AMD isn’t supporting pci 4 yet, and from what I last read from their release, it won’t be until 2020, unless that’s somehow changed. Their video cards are just now supporting pci 4. intel isn’t expected to have support of pci 4 until end of 2019 with 10nm Cannon Lake.
Pci 5 was fast tracked, so it’s out earlier than it otherwise would have been. But early 2019 for support? Hardly.
Incorrect statement.
Really? So why didn’t you post the correct one, instead of posting nothing of value?
Posting the full transcript of the conversation Apple had with some well known reporters in the tech industry. Remember that this is the first sit-down about they had. Since then, they just said a very few things about it.
Now that it’s well over a year later, and some of what they mentioned about other products are out in real products, such a the new Mac Minis, I would say that it’s about time they had another announcement about the Mac Pro too.
so, my question is, as always has been, why buy an un-pc(not sure what else to call it as mac owners aren't ever diverse. A "machine" that is way over qualified as far as adaptability, adding on components, (not a good area to overachieve at). The phones the pads the books are all the same, you buy something you have very little control over, you may think you do, but its only at a visual level, i.e. the content on your screen. And your limited at that, too. Most PC upgrading and repair can be done by people willing to take the time and read and follow instructions. With a Mac, if you keep that device for more than 2 or 3 years, you will be forced to buy a new one, not because its outdated, but because its forced into submission by Macintosh, demanding you buy more(slowing the device down, or not supporting it at all). I think most Mac owners just jumped on a wagon and bought theirs because everyone else is doing it. And then its like theyre die hard fanboys, who know nothing of what they're rooting against. They have no experince using PC's or Androids or any other variant but Macs. Its like paying, hell, over-paying for Communism...think about it!!!
presuming the Mac Pro is as modular as the folks say it is.
Nobody actually knows what "modular" means. For all we know Schiller just meant with a separate display, etc.
When they first talked about it they didn’t explain how they were going to do it, but they did say that it would be upgradable so that it wouldn’t become obsolete (at least for several years, I would imagine). That, and the stated goal of productivity gains. That’s about it.
They didn't say that either. You're sure projecting a lot into this Mac Pro thing. Are you even going to buy one?
They did say that. It’s in the interview. Yes buddy, I am going to buy one. Are you?
Posting the full transcript of the conversation Apple had with some well known reporters in the tech industry. Remember that this is the first sit-down about they had. Since then, they just said a very few things about it.
Now that it’s well over a year later, and some of what they mentioned about other products are out in real products, such a the new Mac Minis, I would say that it’s about time they had another announcement about the Mac Pro too.
I just reread both articles and neither one includes a statement that the Mac Pro “would be upgradeable so that it wouldn’t become obsolete”. They do talk about their own ability to provide updates to and flexibility in configurations of the architecture on their end, as that’s where they hit a wall with the 2013 MP, but that’s an entirely different thing. I think you’re misinterpreting that to mean user upgradability on a component level, and they absolutely did not specify that. It’s also very clear that Schiller says modular in reference to headless machines in conjunction with monitors versus all-in-one systems like the iMac. It’s pretty clear. Not saying the new MP will be neither upgradeable or modular on some component level, just saying that Apple has definitely not said anything of the sort. They’re pretty careful in both interviews to not indicate any clear plans, just their approach.
And no, I’m not buying one, I’m a MBP user. I’ll definitely look forward to the displays though, and any future eGPU development especially if Apple gets into that space.
presuming the Mac Pro is as modular as the folks say it is.
Nobody actually knows what "modular" means. For all we know Schiller just meant with a separate display, etc.
When they first talked about it they didn’t explain how they were going to do it, but they did say that it would be upgradable so that it wouldn’t become obsolete (at least for several years, I would imagine). That, and the stated goal of productivity gains. That’s about it.
They didn't say that either. You're sure projecting a lot into this Mac Pro thing. Are you even going to buy one?
They did say that. It’s in the interview. Yes buddy, I am going to buy one. Are you?
