Call to remove "Buy Now" recommendation from Mac Pro

[jlgolson]

Three facts about the Mac Pro that the Buyer's Guide takes into account:

The Mac Pro was updated today.

Apple probably won't be releasing a new Mac Pro any time soon.

If one is in the market for the Mac Pro, it's a good time to buy one as there won't be anything better out for a while.

--

Time between updates is all the Buyer's Guide has ever taken into account -- complaining about the frequency or heft of Apple's Mac Pro updates is fine, but it won't affect how the Buyer's Guide displays its data.

We ran into similar complaints last year when the iPod Touch gained the color white in its "update", but that was a good time to buy a new iPod Touch if one was in the market for one. It was clear Apple wasn't going to release an updated model any time soon.

 

[BigPrince]

The definition of an "Update" in the past was always reliable to mean something substantial as opposed to something superficial.

This skews the way the Buyer's Guide is commonly interpreted.

Definitely some merit in considering re-adjusting its function.

 

[Jst0rm]

The definition of an "Update" in the past was always reliable to mean something substantial as opposed to something superficial.

This skews the way the Buyer's Guide is commonly interpreted.

Definitely some merit in considering re-adjusting its function.

they should remove the "dont buy" banner in red and the "just updated" banner in green.

This leads people to think mac rumors is making a suggestion of purchase.

 

[mrsir2009]

I concur.

 

[RedTomato]

Some of the rhetoric in this thread has been a bit overheated, but I agree, MR should not have the Buy It Now recommendation for the Mac Pro.

I would support putting a note that the Mac Pro has received a very minor update in one (?) of its models, however, due to the overall age of the package and the strong indications that a drastically updated model is coming next year, to only buy if you really need it.

This page provides a product summary for each Apple model. The intent is to provide our best recommendations regarding current product cycles, and to provide a summary of currently available rumors for each model.

Saying 'Buy it now!' is not a best recommendation.

We ran into similar complaints last year when the iPod Touch gained the color white in its "update", but that was a good time to buy a new iPod Touch if one was in the market for one. It was clear Apple wasn't going to release an updated model any time soon.

The iPod Touch is also partially a fashion accessory. It's carried and viewed in public, so extending the range from just black to black and white could be seen as a legitimate update. You could have put a note saying that the update is just a new colour.

Given the size of MacRumors now, and the number of staff you have, a bit more fine-grained-ness in the Buyer's Guide pages is entirely feasible. It's not like the page needs manual updating every day. MR staff only touch that page a few times a year.

 

[chaosbunny]

Absolutely disagree with the OP. Today's update answered the call from consumers who lobbied hard for the continuation of the Mac Pros. These updates are very worthy enhancements that make these the fastest and most powerful Mac Pros ever. We all have a duty to support Apple and not urge potential buyers to avoid buying these products. Its selfish to do so if its just because they are not as fast as you expected.

Yes it was so wrong to expect a gpu that is not almost 3 years old.

+1 support for the op.

 

[Apple Key]

The iPod Touch is also partially a fashion accessory. It's carried and viewed in public, so extending the range from just black to black and white could be seen as a legitimate update. You could have put a note saying that the update is just a new colour.

Given the size of MacRumors now, and the number of staff you have, a bit more fine-grained-ness in the Buyer's Guide pages is entirely feasible. It's not like the page needs manual updating every day. MR staff only touch that page a few times a year.

Maybe instead of removing the "Buy Now" recommendation from the Mac Pro, we should suggest that they specifically call out what was updated/changed recently, so that the user can make an informed decision.

For example, there could be a plus button that slides out and shows the changes. For the iPod back then, it would say that just the color was updated. For the MacBook Pro, it would say retina display, 16GB Ram...

 

[LorenK]

Can someone explain to me why Thunderbolt on the Mac Pro is such a big deal when from what I understand the bus can't handle the speed anyway? Doesn't the architecture of the computer need to be restructured completely to take advantage of the speeds offered by the newest processors? Doesn't the OS as well as various software packages to take better advantage of the processors? I actually eSATA for my external drives and the bigger problem is the pipeline for processing than getting data from the drives, so is all this a tempest in a teapot?

