the latest 2015 iMac, leading the publication to believe Apple is referencing a new Mac Pro model.

Designed as a professional workstation, Mac Pro is designed to meet the demands of power users who need not only raw processing power, but highly flexible connectivity options. The addition of six USB 3.0 ports would be a switch away from the 20GB/s Thunderbolt 2 protocol, as existing Mac Pro models come with three Thunderbolt 2 controllers powering six inputs.

Apple has not updated Mac Pro since launching the desktop nearly two years ago, suggesting the product is ripe for an update. Aside from potential USB 3.0 expansion, a refreshed version will likely come with new Intel Xeon processors, faster graphics card offerings and upgraded RAM.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 65
    chadbagchadbag Posts: 1,999member
    So why do you think this would be q switch "away" from Thunderbolt (2) ? Adding extra USB does not have to mean that there would be fewer Thunderbolt ports.
  • Reply 2 of 65
    roakeroake Posts: 809member
    I continue to have interest in this system. I did not seriously consider purchasing the previous Mac Pro because my needs were such that I honestly didn't need that kind of power. But things are growing.

    On a tangent, I wonder how well Parallels on this system would run high-powered Windows programs, such as high-performance games. There are still some applications that are not available for MacOS, although this seems to rapidly be shifting in Apple's favor.
  • Reply 3 of 65
    aplnubaplnub Posts: 2,605member
    I wonder why each new Mac refresh doesn't include at least one USB-C port.
  • Reply 4 of 65
    roakeroake Posts: 809member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by chadbag View Post



    So why do you think this would be q switch "away" from Thunderbolt (2) ? Adding extra USB does not have to mean that there would be fewer Thunderbolt ports.



    One would think that they would simply switch to the new USB/Thunderbolt connectors like in the newest Macbook.

  • Reply 5 of 65
    The Mac Pro is not a pro desktop machine. It is a great machine, and for some people enough power.

    But a pro machine ought to have top of the line options, or at least allow top of the line options to be installed. The Mac Pro does not support standard GPU cards, nVidia cards (which CUDA and customers developers need), nor nVidia Tesla cards which are needed for scientific and engineering applications.

    I would love a real pro Mac again. For so long Apple cared about educators, researchers and professionals who needed maximum power. But no longer. :(
  • Reply 6 of 65
    tmaytmay Posts: 6,312member
    Six USB 3.1 Type C controllers would be expected for TB 3; add in the existing USB 3.0 Type A connector and mystery solved.

    Next question is what level of DisplayPort and HDMI will be supported via each TB 3 port.
  • Reply 7 of 65
    chadbagchadbag Posts: 1,999member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Nevermark View Post



    The Mac Pro is not a pro desktop machine. It is a great machine, and for some people enough power.



    But a pro machine ought to have top of the line options, or at least allow top of the line options to be installed. The Mac Pro does not support standard GPU cards, nVidia cards (which CUDA and customers developers need), nor nVidia Tesla cards which are needed for scientific and engineering applications.



    I would love a real pro Mac again. For so long Apple cared about educators, researchers and professionals who needed maximum power. But no longer. image



    So the PCIe expansion chassis that plugs into the Thunderbolt port won't work for this?

  • Reply 8 of 65
    appexappex Posts: 687member

    Bring Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1 Type C (reversible) Generation 2 to all Macs, displays and keyboards with built-in hubs.

  • Reply 9 of 65
    chadbagchadbag Posts: 1,999member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Nevermark View Post



    The Mac Pro is not a pro desktop machine. It is a great machine, and for some people enough power.



    But a pro machine ought to have top of the line options, or at least allow top of the line options to be installed. The Mac Pro does not support standard GPU cards, nVidia cards (which CUDA and customers developers need), nor nVidia Tesla cards which are needed for scientific and engineering applications.



    I would love a real pro Mac again. For so long Apple cared about educators, researchers and professionals who needed maximum power. But no longer. image



    If you look at all the stuff supported directly by Thunderbolt, OR the stuff that is PCIe expansion chassis compatible, it is very clear that the Mac Pro IS a Pro desktop machine.  Very much so.  Supporting all sorts of pro video and audio cards, $7K ones at that, storage, etc.  T here may be a subset of "pro" that it is not appropriate for, but to call it not a pro machine, is ridiculous.

