The 2018 Mac Mini is the ideal machine for pro audio - I'm still not sure what the deal is with the T2 chip making it unsuitable for Audio applications though.
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Apple Mulling Preview of New Modular Mac Pro at WWDC in June
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The 2018 Mac Mini is the ideal machine for pro audio - I'm still not sure what the deal is with the T2 chip making it unsuitable for Audio applications though.
Like I said, you can complain about prices all you want, but don’t expect it to do any good. Hey I’d like lower prices too. Who doesn’t? But as long as Apple is satisfied with the quantities they’re selling, they’re not going to lower prices because they’re not “overpriced” in Apple’s eyes. (I’d also rather pay $28,000 instead of $34,000 for a Camry, but I don’t think my complaining on a Toyota enthusiast forum will have much effect, unfortunately.)
btw, don’t confuse explanations for defense. I haven’t defended Apple’s high prices, I’ve just stated the facts: yes they’re high, and not just for the mini, iMac and MBP upgrades are just as expensive.
I’ve also never defended any neglect of the Mac lineup. re: the Mac Pro, I’ve said a number of times here that the product management has been badly mishandled, and boy has it cost them; there are Pro users, actually entire categories of users I’d say, that have left the Mac behind. Apple will very likely never get them back. And mini should have been updated in 2016.
But Apple has said they’re going to concentrate on meaningful updates going forward. It’s obvious that iMac is on a two-year refresh cycle (2015, 2017, 2019), and I expect the same for iMac Pro, Mac mini, MBA, 12” MacBook and probably the 2019 Mac Pro as well. There’s just not a lot of change from one year to the next, typically. (That’s not to say Apple won’t slip in some off-cycle updates like we recently saw with Vega 16/20 for the MBP, or maybe some drop-in CPU upgrades.)
The fact is 80% of Mac sales are the MacBook lineup. The core of that is MacBook Pro, which might be the only Mac that gets yearly updates from here on out. Only time will tell. But I don’t think any Mac in the lineup should go more than two years between updates. Re-designs I don’t expect with every release, but every four years makes a lot of sense for the better selling models, i.e. laptops. iMac/Mac Pro/mini, I could easily see at 6-8 years between re-designs.
Anyway, just my thoughts.
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Unless someone like me somehow become CEO of Apple, which is unlikely, but you never know.
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A touch bar on the computer itself seems unlikely, but a touch bar on the keyboard is definitely possible.Gotta admit, I find the touch bar on a tower pretty odd; it seems like something I’d come up with for a GIF. Might as well pop a notch on that bad boy too.
Ah, why the hell not?
wrt Apple products, I’d put myself in a pretty wide spectrum of the gray area in between: love some, begrudgingly accept or tolerate others despite their shortcomings, and wouldn’t touch a few with a ten-foot pole. Applies to people as well
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While this is not an Apple moderated forum, people who work at Apple definitely do visit this site. MacRumors has previously posted articles about alpha versions of macOS showing up in their logs of site visitors.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Most of the other stuff you wrote makes sense, except this: you’re saying there are Toyota Camry enthusiasts?!?
Nope. Those are your words, not mine. I basically said no matter how much you complain here about Apple’s prices, I don’t think it will cause Apple to lower them.
Couldn’t disagree more. It’s only by not buying the 2013 Pro (if it doesn’t suit you) that users can send a message that Apple needs to offer something different. If that means leaving the Mac platform, so be it. Users have to do what makes sense, given their requirements. They can’t buy a computer Apple doesn’t make.
Note that while we’re going to get a completely re-designed Mac Pro, it won’t be cheap, and RAM/disk upgrades won’t be any less expensive than the iMac/MBP/mini. No matter how much people complain on MacRumors.
btw maybe you’re not aware, but people have been complaining about Apple’s prices for at least the last 35 years. I don’t have any expectations that year 36 is finally going to be the year Apple decides to cut their prices/gross margin, and I don’t know why anyone else would think so either.
When price is a problem, Apple is aware—for instance iPhone in China and some emerging markets. Whether due to macroeconomic factors or FX headwinds, the effect is the same: demand drops, revenue falls and business analytics dashboards all over Cupertino start turning red and flashing.
