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mac pro redesign features and looks

dudeofblokes

dudeofblokes

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 3, 2007
238
15
carrickfergus, northern ireland, united kingdom
like the macbook pro the mac pro could do with a new look, yes she is a gorgeous machine but even macformat magazine states the case could do with a new look, so what would you like it to look like? and what features as standard should she have, like blueray etc

i would love to see her take a imac colour scheme, black and aluminum look preferably darker aluminum.
 
Finally! A thread on this that I didn't have to start! If there is a Mac Pro redesign, Nehalem is a perfect opportunity for it.

The design itself is timeless. We've had a handled cheese grater for so long that thinking of a complete redesign is preposterous, especially when it works incredibly well for what it does. Here's my idea; it follows Apple's current trend with their machines fairly well...

Same case shape, same case style. The top handles remain handles, but are streamlined further back across the top. The bottom handles follow suit, but are solid parts of the case (It's fifty pounds, but you don't need four people to carry it). The sides are the same matte black aluminum as the aluminum iMac with a glossy black Apple logo on each side. The front and back cheese grater parts remain standard anodized aluminum. The drive doors... don't have to be matte black aluminum, but it might be a nice accent. Port-wise; two eSATA in back, another FireWire 400 and the back 800 becomes a 3200. An additional PCIe slot is added (for a total of two 16x 2.0 and three 8x 1.1).

That'd look kick-awesome, and I'd mock it up if I knew how to run Seashore well enough to not make it look like crap.

Edit: Crapped out a 5-minutes' worth mockup in Seashore. Doesn't have the side panel, so that sucks, but you get the gist of it.
 
I want a small Mac Pro built with desktop components with only 1 CPU and a real open bay.

And eSATA ports.
 
nice....

Tallest Skil said:
Finally! A thread on this that I didn't have to start! If there is a Mac Pro redesign, Nehalem is a perfect opportunity for it.

The design itself is timeless. We've had a handled cheese grater for so long that thinking of a complete redesign is preposterous, especially when it works incredibly well for what it does. Here's my idea; it follows Apple's current trend with their machines fairly well...

Same case shape, same case style. The top handles remain handles, but are streamlined further back across the top. The bottom handles follow suit, but are solid parts of the case (It's fifty pounds, but you don't need four people to carry it). The sides are the same matte black aluminum as the aluminum iMac with a glossy black Apple logo on each side. The front and back cheese grater parts remain standard anodized aluminum. The drive doors... don't have to be matte black aluminum, but it might be a nice accent. Port-wise; two eSATA in back, another FireWire 400 and the back 800 becomes a 3200. An additional PCIe slot is added (for a total of two 16x 2.0 and three 8x 1.1).

That'd look kick-awesome, and I'd mock it up if I knew how to run Seashore well enough to not make it look like crap.

Edit: Crapped out a 5-minutes' worth mockup in Seashore. Doesn't have the side panel, so that sucks, but you get the gist of it.
Click to expand...

this dude is pretty much a legend on here to me so great to see him reply, i get your design and i think that would be great, i love my mac pro but i agree she should retain the looks i meant id love to see a change in colour much like you have described just to make her that lil fresh
 
I also think that a darker aluminum would be nice (not necessarily black); however, I doubt that Apple would change the case's color alone and leave the rest mainly the same. I think that if there is a case redesign, it is going to be more significant - though I have no idea what that would be.
 
dudeofblokes said:
this dude is pretty much a legend on here to me so great to see him reply...
Click to expand...

I can't express my gratitude to that in words. Seriously.:eek:

If you decide to go over the border to Greystones from late August to December of this year, look me up; I'll be one of the thirty in the Taylor Freshman Irish Studies Program. :rolleyes:

A couple weeks ago, I began thinking about what I'd like to see/what Apple would do with a full Mac Pro redesign. I thought for a while about how I wanted the case to look, and then I realized I was something fundamental; the handles. Apple has had handles on every pro Mac since the PowerMac G3 (granted, that's three cases, but it's been forever...). I just stopped and reeled at what to do about handles. Should I include them, should I have only top handles, etc.

I then thought about how people still comment on the G5/Pro case. I believe that Apple will only do a slight update to the design, as they did with the iMac, and leave the fundamental structure alone. If they do manage a full redesign, I cannot in good conscience tell you what I think it'll look like, as I heartily don't believe they'll do it.

Oh, wait, no. It'll have a foot. Like the 002. Except the Mac Pro will have one on the top, as well. :p
 
c073186 said:
I also think that a darker aluminum would be nice (not necessarily black);
Click to expand...

Nice if you want to start its transformation into an everyday PC :)

A duller aluminium would be, well, dull, uninspiring and PC-like.
 
Tallest Skil said:
Finally! A thread on this that I didn't have to start! If there is a Mac Pro redesign, Nehalem is a perfect opportunity for it.

The design itself is timeless. We've had a handled cheese grater for so long that thinking of a complete redesign is preposterous, especially when it works incredibly well for what it does. Here's my idea; it follows Apple's current trend with their machines fairly well...

Same case shape, same case style. The top handles remain handles, but are streamlined further back across the top. The bottom handles follow suit, but are solid parts of the case (It's fifty pounds, but you don't need four people to carry it). The sides are the same matte black aluminum as the aluminum iMac with a glossy black Apple logo on each side. The front and back cheese grater parts remain standard anodized aluminum. The drive doors... don't have to be matte black aluminum, but it might be a nice accent. Port-wise; two eSATA in back, another FireWire 400 and the back 800 becomes a 3200. An additional PCIe slot is added (for a total of two 16x 2.0 and three 8x 1.1).

