Let's predict how the new Mac Pro will do

I think the first model will sell reasonably well, better than the 2009 onward models did.

I'm going to assume Apple have looked at what sold previously, what the core markets that they want to cater to want, what Apple's own engineers want etc. Now I also know Apple are arrogant and will do what they want regardless, but the old Mac Pro was abandoned because it wasn't the right product, so I give credit that they believe this is.

If they are going to cut it all down and put the pricing at obscene levels then I don't know though.

I like the design, the concept has grown on me, so I think it has the potential to do well.

But it all comes down to the price. Is a device 1/8th the volume cheaper to produce? Do the dual GPUs cost a lot more? It is such a big change in so many different features that the pricing could go either way.

It's gonna be as successful as the G4 cube (which I had) and that was a flop!

Moonjumper said:

I like the design, the concept has grown on me, so I think it has the potential to do well.

But it all comes down to the price. Is a device 1/8th the volume cheaper to produce? Do the dual GPUs cost a lot more? It is such a big change in so many different features that the pricing could go either way.

Click to expand...

It's growing on me as well.

I'm not one that needs lots of interior slots, but I do need big graphic power for my illustration work. I'm not worried about external drives because I'd only need one or two for storage at the most, and that's hardly a burden in terms of cables and the like. In fact, I've already got three external drives on my desk and it's no big deal.

For me the size reduction is an improvement. I've got a fairly tight work space, so less room taken by hardware is a plus.

But like you, the deal maker/breaker comes down to the price-point. If this little creature is too expensive, I'll scale down to an iMac for my next system. Small home-based businesses like mine will, I think, have a difficult time justifying a huge cost-burden.

I hope Apple got some sweet deals on processors and graphic cards to keep the cost reasonable.

I don't care if it's a big hit or not……but I will have one regardless.

Moonjumper said:

I like the design, the concept has grown on me, so I think it has the potential to do well.

But it all comes down to the price. Is a device 1/8th the volume cheaper to produce? Do the dual GPUs cost a lot more? It is such a big change in so many different features that the pricing could go either way.

Click to expand...

I agree completely. IMO the new Mac Pro's widespread success will all come down to its price.

For me....

depends in a wide range of factors:

1-Price of base configurations.
2-How well the initial batchs perform...e.g. quality issues
3-Related: How the Thunderbolt market perform based in prices....

Anyways, seems to me as a system with a potential. Hope dont get the demise of the G4 Cube....

Remember the naysayers with the original iMac and with the original G5 iMac?....

I think the base price will be $1995 and it will sell very well to both the Prosumers as well as the Professionals.

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sigmadog said:

I hope Apple got some sweet deals on processors and graphic cards to keep the cost reasonable.

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They absolutely got sweet deals on all their components, whether that translates into good consumers prices remains to be seen. I think it is likely however, remember the original iPad where everybody was predicting a $1k price? I think they'll surprise us here.

It all depends on the price.

If apple chose to do a prosumer model and professional models I could see this as a huge product.

When you have users forced into the iMac or Mac Pro on a large spread then it'll flop as most professionals will probably migrate to other platforms and workflows, if its reasonably priced I think the prosumers could help breathe life into it as the model can become more commonplace. Thunderbolt adoption is also crucial here.

If the price is right they sold one to me.

If the price is right, I'll buy one. If it isn't, I'll buy a refurbished Mac Pro with old hardware. I need RAM and CPU, so the 2010-2012 Mac Pro would do the job for a while.

cnev3 said:

I'll bump this thread a while after the Mac Pro has been on the market for a while, to see who was right and wrong.

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Bump away .
Many other threads are so complicated, facts and stuff .

Cubemmal said:

I think the base price will be $1995 and it will sell very well to both the Prosumers as well as the Professionals.

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All of Apple's 18 base Mac prices end in a 9. May as well go for $1,999, at least you have a chance of it being spot on.

Aldaris said:

It all depends on the price.

If apple chose to do a prosumer model and professional models I could see this as a huge product.

