Apple to Halt Mac Pro Sales in Europe Effective March 1 Over Regulatory Requirements

[jrswizzle]

Originally Posted by numlock

probably best news apple has heard for long time.

one step closer to getting rid of this one from the lineup all together.

if you cant hold it in one hand then apple isnt interested

You must have some enormous hands to be able to "palm" a 27" iMac....

[deconstruct60]

Originally Posted by canman4PM

I'm still a little surprised that when they did the last "upgrade" (if we can call it that) they didn't at least add TB and USB 3.0. You'd think that this would be a fairly modular kind of upgrade, not requiring any significant change in the rest of the computers hardware.

It really wasn't about changes to the hardware. The video cards were left exactly the same. It was far more about sending a message that the product wasn't dead. That was primarily it. That would spawn another round of "is it dead" and they could respond in a vague, non-promising, fashion that 'new Mac Pro in 2013'.

It isn't hard to have nothing substantially new if no one has been working on it.

As for TB, yes it probably is a substantive hardware change since it pragmatically requires that a GPU be present on the motherboard ( Rube Goldberg and highly proprietary kludges aside). That is a redesign.

USB 3.0 pragmatically forces a minor redesign Apple is unlikely to fully transition to five USB 3.0 ports. It likely will be less (unless inserted some kind of USB 3.0 hub which is a change. )

Motherboard come with changes in the CPU package socket and/or associated major I/O hub chipsets. The rest isn't worth tweaking and re-releasing unless defective in some significant way.

There are no comparably competitive workstation vendors that switch to USB 3.0 without the Sandy Bridge socket 2011 transition during the lead up to socket 2011 availability.

[applesith]

Originally Posted by monokakata

Wait, you don't really mean that, do you?

Diagnostic LEDs -- for example? I can't see through aluminum, and I don't think you can either.

I've worked on plenty of powered-up computers, and seen plenty of well-trained techs do the same (for example, techs from the late great Digital Equipment Corporation). It was a DEC engineer who taught me to use a cable tie to test whether a hidden fan was spinning or not.

Because everybody's guessing, my guess is that it has to do with properly isolating/insulating AC. I've been into tons of boxes (typically not computers) with interlocks that break the AC connection when the box is opened, and of course the Mac Pro doesn't have anything like that.

This (positive interlock) was especially common on old tube TVs (yeah, I'm not young . . . I disassembled my first TV back in the 1950s), even though the charge in their capacitors could easily kill you.

Right, a Mac Pro fans spin as fast as a piece of professional equipment? They are standard computer fans that are large and very visible when they are on. consumer PCs like this should not be part of the regulation.

[winston1236]

Originally Posted by AZREOSpecialist

A company sitting on over $130B in cash and who just posted record year-over-year sales and profits (over $13B) should be ashamed of themselves for not updating their flagship product. You can't tell me that Apple hasn't made a conscious decision to let this product die. Apple is such a large company and they can't update the Mac Pro to current industry specs for over two years? Something doesn't sound right...

Their flagship product is the iphone, no?

[york2600]

Do they really sell a lot of Mac Pros anymore. It seems like the high end market is buying Retinas now. I've worked for several software companies and everyone used to have a Mac Pro. Now those companies are all handing out Retinas. They're plenty fast and I have 2 external monitors on mine. It just doesn't seem like there's a HUGE need for the Mac Pro outside of a few industries.

[JAT]

Are ceiling fans also banned, now? Unless properly caged, of course.

[mashkina]

Let's be honest. How many of you, professional or amateur, would buy the newest yet-to-be-seen MacPro+AppleDisplay27" instead of the thickest rMBP+AppleDisplay27"??? And why?

[lesreaper2009]

The 12 core Mac Pros are actually holding their own in a ton of real-world performance tests. If you check out the Facebook group "We Want a new Mac Pro" that started last year, the owner of the group was given a Dell 16-core workstation to test out, a $10k+ beast, and it's not really much of a difference for a pro-user. The After Effects and Cinebench scores were nearly identical, and even the new Retina Macbook Pro was a solid contender. Plus, the Mac Pro is far cheaper.

If you need super performance, you're not going to use a Mac or a PC anyway, you'll be using big Linux boxes.

I agree with some other pros I've spoken with and the real problem was FCPX, and everyone just wants to complain about Apple now. Yes, it would be nice to have some new stuff in the Mac Pros in 2013, but it's not the pariah everyone makes it out to be.

[Thunderhawks]

Originally Posted by zeemeerman2

What exactly is this amendment? I can't find anything about it online.

Probably called:

Hands in Fans!

European Strangulatiosn IX 12/ Section 9

[violst]

Originally Posted by monokakata

Wait, you don't really mean that, do you?

Yes he really means that.

I have never in my whole life of mac owner ship be it a quadra 950-mac pro. ever opened the box while it is running. Im not saying people have not done this. but the regulation is just plain stupid.

If you have the ability to own a mac pro and you stick your finger in a moving fan then you are as quoted an "idiot".

[canman4PM]

Originally Posted by deconstruct60

It really wasn't about changes to the hardware. The video cards were left exactly the same. It was far more about sending a message that the product wasn't dead. That was primarily it. That would spawn another round of "is it dead" and they could respond in a vague, non-promising, fashion that 'new Mac Pro in 2013'.