Posting the full transcript of the conversation Apple had with some well known reporters in the tech industry. Remember that this is the first sit-down about they had. Since then, they just said a very few things about it.
Now that it’s well over a year later, and some of what they mentioned about other products are out in real products, such a the new Mac Minis, I would say that it’s about time they had another announcement about the Mac Pro too.
I just reread both articles and neither one includes a statement that the Mac Pro “would be upgradeable so that it wouldn’t become obsolete”. They do talk about their own ability to provide updates to and flexibility in configurations of the architecture on their end, as that’s where they hit a wall with the 2013 MP, but that’s an entirely different thing. I think you’re misinterpreting that to mean user upgradability on a component level, and they absolutely did not specify that. It’s also very clear that Schiller says modular in reference to headless machines in conjunction with monitors versus all-in-one systems like the iMac. It’s pretty clear. Not saying the new MP will be neither upgradeable or modular on some component level, just saying that Apple has definitely not said anything of the sort. They’re pretty careful in both interviews to not indicate any clear plans, just their approach.
And no, I’m not buying one, I’m a MBP user. I’ll definitely look forward to the displays though, and any future eGPU development especially if Apple gets into that space.
It seems pretty clear to me as to what they meant. They were responding to the comments and questions about the 2013 Mac Pro not being upgradable, and also the failure to update them by Apple. I read Apple’s response, as have many others, that the machine would indeed be upgradable by the user, and that they would also upgrade the platform themselves over the years.
i’m not sure what you mean by a component level, unless you’re referring to the CPU. I think that most of us have given up on CPU upgrades. But my Mac Pro allows the CPU board to be easily removed and replaced with another, along with the RAM slots. So you could replace the single CPU board with a dual one. Or one with faster chips. Since the chips fit into intel processor sockets, you can replace the chips yourself, and many people have bought chips on eBay and done that. OWC, and others have been offering to exchange boards for years. You pay for those upgrades of course. So it can be done.
presuming the Mac Pro is as modular as the folks say it is.
Nobody actually knows what "modular" means. For all we know Schiller just meant with a separate display, etc.
When they first talked about it they didn’t explain how they were going to do it, but they did say that it would be upgradable so that it wouldn’t become obsolete (at least for several years, I would imagine). That, and the stated goal of productivity gains. That’s about it.
They didn't say that either. You're sure projecting a lot into this Mac Pro thing. Are you even going to buy one?
They did say that. It’s in the interview. Yes buddy, I am going to buy one. Are you?
Posting the full transcript of the conversation Apple had with some well known reporters in the tech industry. Remember that this is the first sit-down about they had. Since then, they just said a very few things about it.
Now that it’s well over a year later, and some of what they mentioned about other products are out in real products, such a the new Mac Minis, I would say that it’s about time they had another announcement about the Mac Pro too.
I just reread both articles and neither one includes a statement that the Mac Pro “would be upgradeable so that it wouldn’t become obsolete”. They do talk about their own ability to provide updates to and flexibility in configurations of the architecture on their end, as that’s where they hit a wall with the 2013 MP, but that’s an entirely different thing. I think you’re misinterpreting that to mean user upgradability on a component level, and they absolutely did not specify that. It’s also very clear that Schiller says modular in reference to headless machines in conjunction with monitors versus all-in-one systems like the iMac. It’s pretty clear. Not saying the new MP will be neither upgradeable or modular on some component level, just saying that Apple has definitely not said anything of the sort. They’re pretty careful in both interviews to not indicate any clear plans, just their approach.
And no, I’m not buying one, I’m a MBP user. I’ll definitely look forward to the displays though, and any future eGPU development especially if Apple gets into that space.
