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I just dont get Apple anymore.....PRO what?
- Thread starter erigas
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I think the OP, and some others here, have it all wrong and some need an attitude adjustment 
. Perhaps a failure to communicate, as engineers have often been accused of.
The OP wants Apple to produce a portable workstation, in addition to what the industry considers a "pro" machine. A few vendors offer a portable workstation line along with their pro and consumer lines. Didn't SUN have a corner on that market at one time?
I don't think Apple ever targeted the portable workstation niche market. Folks that need portable workstations will look down on many vendor's products as they are just not workstations, and never intended to be.
A pro machine is not a workstation, although some try to save a few $$$ and try use one as a workstation and then often suffer as the OP seems to.
. Perhaps a failure to communicate, as engineers have often been accused of.The OP wants Apple to produce a portable workstation, in addition to what the industry considers a "pro" machine. A few vendors offer a portable workstation line along with their pro and consumer lines. Didn't SUN have a corner on that market at one time?
I don't think Apple ever targeted the portable workstation niche market. Folks that need portable workstations will look down on many vendor's products as they are just not workstations, and never intended to be.
A pro machine is not a workstation, although some try to save a few $$$ and try use one as a workstation and then often suffer as the OP seems to.
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That's out of line. I don't own a MacBook Pro, but if I did it would be because it was suitable for me, not because of any particular name.
I think the main thing is that you just may not understand Apple. While I'm not trying to make excuses for them, they obviously figured out the logistics to make it work to be one of the most valuable companies in the world.
So, basically the laptop is for all the professionals out there who are doing a number of things.
For instance, Apple touts that they created about 500,000 jobs by opening the App store and allowing programmers to develop for them. Apple knows these people love Macs, and their lives depend on them. Not only that, the time they spend on their Macs helps Apple make even more money... so they build a laptop that would work with professionals similar to that crowd.
Apple has never claimed to make laptop for 3D/CAD professionals. The market is simply too small. Yes, if better parts exist inside, I'm sure many of us would jump on it. However, the programming type above also care a lot about battery life and heat while they're sitting in coffee shops; so it comes back to building a laptop that works for the traveling crowd. If you need more computing power and a large screen, they have other products that fit those jobs.
So in the end, you can try to work with what you got, or figure out how to get what you need for your work. Apple won't change their ways if this is working fine for them; and right now it seems to be working very well for them.
So, basically the laptop is for all the professionals out there who are doing a number of things.
For instance, Apple touts that they created about 500,000 jobs by opening the App store and allowing programmers to develop for them. Apple knows these people love Macs, and their lives depend on them. Not only that, the time they spend on their Macs helps Apple make even more money... so they build a laptop that would work with professionals similar to that crowd.
Apple has never claimed to make laptop for 3D/CAD professionals. The market is simply too small. Yes, if better parts exist inside, I'm sure many of us would jump on it. However, the programming type above also care a lot about battery life and heat while they're sitting in coffee shops; so it comes back to building a laptop that works for the traveling crowd. If you need more computing power and a large screen, they have other products that fit those jobs.
So in the end, you can try to work with what you got, or figure out how to get what you need for your work. Apple won't change their ways if this is working fine for them; and right now it seems to be working very well for them.
A "pro" laptop without state-of-the-art discrete GPU, user-expandable storage and RAM just ISN'T A PRO COMPUTER. The current cMBP is such a beast. The next update better also be like that, or else. Retina display nice, not required. Matte screen preferred. Current cMBP is thin enough, do not need a thinner laptop.
Different people want different things from their computers. Fact is Apple is catering for the largest consumer base, not the niche buyers who want Mac Pro desktop power conveniently shrunk into a 13/15" chassis with loads of battery.
Fact is that a laptop without a discrete GPU, expandable RAM, or exapandable storage can be a 'Pro' machine. Not everyone's profession is the same. Unfortunately the fact is Apple doesn't make a retina class computer that suits the people who need these things at the moment.
They do still produce the cMBP which can to some extent cover these needs.
Fact is that a laptop without a discrete GPU, expandable RAM, or exapandable storage can be a 'Pro' machine. Not everyone's profession is the same. Unfortunately the fact is Apple doesn't make a retina class computer that suits the people who need these things at the moment.
They do still produce the cMBP which can to some extent cover these needs.
So, why can't Apple make computers for BOTH groups of people by having separate models?
