Tim Cook Shares Details About New 'Made in USA' Mac Model

[69650]

I need space to put a couple of graphic cards, ideall enough space for 2 different raid systems (not going to happen I think).
I don't mind a change in form factor, but I guess most pros don't want a smaller Mac Pro. If you can do with smaller, an iMac usually is enough

Ok so let's look at what Apple is doing with their computers.

Firstly, they don't want you to be able upgrade or modify them yourself any more. Why? Because that means you probably upgrade less often and they make less sales.

Secondly, they are clearly looking to consolidate their range of computers as it becomes an increasingly smaller and smaller part of their overall business. Why? Inventory management. The more devices with the more options you have, the more inventory you have to carry, which takes up valuable space in their retail stores.

Third, Steve Jobs minimalist philosophy carried forward. Steve once did a presentation in which he said that all Apple really need is four computers. One laptop and desktop for pro users and one desktop and one laptop for consumers. Ok Steve may be gone but Apple is still the house that Steve built and his philosophy will live for many years. Ok so they had this a few years ago when the iMac was the consumer device and the Mac Pro was the pro device. But then they decided to increase the iMac prices to the point were it no longer fitted that model and so they brought in the Mac mini.

Finally, Apple has experienced rapid growth since it moved into retail stores. Have you ever tried to carry a Mac Pro home? Man that thing is heavy and it doesn't really fit into that philosophy. A smaller device would simply sell better.

So what are they going to do? Are they going to move to a three device policy and keep the iMac, Mac mini and Mac Pro? That's always possible but I think that would be a mistake. People often assume that the Mac Pro is only for pro users or business people. Not so, I know a lot of people who use it as games machine. Why? Because the iMac and Mac mini have one big drawback. They use laptop grade components and integrated graphics to save on space.

So merging the Mac Mini and Mac Pro into one scalable and customisable device in a cube like shape would give you a model that could be configured for consumers who prefer an external monitor, pro users, gamers, etc, etc. It opens up the device to new markets and new users. With thunderbolt it would be very easy to add stackable components on top like external hard drives, optical drives, etc.

It would be easy to configure and price it to replace both the Mac Mini and Mac Pro. They just have a sub $1000 entry level model to replace the Mac Mini, a $1500 model to compete with the iMac and a $2000+ model to replace the Mac Pro. You can always buy add-ons or configure it slightly differently online in the same way you can now.

 

[JM-Prod]

There is so much pompus BS in your post, ranging from inventory management to Mac Pros as gaming consoles. People who buy a Mac Pro for playing games has issues.

"So merging the Mac Mini and Mac Pro into one scalable and customisable device in a cube like shape would give you a model that could be configured for consumers who prefer an external monitor, pro users, gamers, etc, etc."

That is a nice game machine you are envisioning. Not a pro workstation. Take a look at H&P Z820 and you can see what a modern workstation needs, and also it's price. Spending nearly 15 000 USD on a gameing workstation is absurd.

Professional and hobby desktops are two different marked segments.

 

[Anon Tobin]

Ok so let's look at what Apple is doing with their computers.

Firstly, they don't want you to be able upgrade or modify them yourself any more. Why? Because that means you probably upgrade less often and they make less sales.

Maybe ram. But I don't know any Mac owner that purchases ram from them anyway. Apple would make more money from upgrades if they sold up-to-date graphics cards.

Secondly, they are clearly looking to consolidate their range of computers as it becomes an increasingly smaller and smaller part of their overall business. Why? Inventory management. The more devices with the more options you have, the more inventory you have to carry, which takes up valuable space in their retail stores.

Third, Steve Jobs minimalist philosophy carried forward. Steve once did a presentation in which he said that all Apple really need is four computers. One laptop and desktop for pro users and one desktop and one laptop for consumers. Ok Steve may be gone but Apple is still the house that Steve built and his philosophy will live for many years. Ok so they had this a few years ago when the iMac was the consumer device and the Mac Pro was the pro device. But then they decided to increase the iMac prices to the point were it no longer fitted that model and so they brought in the Mac mini.