It isn't hard to have nothing substantially new if no one has been working on it.

As for TB, yes it probably is a substantive hardware change since it pragmatically requires that a GPU be present on the motherboard ( Rube Goldberg and highly proprietary kludges aside). That is a redesign.

USB 3.0 pragmatically forces a minor redesign Apple is unlikely to fully transition to five USB 3.0 ports. It likely will be less (unless inserted some kind of USB 3.0 hub which is a change. )

Motherboard come with changes in the CPU package socket and/or associated major I/O hub chipsets. The rest isn't worth tweaking and re-releasing unless defective in some significant way.

There are no comparably competitive workstation vendors that switch to USB 3.0 without the Sandy Bridge socket 2011 transition during the lead up to socket 2011 availability.

Fair enough, I stand corrected (and knew I would, if I said what I said, lol).

[eltaurus]

Come on apple Release a New / Powerful MAC PRO.. we are waiting for a year now. Few on my 3D artist order HP z820 But I convince few 3d artist to hold on .. apple is going to come out with amazing Mac Pro.

NOTE:: No Laptop can match Desktop Performance (specially for 3d artist )

[sseaton1971]

Originally Posted by lilo777

Do you also chuckle thinking about all the "xserve is dead" threads?

There was a lot of talk about the Mac mini being killed off, and, of course, it never happened. The killing off of the xServe was pretty much an overnight event in terms of Apple making the announcement. I don't remember a lot of talk on the forums about it being discontinued before Apple made the official announcement. Perhaps I am wrong.

[TouchMint.com]

I am sure this will be fixed in the new mac pro.

[dazed]

Originally Posted by winston1236

Their flagship product is the iphone, no?

That's just I was thinking.

Computers are now the secondary business, with the Mac Pro at the bottom of that pile.

[lesreaper2009]

Originally Posted by york2600

It just doesn't seem like there's a HUGE need for the Mac Pro outside of a few industries.

Based on a bunch of scores from the "We Want a New Mac Pro" group on Facebook, this is correct.

The only people that need more power are people working on 3D, visualizations, scientific efforts, and some compositing tools. Anything that utilizes cores the Macbook Pro can't keep up.

For your average user, 90% of the market or more, it's plenty.

[milo]

Originally Posted by MacRumors

the desktop computer hasn't had an overhaul since 2010, with a minor speed bump last June.

Actually it didn't have a real update in 2010 either, just a speed bump. The current machines are the same as those sold in 2009, just different firmware and faster CPU options.

[ArtOfWarfare]

Originally Posted by AZREOSpecialist

A company sitting on over $130B in cash and who just posted record year-over-year sales and profits (over $13B) should be ashamed of themselves for not updating their flagship product.

The Mac Pro is a niche product that Apple recommends to a few of their customers, not their flagship product. The iMac is the desktop that they recommend to all of their customers, it's their flagship desktop.

[NY Guitarist]

I'm no longer confident that Apple will continue the Mac Pro line.

But I wonder, if there is a 'new' 2013 MP, will it wind up effectively being just an iMac Pro, or some other form of Mac Pro X, where most of the features that made the MP a pro computer will be stripped out?

[Chupa Chupa]

Originally Posted by Mums

That's a bogus analysis and you're only proving how unprofessional you yourself are. The market that was called 'pro' ten years ago is rapidly morphing into the market that was called 'prosumer' in the past. There is no longer the divide as independents are beginning to produce content on par with so-called "pros". You're out of the loop.

Unprofessional? Ha! Your post only proves you assume way too much information so that your condescension fits. I'm not a video pro. I'm an out and out amateur. Sorry.

Sure these "independents" you speak of are "pro" in that they get paid, but "artists", or story tellers, not at all. Just because someone can proficiently use Motion or After Effects to make cool looking corporate videos doesn't put them on the same plane as a feature movie or documentary editor. It's the software, not the talent that makes it look like the "divide" is closing. But it's not really.

[jrswizzle]

It cracks me up when I see all these types of threads.....

Do we really believe Apple has no plan and is simply making decisions on a whim?

New Mac Pro or not - whatever it looks like - will have been part of the plan for at least a few years.....

A company the size of Apple doesn't get there and stay there without having a very well thought-out and strategic plan for their products.

Everyone chill...

[DRII]

And mine will be for sale March 2nd!

[asiga]

Originally Posted by mashkina

Let's be honest. How many of you, professional or amateur, would buy the newest yet-to-be-seen MacPro+AppleDisplay27" instead of the thickest rMBP+AppleDisplay27"??? And why?

I'd buy a new Mac Pro and not the rMBP. Why? Because one of my requirements is to have all the CPU cores at 100% for more than an hour, and also the GPU at nearly 100% for long periods. The rMBP can do this, but with fans raising at top speed, which is unreasonable. I need a machine which is able to do very intensive CPU+GPU work, for long periods of time, and without noticing the fans.

[Mr. Retrofire]

Originally Posted by basesloaded190

You realize this is something Apple has no control over right? This is a government regulation.

No it is not, because the EU has no central government.

[zin]

Apple's single European Mac Pro customer quietly sobs.