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Apple Considering Discontinuing More Server-Focused Products?

Re-Focus

I'm not sure Apple would leave us hanging like that, but you never know. I think Apple may combine the hardware and software into one appliance somewhat like the Apple TV. Buy the box and you automatically get OS X Server and it's features. If any additional functionality is needed, software wise, you'd probably buy it online via the App Store. Storage could possibly be provided via SAAS or as a hardware add-on.

Just a thought...
 
Honestly, for the vast majority of the market, who cares? An earlier poster put it plainly, Apple's bread and butter doesn't come from its server products. Apple makes its money off its consumer-grade products. Sure it's a "nice to have", but it certainly doesn't keep the lights on at Cupertino.
 
Say it ain't so! I just replaced my old clunky Dell server with a Mini Server running SL Server. I am amazed at the power of SL server. I am running SL server as a host OS with a SL server VM and few Linux VM's.
 
bergert said:
In the long run (10 years?) OSX will give way to iOS; but until then we will all need a server OS.

just my 10 cents ...
Click to expand...

Those are good 10 cents. I completely agree. Apple will move away from Pro apps and server options. It will become a very big consumer market company. This might be a good time for other companies to perfect their own solutions in those markets.
 
In my humble opinion, I think that if Apple is going to 'discontinue' the server based products, They sound't halt production all together.

If it is because of sales, I think it would be a wise move for Apple to have server based products as a "Special Order Only" type of product, Where they would manufacture that product for the person or company purchasing it.

There would be a longer wait time, But if the customer really wants that product, Waiting is just something they are going to have to deal with.
 
This is horrible news. I switched the entire company I work for over to Macs and we have had hardly any problems. Discontinuing OS X Server means discontinuing compatibility with things such as iChat, Push and Address Book.
 
Consultant said:
I hope not. Many companies use them.

Unless Apple is making it cloud?
Click to expand...

Why Apple is completely axing the products is beyond me. The biggest reason why the XServe was seeing poor performance is because IT departments are virtualizing like CRAZY, and Apple requires that if you are going to virtualize their stuff, that it be on their hardware. Not many IT departments are going to lock themselves into XServe-only.

I know Apple likes to sell hardware, but in the case of their server stuff, they really should wise up and sell the OS licenses for Mac OSX Server so IT guys can run it on VMWare ESX.
 
I think that apple is building a cloud os or a better managed system that controls clients. For example that big Data center that apple built is full of server that will probably connect to clients. and for business that need servers will just connect to apples server for the server needs. One small example here is mobile me and how it synchronizes everything between computers. Soon you might just connect your mac and write down the serial number on the "Server control panel site" once the mac connects it will synchronize and thats it. As for final cut pro server. Maybe when you do a big project at home it will get uploaded to the data center rendered and downloaded back into your pc. That data center has a lot of power and it will grow. Autocad for example uses this system. They house servers that could render projects because a personal computer could not handle it.
 
Incredible timing. Our sister company switched all 9 of their workstations over to macs last week, and today sent me an email asking for a recommendation to replace their dyspeptic Exch Server 03, with something simple & easy to run.

"Easy, an Appl...... hm. Ehhh, dunno?"

Wundebar.
 
ppc_michael said:
This is so concerning.

I'm especially worried about the possible loss of Final Cut Server. It seems to fall in line with other rumors of FCS dumbing down. I know a lot of people who are only really on Mac OS X at all because they need Final Cut. This would have a huge reverse-halo effect I think.
Click to expand...

The "pro" market is a tiny, tiny slice of Apple's multi-billion dollar pie. There will be no impact to Apple's consumer business, which continues to grow. It's obvious the numbers don't make sense to Apple to justify continuing those product lines. It's all about the numbers.

I was planning on running my new brokerage using Mac OS X Server... now I'm starting to wonder.
 
they could utilize a 'server' form in its consumer products such as a time capsule with dual 2tb or 3tb drives/raid for massive storage and distribution without excess hardware/software/macs
 
off course they wanna leave the professional market.
There is more to earn with overpriced and overrated toys like iphone's and ipad's
 
Benguitar said:
In my humble opinion, I think that if Apple is going to 'discontinue' the server based products, They sound't halt production all together.

If it is because of sales, I think it would be a wise move for Apple to have server based products as a "Special Order Only" type of product, Where they would manufacture that product for the person or company purchasing it.

There would be a longer wait time, But if the customer really wants that product, Waiting is just something they are going to have to deal with.
Click to expand...

linux2mac said:
Say it ain't so! I just replaced my old clunky Dell server with a Mini Server running SL Server. I am amazed at the power of SL server. I am running SL server as a host OS with a SL server VM and few Linux VM's.
Click to expand...

longofest said:
Why Apple is completely axing the products is beyond me. The biggest reason why the XServe was seeing poor performance is because IT departments are virtualizing like CRAZY, and Apple requires that if you are going to virtualize their stuff, that it be on their hardware. Not many IT departments are going to lock themselves into XServe-only.

