Any sign of a Mac Pro update?

[mrsir2009]

The Mac Pro has only been updated once since I was old enough to go onto the Apple website on my hand-me-down iBook G3 and see the Mac Pro there =/

Any sign of an update...?

[Umbongo]

There are numerous threads on this forum talking about it. Sometime in the next 10 weeks.

[Hmac]

The Mac Pro has only been updated once since I was old enough to go onto the Apple website on my hand-me-down iBook G3 and see the Mac Pro there =/

Any sign of an update...?

Nope. There's a little speculation, but no signs. I agree, sometime in the next 10 weeks is likely.

[telequest]

Nope. There's a little speculation, but no signs. I agree, sometime in the next 10 weeks is likely.

That's pretty much what everyone has been saying for the last 10 weeks or so, especially since the high end iMac was released. The answer is nobody knows and Apple's not telling and we're all stuck holding our collective breath. Those of us who really need a new Mac Pro are running out of patience. The shared wisdom is that as soon as you give up waiting and buy a 2009, the 2010s will then be announced.

[Hmac]

The shared wisdom is that as soon as you give up waiting and buy a 2009, the 2010s will then be announced.Should be soon then, I just bought a 2009.

[bzollinger]

Whenever they do show up, I hope they don't disappoint like the 09's...:rolleyes:

[Techhie]

Whenever they do show up, I hope they don't disappoint like the 09's...:rolleyes:

If they don't provide a huge jump in performance over the i7 iMac, Apple will find that people are more likely to opt for a free 27" panel with their purchase :rolleyes:

[Hmac]

Whenever they do show up, I hope they don't disappoint like the 09's...:rolleyes:

Here on MR, I'd be astonished if they didn't...

[antmo]

Should be soon then, I just bought a 2009.

x2... In fact, today's day 14 after purchase for me and there's no turning back :-)

[Hmac]

x2... In fact, today's day 14 after purchase for me and there's no turning back :-)

I'm not disappointed in mine. It exceeds my needs by a much greater margin that my 2006 1,1 did.

[psingh01]

If they don't provide a huge jump in performance over the i7 iMac, Apple will find that people are more likely to opt for a free 27" panel with their purchase :rolleyes:

Pretty much, I can accept the higher end models to be more expensive than the iMac but the price/performance ratio better be there for the lower end model otherwise I may go with the i7 iMac.

[JYork23]

If they don't provide a huge jump in performance over the i7 iMac, Apple will find that people are more likely to opt for a free 27" panel with their purchase :rolleyes:

I'm headed into the Apple Store on Monday with my credit card and getting an i7 for just that reason. I can't justify getting a Mac Pro these days.

[Hmac]

I'm headed into the Apple Store on Monday with my credit card and getting an i7 for just that reason. I can't justify getting a Mac Pro these days.

Yeh, price/performance is getting increasingly out of whack. The Mac Pro is more computer than I need, but I'm afraid the iMac isn't enough. Time for Apple to finally bring the mythical mid-tower into the line-up. Otherwise I'm afraid the Xeon architecture is going to price the Mac Pro right out of the market.

[Sean Dempsey]

I still have a 2006 1,1 Mac Pro, so you can all go straight to heck!!! :D:D:D:D:D:D

[mrsir2009]

I'd be interested to see what the next Mac Pro is like :D i7 for sure!

[nanofrog]

Yeh, price/performance is getting increasingly out of whack. The Mac Pro is more computer than I need, but I'm afraid the iMac isn't enough. Time for Apple to finally bring the mythical mid-tower into the line-up. Otherwise I'm afraid the Xeon architecture is going to price the Mac Pro right out of the market.
That's how they see the Quad core MP's though. But as you say, the price/performance ratio isn't wonderful, and causes hesitancy/reluctance from potential buyers.

[shabbasuraj]

MacPros will be discontinued in fall 2010. "Apple is a mobile company." ...

[shabbasuraj]

Apple has truckloads of MacPros they can't sell.. (ever check the refurb store lately)...

Basically MacPro pricing is all out of whack. Each model should be reduced by about 30-40% for it to be attractive.

A 27" iMac with IPS screen is the top of the line.. of course minus expandability.

[akadmon]

MacPros will be discontinued in fall 2010. "Apple is a mobile company." ...

Amen. I will only add this: and there will be no update before that! Time will tell that the last update the Mac Pro line got before it disappeared from store shelves was the fix for the infamous audio bug.

[shabbasuraj]

I'd be interested to see what the next Mac Pro is like :D i7 for sure!

vapourware ... a la.

http://www.maccast.com/images/g5_powerbook.jpg

[shabbasuraj]

Amen. I will only add this: and there will be no update before that! Time will tell that the last update the Mac Pro line got before it disappeared from store shelves was the fix for the infamous audio bug.

ya man. SJ's quote just about sums it up. Apple probably gets more revenue selling phones in a minute then they do selling Mac"SLOWS" in a month.


//////just sayin

[MisterK]

I want a new Mac Pro pretty badly. I'm wondering if I should hold out for an update. I have a 2.33GHz MacBOOK Pro from the end of 2006. It's really feeling sluggish.

Is that because of it being a 3 year laptop with just 3GB of RAM or do Adobe's apps still feel slow across all current Macs?

I've been using newer PCs at work that really feel snappy. I'd hate to spend $5k plus for a desktop to find out my bread and butter work in huge Photoshop files works better on a $1k PC. I love Apple stuff, but this design program is the main tool of my livelihood. My OS preference may not be able to override the fact Adobe's products run faster on PCs. I REALLY don't want to switch to Windows. It's fine... I just really like OS X more.

Reassuring words about how crazy fast this updated i7 or whatever Mac Pro is going to be, please!!!

[NoManIsland]

I want a new Mac Pro pretty badly. I'm wondering if I should hold out for an update. I have a 2.33GHz MacBOOK Pro from the end of 2006. It's really feeling sluggish.

Is that because of it being a 3 year laptop with just 3GB of RAM or do Adobe's apps still feel slow across all current Macs?

I've been using newer PCs at work that really feel snappy. I'd hate to spend $5k plus for a desktop to find out my bread and butter work in huge Photoshop files works better on a $1k PC. I love Apple stuff, but this design program is the main tool of my livelihood. My OS preference may not be able to override the fact Adobe's products run faster on PCs. I REALLY don't want to switch to Windows. It's fine... I just really like OS X more.

Reassuring words about how crazy fast this updated i7 or whatever Mac Pro is going to be, please!!!