It seems pretty clear to me as to what they meant. They were responding to the comments and questions about the 2013 Mac Pro not being upgradable, and also the failure to update them by Apple. I read Apple’s response, as have many others, that the machine would indeed be upgradable by the user, and that they would also upgrade the platform themselves over the years.
i’m not sure what you mean by a component level, unless you’re referring to the CPU. I think that most of us have given up on CPU upgrades. But my Mac Pro allows the CPU board to be easily removed and replaced with another, along with the RAM slots. So you could replace the single CPU board with a dual one. Or one with faster chips. Since the chips fit into intel processor sockets, you can replace the chips yourself, and many people have bought chips on eBay and done that. OWC, and others have been offering to exchange boards for years. You pay for those upgrades of course. So it can be done.
Had Apple wanted to specifically say that the new Mac Pro would upgradeable, they would have by now. Had Apple wanted to say that there would PCI-E slots, they'd have done so by now.
Instead, even when directly asked about it, we've gotten "Modular," now repeated three times by Apple execs. The "Pro" market is welcome to read whatever they want into that statement, but right now, only Apple knows what it means for sure. I'm not expecting that they're going to say a word about it, until they're ready to announce it, and like the 6,1 and iMac Pro, I think there'll be like a thousand of them shipping this year, and that's about it. We'll all see together, of course.
presuming the Mac Pro is as modular as the folks say it is.
Nobody actually knows what "modular" means. For all we know Schiller just meant with a separate display, etc.
When they first talked about it they didn’t explain how they were going to do it, but they did say that it would be upgradable so that it wouldn’t become obsolete (at least for several years, I would imagine). That, and the stated goal of productivity gains. That’s about it.
They didn't say that either. You're sure projecting a lot into this Mac Pro thing. Are you even going to buy one?
They did say that. It’s in the interview. Yes buddy, I am going to buy one. Are you?
Posting the full transcript of the conversation Apple had with some well known reporters in the tech industry. Remember that this is the first sit-down about they had. Since then, they just said a very few things about it.
Now that it’s well over a year later, and some of what they mentioned about other products are out in real products, such a the new Mac Minis, I would say that it’s about time they had another announcement about the Mac Pro too.
I just reread both articles and neither one includes a statement that the Mac Pro “would be upgradeable so that it wouldn’t become obsolete”. They do talk about their own ability to provide updates to and flexibility in configurations of the architecture on their end, as that’s where they hit a wall with the 2013 MP, but that’s an entirely different thing. I think you’re misinterpreting that to mean user upgradability on a component level, and they absolutely did not specify that. It’s also very clear that Schiller says modular in reference to headless machines in conjunction with monitors versus all-in-one systems like the iMac. It’s pretty clear. Not saying the new MP will be neither upgradeable or modular on some component level, just saying that Apple has definitely not said anything of the sort. They’re pretty careful in both interviews to not indicate any clear plans, just their approach.
And no, I’m not buying one, I’m a MBP user. I’ll definitely look forward to the displays though, and any future eGPU development especially if Apple gets into that space.
It seems pretty clear to me as to what they meant. They were responding to the comments and questions about the 2013 Mac Pro not being upgradable, and also the failure to update them by Apple. I read Apple’s response, as have many others, that the machine would indeed be upgradable by the user, and that they would also upgrade the platform themselves over the years.
i’m not sure what you mean by a component level, unless you’re referring to the CPU. I think that most of us have given up on CPU upgrades. But my Mac Pro allows the CPU board to be easily removed and replaced with another, along with the RAM slots. So you could replace the single CPU board with a dual one. Or one with faster chips. Since the chips fit into intel processor sockets, you can replace the chips yourself, and many people have bought chips on eBay and done that. OWC, and others have been offering to exchange boards for years. You pay for those upgrades of course. So it can be done.
Had Apple wanted to specifically say that the new Mac Pro would upgradeable, they would have by now. Had Apple wanted to say that there would PCI-E slots, they'd have done so by now.
Instead, even when directly asked about it, we've gotten "Modular," now repeated three times by Apple execs. The "Pro" market is welcome to read whatever they want into that statement, but right now, only Apple knows what it means for sure. I'm not expecting that they're going to say a word about it, until they're ready to announce it, and like the 6,1 and iMac Pro, I think there'll be like a thousand of them shipping this year, and that's about it. We'll all see together, of course.