As silicon advances, integrated GPUs will be doing everything today's discrete GPUs do. There was once a time when nearly everything was handled off the CPU--floating point math, memory management, the clock, the ports. Now that's all on board, and GPUs moving in the same direction.
Storage is infinitely expandable on all of Apple's machines via USB, Firewire, and Thunderbolt. And as for RAM, just max it out. If you're a cutting edge pro, as you say, then you'll be buying another machine every year anyway, rather than expanding it.
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Because they won't sell in volume. Apple knows it, and they've built a wildly successful business by targeting the mainstream instead of trying to reach every little corner of the market.
Most people here are consumers, so if that were the case, it would mean nothing.
Not even the cMBP is pro.
I think more than anything is just acknowledging that you're assessment is correct - the macbook pro isn't the best machine for your usage model the way it sounds.
There are plenty of other options that serve the exact market segment you're describing. The dell is one. The lenovo W540 is another.
http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/11/lenovo-thinkpad-business-notebooks-haswell/
high res panel
pro graphics
Unlike the dell, it has four memory slots, two(or likely three with mSata) hard drive bays/areas, and an ethernet port. Not to mention, rumor has it that the dell will have less powerful pro graphics available.
So there are plenty of options available to you. Apple is about profitability, and that equates to a limited number of products that try to be jacks of all trades and reach the most consumers, not niche products that are the best at one thing or for one small market segment.
TL : DR
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There are plenty of other options that serve the exact market segment you're describing. The dell is one. The lenovo W540 is another.
http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/11/lenovo-thinkpad-business-notebooks-haswell/
high res panel
pro graphics
Unlike the dell, it has four memory slots, two(or likely three with mSata) hard drive bays/areas, and an ethernet port. Not to mention, rumor has it that the dell will have less powerful pro graphics available.
So there are plenty of options available to you. Apple is about profitability, and that equates to a limited number of products that try to be jacks of all trades and reach the most consumers, not niche products that are the best at one thing or for one small market segment.
TL : DR
If you need a workstation computer, the OS X is probably not the right tool for you. AFAIK, most 3D design tools are more mature on Windows, and don't forget the stabler and faster drivers.
3D is not the only use for a workstation, and Windows is not acceptable and cannot replace a Mac.
Linux cannot replace a Mac either, and that is the real problem.
That shows, that you have obviously no problem. And Apple is not responsible for your income.
I said I need an AMD GPU, not necessarily a workstation GPU. For OpenCL.
And I need 4 RAM slots.
Guys
I think most people here have missed the most important point of the whole argument. The cards that HAVE resided in the rMBP ARE EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE WORKSTATION GPUS only cosmetically rebranded for different uses through marketing and the ability to use different drivers.
No internal redesign or heat issues would exist because APPLE IS ALREADY USING THOSE CARDS ANYWAYS.
All Im asking is adding it(the rebranded "workstation" GPU) as an OPTION, to capture yet another sector of the market which by the way is growing super fast and is by no-way a niche market!!!!
I think most people here have missed the most important point of the whole argument. The cards that HAVE resided in the rMBP ARE EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE WORKSTATION GPUS only cosmetically rebranded for different uses through marketing and the ability to use different drivers.
No internal redesign or heat issues would exist because APPLE IS ALREADY USING THOSE CARDS ANYWAYS.
All Im asking is adding it(the rebranded "workstation" GPU) as an OPTION, to capture yet another sector of the market which by the way is growing super fast and is by no-way a niche market!!!!
If it can take only 16GiB of RAM, it's just a regular laptop with workstation graphics, no matter what HP and Dell call their small models.
That's why Lenovo is right calling the W540 "the lightest mobile workstation".
Exactly. There are no pro cards, it's just branding and maybe optimised drivers. Any other card will do the job about as well as those "pro" branded ones.
That completely contradicts the first part of you post. Reread it and you'll see you have given the answer yourself: Apple already has it but it is not branded as "workstation" or "pro".
Also, that niche market consist of software that is for 99% Windows-only. Why on earth would a non-Windows manufacturer aim at such a niche market? It's just pointless because they simply do not stand any chance at all.
Lol It does not!!!....those different drivers (which by the way will not work on the Geforce without some HEAVY softmodding) make ALL the difference in the world. Just go to notebook check and notice the difference in framerates between the k1000M and GT650M in Solidworks for example (which is the same card architecturally speaking).....its like 400% difference.
those drivers make a HUUUUUUGGGGEEE difference.....and cannot be had on "any other card"