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lol, funnyWhoa, whoa, whoa. Most of the other stuff you wrote makes sense, except this: you’re saying there are Toyota Camry enthusiasts?!?
yeah I was going to say Lexus but figured someone might say, “ok, sure, but Apple’s no Lexus”. I figured Camry was safe, Apple’s got to be at least a step above Prius would be a better pick.lol, funnyan Acera Corolla
Wow, so many posts about why is apple taking so long to build a desktop? How hard could it be?
It takes time to develop ARM processors to overteake xeons in power and to port the OS and pro software over. When is the likely release date of MacOS 10.15, AKA hybrid OS? There is your Mac Pro release date also.
Your welcome.
It takes time to develop ARM processors to overteake xeons in power and to port the OS and pro software over. When is the likely release date of MacOS 10.15, AKA hybrid OS? There is your Mac Pro release date also.
Your welcome.
Apple, just don't **** it up.
You've had 6 years to come up with something that would appease your truly core audience. The ones that stuck with you through the dark times. Remember that.
Just don't **** it up.
You've had 6 years to come up with something that would appease your truly core audience. The ones that stuck with you through the dark times. Remember that.
Just don't **** it up.
[doublepost=1550713670][/doublepost]If there is no PCie slot, it will be another EPIC FAIL again, for another 5 years, making it 10 years straight. And when the rep said in WWDC last year that they were listening to the professional market, maybe they had their headphones on listening to iTiunes or something? Because in NO WAY would a lack of PCIe slots accommodate Cinema production, not by a LONG shot.
Apple is considering previewing its upcoming redesigned Mac Pro at its Worldwide Developers Conference this June, according to a new report by Bloomberg today.
Apple has said it is working on a high-end high-throughput modular Mac Pro for its pro user base that will be easily upgradable and will feature components for the most system intensive tasks.
According to sources who spoke to well-connected Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, Apple has "internally weighed previewing a new version of the high-end Mac Pro" at this year's WWDC, although no firm decision appears to have been made.
According to executives Craig Federighi and Phil Schiller, Apple is committed to making the Mac Pro the highest-end desktop system able to accommodate VR and high-end cinema production. Apple has also put together a "Pro Workflow Team" to tailor the Mac Pro and other Apple products to its professional users.
The modular workstation is expected to ship alongside an upcoming Apple-branded pro display, which rumors suggest will be 31.6 inches with a 6K resolution and have "outstanding picture quality" enabled through a new Mini LED-like backlighting design.
We still have no word on when in 2019 the Mac Pro is coming, but Apple did promise a 2019 launch date in early 2018. If it's anything like the last Mac Pro in 2013, we should indeed get further information at WWDC, which Apple is planning to hold from June 3 to June 7 in San Jose, California, based on permit filings uncovered by MacRumors.
Article Link: Apple Mulling Preview of New Modular Mac Pro at WWDC in June
Even if it comes with 1TB ram, 36 core 100Ghz CPU, it wouldn't matter. Since the pros would STILL have to spend more money for a chassis to hold their AVID HDX cards, Video Cards, and various other PCie cards, etc. Needing more room, more cables cables, and for the audio people... MORE NOISE which brings it back to the same EPIC FAIL of the trashcan.
I hope I am not the only one who feels this way. Companies like Warner Bros, Sony, 20th, Century Fox, etc. have a bit of a budget (a few BILLION) to build machine rooms and compensate for all of the extra gear, chassis, etc. to compensate for everything the G4, G5, MAC PRO 2008-2012 provided right off the bat.
So I am hoping Craig Federighi and Phil Schiller are aware of the OBVIOUS...
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My thoughts exactly, seriously though, mankind made a spaceship in the previous century that is now at the end of our Galaxy and another one that is cruising around on Mars. How hard can this be?
Maybe Apple might consider hiring a few from NASA to help out?
Touch bar on the computer would be at least as likely as a keyboard... probably more likely.
1. Apple has dumped wired keyboards. Highly doubtful they are going to bring back wired keyboards for a touch bar. Wireless keyboards the problem is bandwidth and battery life. One have to feed a constant steam of data to the T-series chip. Two you have to feed a constant stream of power to the T-series. "But it is a iPhone chip" isn't going to get you out of that hole. Run constant screen active time on a iPhone and watch the battery level shrink. Probably not going to get anyting like the normal lifetime for a battery bluetooth keyboard at all.