I feel confident that CS5 is going to introduce major performance improvements to the OSX versions - see the evidence of 64 bit Photoshop. As for reassurances, I use CS4 on my 2008 MP and it screams as is compared to the high end (~$2500) circa 2009 PC I had when I was working at a graphic design firm, so I would anticipate the 2010 MP offering serious improvement on top of that. There is a lot of dour talk out there about this update, but I honestly feel that Apple is going to surprise us with this new model :)

[NoManIsland]

I should point out that perhaps the biggest reason for CS4 showing performance disparities between the platforms is that CS4 on Windows is fully 64 bit, whereas CS4 on Mac is 32 bit. The transition to CS5 will balance this performance equation, giving OSX Adobe apps' performance a massive boost. :D

[Hmac]

MacPros will be discontinued in fall 2010. "Apple is a mobile company." ...

On the positive side of that statement, Windows 7 ain't too bad.

[JYork23]

On the positive side of that statement, Windows 7 ain't too bad.

Oh, there's many positive sides to that statement, but that's not one of them.

[ildondeigiocchi]

MacPros will be discontinued in fall 2010. "Apple is a mobile company." ...

I doubt that will happen... or at least this year. If Apple would discontinue the Mac Pro line they would lose all their professional market... not to say all their testing platforms which software and app developers use to test operating systems and other stuff. Dropping the Mac Pro line would be the STUPIDEST thing Apple has ever done. Until they do such a thing, I have confidence and respect in them.

[juan370Z]

I doubt that will happen... or at least this year. If Apple would discontinue the Mac Pro line they would lose all their professional market... not to say all their testing platforms which software and app developers use to test operating systems and other stuff. Dropping the Mac Pro line would be the STUPIDEST thing Apple has ever done. Until they do such a thing, I have confidence and respect in them.i agree if :apple: does such thing it would be the STUPIDEST thing ever. most of their apps made that they brag so much about is made from mac pros. or mbp...but really thats such a bold statement. i just hope this year models are amazing. steve jobs did say 2010 macs where gona be awesome i have faith in him.:)

[maviso5]

i had a mac pro 09 since it came out, sold it last week, just got the top iMac, must say i'm very impressed, gave up waiting

[CCK]

MacPros will be discontinued in fall 2010. "Apple is a mobile company." ...

I keep hearing this, but no one can say how dropping the pro market would benefit :apple:

It seems like no benefit from doing so and too much of a possibility for disaster if they did.

[nanofrog]

I keep hearing this, but no one can say how dropping the pro market would benefit :apple:

It seems like no benefit from doing so and too much of a possibility for disaster if they did.
I don't expect it to happen in 2010, but in 2014 (2013 model being the last lineup).

It has to do with what processors will be available. Now at that time, they continue on by using enthusiast desktop parts (SP CPU's only), but it will mean the end of the Xeon based MP (especially the DP versions). But when you combine the increases in pricing and small sales, it does look like that's when the MP will disappear (skip switching to SP only, and drop it based on financial aspects).

All workstations will be affected BTW, and have to go with SP parts. But as the core counts will have 8x on one die, it won't be an issue for most (those that truly need ECC RAM may be in a pickle if they don't have the 2x arms and 2x legs for the DP CPU based systems :eek: :p).

[TennisandMusic]

I keep hearing this, but no one can say how dropping the pro market would benefit :apple:

It seems like no benefit from doing so and too much of a possibility for disaster if they did.

The thing is, they probably just don't see a long term need for these kinds of machines. Actually in 5 years I can see all desktops not being necessary outside of very very specific needs. Imagine if you had an OLED iMac, with USB3 (or lightpeak or whatever high speed port), with SATA3 solid state drives, fast cpus and gpus etc, in an even thinner and cooler all-in-one. I'm not sure that's where I want it to go personally (unless it works fantastic, then why not) but I probably wouldn't be able to say I couldn't do my video editing, dev work, web work, graphics etc etc...

I'm a pretty heavy duty user. I can see it going in this direction...

[nanofrog]

The thing is, they probably just don't see a long term need for these kinds of machines. Actually in 5 years I can see all desktops not being necessary outside of very very specific needs. Imagine if you had an OLED iMac, with USB3 (or lightpeak or whatever high speed port), with SATA3 solid state drives, fast cpus and gpus etc, in an even thinner and cooler all-in-one. I'm not sure that's where I want it to go personally (unless it works fantastic, then why not) but I probably wouldn't be able to say I couldn't do my video editing, dev work, web work, graphics etc etc...

I'm a pretty heavy duty user. I can see it going in this direction...
Developers are either already, or becoming interested in Cloud computing. If they get their way (and Intel is obliging them with more cores per die which will help make it happen), what we'll have at home isn't going to be much more than a terminal.

The real limitation will be ISP bandwidth, but that will eventually be addressed.

Other uses that would require heavier duty systems, such as gaming systems and workstations, can be done on the same CPU's. And that seems to be the direction Intel's taking, going by their roadmap. We're already seeing that transition occur. Take the current SP Xeon (35xxx) for example. It's the same chip as the 45nm i7-9xx with ECC enabled. Core counts per die are also continuing to increase. We're about to get hex core parts, and octo core parts won't be too far behind. So workstations will be able to stick with SP CPU's and boards.

[CCK]

The thing is, they probably just don't see a long term need for these kinds of machines. Actually in 5 years I can see all desktops not being necessary outside of very very specific needs. Imagine if you had an OLED iMac, with USB3 (or lightpeak or whatever high speed port), with SATA3 solid state drives, fast cpus and gpus etc, in an even thinner and cooler all-in-one. I'm not sure that's where I want it to go personally (unless it works fantastic, then why not) but I probably wouldn't be able to say I couldn't do my video editing, dev work, web work, graphics etc etc...

I'm a pretty heavy duty user. I can see it going in this direction...

I certainly can see the MP line ending at some point and maybe not far off, that's a lot different than getting out of the pro market. A mini pro is just what many people have been wanting for a long time and would probably make the base MP almost obsolete. So I totally agree with what you say about comps. I take dropping the pro market as = dropping pro users, since a lot of people also include pro software/support in this issue.

[grue]

Based on the information I just got, they will almost certainly be updated this week.

[Wild-Bill]

Based on the information I just got, they will almost certainly be updated this week.

Care to share that info with the rest of us?

[grue]

Care to share that info with the rest of us?

Yeah, they shipped my new machine, so it's too late to cancel if they update 'em :D

[Techhie]

Yeah, they shipped my new machine, so it's too late to cancel if they update 'em :D

No, the update is always scheduled to occur exactly 15 days after you get one, to account for the 14 day grace period :rolleyes:

[Nostromo]

Based on the information I just got, they will almost certainly be updated this week.

Which tea do you brew to read the leaves?

I read my Assam, and it says: "Sorry. I can't see a shadow. Six more weeks of Mac Pro winter"

[grue]

No, the update is always scheduled to occur exactly 15 days after you get one, to account for the 14 day grace period :rolleyes:

Doesn't apply to BTO :(

[alent1234]

i'm not looking to buy one, but looking at the upgrade. we're looking to buy a few HP servers at work and waiting for the latest CPU's to come out. and i'm always checking Apple's website since they announced the Nehalem first last year

Interesting tidbit is IBM just announced new x86 servers last week and they will ship later this month. lots of marketing BS on the website but no word on which CPU's are in there. There is still an NDA on the Nehalem-EX which will be lifted any day now. i bet Apple has the new Mac Pro's in their warehouses, but can't ship them yet.

