The Mac Pro is going to flop if it doesn't allow good peripheral support, including external GPUs.
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Apple Had M1 Mac Pro Ready to Ship Months Ago, Mac Mini Redesign Unlikely
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Seems like if it lacks external GPU support, it's going to flop.
People liked the Mac Pro because you could do so much to and with it with hardware. If you can't use eGPUs or have custom ones put in alongside the M2 chip, if you can't add more RAM beyond what's soldered one, and if you can't physically expand storage, this thing won't be a Mac Pro. It'll be a new product under the same name that is basically a Mac Studio with M2 Extreme chip. In a Mac Pro body. But the heart won't be a Mac Pro.
We'll see...
True 3090 TI performance is a LOT for most people and 384 GB of RAM (if that is the number) is not bad either.
Apple could support eGPUs right now if they wanted, but nobody has heard ANYTHING suggesting it will happen.
When it coms down to it. Double the M* Ultra performance, I/O, and memory is still worth a product, and it certainly could have PCIe expansion for OTHER types of niche devices beyond GPUs.
I hope the name isn’t real.
Whoever is naming Apple’s latest projects needs to be FIRED ASAP.
Some notable crap names:
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Apple TV+
HomeKit
Apple Podcasts
M1 Ultra
Whoever is naming Apple’s latest projects needs to be FIRED ASAP.
Some notable crap names:
iPhone 13 Pro Max
Apple TV+
HomeKit
Apple Podcasts
M1 Ultra
What’s the problem with Apple Podcasts and M1 Ultra though?
It might have launched in 2019 but as one of the first customers I didn’t get it until February 2020. So these years on models mean nothing lol
Ah, yes, the 4th Gen, that was the one that replaced the 3rd Gen I bought after about 6mths or so!
In mac land the reference would be the original core duo's when intel launched only to be replaced 6 months later by the core 2 duo's.
The Mac Pro is not for 'most people'. People who way top dollar for a Mac Pro expect industry leading performance.
I question the "ready to ship" language. They may have had M1 based MP prototypes, but I doubt they brought up a full production line just to idle it. Either the M1 MP was a development platform leading to the M2 version, or they found an issue with the M1 flavor and weren't willing to release it, but I'd expect it would have died in the labs, not the loading dock.
Precisely. And the worst part is he keeps getting away with it! Watch the video, it’s literally just a series of “I think / I reckon / what could happen”.
I obviously mean most "pro people who would even consider buying a Mac Pro".
How many Mac Pros users are there with multiple high end GPUs? A niche of a niche of a niche.
The "every" people should just buy a refurbed M1 MBA for $850 USD
not for me. Maybe for most gamers, but if you are a professional user there is never enough speed.
yes the ability to share RAM is the massive benefit of the M chips and does help a lot.
If the Mac Pro doesnt have some GPU expansion support I would be surprised. No doubt it will be all Apple though, and not be conventional GPU's.
You are right.I obviously mean most "pro people who would even consider buying a Mac Pro".
How many Mac Pros users are there with multiple high end GPUs? A niche of a niche of a niche.
Most "everyday" people should just buy a refurbed M1 MBA for $850 USD
I think most likely I will just stick to PC's for the viz work. Easier and more predictable, as we are all guessing now what Apple will do, whereas we all know a 4090 and the 13th gen intel is coming out in the next few months.
Like I said, you are likely to still get macOS releases all the way up to 2025 and suspect Apple is gonna provide extended support for the Intel macOS release for it probably until 2028. But, I wouldn't be surprised if its earlier. Apple wants to really put Intel in the rearview mirror.
eGPU support implies card driver support, and video drivers are a third-party problem. How important is this market to AMD/NVidia? Is it worth it to commit to years of driver development?
We could look into the technicalities, but the reality is, most had to know what they were buying. I heard the YouTube stories about the base model, so, its not like it was a hind sight purchase for anyone in 2022 that never chose the right spec. Again, you basically knew what you were getting into. But I think the target audience for the base was for those who really wanted a system they could grow with due to its modular design. Overall, I just think it was never a huge seller at all and was intended to be niche. Hence why Apple has not even rushed to introduce a Apple Silicon rev of it yet.
I'm fine with the overall design of the mini, but a simple M2 spec bump with no M1 Pro/M2 Pro option is kinda disappointing and probably indicative this thing will still have 2 TB3 ports and limited monitor output. More cynical part of me is thinking they're intentionally gimping the Mini now so those stuck in-between casual/power use will likely pony up for the Mac Studio :/
Yes, this is what many want to know, will the next mini go up to 32GB? This argument against makes sense. Remains to be seen. Back to secrecy and rumors I guess.
I fully expect the M2 mini will offer the same 24GB option as the MBA and 13" MBP do.
