Apple Continues to Work on All-New Mac Pro With Upgradeable Design

[ScunnerDarkly]

A cylindrical design with "limited thermal capacity"? Who'd have thought it eh? If Apple had done their homework a little more thoroughly they would have come across the similarly cylindrical Lecson AP1 power amplifier design from the mid-70s, and found - cue drumroll - it also had "limited thermal capacity" and would slowly cook the innards if pushed hard.

Hopefully Apple will pay a little more respect to physics with the next iteration of the Mac Pro...

 

[F1Mac]

So what do I do with the $13,000 iMac Pro that I just bought?

If you had bought an iMac Pro, then you'd be part of a market that is very much aware a new Mac Pro is coming. Always about what you need, and when, and how much you can spend on it.

I get the little attempt at sarcasm though.

 

[thisisnotmyname]

I'm pretty sure Apple could have taken the old Mac Pro aluminum chassis and thrown in a new, modern system board with a few m.2 pci-e connectors and the latest/greatest ports sticking out the back, a dual XEON CPU tray that takes the latest/greatest XEONS, and it would have been affordable and would have sold like hotcakes. Instead, we'll get some super-expensive, art museum like design that no one (except "Pros") can afford.

No thanks. With five years since an update I don't want them to release a relic from 2012 with a 2018 badge on it.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

So what do I do with the $13,000 iMac Pro that I just bought?

1. Enjoy it?

2. For years and years?

3. Then sell it or trade it in around 5 years from now at about 3%-15% of what you paid today to buy the cutting-edge replacement at the time.

4. Repeat 1-3.

Maybe a 3.5 entry: frequent threads in sites like this and gush about "but who makes the most profitable _________?" and similar, knowing you meaningfully contributed to Apple's profitability on an individual consumer level... especially relative to other Apple consumers who did not give them so much money this year. Bask in the glee that you are on Apple's list as one of their most profitable individual consumers of 2017. I'm confident they thank you very much for your well above average (consumer) contributions and hope you'll go out of your way to convince many others to do the same.

 

[Glmnet1]

Announced in April 2017 and then brought up again in December 2017 so we know they did not forget about it. I'm expecting a March-April 2018 release. They can't expect potential buyers to wait much longer than a year after being announced.

 

[jayducharme]

Apple thought "Pros" preferred Form over Function. How could Apple be so out of touch?

I do a lot of video editing, audio and multimedia production, and I've been very happy with my 2013 Mac Pro. The only time I notice the fan is when I play graphics-intensive games. Then it makes a nice room heater. But during "normal" work, I can't even tell it's running.

 

[WhatdoIkn0w4now]

"a new high-end pro display."

8K here we go! Next Oct/Nov you'll see an 8K HDR OLED Apple display. Perhaps 32" or 34".

 

[MacknTosh]

At the time, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi admitted that the 2013 Mac Pro's so-called "trash can" design has a limited thermal capacity that doesn't always meet the needs of the most demanding workflows.

...is this the same machine that Phil Schiller announced with the quote “can’t innovate my ass”??? I suppose there are very few machines that boast a limited thermal capacity....

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I know this is stretching the design team thin, but some front facing ports would probably make some people happy. I know they make hubs and all, but talk about sabotaging the simplicity you’re trying to convey by putting all of them on the back. Heck, make a wired keyboard that is a multi port hub or something. I don’t think a few ports showing is offensive. Wires all over my desk because I don’t want to spin the machine around to plug something into the back again? That’s what seems like a design compromise.

 

[F1Mac]

I do a lot of video editing, audio and multimedia production, and I've been very happy with my 2013 Mac Pro. The only time I notice the fan is when I play graphics-intensive games. Then it makes a nice room heater. But during "normal" work, I can't even tell it's running.

I wonder how many of those who've endlessly complained about the nMP have acutally used one, let alone owned one?..... Oh well...

 

[szw-mapple fan]

I'm pretty sure Apple could have taken the old Mac Pro aluminum chassis and thrown in a new, modern system board with a few m.2 pci-e connectors and the latest/greatest ports sticking out the back, a dual XEON CPU tray that takes the latest/greatest XEONS, and it would have been affordable and would have sold like hotcakes. Instead, we'll get some super-expensive, art museum like design that no one (except "Pros") can afford.

The base model Mac Pro was $2,000 when it was released. Adjusted for inflation, that's about $2,600 today. Not much far off from what we have now. Besides, what's wrong with a good-looking design? The cheese grater Mac Pro remains one of the most iconic and stylish computer designs ever in my opinion.

 

[Juicy Box]

The aluminum design was introduced in 2003 and it still looks like it could have been designed yesterday.

I two of the aluminum design Macs, the Power Mac G5, and the 1,1 Mac Pro.

The Power Mac G5 doesn't work anymore, but I kept it around just incase I decided to build a hackintosh, I was going to gut the G5, then use that beautifully designed enclosure for the rig.