[Drumjim85]

The MP is the only computer apple offers that has card slots. Do people not find these important anymore? Especially in the pro market? All of my audio studio's require PCI-E slots for the DSP cards.

[Sean Dempsey]

The MP is the only computer apple offers that has card slots. Do people not find these important anymore? Especially in the pro market? All of my audio studio's require PCI-E slots for the DSP cards.

Which is why a Mac Pro is the right choice. Is there a question here?

[Drumjim85]

Which is why a Mac Pro is the right choice. Is there a question here?

sorry, the question was for all the people saying that they're going to be killed off.

[Hmac]

sorry, the question was for all the people saying that they're going to be killed off.

I wouldn't be surprised if Xeon workstations were ultimately killed off, or at least relegated to special-order only. I would hope that Apple would stay in the tower-based desktop business, however, maybe by introducing a smaller tower with a more modest CPU (i7, maybe?), fewer PCIe slots, fewer hard drive bays, etc etc. Something to compete in the space in between the consumer-ish iMac and the very professional (and very expensive) MP Mac Pros.

[alent1234]

sorry, the question was for all the people saying that they're going to be killed off.

10 years ago Intel was talking about running things like modems in software via the CPU. i don't know what every new instruction does, but graphics cards are very similar to DSP's and new languages like OpenCL may let you run instructions in a generic "graphics" card instead of a specialized overpriced DSP card

[Phantom Gremlin]

Core counts per die are also continuing to increase. We're about to get hex core parts, and octo core parts won't be too far behind. So workstations will be able to stick with SP CPU's and boards.

Let me throw an idea out for discussion. Many people suggest that Mac Pros are low volume compared to most of Apple's other products, that it's a "nuisance" for Apple to keep making them. So what if, for 2010, Apple kept only the SP Mac Pro, and dropped the DP Mac Pro?

Let's assume that Apple sticks to Xeon type silicon, but SP only. Why not? It simplifies their R&D and manufacturing, and Intel gives them 6 cores "real soon now" which realistically should be enough for 90% of Mac Pro users.

Or would the Mac Pro people be devastated and inconsolable over such a development?

[kickdacatt]

The MP is the only computer apple offers that has card slots. Do people not find these important anymore? Especially in the pro market? All of my audio studio's require PCI-E slots for the DSP cards.

Actually - yes. These slots are critical in high-end MP video capture systems. They are necessary for video capture cards like BlackMagic and RED Rocket.

Additionally, Autodesk has just released a version of SMOKE which is a high end color/compositing/editing software which is taking advantage of the MP platform (and wont work on any other current Mac system). I know with some certainty that Autodesk would not put the effort into moving to Mac based systems for this software package if there wasn't at least a medium term outlook for the MP.

[Umbongo]

Let me throw an idea out for discussion. Many people suggest that Mac Pros are low volume compared to most of Apple's other products, that it's a "nuisance" for Apple to keep making them. So what if, for 2010, Apple kept only the SP Mac Pro, and dropped the DP Mac Pro?

Let's assume that Apple sticks to Xeon type silicon, but SP only. Why not? It simplifies their R&D and manufacturing, and Intel gives them 6 cores "real soon now" which realistically should be enough for 90% of Mac Pro users.

Or would the Mac Pro people be devastated and inconsolable over such a development?

Apple probably won't take a step backwards. If anything they will drop single socket only models and go back to dual socket boards only.

[Transporteur]

Or would the Mac Pro people be devastated and inconsolable over such a development?

A single socket system with the next generation CPUs would mean that the new generation Mac Pro would be slower than the current dual processor system. I don't think people would like to see that.

Both the upcoming Gulftown and the current Gainestown processors are based on the Nehalem architecture, which is why I don't expect a speed bump besides the two additional cores.
So 3GHz Gainestown should pretty much equal 3GHz Gulftown.

Maybe Sandy Bridge can deliver such a punch that a single processor is faster than two processors of the previous generation, but with Gulftown and Gainestown, not gonna happen.

[Kissaragi]

Apple probably won't take a step backwards. If anything they will drop single socket only models and go back to dual socket boards only.

Im hoping for a base level mac pro with a single nehalem 2.9 quad core.

[Umbongo]

Im hoping for a base level mac pro with a single nehalem 2.9 quad core.

There are no 2.93GHz quad core processors in production now for socket 1366 so that might be hard.

[Techhie]

Im hoping for a base level mac pro with a single nehalem 2.9 quad core.

IIRC they won't be producing most of the Xeon 3xxx series after the 16th. That will limit Apple's options as far as single socket systems go.

Anyone else care to shed some light on this?

[Umbongo]

IIRC they won't be producing most of the Xeon 3xxx series after the 16th. That will limit Apple's options as far as single socket systems go.

Anyone else care to shed some light on this?

There are 3 price points, just as with Core i7. $284, $562 and $999.

The latest revisions will be 2.8GHz x 4 @ 45nm, 3.2GHz x 4 @ 45nm and 3.33GHz x 6 @ 32nm.

[Fiete5401]

There are 3 price points, just as with Core i7. $284, $562 and $999.

The latest revisions will be 2.8GHz x 4 @ 45nm, 3.2GHz x 4 @ 45nm and 3.33GHz x 6 @ 32nm.

2.8 GHz won't come to life in a MP since the W3530 (2.8 GHz) and the W3565 (3.2 GHz) are the only cpus without Turbo Boost within this family.

If :apple: wants the MPs to still have TB after the update the options are W3540 (2.93 GHz), W3550 (3.06 GHz), W3570 (3.2 GHz) and W3580 (3.33 GHz).

[Umbongo]

2.8 GHz won't come to life in a MP since the W3530 (2.8 GHz) and the W3565 (3.2 GHz) are the only cpus without Turbo Boost within this family.

If :apple: wants the MPs to still have TB after the update the options are W3540 (2.93 GHz), W3550 (3.06 GHz), W3570 (3.2 GHz) and W3580 (3.33 GHz).

Not sure where you read that but it isn't correct.

http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=41313

http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=39721

[Fiete5401]

Not sure where you read that but it isn't correct.

http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=41313

http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=39721

Uh, I have to admit that I used http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Intel_Xeon_microprocessors for my research. Thanks for reminding me of not-trusting wikipedia all the time. ;)

[Phantom Gremlin]

There are 3 price points, just as with Core i7. $284, $562 and $999.

The latest revisions will be 2.8GHz x 4 @ 45nm, 3.2GHz x 4 @ 45nm and 3.33GHz x 6 @ 32nm.