Your assumption isn’t any better than mine. Maybe you’re correct, and maybe I’m correct. That’s what the discussion is about. I can say that a whale of a lot of people will be disappointed if this isn’t upgradable.
presuming the Mac Pro is as modular as the folks say it is.
Nobody actually knows what "modular" means. For all we know Schiller just meant with a separate display, etc.
When they first talked about it they didn’t explain how they were going to do it, but they did say that it would be upgradable so that it wouldn’t become obsolete (at least for several years, I would imagine). That, and the stated goal of productivity gains. That’s about it.
They didn't say that either. You're sure projecting a lot into this Mac Pro thing. Are you even going to buy one?
They did say that. It’s in the interview. Yes buddy, I am going to buy one. Are you?
Posting the full transcript of the conversation Apple had with some well known reporters in the tech industry. Remember that this is the first sit-down about they had. Since then, they just said a very few things about it.
Now that it’s well over a year later, and some of what they mentioned about other products are out in real products, such a the new Mac Minis, I would say that it’s about time they had another announcement about the Mac Pro too.
I just reread both articles and neither one includes a statement that the Mac Pro “would be upgradeable so that it wouldn’t become obsolete”. They do talk about their own ability to provide updates to and flexibility in configurations of the architecture on their end, as that’s where they hit a wall with the 2013 MP, but that’s an entirely different thing. I think you’re misinterpreting that to mean user upgradability on a component level, and they absolutely did not specify that. It’s also very clear that Schiller says modular in reference to headless machines in conjunction with monitors versus all-in-one systems like the iMac. It’s pretty clear. Not saying the new MP will be neither upgradeable or modular on some component level, just saying that Apple has definitely not said anything of the sort. They’re pretty careful in both interviews to not indicate any clear plans, just their approach.
And no, I’m not buying one, I’m a MBP user. I’ll definitely look forward to the displays though, and any future eGPU development especially if Apple gets into that space.
It seems pretty clear to me as to what they meant. They were responding to the comments and questions about the 2013 Mac Pro not being upgradable, and also the failure to update them by Apple. I read Apple’s response, as have many others, that the machine would indeed be upgradable by the user, and that they would also upgrade the platform themselves over the years.
i’m not sure what you mean by a component level, unless you’re referring to the CPU. I think that most of us have given up on CPU upgrades. But my Mac Pro allows the CPU board to be easily removed and replaced with another, along with the RAM slots. So you could replace the single CPU board with a dual one. Or one with faster chips. Since the chips fit into intel processor sockets, you can replace the chips yourself, and many people have bought chips on eBay and done that. OWC, and others have been offering to exchange boards for years. You pay for those upgrades of course. So it can be done.
Had Apple wanted to specifically say that the new Mac Pro would upgradeable, they would have by now. Had Apple wanted to say that there would PCI-E slots, they'd have done so by now.
Instead, even when directly asked about it, we've gotten "Modular," now repeated three times by Apple execs. The "Pro" market is welcome to read whatever they want into that statement, but right now, only Apple knows what it means for sure. I'm not expecting that they're going to say a word about it, until they're ready to announce it, and like the 6,1 and iMac Pro, I think there'll be like a thousand of them shipping this year, and that's about it. We'll all see together, of course.
Your assumption isn’t any better than mine. Maybe you’re correct, and maybe I’m correct. That’s what the discussion is about. I can say that a whale of a lot of people will be disappointed if this isn’t upgradable.
Right, and that's why I said "only Apple knows what it means for sure" and "we'll all see together"
You are absolutely right about the disappointment, though. All of this hinges on what specific aspect of "Pro" that they're aiming at.
presuming the Mac Pro is as modular as the folks say it is.
Nobody actually knows what "modular" means. For all we know Schiller just meant with a separate display, etc.
When they first talked about it they didn’t explain how they were going to do it, but they did say that it would be upgradable so that it wouldn’t become obsolete (at least for several years, I would imagine). That, and the stated goal of productivity gains. That’s about it.