  • Reply 10 of 65
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    nevermark wrote: »
    The Mac Pro is not a pro desktop machine. It is a great machine, and for some people enough power.

    But a pro machine ought to have top of the line options, or at least allow top of the line options to be installed. The Mac Pro does not support standard GPU cards, nVidia cards (which CUDA and customers developers need), nor nVidia Tesla cards which are needed for scientific and engineering applications.

    I would love a real pro Mac again. For so long Apple cared about educators, researchers and professionals who needed maximum power. But no longer. :(

    I have a Mac II FX I can sell you! ;)
  • Reply 11 of 65
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by digitalclips View Post





    I have a Mac II FX I can sell you! image



    Dude, you can't joke like that in front of a collector. You really have a IIfx available?

  • Reply 12 of 65
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Nevermark View Post



    The Mac Pro is not a pro desktop machine. It is a great machine, and for some people enough power.



    But a pro machine ought to have top of the line options, or at least allow top of the line options to be installed. The Mac Pro does not support standard GPU cards, nVidia cards (which CUDA and customers developers need), nor nVidia Tesla cards which are needed for scientific and engineering applications.



    I would love a real pro Mac again. For so long Apple cared about educators, researchers and professionals who needed maximum power. But no longer. image



    Yes it is.  You're just stuck in more dated ways of how workstations used to be expandable. 

  • Reply 13 of 65
    roake wrote: »
    I continue to have interest in this system. I did not seriously consider purchasing the previous Mac Pro because my needs were such that I honestly didn't need that kind of power. But things are growing.

    On a tangent, I wonder how well Parallels on this system would run high-powered Windows programs, such as high-performance games. There are still some applications that are not available for MacOS, although this seems to rapidly be shifting in Apple's favor.

    It depends on the program, but the FirePro's that are in that system aren't good for gaming. The Mac Pro as designed now is basically one massive OpenCL box, it has specific uses.
  • Reply 14 of 65
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    10 USB ports?!!?!!

    Also wasn't USB C supposed to be the future?
  • Reply 15 of 65
    It depends on the program, but the FirePro's that are in that system aren't good for gaming. The Mac Pro as designed now is basically one massive OpenCL box, it has specific uses.
    Online 8 minutes ago and already banned? How'd that happen?
  • Reply 16 of 65
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    chadbag wrote: »
    So why do you think this would be q switch "away" from Thunderbolt (2) ? Adding extra USB does not have to mean that there would be fewer Thunderbolt ports.

    Obviously they never heard of USB-C and the support for Thunderbolt 3.

    Now the only big question is this how many of those ports will be supporting TB3.
  • Reply 17 of 65
    wizard69wizard69 Posts: 13,377member
    Give me a break here, the Mac Pro the very definition of a professionals machine.
    nevermark wrote: »
    The Mac Pro is not a pro desktop machine. It is a great machine, and for some people enough power.
    So? Some people have to build clusters of computers and still don't have enough power.
    But a pro machine ought to have top of the line options,
    The Mac Probdoes fine in this regard.
    or at least allow top of the line options to be installed. The Mac Pro does not support standard GPU cards, nVidia cards (which CUDA and customers developers need), nor nVidia Tesla cards which are needed for scientific and engineering applications.
    Anybody using CUDA needs to have their head examined. Oh and by the way AMDs GPUs are extremely fast for compute.
    I would love a real pro Mac again.
    The current one is as real as anybefore it.
    For so long Apple cared about educators, researchers and professionals who needed maximum power. But no longer. :(
    Really I have no cheese for this whine.
  • Reply 18 of 65
    Online 8 minutes ago and already banned? How'd that happen?

    It's just hanging around.
  • Reply 19 of 65
    The said art of this article states "expected" upgrade. My first thought was liar liar liar. There was and is no reason to lie.

    Later the article states "suggests" upgrade. WTF?
  • Reply 20 of 65
    aplnub wrote: »
    I wonder why each new Mac refresh doesn't include at least one USB-C port.
    What I figure is they where waiting till Thunderbolt 3, now they can replace half the thunderbolt 2 ports with a USB c/ thunderbolt 3 port so they aren't replacing things, and two new sky lake architecture for it just came out so its forced till next year.
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