Finally, Apple has experienced rapid growth since it moved into retail stores. Have you ever tried to carry a Mac Pro home? Man that thing is heavy and it doesn't really fit into that philosophy. A smaller device would simply sell better.

MP's can be sold online. And complaining about the Mac Pro being heavy is like complaining about a high-end sports car or a truck using a lot of gas.

So merging the Mac Mini and Mac Pro into one scalable and customisable device in a cube like shape would give you a model that could be configured for consumers who prefer an external monitor, pro users, gamers, etc, etc. It opens up the device to new markets and new users. With thunderbolt it would be very easy to add stackable components on top like external hard drives, optical drives, etc.


It would be easy to configure and price it to replace both the Mac Mini and Mac Pro. They just have a sub $1000 entry level model to replace the Mac Mini, a $1500 model to compete with the iMac and a $2000+ model to replace the Mac Pro. You can always buy add-ons or configure it slightly differently online in the same way you can now.

The Mac Pro is meant to be a workstation, not a thin and gimmicky consumer device. Those are two different markets with a vastly different set of standards. The Mac mini is barely worthy of being a render slave to the Mac Pro.

You're not going to put 16 cores in a cube, or convince any knowledgeable Mac Pro owner that a external thunderbolt device is a replacement for a PCI Express 3.0 slot.

 

[Mago]

Don't need a tech Sherlock Holmes to see the made in USA mac, is no other than the Mac Pro, 1st mac pro volumes are low, and the product value is high, so a high rate manwork incide same as on a simpler low value mac mini. no tech intrigues here's, just economics, also the mac pro will capitalize better the Made In USA label, than the cheap mac mini.

About stackable mini mac pro cube, the concept is interesting but no mac pro user is interested on it, just an mere update (2.5" hdd instead 3.5", no cd/5.1/4 bays) and a bit slimmer tower design are enough, the mac pro users will wow more on a dual Xeon E3/E5 than on that FLMC (Funny Looking Mac Concept), they don't need.

 

[Anon Tobin]

Don't need a tech Sherlock Holmes to see the made in USA mac, is no other than the Mac Pro, 1st mac pro volumes are low, and the product value is high, so a high rate manwork incide same as on a simpler low value mac mini. no tech intrigues here's, just economics, also the mac pro will capitalize better the Made In USA label, than the cheap mac mini.

About stackable mini mac pro cube, the concept is interesting but no mac pro user is interested on it, just an mere update (2.5" hdd instead 3.5", no cd/5.1/4 bays) and a bit slimmer tower design are enough, the mac pro users will wow more on a dual Xeon E3/E5 than on that FLMC (Funny Looking Mac Concept), they don't need.

Why?

They could just ship mounting brackets.

 

[Renzatic]

Don't need a tech Sherlock Holmes to see the made in USA mac, is no other than the Mac Pro, 1st mac pro volumes are low, and the product value is high, so a high rate manwork incide same as on a simpler low value mac mini. no tech intrigues here's, just economics, also the mac pro will capitalize better the Made In USA label, than the cheap mac mini.

It doesn't necessarily have to be the Mac Pro at all. I learned recently that some 21.5" iMacs sport a Made in the USA label.

Cook's big domestic push could simply mean that more iMacs, components and all, are being produced and assembled stateside.

 

[yoak]

Why?

They could just ship mounting brackets.

Because Apple love to move foreward and leave what they perceive as old tech behind. If I remember well, there were rumours about apple working on 2tb SSDs a while back as well

 

[opinio]

Mac mini.

 

[Anon Tobin]

Because Apple love to move foreward and leave what they perceive as old tech behind. If I remember well, there were rumours about apple working on 2tb SSDs a while back as well

You can fit two 2.5 SSDs on a single 3.5 bracket.

http://www.storagereview.com/icy_dock_ezfit_pro_dual_25_35_bracket_mb082sp_review

That would leave room for an extra PCI-e slot.

 

[Mago]

You can fit two 2.5 SSDs on a single 3.5 bracket.

http://www.storagereview.com/icy_dock_ezfit_pro_dual_25_35_bracket_mb082sp_review

That would leave room for an extra PCI-e slot.