That 3.33 x 6 option should just obliterate any of the low-end DP boxes. Certainly 2.26 x 4 x 2 is a joke compared to that.

The only possible advantage of the low end DP configuration that Apple sells is that you need to buy a DP machine to get 8 DIMM sockets. But that is a marketing decision anyway. Imagine an SP machine with 6 DIMM sockets. (Everyone else has that). I'd buy one!

[CCK]

I've never seen so many MP on the refurb pg.

[Icaras]

Could Apple still hold their preferred customer status with Intel and release Mac Pros early tomorrow?

[Techhie]

Could Apple still hold their preferred customer status with Intel and release Mac Pros early tomorrow?

It is always a possibility, no one knows. IIRC last year's release was done without much rumor or fanfare.

We will always be waiting on another Tuesday :rolleyes:

[Magic Lantern]

Looks like another no update Tuesday!

I guess we are looking at the 16th at the earliest now, maybe the Intel exclusivity deal is over?

[alent1234]

Looks like another no update Tuesday!

I guess we are looking at the 16th at the earliest now, maybe the Intel exclusivity deal is over?

Intel still hasn't announced their new CPU's? What is Apple supposed to update with no new CPU?

[telequest]

Looks like another no update Tuesday!


What time of day does Apple normally announce updates? While it's 9:22 Eastern time right now, it's still just 6:22am in Cupertino.

[mds]

I don't understand how we can get an update when the new processors aren't even announced yet. Under the NDA Apple can't say a thing, right? I understand that worked a deal last time, but I wouldn't expect anything until Intel actually announces the CPUs.

[Icaras]

I don't understand how we can get an update when the new processors aren't even announced yet. Under the NDA Apple can't say a thing, right? I understand that worked a deal last time, but I wouldn't expect anything until Intel actually announces the CPUs.

Because last year, Apple got special treatment and had Intel chips earlier than any other PC vendor out there, and they were able to ship the 09 Mac Pro's ahead of Intel's shipping schedule.

Edit: Sorry, didn't read the last part of your post. Don't get mad at me, it's still early over here! :)

[Umbongo]

Because last year, Apple got special treatment and had Intel chips earlier than any other PC vendor out there, and they were able to ship the 09 Mac Pro's ahead of Intel's shipping schedule.

Or alternatively they broke the NDA and launched early. It hasn't been revealed what happened, but people at Dell and HP were reported to be shocked.

[Transporteur]

Because last year, Apple got special treatment and had Intel chips earlier than any other PC vendor out there, and they were able to ship the 09 Mac Pro's ahead of Intel's shipping schedule.

And they TOTALLY screwed it. :D
Took them 10 month to get their software play well with the new chips.

A little more time in the labs would have been much better than a premature release. :rolleyes:

[Icaras]

Or alternatively they broke the NDA and launched early. It hasn't been revealed what happened, but people at Dell and HP were reported to be shocked.

Plausible thought. I hadn't thought about that, but I doubt it would be in Apple's nature to break an NDA, since they themselves are like Nazis when it comes to their own NDS :rolleyes:

And they TOTALLY screwed it. :D
Took them 10 month to get their software play well with the new chips.

A little more time in the labs would have been much better than a premature release. :rolleyes:

Hey, that could totally have been the case. Premature release = premature hardware and software integrity. Didn't think of that either. Anything is possible.

[optophobia]

http://www.kittyhell.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/hello-kitty-apple-digital-scale.jpg

yes

[PeterQVenkman]

A single socket system with the next generation CPUs would mean that the new generation Mac Pro would be slower than the current dual processor system.

But a new single socket system with 6 cores would be faster than Apple's current 4 core single socket system. I'm just hoping Apple keeps a single socket/dual socket product line and offers people up to twelve cores of pure power, or 6 cores of (hopefully) affordability.




I don't think people would like to see that.


Paying $2000 for a six core machine that is faster than the iMac is a lot easier to swallow than the current offering!

At least in my multithreaded apps, more cores are welcome, but they don't offer 8x the performance. A six core could be poised to reach a price/performance ratio for the prosumer market.

[Transporteur]

But a new single socket system with 6 cores would be faster than Apple's current 4 core single socket system..

Of course, but from a marketing point of view, how would you put it that your new top of the line product is actually slower than the top of the line product from last year?

[xgman]

And they TOTALLY screwed it. :D
Took them 10 month to get their software play well with the new chips.

A little more time in the labs would have been much better than a premature release. :rolleyes:

and you think Microsoft based hardware does any better? :rolleyes:

[nanofrog]

Let me throw an idea out for discussion. Many people suggest that Mac Pros are low volume compared to most of Apple's other products, that it's a "nuisance" for Apple to keep making them. So what if, for 2010, Apple kept only the SP Mac Pro, and dropped the DP Mac Pro?

Let's assume that Apple sticks to Xeon type silicon, but SP only. Why not? It simplifies their R&D and manufacturing, and Intel gives them 6 cores "real soon now" which realistically should be enough for 90% of Mac Pro users.

Or would the Mac Pro people be devastated and inconsolable over such a development?
SP and DP models aren't that different. For the LGA1366 Xeons, the only difference board wise is the chipset, which accommodates either single (X58) or dual (5520) QPI channels. There's differences in firmware as well, but that's code, not electronic components.

As the chipset, CPU sockets and DIMM slots are on the daughter board, that's the part that's changed. It's less expensive to do it that way (vs. totally separate boards), though it's not as simple or inexpensive as the previous Intel based MP's (used a single Dual Socket board for both SP and DP systems).

Plausible thought. I hadn't thought about that, but I doubt it would be in Apple's nature to break an NDA, since they themselves are like Nazis when it comes to their own NDS :rolleyes:
It may only be about their own though. :eek: But I doubt they did, as there could be repercussions with Intel for doing so (presumably, Apple and Intel are still on good terms with one another).

Hey, that could totally have been the case. Premature release = premature hardware and software integrity. Didn't think of that either. Anything is possible.
This is becoming far too common IMO with both computers vendors and consumer electronics in general. They're in too much of a hurry to get a product shipped (regain profits), so product validation testing isn't anywhere close to thorough.

[alent1234]

Plausible thought. I hadn't thought about that, but I doubt it would be in Apple's nature to break an NDA, since they themselves are like Nazis when it comes to their own NDS :rolleyes:



Hey, that could totally have been the case. Premature release = premature hardware and software integrity. Didn't think of that either. Anything is possible.

they did get a lot of good press how the Mac Pro was cheaper than comparable products from Dell

Wintel is breaking down so expect to see more of these things. Apple and Microsoft are getting closer while Dell/HP are partnering with Google and ARM

[alent1234]

Let me throw an idea out for discussion. Many people suggest that Mac Pros are low volume compared to most of Apple's other products, that it's a "nuisance" for Apple to keep making them. So what if, for 2010, Apple kept only the SP Mac Pro, and dropped the DP Mac Pro?