I think the fact the the processors were updated should be cause for celebration simply because Apple hasn't abandoned the Mac Pro and promises a redesign next year. While it may not be enough for power users and others who view the current update as treading water in the worst possible way, I think that what is required to accomplish what they want cannot be done within the existing sysem architectures offered by either Apple or other PC manufacturers and there needs to be a complete redesign that will make full use of the potential of the newest generation processors, something that has not been delivered by any manufacturer.

 

[Jst0rm]

Can someone explain to me why Thunderbolt on the Mac Pro is such a big deal when from what I understand the bus can't handle the speed anyway? Doesn't the architecture of the computer need to be restructured completely to take advantage of the speeds offered by the newest processors? Doesn't the OS as well as various software packages to take better advantage of the processors? I actually eSATA for my external drives and the bigger problem is the pipeline for processing than getting data from the drives, so is all this a tempest in a teapot?

I think the fact the the processors were updated should be cause for celebration simply because Apple hasn't abandoned the Mac Pro and promises a redesign next year. While it may not be enough for power users and others who view the current update as treading water in the worst possible way, I think that what is required to accomplish what they want cannot be done within the existing sysem architectures offered by either Apple or other PC manufacturers and there needs to be a complete redesign that will make full use of the potential of the newest generation processors, something that has not been delivered by any manufacturer.

Whatare you talking about? The cpu's were NOT upgraded. Sandy bridge-e is the new xeon processor and it is SHIPPING. The mac pro is a generation behind the competition at this point. A strong DO NOT BUY rating is needed.

 

[Designer Dale]

No offense to MR, but anyone who buys anything based just on the recommendation of a website buying guide gets what they get.

Dale

 

[righteye]

Do not buy now. Apple needs to know that pro's want more than speed bumps.

No USB 3? No Thunderbolt? No money from me...

TL

AND still 3G sata for the drive bays this is wrong!

AND diglloyd has just posted that a refurbished hex core is more expensive than a new one this is wrong


http://macperformanceguide.com/

BUYER BEWARE

 

[Topper]

...there needs to be a complete redesign that will make full use of the potential of the newest generation processors, something that has not been delivered by any manufacturer.

Sandy Bridge-EP processors exist right now. HP will be shipping their Sandy Bridge-EP workstation computers in a week. Dell will be shipping their Sandy Bridge-EP workstation computers on July 13th.
There were plenty of rumors that the Sandy Bridge-EP Mac Pro would be introduced at WWDC. Nobody knows how or why Apple screwed this up.

 

[steveOooo]

What should MR buyers guide change the instruction to?

What should MR buyers guide change the instruction to?

From 'Buy Now' to

'Do Not Buy'
'Buy it, but prepare yourself for bitter dissapointment'
'not even god knows'
'f-- knows '
'face bothered'
'I give up'
'how long is a piece of string'
'only if you need to grate a lot of cheese'

 

[miles01110]

"Give up" probably.

 

[Topper]

Hey....MacRumors

Apple just removed the "new" tag from the Mac Pro at the Apple Store.
Maybe you should follow suit but removing the "Buy Now!" recommendation.

 

[d4rkc4sm]

yeah i wonder what the apple shills at macrumors are going to do now... lol

 

[Manzanito]

Apple just removed the "new" tag from the Mac Pro at the Apple Store.
Maybe you should follow suit but removing the "Buy Now!" recommendation.

I just logged in to say that.

Now even apple admits this is not an update. Come back to your senses MR, and remove the recommendation.

 

[MacSawdust]

It's still 3 years old.

Not a buy.

 

[Liquinn]

I just logged in to say that.

Now even apple admits this is not an update. Come back to your senses MR, and remove the recommendation.

Wikipedia's classed it as an update. Hmmm...

 

[WildCowboy]

It boggles my mind that people think we're in Apple's pocket.

Anyway, it's already been said by moderators and an editor, but I'll say it again just to make it clear: The purpose of the Buyer's Guide is to use intervals between updates to predict how close we are to the next product update. It does not have anything to say about the quality of Apple's current offerings for a given line.

Apple's Mac Pro update yesterday, regardless of how poor it was, effectively "resets the clock" on the next update. A week ago (and six months ago), we recommended "don't buy" simply because past history suggested that an update was due any time. But it's a different situation today: Now we don't expect another update for quite some time.

It can easily be argued that the "new" Mac Pro is a terrible value with outdated specs, but if you are in the market for a Mac Pro and you can't wait many months (maybe a year) for a new update, you might as well buy now.