2. The T-series has some system management features. With Apple buying up some of the Dialog PMIC IP to merge into future custom system and power management chips that is probably only going to go up over time. It is going to be pretty difficult to be the "system manager' chip when off in the keyboard ... that can be detached if the Bluetooth connection doesn't work. the system manager is what helps set up the bluetooth and all of the other high level I/O features.
T-series also does sound and speakers so that too is highly odd ball for a keyboard. Secure enclave in a easy to walk away keyboard ... again more of a head scratcher than a "good idea".
3. Not as function key augments/substitutes but replacing the physical buttons and status indicators on a system. Those could be system status ( like what folks put into activity monitor or istat menus. ) or some sort of Siri interface. Remember Apple has taken away start up chimes too.
Also could somewhat help if wireless keyboard goes belly up and need to a controlled shutdown or start another basic pairing. There would always be one physically attached input system ( even if limited to a couple of 'buttons' ).
As a function key substitute the touch bar only makes sense in the context of laptops. For desktops and larger screen sizes, the screen is highly likely to be placed farther away from the keyboard. Grow that screen and bar gap too large and it makes less and less sense.
All that though ... Touch ID would make more sense than also putting on a touch bar. More likely the Touch Bar would probably mostly just mean "costs more" as the biggest impact. ( same with a discrete keyboard. ). It mainly just looks good in whipped up, show off designs. There isn't tons of inspirational design insight there.
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While users can take that approach, the issue is going to be that is far more likely to get slower response times from Apple, not faster ones. The fewer people that buy the closer it gets to what Jobs called "nobody is buying" and then it gets put on the 'axe it' watch.
Apple isn't out to make everything for everybody. So if Mac product A,B,C grow and D and E shrink then more than likely A, B, and C are going to be first in line to be assigned development resources. if D and E happened to be 50% of sales then perhaps would get a different ordering, but if already relatively small (so on 'watch list') and protest just makes it even smaller... that action may not lead to a correction at all long term. For non strategic products that is a tactic with risk.
The core issue is what are actually seriously hard functional requirements and what is "I'm using to buying something that looks like this form so want another form just like that" that are in the 'like to have' area. There is also battles over control which isn't really a functional requirement either. For folks who have gross distain for any Apple design choices then that is more a disconnect than a requirement. Apple is newegg or Fry's. They aren't just selling barebones boxes. Never really were even before the Mac came along; and Mac moved past that.
Folks who have objective, real requirements mismatches. Sure get something that works. Apple doesn't "hate your profession" they just don't have what you want. But the notion going to "back seat drive" Apple strategic policy with a relatively small (to mac sales/revenues ) collection of Mac Pro non purchases .... that has problems in the real world. Apple isn't broke and desperate.
They’re well aware
They’ve had film makers (actual legit pros) on staff for the past couple years. Audio folks too. And scientists and engineers. As they’ve said, there’s not just one pro. There are all kinds of different pros, with varying requirements. They’re going to try to satisfy as many as they can. Personally, I’m hoping for a dual socket logic board, with a Skylake-SP 8168 option and at least 256GB of RAM per (and two x16 PCIe slots). And an Nvidia option, or at least MacOS 10.15 drivers and a commitment for future OSes as well.
That might be asking too much, we’ll see. I actually underestimated almost every spec of the 2018 mini if that means anything lol.
Puh-lease. I have used windows workstations for a decade without issue. "Quality of the experience"? Just run the software. I think if it was not for Final Cut Pro many here would have moved on.
That’s literally what I said... the bolded part, not the tilting at windmills/trying to drive Apple’s technology roadmap part. That would be a fool’s errand.
Did you read my words that you quoted in your post? lol
sure... and it will be available at the end of december 2019
And? And why not if that's when it's ready?
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I don't think so. They stay on MR and whine forever. Much easier than mustering up a wee bit of courage, choosing another manufacturer, and finding happiness.
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In this day and age, that is not asking for too much, its asking for practicality. The G4 was perfect for its time. then upgraded to the G4, then the Metal G5, then the Mac Pro. It was flawless for all of it's upgradeability even till this day. They should have or should still use that plat form, but your right about the 256 max ability, but will need 3 or 4 PCie slots. The on the Audio world, need the Main GPU card (and the ability to upgrade in the future) plus another slot for video out such as a Black Magic, etc. Then 2 more for HDX. And of coarse 4 or more bays for SSD/HD and an option for a Blu Ray burner which I'm on the fenceThey’re well aware
Personally, I’m hoping for a dual socket logic board, with a Skylake-SP 8168 option and at least 256GB of RAM per (and two x16 PCIe slots). And an Nvidia option, or at least MacOS 10.15 drivers and a commitment for future OSes as well.