Let's assume that Apple sticks to Xeon type silicon, but SP only. Why not? It simplifies their R&D and manufacturing, and Intel gives them 6 cores "real soon now" which realistically should be enough for 90% of Mac Pro users.

Or would the Mac Pro people be devastated and inconsolable over such a development?

i work for an HP server shop. most of our Proliants ship with dual CPU's but we've bought a few with a single CPU. Same motherboard except there is an empty socket and a terminator or lack of a terminator. forget which.

same with MP. Apple can use the same motherboard and just ship with one CPU there for people who want 1 CPU

[PeterQVenkman]

Of course, but from a marketing point of view, how would you put it that your new top of the line product is actually slower than the top of the line product from last year?

If they dropped the dual socket, then yes, that makes me wonder what Apple would do. The only way around that is to make it cheaper, I guess. Lots of power, lower cost type of thing.

I don't see Apple ever doing that, though. It's going to be an interesting update. If it ever comes out!

[Icaras]

This is becoming far too common IMO with both computers vendors and consumer electronics in general. They're in too much of a hurry to get a product shipped (regain profits), so product validation testing isn't anywhere close to thorough.

Didn't anyone tell you? The MacRumors forums are the product validation testing labs now :rolleyes: Seriously though, yes, that sucks lol.

they did get a lot of good press how the Mac Pro was cheaper than comparable products from Dell

It's hard to see the good press translate in the actual user feedback on the forums though. All i hear is negativity on the 09s. So I guess only the higher end 09s got the good press?

Wintel is breaking down so expect to see more of these things. Apple and Microsoft are getting closer while Dell/HP are partnering with Google and ARM

I wonder how close is too close though. It will be interesting to see how relationships will be once Apple surpasses MS in market cap finally.

[Transporteur]

All i hear is negativity on the 09s..

Personally, since the audio bug is solved I'm, except for some minor points, almost completely satisfied with my '09.

[Phantom Gremlin]

So what if, for 2010, Apple kept only the SP Mac Pro, and dropped the DP Mac Pro?

I wanted to clarify my thoughts about this. Yes, I know that SP and DP silicon is "substantially" the same. However, Intel does "value pricing", and Apple's list prices reflect this.

Here is data from Wikipedia, don't know how it corresponds to what Apple is paying:

SP Xeon W3520 2.66 $284
SP Xeon W3540 2.93 $562
SP Xeon W3580 3.33 $999

DP Xeon E5520 2.26 $373
DP Xeon X5550 2.66 $958
DP Xeon X5570 2.93 $1386

Notice in particular the jump from $562 to $1386 for the 2.93 GHz part. You're paying for two things: 1) TDP is better at 95 W max vs 130 W max and 2) DP works.

So if Intel wants to keep playing these pricing games (and they will, much of their profit comes from the more expensive server parts), then maybe it makes sense for Apple to say "screw that" and just stick with SP at 6 cores max.

Why offer a 12 core machine that costs three times as much as a 6 core machine? Prestige? Or for the 10% of Mac Pro users who really want/need/can afford that much grunt?

I readily admit that there is a small fraction of the Mac Pro user base that could readily take advantage of a 12 core machine. But Apple has never been about what makes sense for the customer, only what makes sense for Apple Inc.

[Umbongo]

Why offer a 12 core machine that costs three times as much as a 6 core machine? Prestige? Or for the 10% of Mac Pro users who really want/need/can afford that much grunt?

I readily admit that there is a small fraction of the Mac Pro user base that could readily take advantage of a 12 core machine. But Apple has never been about what makes sense for the customer, only what makes sense for Apple Inc.

Any source for your numbers or is it pure guess?

[PeterQVenkman]

Why offer a 12 core machine that costs three times as much as a 6 core machine? Prestige? Or for the 10% of Mac Pro users who really want/need/can afford that much grunt?


I honestly don't know why Apple would have a 12 core monster if it ended up being ridiculously expensive (let's hope it's not!). The Apple of today is a far cry from the Apple of yesterday that used to tout that super computing clusters were made from their G5s.

I honestly think that the next release will be very telling about how Apple views the professional/prosumer market. Some of the insights on this thread have been very interesting. :apple:

[shabbasuraj]

I honestly think that the next release will be very telling about how Apple views the professional/prosumer market. Some of the insights on this thread have been very interesting. :apple:

. The MacSlow is EOL'ed this fall. SJ will just refresh the exact towers with expensive processors, and larger hard drives.

Then his focus as well as the rest of the company will be on the mobility items.

HINT: (the iPhone) will not be the only phone that Apple will have in the lineup. By the launch of this other phone model, the pro line will be further pushed down in relevance. Then comes the fall..... then no more MacSlow.

[chomomo]

I've never seen so many MP on the refurb pg.

I knows... so eager to pull the trigger on octo core for the upcoming steam.app:D

[InfoSecmgr]

Here on MR, I'd be astonished if they didn't...

That pretty much sums up this forum. If it doesn't have 12 cores and 100GB of RAM as the upper limit people will be pissed...I mean...these specs MIGHT please half the MR crowd:

12 cores, 24 core option (4x CPU's)
100GB of RAM
Matte 40 inch display included
8 PCI-E video card slots
Will Run Mac OS 9 through 10.7
Under $1000
Available in 10 trillion different colors

Do I make myself clear?

[InfoSecmgr]

. The MacSlow is EOL'ed this fall. SJ will just refresh the exact towers with expensive processors, and larger hard drives.

Then his focus as well as the rest of the company will be on the mobility items.

HINT: (the iPhone) will not be the only phone that Apple will have in the lineup. By the launch of this other phone model, the pro line will be further pushed down in relevance. Then comes the fall..... then no more MacSlow.

har har har, I see what you did there, MacSLOW haahhhhhhh. Seriously dude, go price SERVER xeon's and get back to me.

[Phantom Gremlin]

Any source for your numbers or is it pure guess?

Not clear what numbers you are referring to. The processor prices are straight out of Wikipedia. It's anybody's guess as to how accurate those are. My speculation that the high end DP machine will be 3x the cost of the SP machine, that's a "pure guess". I'm always suspicious of Apple pricing.

But if you look at Apple's current pricing, a DP Mac Pro is almost exactly 2x the cost of two SP machines. E.g. SP 2.93, 16 GB, is $4749. DP 2.93, 32 GB, is $9599.

[nanofrog]

i work for an HP server shop. most of our Proliants ship with dual CPU's but we've bought a few with a single CPU. Same motherboard except there is an empty socket and a terminator or lack of a terminator. forget which.

same with MP. Apple can use the same motherboard and just ship with one CPU there for people who want 1 CPU
You can take an LGA1366 DP board and run with a single chip, but it MUST be a DP processor (Xeon 55xx). SP versions won't work in those boards. Unfortunately, those CPU's are more expensive than their SP counterparts (more than cost + profit on the added transistors needed for the 2nd QPI channel).