That'd look kick-awesome, and I'd mock it up if I knew how to run Seashore well enough to not make it look like crap.

Edit: Crapped out a 5-minutes' worth mockup in Seashore. Doesn't have the side panel, so that sucks, but you get the gist of it.
Click to expand...

Holy PC!
 
I do prefer my foot design to that... (see above) :D How would you have it, then? I like the stark contrast between the matte black sides and regular aluminum front/back. If you want an uninspired design, look at this. I have to every day at school.

Black and.. grayish-black. Yep, that screams, "Style!"
 
I feel like the first one you posted would take the case too close to what Alienware often offers.

How about this? ;P
 

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  • Pink Panther Mac Pro.jpg
    Pink Panther Mac Pro.jpg
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Firefly2002 said:
I feel like the first one you posted would take the case too close to what Alienware often offers.

How about this? ;P
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Actually it's cute.
However, I like the all silver and I believe the black makes it look like a PC case too much. I don't know why.
 
Gah I HATE that color. If you're going to make it pink, don't make it a putrid pink. :p
 
jessica. said:
Actually it's cute.
However, I like the all silver and I believe the black makes it look like a PC case too much. I don't know why.
Click to expand...

exactly.
I recon they should leave it, just a few more ports all round.
 
Mackilroy said:
Gah I HATE that color. If you're going to make it pink, don't make it a putrid pink. :p
Click to expand...

Lol, I'm not a real fan either. The only reason I did it was because I remembered a few years back when Panther was out, someone made that Box out of it... so I went out, found it, found some Pink Panther images, and made the case match.

Man, PS CS3 is pretty cool... those images were originally different sizes, and rectangular, not skewed, lol.

I feel like Apple should reintroduce plastic into parts of their computers... not the whole thing, but seamlessly integrate it into the case... very attractive plastic, of course.
 
I love it the way it is, I don't want it to look back, then people are going to mistake it for a pc :-(

I think the design shouldn't change though, its perfect the way it is
 
Tallest Skil said:
I do prefer my foot design to that... (see above) :D How would you have it, then? I like the stark contrast between the matte black sides and regular aluminum front/back. If you want an uninspired design, look at this. I have to every day at school.

Black and.. grayish-black. Yep, that screams, "Style!"
Click to expand...

Not to be nasty ... :)

Uninspired re/Design = Photoshopping The Existing

If Apple does redesign, I'll bet the starting point is closer to a clean slate rather than upgrading the existing.
 
mgsarch said:
Not to be nasty ... :)

Uninspired re/Design = Photoshopping The Existing

If Apple does redesign, I'll bet the starting point is closer to a clean slate rather than upgrading the existing.
Click to expand...

First of all, it's Seashore, not Photoshop!!! :mad::mad::mad: ;)

Second, it's obviously crap (I like the second one, though... :p), but I believe that Apple will stick to the major design cues of the G5 tower. A redesigned Mac Pro will still be a cheese grater with four handles.

If you want my justification, look at the G5, Core, and Core 2 iMacs. The last revision is only a lookalike of the G5/Core design.
 
Firefly2002 said:
Lol, I'm not a real fan either. The only reason I did it was because I remembered a few years back when Panther was out, someone made that Box out of it... so I went out, found it, found some Pink Panther images, and made the case match.

Man, PS CS3 is pretty cool... those images were originally different sizes, and rectangular, not skewed, lol.

I feel like Apple should reintroduce plastic into parts of their computers... not the whole thing, but seamlessly integrate it into the case... very attractive plastic, of course.
Click to expand...

Please no! What next? Paper? ;)

Let's keep with all metal designs for the pro level stuff.
 
Am I the only one that really likes MP design? Why change it for the sake for change? There's not much to be improved really.

In a MBP, I understand some minor stuff like magnetic latch and (possibly) MBA-style keyboard, but what on a Mac Pro??
 
eXan said:
Am I the only one that really likes MP design? Why change it for the sake for change? There's not much to be improved really.
Click to expand...

Absolute truth. I can see cheese graters still gracing the desks of professionals twenty years from now.

It just needs some "phreshening", according to some. It's hard to come up with things to do with the design because, not only does it work so well, but the four handles/cheese grater has been with us for so long that it's hard to envision anything else as being better.

Wait! I really have it this time... built-in iSight. There's a reason to keep it on your desk.
 
Tallest Skil said:
Wait! I really have it this time... built-in iSight. There's a reason to keep it on your desk.
Click to expand...

Haha, if I had a MP (or PM) I would keep it on my desk. Its just so beautiful and this way its much easier to access ports and it gathers less dust. :D

I'd add an IR receiver for Apple Remote though...
 
eXan said:
Am I the only one that really likes MP design? Why change it for the sake for change? There's not much to be improved really.

In a MBP, I understand some minor stuff like magnetic latch and (possibly) MBA-style keyboard, but what on a Mac Pro??
Click to expand...

The design is cool. The keyboard is not so good.
 
Keep the same aluminum shape and size but offer it in colors like the aluminum iPods. Would be cool to have a pink, green or blue MP.

More seriouly I'd like them to turn the lock back to 1995 and offer an upgradable tower for $1500. If they could do this in '95 they can do it in '08
 
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