Apple Planning USB-C iMac and Faster Notebooks in 2017, Mac Pro and Touch Bar Magic Keyboard in Question

[freediverx]

"Because of the earlier challenges, some Apple engineers have raised the possibility of moving production back to Asia, where it's cheaper and manufacturers have the required skills for ambitious products"

Translation: Apple has encountered challenges manufacturing the Mac Pro in Texas, including high costs and a lack of required skills among manufacturers.

If Trump really wants to create tech sector manufacturing jobs in the US, perhaps he should focus more on improving access to quality, affordable higher education and beefing up vocational training, rather than on offering ever more tax cuts to the corporate community that demonstrated long ago they are more interested in eliminating jobs than creating them.

It might also help if he followed through on his empty promises to crack down on the abuse of the H1B program, which has been a preferred tactic among US companies to replace well-paid US workers with lower cost immigrant labor.

When it comes to the business community, it's clear we need more stick and less carrot.

 

[544263]

When the time comes for me to upgrade I'm tempted to do the same. Lenovo has some very nice, well priced offerings right now.

Yeah, dell xps13 is a very nice machine too. i've paid EUR 999 + tax for my new (!) t450s i7 fhd matte, plus ~150 for additional 16GB RAM, i've already had the 1TB flash drive ... t440s is very nice, too. had a used one for testing before.

 

[macsrcool1234]

In other words, this is going to be a downgrade.

Hopefully prices on existing models will drop and we can snag them at a deal.

 

[Lone Deranger]

Apple's roadmap: Kill the product line we never managed to conquer. Get everyone on iToys where we reign.

The Mac's days are numbered.

 

[Rafagon]

I think I would love that image for use as a wallpaper. Anyone know where to find it?!

Thanks in advance!!

 

[chiefsilverback]

No.

TouchBar on external keyboard has all sorts of problems.

-It is not juxtaposition to the display the way it is on a MacBook, which calls into question the practicality of looking down at it.
-It can't include Touch ID because Apple is not packing a Secure Element into a frigging keyboard accessory.
-It would have a serious demand on the keyboard's battery, probably rendering it less wireless than wired.

And your idea of trackpad that turns into a display is ridiculous and wouldn't even get off the ground in a design meeting. The idea of using it as a numberpad is compeltely absurd. The only reason the numberpad was helpful as part of the keyboard was because it was a physical set of keys, that could be punched easily by one who had developed the muscle memory. Turning into a faux numberpad for the user to hunt and peck at is a gimmick the likes of which Samsung would be proud.
[doublepost=1482249366][/doublepost]
Awwww man you're so clever. I wish I wish this clever.

Well that's me told then! I remember when Steve Balmer said something about nobody wanting a phone that doesn't have a physical keyboard...

 

[MacUserHere]

I just wanted the new MBP to be faster than my 2012 that still kicks its butt in programs like Cinema 4D. It's not that the processors have hit a wall, performance is decreasing. This is in real-world usage, not in synthetic benchmarks. And it's been noted in many places that performance of popular programs is decreasing in each OS revision.

I don't see any other choices for a motion design professional and college educator but to look at moving on. I'm already being asked for lab configuration for 2020 and I just don't see capable Macs being in the mix. Our labs full of 2013 Mac Pros already seem inadequate to teach where the industry is heading and tools they are using. It's sad.

I know exactly how you feel. I too am an educator, and teach 2D/3D animation/modeling, video game/app design and film production. Here at home, I'm patiently waiting on a new MacPro to update my iMac. In my lab, we have 2013 MacPro units, which have their issues. Overall, I'm unsure where Apple is going with their desktops. We are tasked with choosing units that must run 5 years. Moving forward, the only "hook" that keeps us in the Apple environment is Xcode. Otherwise, I'd have to switch out to a Windows environment.

 

[hvfsl]

Make a new Thunderbolt/USB-C display/hub... consider ditching the iMac.

Make new Mac Mini with desktop-power CPU, replaceable internals, easily mounted to the TB display.

Update the Mac Pro.