So ultimately it's an expensive waste if the second CPU socket isn't going to be populated.

Didn't anyone tell you? The MacRumors forums are the product validation testing labs now :rolleyes: Seriously though, yes, that sucks lol.
Yeah, it's unfortunately the case these days. :rolleyes: ;)

In general, early users are unknowingly being used for testing (gear is typically in a Beta state), and they have to pay for the gear! It's sickening IMO. :( :mad:

[Umbongo]

Not clear what numbers you are referring to. The processor prices are straight out of Wikipedia. It's anybody's guess as to how accurate those are. My speculation that the high end DP machine will be 3x the cost of the SP machine, that's a "pure guess". I'm always suspicious of Apple pricing.

But if you look at Apple's current pricing, a DP Mac Pro is almost exactly 2x the cost of two SP machines. E.g. SP 2.93, 16 GB, is $4749. DP 2.93, 32 GB, is $9599.

Not the pricing, that's clear. I was referring to your 10% and "really small fraction" speculation.

[Umbongo]

That pretty much sums up this forum. If it doesn't have 12 cores and 100GB of RAM as the upper limit people will be pissed...I mean...these specs MIGHT please half the MR crowd:

12 cores, 24 core option (4x CPU's)
100GB of RAM
Matte 40 inch display included
8 PCI-E video card slots
Will Run Mac OS 9 through 10.7
Under $1000
Available in 10 trillion different colors

Do I make myself clear?

Some people will never be happy, but if Apple were to offer choice, a full feature set and with a sub $500 premium over retail component pricing then I would think most people would be happy. If you want an example then look at Dell's T3500, T5500 and T7500 systems because they do it right.

[xxdaix]

I've never seen so many MP on the refurb pg.

on the UK store there is just one :(
and its very expensive.
£3169 GBP for a 8 core 2.66ghz with 6GB of Ram & a 640GB HD....:(

[nylon]

I'd like to see a more compact case design with a dedicated SSD boot drive option.

[atari1356]

http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=7641

http://twitter.com/9to5mac

I'm still hoping for MacBook Pros too though...

[Icaras]

*****, it's about time.

Sorry, getting twitchy :o

[Phantom Gremlin]

Not the pricing, that's clear. I was referring to your 10% and "really small fraction" speculation.

No, I have no insight into Apple's product mix. Given that most people can't keep 8 cores (16 threads) busy very often I simply assumed that the percentage maxing out their machines was small.

Also, a "rationally behaving" company wouldn't want very many people maxing out their machines. Because it means those people would be better served by an even more capable, more expensive product. E.g. a 4 CPU machine or a machine with 12 DIMM sockets (e.g. Dell T7500 has 12).

We know that Apple is not "rationally behaving" by most people's definitions. But it works for them. Huge growth rate, billions in the bank, millions of indoctrinated cult members, etc ...

[SmellyTofu]

on the UK store there is just one :(
and its very expensive.
£3169 GBP for a 8 core 2.66ghz with 6GB of Ram & a 640GB HD....:(

Same in Oz... no discount on the refurb shop. What the??

[Umbongo]

No, I have no insight into Apple's product mix. Given that most people can't keep 8 cores (16 threads) busy very often I simply assumed that the percentage maxing out their machines was small.

Also, a "rationally behaving" company wouldn't want very many people maxing out their machines. Because it means those people would be better served by an even more capable, more expensive product. E.g. a 4 CPU machine or a machine with 12 DIMM sockets (e.g. Dell T7500 has 12).

We know that Apple is not "rationally behaving" by most people's definitions. But it works for them. Huge growth rate, billions in the bank, millions of indoctrinated cult members, etc ...

Those that move on from the base systems probably make up a small percentage, but that doesn't mean they can't use 8 core systems. Most people bought 2.8GHz 8 core systems in 2008 even though Apple offered a 2.8GHz quad for example.

[jamesryanbell]

http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=7641

http://twitter.com/9to5mac

I'm still hoping for MacBook Pros too though...
Everyone is!! :)

[xgman]

What I'm not clear on is whether there will be a single 3.3 6 core option or only a dual 3.3 12 core option and single cpu's a lower speed or even quad.

[xgman]

some reviews I pasted.

http://hothardware.com/Articles/Intel-Core-i7980X-Extreme-6Core-Processor
http://anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3763
http://techgage.com/article/intels_core_i7-980x_extreme_edition_-_ready_for_sick_scores
http://computershopper.com/feature/intel-s-six-core-gulftown-core-i7-980x-cpu-first-pc-reviewed
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cpus/2010/03/11/intel-core-i7-980x-extreme-edition-review/1
http://pcper.com/article.php?aid=883
http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Reviews/intel_core_i7_980x
http://www.hardcoreware.net/intel-core-i7-980x-extreme-six-core-cpu-review
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/3177/intel_core_i7_980x_32nm_lga_1366_six_core_cpu/index.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/191244/when_four_cores_arent_enough_intels_core_i7980x_extreme_edition.html
http://www.pcworld.com/article/191244/when_four_cores_arent_enough_intels_core_i7980x_extreme_edition.html
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=475&Itemid=63
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/intel__core_i7_980x/
http://www.guru3d.com/article/core-i7-980x-review/

[reel2reel]

That pretty much sums up this forum. If it doesn't have 12 cores and 100GB of RAM as the upper limit people will be pissed...I mean...these specs MIGHT please half the MR crowd:

12 cores, 24 core option (4x CPU's)
100GB of RAM
Matte 40 inch display included
8 PCI-E video card slots
Will Run Mac OS 9 through 10.7
Under $1000
Available in 10 trillion different colors

Do I make myself clear?

:D:D:D

Made my day. Thanks.

[J the Ninja]

Everyone is!! :)

In the full article, 9to5 seems pretty sure Apple will do them both at once, either tomorrow or Tue. I want new ACDs too. Probably change the line to just 21.5" and 27". Basically, the new iMacs sans-the-computer.

[JYork23]

:D:D:D

Made my day. Thanks.

Same here. I'm still laughing.

[Icaras]

In the full article, 9to5 seems pretty sure Apple will do them both at once, either tomorrow or Tue. I want new ACDs too. Probably change the line to just 21.5" and 27". Basically, the new iMacs sans-the-computer.

I really do hope Apple updates the ACD lineup with those models...

Edit: How much do you think Apple could get away with prices on a 21.5" and a 27" ACD? As it is I think the 24" is grossly overpriced and next to the iMac it doesn't look like a good deal at all. I think the 24" needs a price drop.

[J the Ninja]

I really do hope Apple updates the ACD lineup with those models...