They didn't say that either. You're sure projecting a lot into this Mac Pro thing. Are you even going to buy one?
They did say that. It’s in the interview. Yes buddy, I am going to buy one. Are you?
Posting the full transcript of the conversation Apple had with some well known reporters in the tech industry. Remember that this is the first sit-down about they had. Since then, they just said a very few things about it.
Now that it’s well over a year later, and some of what they mentioned about other products are out in real products, such a the new Mac Minis, I would say that it’s about time they had another announcement about the Mac Pro too.
I just reread both articles and neither one includes a statement that the Mac Pro “would be upgradeable so that it wouldn’t become obsolete”. They do talk about their own ability to provide updates to and flexibility in configurations of the architecture on their end, as that’s where they hit a wall with the 2013 MP, but that’s an entirely different thing. I think you’re misinterpreting that to mean user upgradability on a component level, and they absolutely did not specify that. It’s also very clear that Schiller says modular in reference to headless machines in conjunction with monitors versus all-in-one systems like the iMac. It’s pretty clear. Not saying the new MP will be neither upgradeable or modular on some component level, just saying that Apple has definitely not said anything of the sort. They’re pretty careful in both interviews to not indicate any clear plans, just their approach.
And no, I’m not buying one, I’m a MBP user. I’ll definitely look forward to the displays though, and any future eGPU development especially if Apple gets into that space.
It seems pretty clear to me as to what they meant. They were responding to the comments and questions about the 2013 Mac Pro not being upgradable, and also the failure to update them by Apple. I read Apple’s response, as have many others, that the machine would indeed be upgradable by the user, and that they would also upgrade the platform themselves over the years.
i’m not sure what you mean by a component level, unless you’re referring to the CPU. I think that most of us have given up on CPU upgrades. But my Mac Pro allows the CPU board to be easily removed and replaced with another, along with the RAM slots. So you could replace the single CPU board with a dual one. Or one with faster chips. Since the chips fit into intel processor sockets, you can replace the chips yourself, and many people have bought chips on eBay and done that. OWC, and others have been offering to exchange boards for years. You pay for those upgrades of course. So it can be done.
Had Apple wanted to specifically say that the new Mac Pro would upgradeable, they would have by now. Had Apple wanted to say that there would PCI-E slots, they'd have done so by now.
Instead, even when directly asked about it, we've gotten "Modular," now repeated three times by Apple execs. The "Pro" market is welcome to read whatever they want into that statement, but right now, only Apple knows what it means for sure. I'm not expecting that they're going to say a word about it, until they're ready to announce it, and like the 6,1 and iMac Pro, I think there'll be like a thousand of them shipping this year, and that's about it. We'll all see together, of course.
Your assumption isn’t any better than mine. Maybe you’re correct, and maybe I’m correct. That’s what the discussion is about. I can say that a whale of a lot of people will be disappointed if this isn’t upgradable.
Right, and that's why I said "only Apple knows what it means for sure" and "we'll all see together"
You are absolutely right about the disappointment, though. All of this hinges on what specific aspect of "Pro" that they're aiming at.
And Mike, that’s why this is an interesting discussion. Also, in the transcript, Federighi said that they read the forums to see what people were talking about, and what they wanted. That’s in addition to all of the pros they said they consulted. So what we’re saying, right here, can influence decisions they would have, and still might make. Let’s not forget that. So it’s important to say why we want, and need, in addition to just interpreting what we THINK they mean.
also, I’d just like to say that modularity implys upgradability. Whether it’s an external EGPU, or something internal, it’s replaceable, and therefor, upgradable.
presuming the Mac Pro is as modular as the folks say it is.
Nobody actually knows what "modular" means. For all we know Schiller just meant with a separate display, etc.
When they first talked about it they didn’t explain how they were going to do it, but they did say that it would be upgradable so that it wouldn’t become obsolete (at least for several years, I would imagine). That, and the stated goal of productivity gains. That’s about it.