 

[ajguckian]

It's good to see them working on the pro-end things, as it can only help to make the "me" level items better, if only through them finding new ways to do things.

 

[phocion]

I'm expecting a March-April 2018 release.

They were careful in the spring to say the Mac Pro would not be released in 2017, rather than saying it would be released in 2018. The new announcement still does not specify that it will be released next year.

The takeaway is that Apple is not sure that the Mac Pro will be released in 2018. Therefore I would expect a late 2018 release at the earliest.

 

[wigby]

When it was introduced the Mac Pro, they bragged how the thermal cooling worked.

The thermal cooling worked well for multiple GPU configurations but the industry didn't follow Apple's lead on this one. Instead, scientific, gaming and CGI industries went with one large GPU which wouldn't fit in the trash can and wouldn't benefit from Apple's thermal cooling design.

 

[QuarterSwede]

I'm pretty sure Apple could have taken the old Mac Pro aluminum chassis and thrown in a new, modern system board with a few m.2 pci-e connectors and the latest/greatest ports sticking out the back, a dual XEON CPU tray that takes the latest/greatest XEONS, and it would have been affordable and would have sold like hotcakes. Instead, we'll get some super-expensive, art museum like design that no one (except "Pros") can afford.

Bingo. If you listen to a bunch of Pro podcasts/read what Pros want that’s pretty much what they say they would be super happy with. The cheese grater Mac is still the best design for a tower.

 

[wigby]

I'm pretty sure Apple could have taken the old Mac Pro aluminum chassis and thrown in a new, modern system board with a few m.2 pci-e connectors and the latest/greatest ports sticking out the back, a dual XEON CPU tray that takes the latest/greatest XEONS, and it would have been affordable and would have sold like hotcakes. Instead, we'll get some super-expensive, art museum like design that no one (except "Pros") can afford.

It's very easy to see the mistakes in retrospect. But there's also a good chance that the Mac Pro cylinder design would've been a hit and we'd be seeing many competitors copying Apple's form over function approach. It's happened many times before.

 

[Glmnet1]

I know this is stretching the design team thin, but some front facing ports would probably make some people happy. I know they make hubs and all, but talk about sabotaging the simplicity you’re trying to convey by putting all of them on the back. Heck, make a wired keyboard that is a multi port hub or something. I don’t think a few ports showing is offensive. Wires all over my desk because I don’t want to spin the machine around to plug something into the back again? That’s what seems like a design compromise.

I like the fact that Apple keeps the ports on the back of their machines, not only it makes for a nicer and cleaner design but also I don't have to look at the ugly wires and accessories plugged in.

I also don't mind lifting my buttocks once in a while to plug something in.

 

[seclusion]

They announced the iMac Pro 6 months ago, specs and general look. Let’s hooe they give us a sneak preview of the new machine.

 

[saxon48]

And still not even a whisper of a new Mac Mini.

 

[SeminalSage]

"high-throughput system in a modular, upgradeable design,"

I know people are thinking tower, but with the rise of eGPUs I'm thinking Apple may go completely modular. As in the CPU is in one box, the GPU is in another, storage is in another, all connected by TB3 (4?) EDIT (central PCI bus). Think of a MacMini type enclosure but each component is a separate box and swappable/upgradable.

EDIT: credit to user Velocityg4 for the picture of Razers Project Christine:

 

[e1me5]

I bet we will see it for real during the WWDC keynote and will be released next year these days.

 

[cjbryce]

I do a lot of video editing, audio and multimedia production, and I've been very happy with my 2013 Mac Pro. The only time I notice the fan is when I play graphics-intensive games. Then it makes a nice room heater. But during "normal" work, I can't even tell it's running.

Yep - our outfit has two Mac Pro "trash cans" for graphics creation/video editing. No problems with them at all, all good, high performance and work stack output. Sure, we're not creating vast CGI work or editing Hollywood movies, but these machines are now four years old and still going strong. I doubt the equivalent PCs would be.

About 10 members of my team have had Mac Minis running Windows since original install in June 2012 . We put more RAM in them and they've run solidly for more than five years now, no problems. Again, I doubt the equivalent PCs would still be the originals.

About seven members of my team have various Apple laptops - not had to replace a single one since original purchase between three and five years ago.

About 10 members of my team have had various Dell and Lenovo laptops - we generally have to replace them every couple of years. Coming to the point where I'll insist on BootCamped MacBooks when replacements are needed.

Apple really does seem to have everyone else beat on the TCO front, and for business that counts for a huge amount.

 

[satchmo]

When it was introduced the Mac Pro, they bragged how the thermal cooling worked.

I think they needed a scapegoat.

It was either thermal constraints or Jony's ego.

 

[0958400]

Oh, so this is the life sign, which should keep us on our heels for a release in 2020?
Way to go ...