Apple Planning 'Something Really Different' for New Mac Pro

[3282868]

- SATA III

- USB 3.0

- Thunderbolt - Could be an issue, Without processor graphics there's no clean way to route DisplayPort through Thunderbolt on a Xeon platform just yet. However, at some point processor graphics will come to the Xeon. There will never be a Thunderbolt PCIe card. TB is integrated into the system, it ties directly into the CPU and on-cpu GPU. Thunderbolt is just PCIe over a cable - you still need the SATA/SAS/Fiber or whatever chipset at the other end along with a Thunderbolt bridge chip. Incorporating the SATA/SAS/RAID chipset inside the enclosure instead of inside your MacPro in a PCIe slot is the only thing you can accomplish.

- Smaller form factor for out of sight storage, with a bi-directional Thunderbolt cable supporting displays, HID's, etc. to a workstation.

- Dual Processors, perhaps offer non-Xeon server chips as a BTO option for those not needing the power but an expandable system.

- Blu-Ray - film editors still require Blu-Ray support for projects. I've had a Blu-Ray burner in all my Mac Pro's for years, and with third party app's now allowing Blu-Ray movie support I'd be surprised if Apple removes the optical bays.

- Improved bus speed

- HDMI support

Address those and I'm on board.

 

[Walter White]

CNET reported two days ago that Mac Pro will not be expandable internally. All expansions will be done via TB.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-5...ro-said-to-ditch-expansions-arrive-this-fall/

This would be BS as well, because you can't have only interlnal or external expension. It must be both.

 

[wizard]

You can laugh at me all you want whether I'm right or wrong.

Ultimately you still have configurable box. Options for memory, speed, graphics cards, etc. The fact that it might be external or handled some other way doesn't excite me (personally). Like I said - not much can really be "really different" when it's all said and done.

That depends upon how you classify really different. The technology is out there or coming on line to allow for a really different architecture in a new Mac Pro. Apple may or may not go that route but the reality is it is possible.

 

[3282868]

The market might be small. But its importance is huge.

Hardware for creatives is in Apples DNA. I know two (high-end 3D) companies where Apples lack of dedication to the Pro line resulted in a switch to Win/PC for rendering and modelling a little more than a year ago. Which recently resulted in both offices switching completely to PC. Not a single Mac in sight. These are creative people — they've used Mac for 15+ years. They were the evangelists. They were the core supporters when Apple was close to bankruptcy.

Plus firms and businesses set aside tens if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in hardware and license upgrades. That adds up for a supposedly "niche" market. I've grown to hate people who claim it's too niche to address, yet so many have fled to Avid, Windows, even Adobe as they picked up frustrated Apple pro-users with solid CS releases.

 

[iindigo]

Perhaps this is the triumphant return of the cube?

A few minutes in photoshop yields this…

 

[Chrisg2014]

Not expandable... Don't know how I feel right now. Kind of want to slap someone. Apple hasn't been doing very well with the profession market lately... *Cough* *cough* FCPX *cough* *cough*

Note though, it has to have something super amazing to make up for this. Like the retina macbook Pro. It has a freaking retina screen! Although I don't think this will be happening for a towner computer.

 

[Arran]

It'll be a Intel NUC cluster box. Buy one with as many NUC's as you need, expand up to 8 or 16 as supported by the Mac Pro tower case.

Brilliant.

Why give Intel the revenue? Why stop at 16? Here's 160 minis in a rack:

 

[Chrisg2014]

Perhaps this is the triumphant return of the cube?

A few minutes in photoshop yields this…

Image

I just throw up a little... no offense.

 

[bungiefan89]

Retina Display!?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

 

[wizard]

Hope they design it in a way so that they can sell it in Europe.
I need one.

They probably will design it to be salable in Europe today. Tomorrow though somebody in Europe will see it as competition and demand more restrictive laws to curb competition from non European companies. Like it or not you live in a part of the world where protectionism results in far less in the way of consumer choice.

 

[Rychy]

I just need two user accessible HDD bays and an upgradable graphics card and I'll be fine ... I'm very worried for the people that need / want the internal expandability of the current Mac Pro though.

 

[benji888]

Just as Apple did away with the "Rack mount" computer, they will do away with the "Tower" computer.

Since the release of Thunderbolt, and with the announcement of version 2 with 4K video support, I seriously doubt it will be an improved tower. It will be a smaller desktop unit, (but bigger than the mini), that holds CPUs, up to 4 drives & memory, wireless, ethernet, audio, minus video. Everything else will go external, via 2 separate thunderbolt connections and 4 USB 3 ports. (OR they may go external with the drives also). 3rd parties already make PCIe-type expansion boxes that connect via thunderbolt, (along with drives and other devices). I don't think Apple will make lego-type modules, that's just an old idea. Apple will provide the basic hardware and OS, they will leave it to 3rd parties for the rest, maybe include external GPU options, in a separate box, since, I assume, they will continue to make displays, as, eventually, the direction they will likely go is to touchscreen.