They didn't say that either. You're sure projecting a lot into this Mac Pro thing. Are you even going to buy one?
They did say that. It’s in the interview. Yes buddy, I am going to buy one. Are you?
Posting the full transcript of the conversation Apple had with some well known reporters in the tech industry. Remember that this is the first sit-down about they had. Since then, they just said a very few things about it.
Now that it’s well over a year later, and some of what they mentioned about other products are out in real products, such a the new Mac Minis, I would say that it’s about time they had another announcement about the Mac Pro too.
I just reread both articles and neither one includes a statement that the Mac Pro “would be upgradeable so that it wouldn’t become obsolete”. They do talk about their own ability to provide updates to and flexibility in configurations of the architecture on their end, as that’s where they hit a wall with the 2013 MP, but that’s an entirely different thing. I think you’re misinterpreting that to mean user upgradability on a component level, and they absolutely did not specify that. It’s also very clear that Schiller says modular in reference to headless machines in conjunction with monitors versus all-in-one systems like the iMac. It’s pretty clear. Not saying the new MP will be neither upgradeable or modular on some component level, just saying that Apple has definitely not said anything of the sort. They’re pretty careful in both interviews to not indicate any clear plans, just their approach.
And no, I’m not buying one, I’m a MBP user. I’ll definitely look forward to the displays though, and any future eGPU development especially if Apple gets into that space.
It seems pretty clear to me as to what they meant. They were responding to the comments and questions about the 2013 Mac Pro not being upgradable, and also the failure to update them by Apple. I read Apple’s response, as have many others, that the machine would indeed be upgradable by the user, and that they would also upgrade the platform themselves over the years.
i’m not sure what you mean by a component level, unless you’re referring to the CPU. I think that most of us have given up on CPU upgrades. But my Mac Pro allows the CPU board to be easily removed and replaced with another, along with the RAM slots. So you could replace the single CPU board with a dual one. Or one with faster chips. Since the chips fit into intel processor sockets, you can replace the chips yourself, and many people have bought chips on eBay and done that. OWC, and others have been offering to exchange boards for years. You pay for those upgrades of course. So it can be done.
Had Apple wanted to specifically say that the new Mac Pro would upgradeable, they would have by now. Had Apple wanted to say that there would PCI-E slots, they'd have done so by now.
Instead, even when directly asked about it, we've gotten "Modular," now repeated three times by Apple execs. The "Pro" market is welcome to read whatever they want into that statement, but right now, only Apple knows what it means for sure. I'm not expecting that they're going to say a word about it, until they're ready to announce it, and like the 6,1 and iMac Pro, I think there'll be like a thousand of them shipping this year, and that's about it. We'll all see together, of course.
Your assumption isn’t any better than mine. Maybe you’re correct, and maybe I’m correct. That’s what the discussion is about. I can say that a whale of a lot of people will be disappointed if this isn’t upgradable.
Right, and that's why I said "only Apple knows what it means for sure" and "we'll all see together"
You are absolutely right about the disappointment, though. All of this hinges on what specific aspect of "Pro" that they're aiming at.
And Mike, that’s why this is an interesting discussion. Also, in the transcript, Federighi said that they read the forums to see what people were talking about, and what they wanted. That’s in addition to all of the pros they said they consulted. So what we’re saying, right here, can influence decisions they would have, and still might make. Let’s not forget that. So it’s important to say why we want, and need, in addition to just interpreting what we THINK they mean.
also, I’d just like to say that modularity implys upgradability. Whether it’s an external EGPU, or something internal, it’s replaceable, and therefor, upgradable.
I still think you're projecting. Here's what Schiller actually said in three separate sections of the interview:
"As part of doing a new Mac Pro — it is, by definition, a modular system — we will be doing a pro display as well. Now you won’t see any of those products this year; we’re in the process of that. We think it’s really important to create something great for our pro customers who want a Mac Pro modular system, and that’ll take longer than this year to do."
