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Apple Planning 'Something Really Different' for New Mac Pro

I've got this feeling that the new Mac Pro will have some kind of full front hardware monitor with touchscreen controlls. And some kind of brick design that connects multiple MacPro's by building a tower. Click and connect.

Or call it wishful thinking... I think that a pro computer should have the ability to easily build up to a system that fits any budget, big or small.
 
paul4339 said:
What entry level price range were you thinking? around $2100 ?

.
Click to expand...

If this machine is to have any chance at success the base machine has to come in under $1500. The fundamental problem with the Mac Pro is that it is grossly over priced in the entry level configurations. This is especially the case if you are looking for a machine for high performance computing that doesn't leverage the machines other positives.
 
37647d1352499840-check-out-modular-mac-pro-concept-zigich_new_macpro.jpg


mac-pro-concept-5.jpg
 
wizard said:
If this machine is to have any chance at success the base machine has to come in under $1500. The fundamental problem with the Mac Pro is that it is grossly over priced in the entry level configurations. This is especially the case if you are looking for a machine for high performance computing that doesn't leverage the machines other positives.
Click to expand...

it'll probably have the same, or higher, base price + tiers as it has always been.
$1500? ahahahah. we can all dream.
 
JPLC said:
I've got this feeling that the new Mac Pro will have some kind of full front hardware monitor with touchscreen controlls. And some kind of brick design that connects multiple MacPro's by building a tower. Click and connect.

Or call it wishful thinking... I think that a pro computer should have the ability to easily build up to a system that fits any budget, big or small.
Click to expand...
What would the purpose of the monitor be, given that it wouldn't be very useful as a full blown display?
 
MacRumors said:
Somewhat corroborating Baird's phone call, Lou Borella -- administrator of the 'We Want a New Macpro' Facebook group -- wrote on the page that he heard the new professional Mac would be "heavily reliant on Thunderbolt" with "no internal expandability", and would have support for dual-GPU's and no FireWire or optical drive.
Click to expand...

No internal expandability? Sounds like a glorified Imac to me. I thin I will hold onto my 2009 Mac Pro for a few more years..
 
samcraig said:
You mentioned chromebox. Which doesn't have a screen. Chromeboxes don't cost remotely $1300. I see your point. Ha?
Click to expand...

I jokingly mentioned the ChromeBox Pro - a product which doesn't exist - as a reply to the post which speculated on the next Mac Pro as a dumb terminal which depends entirely on the cloud.

You may have taken this a little too seriously. ;)
 
re: Last upgrade?

Why can we "reasonably" say that at all?!

Anything is possible.... Heck, Tim Cook could step down tomorrow and the whole company winds up closing their doors. But I sure wouldn't bet on it.

I think so much, right now, is focusing on the portable devices. Microsoft, too, is all worked up about tablets and smartphones being the future. Judging by sales figures, that's just a fact. (More tablets were sold than PC's in 2013.)

But IMO, this is a trend that's about to wind down. What we saw in the last couple years was a whole slew of "average users" out there who really don't NEED a full blown computer, now that a cheaper and easier to use alternative exists that covers their bases. They just need to web surf, check and reply to email, and maybe write the occasional letter. They want to play computer games too, but the casual "Words with Friends" material is right up their alley. So they rushed to the iPads, the Android tablets, and the smartphones.

All the "cloud" hype keeps promising everyone that the PC is becoming obsolete. "Just sign up with us and WE'LL store all your data for you. WE'LL serve all your programs to you and WE'LL do the heavy processing on our site for you." Sometimes that makes a lot of sense. But just as often, it doesn't.

When the hype dies down and the market for the iOS and Android stuff is fully saturated, then what? I see some of the younger kids who used only those devices getting older and more interested in computing -- and that new generation is going to ask for something bigger and more powerful, to WRITE code on. I see others who were NEVER really served by the tablets as computer replacements, who will STILL be a target market for a system like a new Mac Pro. As long as someone wants to create digital content, there will be a demand for powerful machines that help build it. And same goes for those who want immersive experiences playing more complex, advanced computer games. The tablet devices lack the disk storage capacity and the GPU speed to get that done, and probably will for a long time to come since they're restrained by limited cooling capabilities and a need to conserve power.



Arggg2010 said:
All good news, but I think we can realistically say that this will be the last upgrade before it's killed off.
Click to expand...
 
For a new Mac Pro to do well, I think it's going to have to broaden its audience to include me. The target market of the Mac Pro as it is right now is just too small, I think.

I actually think the desktop market, itself, is too small for Apple to continue to have three products. I foresee this new product replacing both the mini and the pro, but taking the name of the Pro.
 
projectQ

If Apple were half-way smart, they'd at least offer token competition with this:

New Motherboard Promises Out-of-the-Box Hackintosh Support
A new custom motherboard from Quo Computer promises to provide built-in support for multi-OS booting, including OS X. Hackintoshes built on the platform will be able support Ivy Bridge CPUs, Firewire, USB 3.0, and Thunderbolt right out of the box. TMO will have more to share once we get our hands on a shipping board.
Inactive link to original article: http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/cool_...intosh-support

projectQ

http://quocomputer.com/shop/z77mx-quo-aos/


Sort of a "Mac Semi-Pro". Apple's version would just update to an Intel Haswell single CPU, but would still include FW400, FW800, USB 3.0 & Thunderbolt ports.
Hopefully, they can also finally get rid of proprietary video cards, and enable the end-user to swap out the video card with any recent model PCIe 3.0 nVidia or AMD PC video card.
 
Last edited:
H. Flower said:
Modular contradicts Apple's design philosophy; aint' happening.
Click to expand...

I agree. Modular also sounds like it would skyrocket manufacturing expenses. Apple is really about efficiency in manufacturing and I find it hard to do that they would be eager to get in the business of making aluminum boxes in all sorts of shapes and sizes. What happens when certain modules sell like hotcakes and others don't and get discontinued?

I don't buy the modular for a minute, it seems counterintuitive to everything Apple's been doing for the past 10 years (i.e. everything as self-contained as possible). Hell, they even took away the ability to upgrade internal drives, batteries and memory on their latest line of laptops!
 
I'm not in the market for a new Mac Pro, just got an iMac but 'something really different' has me worried.

The Mac Pro needs to keep the same form it be useful for its intended market, JMHO.
 
rmwebs said:
What would the purpose of the monitor be, given that it wouldn't be very useful as a full blown display?
Click to expand...

I think it could be usefull to display any info about hardware, setup and configurations. That would also make it a fine server.

But your right, it also sounds useless and like something Dell would do. I'm just outside the box thinking about these things.
 
xlii said:
edit: dalupus, our posts overlapped but same ideas

Think of a backplane switch where you can plug in X number of boxes.

CPU Box
GPU Box
Memory Box
IO Box
Click to expand...
You apparently don't realize the fundamental problem with computer design today. The computer runs many times faster than current memory buses and that limits real performance. To significantly increase performance in future machines the computers have to get fast memory systems. That means smaller tightly packed memory boards with 3D memory technologies and extremely fast interconnection buses. You can not do this sort of improvement by putting memory, GPU's and CPU's in separate boxes. Won't happen.
You decide how many of each based on how you use your machine.
Click to expand...
I do think that things that can be done over the slower TB interface will go the way of external boxes. For example anybody that needs a disk array will have to plug in a box. I/O could also go this way.
I'm thinking most storage will be external. The IO Box will come in several flavors: TB only, USB3 only, FW800 only, Legacy
Click to expand...
No, but only because a external box costs to much to produce in the first place so such a box would have an assortment of ports.
 
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