That might be asking too much, we’ll see. I actually underestimated almost every spec of the 2018 mini if that means anything lol.
Make it 12 AND 16/18 Core, 3.6 low/3.8 mid/4.0 high for Ghz CPU and charge their usual $3500/$4500/$5999 and make everyone happy for years to come. Too logical I suppose
I've been a max user since it was Apple on the Quadra 650 back in the early 90's and loved their evolution till the trashcan came into the picture
Samsung tried to beat Apple to the punch.
LaCie Joule storage system from 1990's:
https://68kmla.org/forums/index.php...le-modular-storage-system-snow-white-stripes/
Apple is considering previewing its upcoming redesigned Mac Pro at its Worldwide Developers Conference this June, according to a new report by Bloomberg today.
Apple has said it is working on a high-end high-throughput modular Mac Pro for its pro user base that will be easily upgradable and will feature components for the most system intensive tasks.
According to sources who spoke to well-connected Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman, Apple has "internally weighed previewing a new version of the high-end Mac Pro" at this year's WWDC, although no firm decision appears to have been made.
According to executives Craig Federighi and Phil Schiller, Apple is committed to making the Mac Pro the highest-end desktop system able to accommodate VR and high-end cinema production. Apple has also put together a "Pro Workflow Team" to tailor the Mac Pro and other Apple products to its professional users.
The modular workstation is expected to ship alongside an upcoming Apple-branded pro display, which rumors suggest will be 31.6 inches with a 6K resolution and have "outstanding picture quality" enabled through a new Mini LED-like backlighting design.
We still have no word on when in 2019 the Mac Pro is coming, but Apple did promise a 2019 launch date in early 2018. If it's anything like the last Mac Pro in 2013, we should indeed get further information at WWDC, which Apple is planning to hold from June 3 to June 7 in San Jose, California, based on permit filings uncovered by MacRumors.
Article Link: Apple Mulling Preview of New Modular Mac Pro at WWDC in June
Will it include all the KP Bridge OS crashes as well, or do we pay extra for that?
Well I’m on board with 4 PCIe slots, I only meant that there should be two that are x16 so you could run dual GPUs at max throughput. Depending on the SKU, with 2 CPUs there could be 96-112PCIe 3.0 lanes so it wouldn’t be a problem to dedicate 32 to GPUs and still have plenty for TB3, 10GbE, SSD(s) etc.
Since Cascade Lake-SP will be shipping soon, 24 cores at 2.9/3.9 is the 8268 part, around $6k each. But anyway, like I said maybe too much to ask... 400W of CPU and potentially another 400-500W of GPU, that’s a lot of heat to dissipate. Maybe 1500W power supply. Would Apple build it? Only if they thought they could sell it and I’m not sure they can. But I hope they think they can
There’s also the possibility of an “iMac Pro without the monitor” single-CPU solution, so W-series Xeon. Not nearly as interesting, since we wouldn’t get to watch people’s heads explode when they see a $25,000+ Mac lol.
Well, not sure what their plan is but we shall see soon enough. Or at least by late December 2019.
btw had a Quadra 950, a heavy beast and remember paying somewhere around $3-4k for a Quadra 700 for my sister’s college graduation present, she named it Baby Q. Upgraded with a Maxtor 240 MB(!) hard disk that ran about $400 iirc. Same, early 90s.
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Well I moved from a Mac Pro 2013 to a home built PC, I am here, not whining, but lurking around
Happy about my choice, but that does not mean I am unhappy to see the state the Mac is right now, old specs Mac Pro / iMac, unreliable MacBook (Air / Pro), issue with bridge os and very expensive mini.
Yes they had quirks back too, but not across the entire line, and yes they were always more expensive than PCs, but a high specs Mini now cost almost as what a base (and much better) Mac pro used costs.
Yes their target nowadays is the iOS world, but even then, with bent iPads out of the box and iOS software bugs.... it's a sad state, I just wish they went back to make things that "just works".