On that note, I used to think this would be the year for touchscreen macs, starting with the iMac, but, this might be a year or two off still, since they are still developing retina iPads. Retina touch screens may be how they will usher in OS 11/iOS8??

edit: oh, yeah, no optical drives included. 3rd party external only.

 

[danielsutton]

Mac Pro Redesign

I certainly hope this "something really different" refers to a Mac Pro chassis that is fully configurable and upgradable, with the ability to replace and upgrade each main component, instead of having to buy a whole Mac every other year.

I hope this new design is also rack-mountable so as to create more options. Use OS X on it and it is a workstation. Install the Server package from the App Store, and it can be moved into the server room and run the network. Thunderbolt is very interesting, in that Version 2.0 of the specification is now faster than FibreChannel, making storage area networking more accessible and less expensive...

 

[SPUY767]

Going to show how under-studied I am on the topic of Thunderbolt, but is it able to support an externally housed GPU?

Yes, but the throughput is not close to that of a PCIe x16 slot.

 

[salacious]

it will come with flash storage space, be the size of a shoebox and be ultra thin so that you can throw it like a frisbee

 

[wizard]

I would be interesting to see if Apple moves towards a design that can also be rack-mountable as well as desktop (eg, 19"x5.25")
.

I'm hoping for half rack width design that is otherwise rack compatible.

 

[JesterJJZ]

serious question...

for those who use/need a MP, what is your profession?

I edit 5k RED and do FX work. I need raw power.

 

[pearvsapple]

The entire Mac lineup should rely more on Thunderbolt as well. Give use official external-GPU support already! I'm tired of using ghetto methods to use desktop GPU on Macbook Pro.

 

[hootyhaha]

As an Apple newbie from Windows I'm curious about all the info. below. I was also excited for the new Apple, but now all of the below is making me feel kind of down about Apple. Thinking maybe I should go back to PC and get an HPZ work station now. I'm new to these boards too, so sorry for a lack of introduction. Are all 3 of you guys employees of Apple in some way? Thanks for any more tips and pointers to steer me away from Apple if I need to consider a new avenue.

New Mac Pro is going to be a standalone thunderbolt device with integrated gpu's, memory etc, and is going to require another mac to function. You heard it here first guys

There's very little in way of a tower that will be "really" different. Seriously. Sounds like an overhype.

Three Mac minis duct taped together.

 

[Schizoid]

now Apple, please listen...

we don't want thin, we don't want portable or shiny, or thermally efficient or a nice small shape that we can recycle, we just want the biggest, most badass Mac in the world today, that pisses all over any home-brew PC tower out there!

If not I'm going to recycle this Mac Pro by filling it with lead and dropping it into the sea, specifically to kill fish and coral!

 

[PercyHanna]

I'm still expecting some sort of modular design taking advantage of Thunderbolt (2). Make things like GPUs and extended memory, etc. expandable through Thunderbolt. Put the GPU inside a Thunderbolt display?

Just some thoughts…

 

[JayCee842]

this is Christ, reincarnated

You bet it is!

 

[wizard]

Why should it be rack-mountable? Nobody uses Apple equipment in a server room - not even Apple.

How about Studios, labs, instrumentation installations, On site production support as excuses for a rack compatible Mac Pro. Personally I want the new Mac to be half rack wide because that works out rather well on the bench.

And since the article had ZERO content except for "you'll be glad that you waited for our next vaporware product", well,

Well it is Mac Rumors not AppleInsider!

let's just wait and see what they will actually ship. IF they even ship a new Mac Pro. At this point in time, the new Mac Pro is sitting right next to the rumored AppleTV and the rumored iWatch - which are all compatible with iWork X, Aperture X and Logic Studio X...

Yes but those are rumored products, the Mac Pro has been indicated to be real by Apple management.

 

[apolloa]

Not sure how that would work if it's a machine based on separate modules that plug together if you want dual GPU's and Xeons with tons of ram? But I guess they would have worked that out. And no internal storage? Hmm don't think so. Anyway should be a pretty cool machine me thinks.

 

[AdamSeen]

The GPU wouldn't be connected via thunderbolt. Not until thunderbolt link aggregation or higher bus speeds were possible.

It would more likely be similar to the connection at the base of the mac pro motherboard, which connects together both parts of the motherboard together.

Not being able to have a top of the line GPU card, one of the major benefits of having the pro in the first place, would kill the computer from the moment it was announced.