Apple removing the "New" tag is strictly a marketing issue...my best guess is they simply don't want to draw attention to how crappy the update is. But an update it definitely is.

 

[Liquinn]

It boggles my mind that people think we're in Apple's pocket.

Anyway, it's already been said by moderators and an editor, but I'll say it again just to make it clear: The purpose of the Buyer's Guide is to use intervals between updates to predict how close we are to the next product update. It does not have anything to say about the quality of Apple's current offerings for a given line.

Apple's Mac Pro update yesterday, regardless of how poor it was, effectively "resets the clock" on the next update. A week ago (and six months ago), we recommended "don't buy" simply because past history suggested that an update was due any time. But it's a different situation today: Now we don't expect another update for quite some time.

It can easily be argued that the "new" Mac Pro is a terrible value with outdated specs, but if you are in the market for a Mac Pro and you can't wait many months (maybe a year) for a new update, you might as well buy now.

Apple removing the "New" tag is strictly a marketing issue...my best guess is they simply don't want to draw attention to how crappy the update is. But an update it definitely is.

Well, I suppose a minor update is better than nothing at all. But it would be like Apple updating the iMac with a minor spec bump and no USB 3.

 

[Simplicated]

It boggles my mind that people think we're in Apple's pocket.

Anyway, it's already been said by moderators and an editor, but I'll say it again just to make it clear: The purpose of the Buyer's Guide is to use intervals between updates to predict how close we are to the next product update. It does not have anything to say about the quality of Apple's current offerings for a given line.

Apple's Mac Pro update yesterday, regardless of how poor it was, effectively "resets the clock" on the next update. A week ago (and six months ago), we recommended "don't buy" simply because past history suggested that an update was due any time. But it's a different situation today: Now we don't expect another update for quite some time.

It can easily be argued that the "new" Mac Pro is a terrible value with outdated specs, but if you are in the market for a Mac Pro and you can't wait many months (maybe a year) for a new update, you might as well buy now.

Apple removing the "New" tag is strictly a marketing issue...my best guess is they simply don't want to draw attention to how crappy the update is. But an update it definitely is.

So why when the first Apple LED Cinema Display was introduced the clock was not reset?

If we all abided by rigid guidelines with no flexibility, we would all turn into robots without critical thinking. Ever heard of exceptional cases?

 

[Manzanito]

It boggles my mind that people think we're in Apple's pocket.

Anyway, it's already been said by moderators and an editor, but I'll say it again just to make it clear: The purpose of the Buyer's Guide is to use intervals between updates to predict how close we are to the next product update. It does not have anything to say about the quality of Apple's current offerings for a given line.

Apple's Mac Pro update yesterday, regardless of how poor it was, effectively "resets the clock" on the next update. A week ago (and six months ago), we recommended "don't buy" simply because past history suggested that an update was due any time. But it's a different situation today: Now we don't expect another update for quite some time.

It can easily be argued that the "new" Mac Pro is a terrible value with outdated specs, but if you are in the market for a Mac Pro and you can't wait many months (maybe a year) for a new update, you might as well buy now.

Apple removing the "New" tag is strictly a marketing issue...my best guess is they simply don't want to draw attention to how crappy the update is. But an update it definitely is.

Not that it matters much. Nobody is going to buy such an expensive machine based solely on a website recommendation.

But, citing macrumors, https://www.macrumors.com/2012/06/12/apple-admits-new-mac-pro-isnt-all-that-new/
not even apple deems it as an update.

It's your website after all, and you can do as you please, but I wouldn't call this an update, and neither does apple.

If it's any consolation, I don't think you're in Apple's pocket, by the way.

 

[Oldschoolwax]

Indeed, that is no update, more like inserting available parts from vendor into old unit.

 

[Bubba Satori]

Not that it matters much. Nobody is going to buy such an expensive machine based solely on a website recommendation.

But, citing macrumors, https://www.macrumors.com/2012/06/12/apple-admits-new-mac-pro-isnt-all-that-new/
not even apple deems it as an update.

It's your website after all, and you can do as you please, but I wouldn't call this an update, and neither does apple.

If it's any consolation, I don't think you're in Apple's pocket, by the way.

Agreed. I think MR is one of the few non-brown nosing Apple news sites available.
The rest, who shall go nameless, have turned themselves into cheerleading embarrassments.
Thanks MR for your honesty and for respecting the intelligence of your readership.