Edit: How much do you think Apple could get away with prices on a 21.5" and a 27" ACD? As it is I think the 24" is grossly overpriced and next to the iMac it doesn't look like a good deal at all. I think the 24" needs a price drop.

Dell is selling a 27" with a very similar - if not identical - LCD panel for ~$1k, and it has a CCFL backlight and a plastic chasis, IIRC. LED is gonna up it a few hundred with the number of LEDs you'd need on something as big and bright as a 27" computer monitor. Throw in the aluminum and the Apple Tax....$1499 is a nice, round price in that ballpark. For the 21.5....maybe somewhere in the 300-500 range. Can't see it going for less than $299. $350-400 probably.

[Icaras]

Dell is selling a 27" with a very similar - if not identical - LCD panel for ~$1k, and it has a CCFL backlight and a plastic chasis, IIRC. LED is gonna up it a few hundred with the number of LEDs you'd need on something as big and bright as a 27" computer monitor. Throw in the aluminum and the Apple Tax....$1499 is a nice, round price in that ballpark. For the 21.5....maybe somewhere in the 300-500 range. Can't see it going for less than $299. $350-400 probably.

Yea, that sounds about right, but I have a feeling the 21.5 would go for $599. Isn't that what the previous 20" went for? But a sub $500 display from Apple would sound perfect.

[Kissaragi]

That pretty much sums up this forum. If it doesn't have 12 cores and 100GB of RAM as the upper limit people will be pissed...I mean...these specs MIGHT please half the MR crowd:

12 cores, 24 core option (4x CPU's)
100GB of RAM
Matte 40 inch display included
8 PCI-E video card slots
Will Run Mac OS 9 through 10.7
Under $1000
Available in 10 trillion different colors

Do I make myself clear?


Pffft, 40" is too big for me!

[Hmac]

That pretty much sums up this forum. If it doesn't have 12 cores and 100GB of RAM as the upper limit people will be pissed...I mean...these specs MIGHT please half the MR crowd:

12 cores, 24 core option (4x CPU's)
100GB of RAM
Matte 40 inch display included
8 PCI-E video card slots
Will Run Mac OS 9 through 10.7
Under $1000
Available in 10 trillion different colors

Do I make myself clear?
If there's no iSight camera built into the display, it's just Apple still ripping us off again.

[VirtualRain]

Final Words

I have to say that Intel's Core i7 980X is the first Extreme Edition CPU that I've ever gotten excited about. In the past you used to have to choose between more cores or high clock speeds. Thanks to power gating and Gulftown's PMU, those days are over. The 980X gives you its best regardless of what you throw at it. Lightly threaded apps benefit from the larger L3 cache and heavily threaded apps take advantage of the extra cores. The performance advantage you get at the low end ranges from 0 - 7%, and on the high end with well threaded code you're looking at an extra 20 - 50% over the Core i7 975. Even more if you compare to a pedestrian processor. There are a few cases where the 980X does lose out to the Core i7 975 thanks to its higher latency L3 cache, but for the most part it's smooth sailling for the 6-core beast.

The performance advantage comes at no extra power cost either. Enabling 6 cores on a 32nm process means that the die actually got smaller and power consumption remained mostly unchanged. It really is the best of both worlds, at least for a 130W chip. It's almost Conroe-like in its ability to dominate the charts without any technical limitations. If money were no object, the Core i7 980X is clearly the best you can get.

The only problem is price, as is always the case with these Extreme Edition processors. While I don't expect 6-core CPUs to trickle down to the mainstream, if we had a version priced at ~$500 it would be an amazingly easy sell. I wonder where Intel will price the Core i7 970, allegedly also a 6-core Gulftown derivative. We'll have to wait another quarter to find out.

Even taking into account price, if you do any significant amount of compute intensive 3D work, video encoding or Excel modeling, the Core i7 980X is worth it. If you're the type of user who always buys the Extreme Edition knowing that you can get better bang for your buck further down the lineup, this time you're actually getting your money's worth. On the desktop, the next 12 months are fairly stagnant in terms of CPU performance improvements. We'll see a clock bump to the 980X at the beginning of 2011, but it'll be even longer before we get a replacement.

There is of course the higher powered alternative. You could pick up a dual-socket Xeon board and a pair of quad-core Nehalem Xeons for a bit more than a X58 + 980X. You'd end up with more cores, albeit with a higher power budget and higher price tag. The Core i7 980X is such a difficult processor to recommend. It's something I'd personally never spend the money on. But if I needed more compute in a single chip, it's really the only thing that could scratch that itch.


The last paragraph is perhaps most relevant to Mac Pro shoppers. If Apple's pricing remains relative, he's saying you could go with an Octo core for a bit more than a hex core will cost, if you need the added cores, but he's not really recommending either it seems. The Quad core is likely going to remain the best choice for most power users in value and usable performance. Let's just hope for a price drop on the entry-level Quad systems. While that might sting my resale value, I'd rather see more Mac Pro customers getting on-board! :D

[Phantom Gremlin]

Yea, that sounds about right, but I have a feeling the 21.5 would go for $599. Isn't that what the previous 20" went for? But a sub $500 display from Apple would sound perfect.

Apple currently sells 24" and 20" displays. I could see them adding a 27" display (once the quality problems are solved), but why do you think they would add a smaller display to their mix? That's not their business model.

[Icaras]

Apple currently sells 24" and 20" displays. I could see them adding a 27" display (once the quality problems are solved), but why do you think they would add a smaller display to their mix? That's not their business model.

I assume you're actually referring to the 30" display.

You mean, shrinking and miniaturizing their products to razor thin form factors is not their business model? :rolleyes: And what about the Mac Mini? iPod Nano? Where did those come from?

But seriously, a 21.5" display makes sense to me as it gives an option for current 21.5" iMac owners to match their displays, as well as give an option for a cheaper display to those who don't need that much real estate and have smaller budgets.

I personally would swoop two 21.5" ACDs in a heartbeat if Apple delivered one for $500-$600. The 24" at $899 is absurdly priced and a 21.5" would offer the same amount of resolution for several hundred dollars cheaper.

[CCK]

The last paragraph is perhaps most relevant to Mac Pro shoppers. If Apple's pricing remains relative, he's saying you could go with an Octo core for a bit more than a hex core will cost, if you need the added cores, but he's not really recommending either it seems. The Quad core is likely going to remain the best choice for most power users in value and usable performance. Let's just hope for a price drop on the entry-level Quad systems. While that might sting my resale value, I'd rather see more Mac Pro customers getting on-board! :D

Would you be able to swap out the 4core for a 6 in a 10? I know some were saying no for the 09's.

It'd be nice to have that as a possibility when they get the software/core usage issue squared away.

[Techhie]

Would you be able to swap out the 4core for a 6 in a 10? I know some were saying no for the 09's.

