Rumor Suggests Replacement for Mac Pro Due in April or May

[mozumder]

Why? If you only need one of them to do what you do then a rack will waste an awful lot of space! Unless they give a vertical stand

Generally all applications for this product goes with other rack-mount industrial equipment, hence rack-mount. This would include tons of hard drive bays, compute servers, AV equipment, etc.

If you don't need rack-mount then a desktop iMac is most likely going to be enough for you.

 

[mslide]

I don't know of anyone who would need something as powerful as the Mac Pro other than people who really require a Workstation-class machine. Not even I could ever need something like that, as cool as it would be.

I'd say a fully loaded 27" iMac would be plenty. Maybe that's why Apple hasn't updated it as much as their other products. Not only that, but it'd be quite expensive to be replacing in upgrading once per year, unless you only need more RAM, graphics or hard disk space.

I don't know of anyone who would need a Ford F-350 super duty pickup. Surely, a Ford F-150 would be plenty for everybody.

 

[milo]

Every other Mac has lost the optical drives.

Every other mac makes size and thinness a priority. No reason for that to be a priority with the MP.

 

[Baumpie]

But will it blend?

 

[3282868]

I don't know of anyone who would need something as powerful as the Mac Pro other than people who really require a Workstation-class machine. Not even I could ever need something like that, as cool as it would be.

I'd say a fully loaded 27" iMac would be plenty. Maybe that's why Apple hasn't updated it as much as their other products. Not only that, but it'd be quite expensive to be replacing in upgrading once per year, unless you only need more RAM, graphics or hard disk space.

"640kb ought to be enough for anybody"

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But will it blend?

Hey, stop stealing my puns!

 

[Marx55]

A Mac Pro mini-tower would be fantastic. Or a Mac mini Pro.

Hopefully with a brand new keyboard with built-in USB 3 hub.

And a new Apple Cinema Display 21.5-inch with Thunderbolt and USB 3.

 

[Baumpie]

[/COLOR]

Hey, stop stealing my puns! [/QUOTE]

Sorray!

 

[wonderspark]

I don't know of anyone who would need a Ford F-350 super duty pickup. Surely, a Ford F-150 would be plenty for everybody.

This reminds me of discussions about why anyone would need so many pairs of shoes. (She said she needed basically every kind in every color, to match outfits. I won't ask *that* question again, haha!)

Right now, I'm *just* hanging in there with my Mac Pro, but if I jump to 4K, well, it better be pretty hot stuff. Most of my buddies have built their own Hackintosh kits ever since RED showed up, and an update needs a fair level of work to keep up with what can be done outside of Apple.

 

[wilhoitm]

I think I saw Big Foot last night too!

Come on Apple!

It should have Thunderbolt, PCI Express 3, enough watts to run 2 TITAN NVIDIA GPUs 1600 Watts of power, etc...

 

[HiRez]

In other words, it could be one thing, or something else. And it could appear sooner, or later.

 

[UnfetteredMind]

I hope it's like Christmas and everybody gets what they want

I'm certainly looking forward to what they announce, but will be sticking with my Hack server (rack mount case in the basement) I broke down and built last year.

 

[matt22sound]

I've been thinking about it a lot and I honestly don't see the logic in people saying that it will have a soldered GPU and will be right around £1500.
The reason being that Apple consider the iMac to be their desktop computer.
What would be the sense in downgrading the spec and price to almost that of the iMac except it could have a couple of pci slots... Really?
Bringing it too close to the iMac and the Mac mini could either canabalise sales from each other, or the MP just wouldn't sell because people would rather have a self contained computer (iMac) or something smaller and still very powerful (mac mini).

My prediction:

1 (maybe even 2) TB fusion drive as standard with still 3 x 3.5" bays free

No optical drive as they want and have the option of the external SuperDrive
Making it smaller cz they gag for that.

Still a graphics card.

Maybe up to four independent monitor slots.

4 pci slots, still optical i/o

8 core base model (who knows what processor)

Siri integration (I don't know if lion has this I'm a snow leopard guy)

And some crazy origami done with the internals so that the air flow is better like the MBP. And some better speakers.


I don't think there will be a "consumer" version, but maybe a semi pro version with less capability. Maybe the base semi pro would be something like 1 thunderbolt, no pci, still 8 core maybe a 4 core option, and still a graphics card. Obviously this would downsize and the price. But if they did this, how would you price it to fit in with every other product without canabilisation?