When you have users forced into the iMac or Mac Pro on a large spread then it'll flop as most professionals will probably migrate to other platforms and workflows, if its reasonably priced I think the prosumers could help breathe life into it as the model can become more commonplace. Thunderbolt adoption is also crucial here.

Click to expand...

I predict the base model will have a quad core Xeon, 256GB SSD, and 8GB Ram for about $2000. Then maybe a 6 core mid tier and 12 core hoss model.

Umbongo said:

All of Apple's 18 base Mac prices end in a 9. May as well go for $1,999, at least you have a chance of it being spot on.

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Right, that's what I meant, $1,999

Peace said:

If the price is right they sold one to me.

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Same here. I ain't rich, so it comes down to $$$.

I suspect that it will do pretty well, as soon as the price is known.
Besides this initial release I would like to believe that some similar consumer Macs will see market in the future...I wish the Mac Mini becomes something else or one more Mac model is released in the middle....
Apple could have 3 Mac models without display: Mini, whatever they called it in the middle, and the Pro.
I wish...

CausticPuppy said:

I predict the base model will have a quad core Xeon, 256GB SSD, and 8GB Ram for about $2000. Then maybe a 6 core mid tier and 12 core hoss model.

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Probably 6 core for top model too. ( 10 , 12 being BTO configurations ).

The 2013 is primarily targeting the old single CPU package Mac Pro users. They will try to snag a few of the dual processor folks with BTO options that go back what the E5 1600 can offering but the majority of the dual processor folks are being cut loose. ( much fewer RAM slots , probably bigger PCI-e card users on average , probably bigger drive sled users on average. )

Whether Apple can hit $1,999 ( or probably more likely $2,099 so as not to overlap the iMac's prize zone as is Apple's modus operandi ) is what costs they can deliver the FirePro GPUs at. if dual W7000 equivalents I think most will be happy. ( a few will grumble that this is too close in performance to the iMacs top end BTO 680MX ( or 780MX if new iMac gets one of those).

Even if it is $2199 or $2,299 it will probably work with a dual W7000.

At the old nominal ( for last 4 years or so ) price of $2,499 I think Mac Pro will have problems. ( the current Mac Pro hasn't done spectacular well at that price point for last 4 years or so). Throw in need at least one TB docking station / disk cage costs and it is in for a very bumping road.

Higher than $2,499 ( e.g. $2,699 or higher ) and it won't fail as fast as the Mac Cube, but probably as fast as the NeXT Cube.

Apple need a much more value adding in the desktop context TB docking station/display solution. If they continue to lump desktop market needs into the laptop docking station product that will cause problems for the Mac Pro.

Price AND...

I think unless Apple goes nuts on the price it will sell reasonable well to the existing MacPro market.

HOWEVER, if Apple wants to expand the target market for this product, it MUST ADDRESS DISPLAY SOLUTIONS.

Think about it, except for the Mac Mini, every Apple product comes with a display, it's not an add-on purchase - it's included.

Walk into probably all but the absolute largest Apple stores and you won't find an Apple Display. Heck, in my local store the lone Mac Pro is shoved in a corner and hooked up to a 32" LED TV.

If you want to interest prosumers in this product (rather than the iMac) you better come up with a compelling display solution that you can sell with the MacPro that won't break the bank.

deconstruct60 said:

Probably 6 core for top model too. ( 10 , 12 being BTO configurations ).

The 2013 is primarily targeting the old single CPU package Mac Pro users. They will try to snag a few of the dual processor folks with BTO options that go back what the E5 1600 can offering but the majority of the dual processor folks are being cut loose. ( much fewer RAM slots , probably bigger PCI-e card users on average , probably bigger drive sled users on average. )

Whether Apple can hit $1,999 ( or probably more likely $2,099 so as not to overlap the iMac's prize zone as is Apple's modus operandi ) is what costs they can deliver the FirePro GPUs at. if dual W7000 equivalents I think most will be happy. ( a few will grumble that this is too close in performance to the iMacs top end BTO 680MX ( or 780MX if new iMac gets one of those).

