New Mac Pro

[franYo]

From Apple's keynote today this thing has grabbed my attention:

http://www.apple.com/mac-pro/

I am actually somewhat impressed.

[pidgeon92]

Looks sorta like a warp core.

[frahse]

Is this a rounder version of Steve Jobs' Next cube?

from 1998:

[pholy]

Or is the chimney shape supposed to indicate how much heat it gives off? Enhance the hot air flow?

[JoeD]

It's a mug holder or an ash tray, haven't decided yet.

[SeaKing]

I thought of a "bobbin" shape also like on the very old dictagraph machines. My dad showed me one once. That came from the 40s or even earlier.

Well, so Apple has a new iOS now. Gee! Great! What does it do?

I'm not impressed by the new Mac Pro. It looks amazing. In terms of performance, it probably is amazing. But a platform that lacks internal expansion in any of its systems is a joke. A platform that depends upon an external bus with little to no support at release is even worse off.

I think the comparison to the G4 cube is an apt one. The cube was a neat machine, but it ultimately failed because it didn't reflect the needs of the users it was targeted at. (In contrast, the squarish mini succeeded because it did reflect the needs of the users it was targeted at.)

I hope that Apple gets a bit of a reality check here: customers shouldn't pay a premium for a crippled machine (even if the design is amazing).

[afv011]

Originally Posted by BWinmill

customers shouldn't pay a premium for a crippled machine (even if the design is amazing).

Isn't that apple's premise anyway?

[david8866]

Originally Posted by frahse

Is this a rounder version of Steve Jobs' Next cube?

from 1998:

How can you mention it? It never happen.

[forsooth]

Originally Posted by BWinmill

I'm not impressed by the new Mac Pro. It looks amazing. In terms of performance, it probably is amazing. But a platform that lacks internal expansion in any of its systems is a joke. A platform that depends upon an external bus with little to no support at release is even worse off.

I think the comparison to the G4 cube is an apt one. The cube was a neat machine, but it ultimately failed because it didn't reflect the needs of the users it was targeted at. (In contrast, the squarish mini succeeded because it did reflect the needs of the users it was targeted at.)

I hope that Apple gets a bit of a reality check here: customers shouldn't pay a premium for a crippled machine (even if the design is amazing).

apple customers "amazing!"

[forsooth]

Originally Posted by afv011

Isn't that apple's premise anyway?

is Apple way
like pied piper with merry tune into river

[HarryT]

Apple needed a refresh of the Mac Pro due to the fact that the current model can't be sold in the EU (it hasn't been available for the last year) because it doesn't comply with EU environmental laws about recycling.

[drofgnal]

I'm impressed by it's size, roughly 6x9". I have an imac and don't need that level of processing and computing at home, but it's pretty impressive.

[pdurrant]

Not ebook related. Moved to the lounge.

[Prestidigitweeze]

Originally Posted by afv011

Isn't that apple's premise anyway?

Yes, it is for the consumer market, but this has always been a desktop model for the professional. For many of us, the incentive to use a Mac was never the pretty design. It was always the fact that a Mac was the hub of required equipment (in the States) that allowed you to make a six-figure salary.

Not an iMac, not an Air, but the one model which professionals (Avid editing and post-production houses; music studios with Protools, Logic, DP, Cubase, Komplete, Melodyne, Finale and more; graphic design pros who haven't yet been moved to PCs by their IT departments) have all been anticipating for the past four years.

Trouble is, the model they're getting isn't flexible enough for their work and probably doesn't maintain cool temperatures either. Even the the most powerful iMac gets too warm in afternoon-long sessions involving tons of editing, processing and VMs. Not because of the processor speed or overclocking, but because of the tight enclosure and lack of cooling equipment, space and circulation.

Suddenly, pros are expected to deal with the inflexibility and cooling issues of a G4 Cube. This is what they're being told to use, and they're not consumers who are content to marvel at mere industrial design.

A vintage Pro is just old and a Hackintosh is too high-maintenance and unstable with every new update of the applications and OS. With the 2013 version of the Pro, Apple is emptying its bladder on the shoes of professionals in the arts who gave the company its concept cred in the first place.

This is why so many people with high-end workstations are cursing Apple, while others who've used Macs for decades are shrugging and migrating to PCs. It isn't fun to replace the hub of a profitable production studio with an entirely different kind of machine and platform, but Apple's finding ways to force veteran users into doing exactly that.