 

[ersatzplanet]

I think it will be a smaller, easier to rack mount, core that will be much like the old Mac Xserver. They will leverage Thunderbolt to the hilt. Extra drive bays or GPUs will all be via TB keeping the main processor core small so it can be used easier in scientific computations and render farms racked together. It will stand on end in the home or small studio like a tower. Wireless keyboard and mouse to cut connector cost (just like the iMacs). Everything connects via TB, the display will provide the other "legacy" connectors. It seems the direction that Apple is heading, smaller with less reason to open it up.

Intel just announced Thunderbolt 2 with 20 Gbp in each direction on Thunderbolt's two channels, twice the speed of the current 10 Gbp generation. Maybe Apple has been waiting for this to put into the new Pro.

 

[thekev]

Every other mac makes size and thinness a priority. No reason for that to be a priority with the MP.

You are correct, and Mac Pro users are arguably more likely to burn a disk for a client assuming the job will fit on it, as it costs much less than a usb thumb drive. I don't think Apple sees them as a priority any longer, which is why I mentioned it.

 

[Macsonic]

The article mentions "in the next several months" I guess we have to wait...hope this time it's real

 

[3282868]

I've been thinking about it a lot and I honestly don't see the logic in people saying that it will have a soldered GPU and will be right around £1500.
The reason being that Apple consider the iMac to be their desktop computer.
What would be the sense in downgrading the spec and price to almost that of the iMac except it could have a couple of pci slots... Really?
Bringing it too close to the iMac and the Mac mini could either canabalise sales from each other, or the MP just wouldn't sell because people would rather have a self contained com

Yet the PowerMac G4/5 was priced around or lower than their eMac/iMac line, and it didn't negatively impact iMac or PowerMac sales as they cater(ed) to very different markets (and still do).

 

[doctor-don]

Apple will announce a replacement to the Mac Pro

Please, do NOT do that, Apple.

Make the next Mac Pro a decent PRO machine. The term desktop does not mean the entire computer has to fit on my desk as an iMac would.

 

[snberk103]

Generally all applications for this product goes with other rack-mount industrial equipment, hence rack-mount. This would include tons of hard drive bays, compute servers, AV equipment, etc.

If you don't need rack-mount then a desktop iMac is most likely going to be enough for you.

There a some of us (photographers especially ) who like the Mac Pros but don't need it rack mounted. I will admit that we don't push our systems like the AV pros, but we do easily fall into the Mac Pro market.

For me, having a rack-mount only system makes no sense. However, I can see the advantage for having a tower that could be rack mounted... Or a rack mounted system that could easily (cheaply!) but put into a traditional tower box.

 

[Mago]

Too soon to integrate Hasswell and Xeon E5/E7, so it maybe a Xeon - less machine with the most powerful i7 as it ready for later this year (or next year) for full 12 cores Xeon E5/e7

 

[3282868]

Too soon to integrate Hasswell and Xeon E5/E7, so it maybe a Xeon - less machine with the most powerful i7 as it ready for later this year (or next year) for full 12 cores Xeon E5/e7

Hoping an i7 or similar model is released, with Haswell coming later models. However, mobile systems seem to benefit the most from Haswell's power consumption and size improvements.

Desktop Haswell platform will use new socket LGA 1150. The chipsets for upcoming processors will have native USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt support.

Yet the desktop line would be perfect for Mac Pro systems. I can understand Apple using Haswell's chips in their MacBook Pro line, followed by their desktop systems.

 

[Analog Kid]

Wow, talk about going out on a ledge. There's 9 months left in the year, the rumor expects to see something in April, May or June.

I give it a 33% chance of being accurate.


That said, it's fun to see a rumor spark the forum discussions I remember of old-- people imagining what could be, discussing arcane technical details, arguing about what the product name should be. Beats the heck out of debating map bugs and Facebook integration.

Intel Announces Next Version of Thunderbolt With 20Gbps Throughput Coming in 2014 , so it will be out of date as soon as it arrives (if 2013)

Good point. Let's petition Apple to wait until technology stops evolving before they release their next product. I'm tired of buying things only to have better things come a year later.

 

[roadbloc]

I wonder how thinner they've managed to get it....

 

[pearvsapple]

No new Mac Pro in Post-PC era.

 

[3282868]

I wonder how thinner they've managed to get it....

 

[matt22sound]

Yet the PowerMac G4/5 was priced around or lower than their eMac/iMac line, and it didn't negatively impact iMac or PowerMac sales as they cater(ed) to very different markets (and still do).

I didn't know that but my point still stays in that people are suggesting specs very similar to an iMac or Mac mini. What would be the point? May as well just get rid of the pro and make a super mini or iMac if we're going for these kind of downgrades

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Good point. Let's petition Apple to wait until technology stops evolving before they release their next product. I'm tired of buying things only to have better things come a year later.

Hehe