The new Mac pro will have only propetary pcie x16 for gpu, further expansion will be thru thunderbolt or usb3 period.

A smaller form factor is mandatory but not a expense of computing power, so we will see an smaller mb with dual Xeon sockets and room for 8 so-dimm and a discrete (maybe optional) gpu on a property PceiE-x16 slot (btw required to route video signal to thunderbolt ports).

A compact raid 5 storage solutions based on 2gb 2.5 hdd plus ssd could fit easy where previously fit 3 3.5 hdd leaving room for the dual cpu coolers.

Also switching to 2.5" saves a lot of power, dismiss slower rpm most 5400 hdd beats or are close to the same 3.5 equivalent at 7200 10&15k rpm storage will always be added thru an external storage solution using Thunderbolt.

The next mp will be smaller and greener it's an fact, that don't leaves room to 3.5 5.1/4 neither need special hardware to justify pcie x1/x4 (for that thunderbolt is), and to provide video out thru thunderbolt require a propertary pciEx16 solution (also providing apple more control on the platform).

 

[Tech198]

so, Foxconn would have less to do and maybe they can keep up with demand.

If true, this will be the only product that would stand out, as "Made in USA"

 

[Anon Tobin]

The new Mac pro will have only propetary pcie x16 for gpu, further expansion will be thru thunderbolt or usb3 period.

A smaller form factor is mandatory but not a expense of computing power, so we will see an smaller mb with dual Xeon sockets and room for 8 so-dimm and a discrete (maybe optional) gpu on a property PceiE-x16 slot (btw required to route video signal to thunderbolt ports).

A compact raid 5 storage solutions based on 2gb 2.5 hdd plus ssd could fit easy where previously fit 3 3.5 hdd leaving room for the dual cpu coolers.

Also switching to 2.5" saves a lot of power, dismiss slower rpm most 5400 hdd beats or are close to the same 3.5 equivalent at 7200 10&15k rpm storage will always be added thru an external storage solution using Thunderbolt.

The next mp will be smaller and greener it's an fact, that don't leaves room to 3.5 5.1/4 neither need special hardware to justify pcie x1/x4 (for that thunderbolt is), and to provide video out thru thunderbolt require a propertary pciEx16 solution (also providing apple more control on the platform).

I seriously doubt the new Mac Pro will be smaller and "green". No fully loaded dual socket workstation with a high-end GPU will be in a chassis that is smaller than a mid tower. They might be able to pull it off if they swap air cooling for liquid, but we all know how that scenario played out.

What are the specs of your Mac Pro? I had an older 8 core machine that also functioned as a small space heater and sounded like an airplane taking off whenever I would render something.

Do you keep yours on the floor or on your desk?

 

[ABCDEF-Hex]

This from the Wash. Post article on Cook's tax proposal

Cook said Apple aims to create more jobs in the United States. When manufacturing begins later this year on a $100 million project for a line of Mac computers, components will be made in Arizona and the final assembly will take place in Texas.

 

[Mago]

I seriously doubt the new Mac Pro will be smaller and "green". No fully loaded dual socket workstation with a high-end GPU will be in a chassis that is smaller than a mid tower. They might be able to pull it off if they swap air cooling for liquid, but we all know how that scenario played out.

What are the specs of your Mac Pro? I had an older 8 core machine that also functioned as a small space heater and sounded like an airplane taking off whenever I would render something.

Do you keep yours on the floor or on your desk?

I Said SMALLER than Current MP, not too small..., BTW I Agree those Workstations doubles well as room heaters.

I'm considering a 12 core MP, but also study alternatives as nVidia VCA, I Do heavy finite model analysis with my own self made software.

 

[69650]

The Mac Pro is meant to be a workstation, not a thin and gimmicky consumer device. Those are two different markets with a vastly different set of standards. The Mac mini is barely worthy of being a render slave to the Mac Pro. You're not going to put 16 cores in a cube, or convince any knowledgeable Mac Pro owner that a external thunderbolt device is a replacement for a PCI Express 3.0 slot.