I know Apple likes to sell hardware, but in the case of their server stuff, they really should wise up and sell the OS licenses for Mac OSX Server so IT guys can run it on VMWare ESX.
Click to expand...




Realistically, if they see themselves as a hardware company with regards to their iPods, iPhones, iPads, and their (non-server) Macs, then they may see their effort in the server market better served (sold) by their software and not their hardware. They already allow Mac OS X Server to be virtualized on other Apple hardware, who's to say that they won't extend it to be able to be virtualized on non-Apple x86 Servers, let alone run NATIVELY (as in, not virtualized) on non-Apple x86 servers. If they go back to having Mac OS X Server cost more than its current price of $500, then they could justify the lack of it being bundled with hardware that they're producing. Again, it'd make getting to run Mac OS X Client on generic x86 PCs much easier, but I could see Apple finding a way around that hurdle.

Either way, I'd be shocked if OS X Server, along with Xsan and Final Cut Server were going anywhere, even if Apple's server hardware is.

And on a different tangent, how would they kill the Mac mini Server if (a) it's selling well and (b) it did well enough to make a new version in the new enclosure that, in and of itself, is substantially better than its lower-end client counterpart and is much more so than its predecessor was with its lower-end client counterpart?
 
Apple “could” opt to do away with OS X server, or just roll most of those features in as options to a single unified OS X SKU. Pretty speculative.

What’s very concrete: Xserve is gone, and the Mac Mini Server just got a nice update. I don’t think it’s that “server” products in every sense are out, but that Apple sees where its customers are buying, and leaving some niches to 3rd parties. (Which is sad if you relied on Apple’s own offerings. And 3rd parties can’t fit than many Macs in a rack!)
 
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ppc_michael said:
This is so concerning.

I'm especially worried about the possible loss of Final Cut Server. It seems to fall in line with other rumors of FCS dumbing down. I know a lot of people who are only really on Mac OS X at all because they need Final Cut. This would have a huge reverse-halo effect I think.
Click to expand...

What do you mean by dumbing down of FCS. From my perspective it is the same if not better, with features like the share menu. I would like to know, what is dumbed down?
 
Sounds good. Apple is a consumer oriented company so they should just leave all those crazy Pro stuff behind. Hardly anyone buys these things anyway. Apple got big with iPod and iPhone and not some servers or MacPro.
 
As cool as OS X Server is, with iCal, Podcast, Mail, etc., there's just not enough market for it. Maybe in the very small SOHO Market, or SB Market. But I see very few, if any, SMB folks out there using it. Most are Exchange, or GMail corporate.

Unless they decide to go the "Linux" route. During setup, ask if it's a workstation, server, etc. and just bundle it all up? That would be cool...
 
nagromme said:
Apple “could” opt to do away with OS X server, or just roll most of those features in as options to a single unified OS X SKU. Pretty speculative.
Click to expand...

It'd certainly make sense.

nagromme said:
What’s very concrete: Xserve is gone, and the Mac Mini Server just got a nice update. I don’t think it’s that “server” products in every sense are out, but that Apple sees where its customers are buying, and leaving some niches to 3rd parties. (Which is sad if you relied on Apple’s own offerings. And 3rd parties can’t fit than many Macs in a rack!)
Click to expand...

Or if Apple allowed Mac OS X Server (and only the Server version) to be run on non-Apple x86 Servers, as I'm sure Lenovo's server hardware is cheaper, but still just as competent.
 
mosesaro said:
As for final cut pro server. Maybe when you do a big project at home it will get uploaded to the data center rendered and downloaded back into your pc. That data center has a lot of power and it will grow. Autocad for example uses this system. They house servers that could render projects because a personal computer could not handle it.
Click to expand...
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that up loading TB of data to the Cloud and then waiting for TB of data to be downloaded back to my local machine will most likely negate the time savings of having my render or export done remotely.


Lethal
 
Yebubbleman said:
It'd certainly make sense.



Or if Apple allowed Mac OS X Server (and only the Server version) to be run on non-Apple x86 Servers, as I'm sure Lenovo's server hardware is cheaper, but still just as competent.
Click to expand...

I don't know how there's any way to allow OS X Server to run only on x86 Servers. If it can run on X86 Servers, can't it run on x86 workstations? At that point, anyone can run it on anything they want, and you lose one of the biggest reasons there is to buy Mac desktops and laptops.
 
Ok, I will keep this short....

If apple does this I will be pissed. We run an ever growing business have 3 xserver's, and will need to add more in the future. They better have something to takes its place that works just as good. :confused: :mad:
 
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