It'd be nice to have that as a possibility when they get the software/core usage issue squared away.

Most likely it would be possible, but not cost effective.

[CCK]

Most likely it would be possible, but not cost effective.

I was thinking maybe in 2-3 years, I'd imagine the $ would drop.

[VirtualRain]

Would you be able to swap out the 4core for a 6 in a 10? I know some were saying no for the 09's.

It'd be nice to have that as a possibility when they get the software/core usage issue squared away.

I would guess that it would work just fine. It would be most economical for Apple to only maintain one firmware version for all 2010 Mac Pros that would include the necessary parameters and microcode for all 2010 processors.

It might also be fairly economical after a lower clocked non-extreme i7 6-core variant like the i7 970 comes along (apparently due this fall)... especially if you can get a reasonable return on your quad Xeon CPU on CL or ebay.

I suspect the 2010 firmware would also work in a 2009 machine assuming most of the rest of the platform remains the same. The only problem is finding someway to pull the firmware from a 2010 to a file and then flashing it to an 09.

[Techhie]

I was thinking maybe in 2-3 years, I'd imagine the $ would drop.

Logic says so, but unfortunately time does not do much to the value of the Xeon chips. The series for the original 2006 Mac Pro is still quite expensive :(

[nanofrog]

The only problem is finding someway to pull the firmware from a 2010 to a file and then flashing it to an 09.
Definitely. We'd need a determined and resourceful person to take it on. ;)

Any takers? :eek: :p

[Magic Lantern]

The store is down...

Fingers are crossed...

[Phantom Gremlin]

I assume you're actually referring to the 30" display.

Yes, I meant 30", sorry for the typo.

But seriously, a 21.5" display makes sense to me as it gives an option for current 21.5" iMac owners to match their displays, as well as give an option for a cheaper display to those who don't need that much real estate and have smaller budgets.

Your argument makes sense to me, but it probably doesn't make sense to Steve. IMO it's psychotic for a 46 billion dollar a year company to have such a sparse lineup of products. E.g. where's that damn mini-tower that everyone wants? But Apple would argue that they are "focused". It seems to work for them.

[ildondeigiocchi]

The store is down...

Fingers are crossed...

I so hope it's a Mac Pro update with new ACDs. It's amazing how joyous and excited I get when the apple store goes down. :D

[Hmac]

I so hope it's a Mac Pro update with new ACDs. It's amazing how joyous and excited I get when the apple store goes down. :D

iPad pre-orders begin today a 8:30 EST. It would seem odd for them to piggyback some other product announcement at the same time.

[twoodcc]

iPad pre-orders begin today a 8:30 EST. It would seem odd for them to piggyback some other product announcement at the same time.

True, but here's to hoping!

[xgman]

I doubt they would go offline again in the middle of ipad pre-ordering, so Tues, is it is going to happen, looks more likely now.

[alent1234]

i guess Intel byatch slapped Apple after last year. no more releases before the official launch. maybe that's why Apple hasn't released any i Core CPU MBP's and iMac's yet. Intel won't sell them any.

[Icaras]

What happened? Where did you guys go? Every time our hopes and dreams are crushed with the reopening of the store, everyone always goes back to a vegetative state again lol.

[parakiet]

still waiting

hoping for something around 2500 - 3000 euros

within a month :p

[PhelpsiPhan]

I work at Mac1, an authorised reseller here in Australia and apple just sent us a new pricelist for Mac Pros and theyre about $1000 cheaper, just another hint at new ones coming very soon eh? haha

What do you guys think?

[Gold89]

I work at Mac1, an authorised reseller here in Australia and apple just sent us a new pricelist for Mac Pros and theyre about $1000 cheaper, just another hint at new ones coming very soon eh? haha

What do you guys think?

Great if it's true but not in the usual Apple spirit for prices to be falling ;)

[Nostromo]

I'm not in a rush.

What I hope for is a really great system at a good price.

Maybe Apple is waiting for the recession to ease before the new product launch.

Or they have still too many 2009 models.

Or it depends on Intel delivering the new processors.

Or for all of those reasons.

[Nadav35]

Hi, I noticed your post on this. Do you think really the mac pro's days are really numbered as most on here are saying?


MacPros will be discontinued in fall 2010. "Apple is a mobile company." ...

[mrsir2009]

vapourware ... a la.

http://www.maccast.com/images/g5_powerbook.jpg

Woah, how could Apple pack a G5 computer into that small case? What a world we live in...:eek:

[Gold89]

Hi, I noticed your post on this. Do you think really the mac pro's days are really numbered as most on here are saying?

Imo Apple is more a content company.

At the moment both a content creation and content consumption company, it has gone from just the former to an emphasis on the latter. The compatibility between the two devices ensures that sales of both increase. Content that is produced on an Apple product is more likely to be consumed on an Apple device.

It is also worth noting that in 2009 there were $1.19 billion sales of desktops out of $3.3 billion mac sales. Without a high end halo model mac sales would fall and a significant amount of revenue still comes from the Mac Pro (think of the profit margin as well!).

[VirtualRain]

Hi, I noticed your post on this. Do you think really the mac pro's days are really numbered as most on here are saying?

There's a thread nearing 500 posts on this subject already...
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=855974

[Hmac]

Hi, I noticed your post on this. Do you think really the mac pro's days are really numbered as most on here are saying?

I suspect Apple will have a modular desktop computer, but the current Mac Pros tend to be pretty high-end machines. For example, the dual processor multiple-core machines with the latest Intel chips are a big part of that lineup, but there is actually very little software out there than can use that kind of power, and most of it tends to be professional-level and very expensive. Likewise, there are very few of us consumers than can use 4 drive bays, especially now that we can buy 2 TB drives. Very few of use need 8 terabytes to store our vacation pictures and a couple of DVDs. From the get-go the pro level is a pretty small part of the computer market, but it becomes VERY problematic for a company like Apple that makes its money off consumers rather than pros. And that problem is getting worse because that high-end Intel silicone is getting increasingly expensive. On their current path, Mac Pros are going to be non-sustainable because they're going to be getting increasingly expensive in the face of a very static or even decreasing professional market.

Illustrating the problem IMHO is Apple's flagship professional app Final Cut Studio. That program won't use multithreading and doesn't really benefit from running on an expensive machine with multiple processors, multiple cores, multiple threads. FCS will run just about as fast on an i7 iMac as it will on an 8-core Mac Pro.

Personally, I expect Apple will ultimately bring out a single-processor mid-tower with fewer drive bays, fewer PCIe slots and a cheaper CPU like the i7...IOW a modular tower version of the iMac. I see the big, server-class Mac Pros, if they survive at all, being relegated to custom builds for the professionals who need and can use the kind of power, size, and flexibility that they can have, and can more easily justify the expense because it's a business.

[xgman]

..............................................................