"I think, as you talk about the pro user, the fact that our user base is split over notebooks, all-in-one desktops and modular desktops is important. We aren’t making one machine for pros. We’re making three different designs for pros. We’re going to continue to."
"We care about our Pro users who use MacBook Pros, who use iMacs and who use Mac Pros, who use modular systems as well as all-in-one systems, who use the pro software we make."
Emphasis mine. At no point does he equate modular with upgradeability, on the contrary he very clearly uses that term to delineate the Pro from the iMac form factor, and once specifically in reference to requiring a separate monitor.
And Federighi:
I wouldn’t say we’re trying to paint any picture right now about a shape. It could be an octagon this time [laughter]. But certainly flexibility and our flexibility to keep it current and upgraded.
This is fully about them able to offer different configurations and keep the platform regularly updated as we see with other lines of Macs. Nowhere does he mention upgradeability on the part of the user, though one might assume that flexibility for them might trickle down to the user in the form of aftermarket parts/replacements and such, but again they certainly haven't stated as much.
Comments
Really? So why didn’t you post the correct one, instead of posting nothing of value?
https://techcrunch.com/2017/04/06/transcript-phil-schiller-craig-federighi-and-john-ternus-on-the-state-of-apples-pro-macs/
Now that it’s well over a year later, and some of what they mentioned about other products are out in real products, such a the new Mac Minis, I would say that it’s about time they had another announcement about the Mac Pro too.
Are you forgetting about Panzarino’s follow up a year later?
https://techcrunch.com/2018/04/05/apples-2019-imac-pro-will-be-shaped-by-workflows/
I just reread both articles and neither one includes a statement that the Mac Pro “would be upgradeable so that it wouldn’t become obsolete”. They do talk about their own ability to provide updates to and flexibility in configurations of the architecture on their end, as that’s where they hit a wall with the 2013 MP, but that’s an entirely different thing. I think you’re misinterpreting that to mean user upgradability on a component level, and they absolutely did not specify that. It’s also very clear that Schiller says modular in reference to headless machines in conjunction with monitors versus all-in-one systems like the iMac. It’s pretty clear. Not saying the new MP will be neither upgradeable or modular on some component level, just saying that Apple has definitely not said anything of the sort. They’re pretty careful in both interviews to not indicate any clear plans, just their approach.
And no, I’m not buying one, I’m a MBP user. I’ll definitely look forward to the displays though, and any future eGPU development especially if Apple gets into that space.
i’m not sure what you mean by a component level, unless you’re referring to the CPU. I think that most of us have given up on CPU upgrades. But my Mac Pro allows the CPU board to be easily removed and replaced with another, along with the RAM slots. So you could replace the single CPU board with a dual one. Or one with faster chips. Since the chips fit into intel processor sockets, you can replace the chips yourself, and many people have bought chips on eBay and done that. OWC, and others have been offering to exchange boards for years. You pay for those upgrades of course. So it can be done.
Instead, even when directly asked about it, we've gotten "Modular," now repeated three times by Apple execs. The "Pro" market is welcome to read whatever they want into that statement, but right now, only Apple knows what it means for sure. I'm not expecting that they're going to say a word about it, until they're ready to announce it, and like the 6,1 and iMac Pro, I think there'll be like a thousand of them shipping this year, and that's about it. We'll all see together, of course.
You are absolutely right about the disappointment, though. All of this hinges on what specific aspect of "Pro" that they're aiming at.
also, I’d just like to say that modularity implys upgradability. Whether it’s an external EGPU, or something internal, it’s replaceable, and therefor, upgradable.
Emphasis mine. At no point does he equate modular with upgradeability, on the contrary he very clearly uses that term to delineate the Pro from the iMac form factor, and once specifically in reference to requiring a separate monitor.
And Federighi:
This is fully about them able to offer different configurations and keep the platform regularly updated as we see with other lines of Macs. Nowhere does he mention upgradeability on the part of the user, though one might assume that flexibility for them might trickle down to the user in the form of aftermarket parts/replacements and such, but again they certainly haven't stated as much.