Even if it is $2199 or $2,299 it will probably work with a dual W7000.

At the old nominal ( for last 4 years or so ) price of $2,499 I think Mac Pro will have problems. ( the current Mac Pro hasn't done spectacular well at that price point for last 4 years or so). Throw in need at least one TB docking station / disk cage costs and it is in for a very bumping road.

Higher than $2,499 ( e.g. $2,699 or higher ) and it won't fail as fast as the Mac Cube, but probably as fast as the NeXT Cube.

Apple need a much more value adding in the desktop context TB docking station/display solution. If they continue to lump desktop market needs into the laptop docking station product that will cause problems for the Mac Pro.

Click to expand...

Well I think a 6-core at $1999 would be the sweet spot, but I think the SSD storage will be limited to 256GB max.

For me it'll be between a base-spec Mac Pro, and a top-spec BTO Mac Mini (haswell). I'll still be able to get two minis for the price of 1 Mac Pro.

I don't think the new Mac Pro speaks to people who just want the best. I think those kinds of people will still turn to either a self-built PC like I have done or switch to an off the shell dual-socket XEON system from the likes of Dell.

I think the new Mac Pro will speak more to those people who liked the G4 Cube. They wanted an iMac without the screen and more power, but they didn't want a system as large or as expansive as a Mac Pro.

The machine isn't for me, but I can see its broader appeal to those that want more than iMac and I think on that basis it will sell well. I know quite a lot of people who are excited about the new Mac Pro and have already sold themselves on a 27" Dell 2560x1440 display and don't want to buy an iMac and don't want an outdated Mac Pro with 1366 Processors so for those people the new Mac Pro is on the money.

Can anyone possibly define or measure success for the Mac Pro? Sadly, this is just another thread about whether the Mac Pro is good fit for "me" or not.

I think the base model be priced cheaper than a PC with equivalent components. I agree with other replies that expect a $1999 starting price. That's how they attracted me over to Mac Pro in 2007.

They'll make buckets of cash from the upgrades as usual and external TB stuff.

They won't sell a lot, but probably 20x as many as a refreshed version of the current Mac Pro would sell.

mrwibble said:

They'll make buckets of cash from the upgrades as usual and external TB stuff.

They won't sell a lot, but probably 20x as many as a refreshed version of the current Mac Pro would sell.

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At first I thought you were exaggerating, then I went through the old threads here. What an eye opener.

And you're right, all anyone ever does is complain about how big and silver the old Mac Pro was and how much they wish it had fewer drives in it. They didn't want an update, they wanted a whole new WAY to compute !

Here is a partial list:

"I can't STAND having all of these Hard Drives to pick from on my desktop. I wish I only had one internal and maybe just one external connected by a cable or two"

"my PCIE cards run so fast I can't see things moving on screen. I wish there was a way to slow them down to 1/4 speed"

"my MP looks like a cheese grater, I came back from an appointment today and the kitchen staff had grated 2 lbs of Cheddar into my front fans"

"Square & silver versus sexy, black & tubular, why don't they make the next Mac Pro look more like my trash can so they match better?"

"If only my MP weighed less, it wouldn't be so hard to haul from my parent's basement to my buddies house for LAN parties. FML ! "

"Why do they make Blu-Ray look like that? All the sharp outlines, clear edges and a gazillion shades of grey & black is just confusing. They should make it look like iTunes HD or Netflix"

"I want a mac Pro that I can dress up as R2D2 for Halloween. Sometimes I get lonely by myself"

"I am morally offended by the Optical Drive in my Mac Pro. I pried it out with a crowbar, but it's vacant hole mocks me"

"I am bewildered by the giant maw of storage options on my Mac Pro. Why doesn't someone sharply limit me to fewer and more expensive choices?"

"I want USB 3 and Thunderbolt. But ONLY IF they are not in a silver computer. Silver is the new Beige, I WANT BLACK !!!!!"