You may well be right but everything that Apple has been doing over the past few years points to them moving away from specialist hardware and software into more mass market products. The current Mac Pro model simply doesn't make sense in that scenario. They need to widen it's appeal to increase sales, otherwise they will just kill it like they did with the Server hardware.

Tim Cook might well take the view that it's worth keeping the Mac Pro just to keep pro users like you on side so to speak. Or he may take the view that pro users will inevitably complain but they'll probably jump on board eventually. I'll be very interested to see what they do.

----------

There is so much pompus BS in your post, ranging from inventory management to Mac Pros as gaming consoles. People who buy a Mac Pro for playing games has issues.

"So merging the Mac Mini and Mac Pro into one scalable and customisable device in a cube like shape would give you a model that could be configured for consumers who prefer an external monitor, pro users, gamers, etc, etc."

That is a nice game machine you are envisioning. Not a pro workstation. Take a look at H&P Z820 and you can see what a modern workstation needs, and also it's price. Spending nearly 15 000 USD on a gameing workstation is absurd.

Professional and hobby desktops are two different marked segments.

Maybe if you actually make a sensible contribution to the debate rather than insulting people who disagree with you I would take your comments seriously. As it is you just come across as a jerk and that's being polite.

 

[td2243]

You may well be right but everything that Apple has been doing over the past few years points to them moving away from specialist hardware and software into more mass market products. The current Mac Pro model simply doesn't make sense in that scenario. They need to widen it's appeal to increase sales, otherwise they will just kill it like they did with the Server hardware.

As much as I hate to admit it, all of this makes sense. I truly HOPE they update the Mac Pro line soon, but I wouldn't be surprised if it never is. I want more than anything for them to announce a new Mac Pro at WWDC, but I'm not holding my breath. I'm holding out on buying a new machine, because in the meantime, I can use the iMacs at school. I would much rather buy a Mac Pro, but Apple seems to be steering away from the pro marketplace. Look at Final Cut 10. It was dumbed down so much that even my school is going to stop teaching it next semester. Does that matter to Apple? Probably not, simply because they sell enough phones to make the pro market completely unimportant.

This is all my complete outsider opinion. I don't have an Apple desktop computer and I've been watching their line for awhile. I'm using a 7 year old MBP which was a hand-me-down.

 

[rodriguise]

My bet is at least 95% of US consumers would not do this.

99% of US consumers wouldn't buy a Mac Pro anyway, assuming that's what it is.

 

[JM-Prod]

Maybe if you actually make a sensible contribution to the debate rather than insulting people who disagree with you I would take your comments seriously. As it is you just come across as a jerk and that's being polite.

I did, right before your long post I commented on.

----------

Or he may take the view that pro users will inevitably complain but they'll probably jump on board eventually.

Pro users won't care about Apple if they don't give them what they need. Then they'll just switch platform.

To be competitive, a new MacPro must have:
4k-support
Power and space for multiple GPU's
Internal raid option
Expansion slots for interface cards
2 x modern Xeon CPU's

 

[69650]

Pro users won't care about Apple if they don't give them what they need. Then they'll just switch platform.

So what. Apple doesn't care. They make peanuts from the Mac Pro compared to their other products. So switch if you're unhappy.

They killed X Serve and the 17" MBP because sales were too low, despite vocal protests from pro and business users. They have been either dumbing down or not updating their pro software for years. They are clearly trying to move away from the pro marketplace.

I don't think they will kill the Mac Pro but I do think they will seek to broaden it's appeal in an attempt to increase sales significantly. If that fails then they will kill it.

 

[Mago]

Apple need three Mac Pro:

Basic model With latest 6 core i7 available as high end desktop and as server (using integrated gpu ora discrete gpu) for those that don't need a Xeon but need something more powerful than a mini to connect to an external display.

Low End PRO WORKSTATION with single Xeon e3 (from 4cores) with space for dual gpu.

And a High End PRO WORKSTATION with upto dual Xeon e5 (upto 16 cores) as previous with space for dual gpu.

All with space for a raid 5 array with upto 5 2.5hdd or 3 3.5hdd, no cd/DVD, property pcie x16 slots no std pcie slots, and 4 - 6 usb3 and 4 thunderbolt. Form factor maybe slight revised (a bit more compact, updated aesthetics, or an retro cube more like Jobs 's NeXT cube (the really first mac pro) but never something like a mac mini or things like stackable modules, this Mac is for pro not for decorators.

 

[Digital Skunk]

The new Mac pro will have only propetary pcie x16 for gpu, further expansion will be thru thunderbolt or usb3 period.

A smaller form factor is mandatory but not a expense of computing power, so we will see an smaller mb with dual Xeon sockets and room for 8 so-dimm and a discrete (maybe optional) gpu on a property PceiE-x16 slot (btw required to route video signal to thunderbolt ports).

A compact raid 5 storage solutions based on 2gb 2.5 hdd plus ssd could fit easy where previously fit 3 3.5 hdd leaving room for the dual cpu coolers.

Also switching to 2.5" saves a lot of power, dismiss slower rpm most 5400 hdd beats or are close to the same 3.5 equivalent at 7200 10&15k rpm storage will always be added thru an external storage solution using Thunderbolt.

The next mp will be smaller and greener it's an fact, that don't leaves room to 3.5 5.1/4 neither need special hardware to justify pcie x1/x4 (for that thunderbolt is), and to provide video out thru thunderbolt require a propertary pciEx16 solution (also providing apple more control on the platform).

NO.

That machine would last about 6 months before something overheats and breaks, or 3 months before the user gets fed up with trying to turn an Franken-iMacPro into a professional workstation.

You may well be right but everything that Apple has been doing over the past few years points to them moving away from specialist hardware and software into more mass market products. The current Mac Pro model simply doesn't make sense in that scenario. They need to widen it's appeal to increase sales, otherwise they will just kill it like they did with the Server hardware.

I agree. I truly see them giving it the axe. The MacMini is the new server, and the iMac will be the new workstation.

I've already recommended HP and Dell to many post houses and freelancers in my area. Unless you need . . . . NEED to run OSX then (as a media pro) you should really take another look at PC workstations from those two.

Leave Apple to the laptops and mobile devices. They've bowed out of the workstation/server market.

 

[JM-Prod]

So what. Apple doesn't care. They make peanuts from the Mac Pro compared to their other products.

Well, thats my point. If Apple does not care about their pro users who are mostly artists. Apple is not Apple any more. Their brand is rooted in the creative industry. And it's a trait that makes them sympathetic and sexy. If they lose this trait, they are just another Micro****.

 

[69650]

Well, thats my point. If Apple does not care about their pro users who are mostly artists. Apple is not Apple any more. Their brand is rooted in the creative industry. And it's a trait that makes them sympathetic and sexy. If they lose this trait, they are just another Micro****.

Apple stopped being Apple a long time ago when they changed their name from Apple Computer to Apple Inc. Nobody is making serious money from PC hardware these days. It's a niche market with very little profit potential.

I agree with Digital Skunk above re the Mac mini and iMac.

 

[JM-Prod]

Apple stopped being Apple a long time ago when they changed their name from Apple Computer to Apple Inc.

I don't agree. The retina MacBook is a really high-end piece of hardware, I only know scientists, film-makers and photographers who own one.

Also, even though Final Cut X received lukewarm reception, it's a bold step in the right direction for next generation film editing software. Except for jumping over one generation of Xeon pro workstations, they are still Apple.

And I don't see any reason why they should stop being Apple, a lot of companies does both pro market and consumer marked side by side,quite successfully...

 

[69650]

I don't agree. The retina MacBook is a really high-end piece of hardware, I only know scientists, film-makers and photographers who own one.

I own a retina MBP and I'm none of those

Even though Final Cut X received lukewarm reception, it's a bold step in the right direction for next generation film editing software.

I don't think many film makers would agree with you.

And I don't see any reason why they should stop being Apple, a lot of companies does both pro market and consumer marked side by side,quite successfully...

Would you care to name a few who have been as successful as Apple.