The Mac Mini will always have a mobile cpu (assuming they don't stop making it), so there is no chance of that happening. Your best bet is if Apple move the MacPRO back to China and release a cheaper base version. Users can then get thunderbolt3 expansion boxes like this and fit faster desktop graphics cards etc:
http://nofilmschool.com/2016/11/bizonbox-3-thunderbolt-3-gpu-expander

 

[theluggage]

It is quite clear that Apple have 'dictated' USB-C to be the way forward however if they drop Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 on the next generation 5k iMac then this wonderful product will be doomed

Thunderbolt 2 will almost certainly be replaced by Thunderbolt 3/USB-C - complaints on a postcard to Intel that it needs an active dongle for backward compatibility. At least Apple produced a dongle for half the price and a fraction of the bulk of the existing options. I suppose they could keep 2xTB3/USB-C plus 2xTB2/miniDisplayPort - but TB2 was always a relatively expensive feature so its not really surprising if they drop it.

Its the USB A and Ethernet ports that they really don't need to lose - but probably will anyway.

I want my next machine to have Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports - I just don't want those to be the only ports, at least for another year or two.

I'd still prefer a Magic Trackpad that incorporates a high res display so that it could offer buttons/shortcuts and even function as a number pad when you need one...

...otherwise known as an iPhone (or iPad, but force touch would help and Apple doesn't seem to be able to do that on iPad-sized screens) if Apple just added a suitable API in Mac OS.

Could it be that people might not rush out and buy a new MBP if they could get the touchbar + more on their iPhone? Well, maybe, but on the other hand its likely to make more Mac users buy iPhones and more iPhone users buy Macs...

 

[Defthand]

This timely announcement is nothing but a PR response to the prevalent dissatisfaction and dystopian prognostication among Apple’s serious PC users. Since it doesn’t conduct focus groups, Apple’s people monitor fan sites like this one to gauge customer interests. Otherwise, how do you explain the coincidence? After all, there is nothing newsworthy about the modest changes that are expected—and major changes are kept secret.

Sounds like Apple’s PC development has been neglected like a redheaded stepchild. The talent that oversaw it is leaving and it sounds like the Mac Pro’s machinists and assemblers might be too. I don’t buy Timmy’s excuse that adequate "vocational talent" doesn’t exist in this country. After all, we still manufacture more goods than anyone and our workmanship is some of the best. The issue is, he can’t acquire that skillset for a Chinaman’s wage.

 

[imronburgundy]

That ship has sailed for me. I've removed the Apple haze from my eyes and have seen/built much better for a fraction of the cost.

 

[sziehr]

Thinking about it, they are Sony. Once innovators that hung onto some key products and let the competition go past them, what do you think?

Im not form the US, so not sure about the Nissan reference there

They are Sony like with one major difference they still have wildly successful products so they have runway to do something amazing. Sony ran out of runway.

Apple is also constrained on computer side by intel and the design philosophy.

They are innovate in mobile and I think that is coming next year.

 

[Craig Hindall]

It feels like Apple is getting out of the hardware business (with the exception of the portable iDevices). They stopped making the Airport, stopped making the Display's.

I hate to say this but maybe they need to just port MacOS to other platforms. I know blasphemy! But hear me out. The iMac's (and yes Mac Pro's) are definitely beautiful. I myself am waiting for a 2017 iMac. However I have to choose wisely because that iMac is usually NOT upgradeable. If I do want to upgrade I have to wait for Apple's next lineup to keep current. I have MacOS running in a VM. It works OK and has the features I need (for the most part). I would gladly buy MacOS for $100 to run on the hardware that is easily upgradeable. To me what makes Apple products so polished is not just on the outside but what's on the inside. I get it Apple is a closed echo system. And yes their appearance does count. But having the option upgrade and be customizeable on another platform, even at a higher premium would be worth it for more flexibility.

 

[BruceEBonus]

Minor speed bumps. Major price hikes. And a new colour scheme.

Will the dedicated keep following the Apple logo regardless of the above?.

Probably.

Up to five years ago I'd've replied-"Definitely".

How long can a company which in 2007 was 10 years ahead of the competition keep resting on that reputation in 2017?

 

[Sasparilla]

...
I have a bad feeling about iMac going to be the only desktop from Apple in 2018.

I think you're totally right. That said an iMac is a laptop embedded in a display...and would guess it'll share components with MacBook and Pro - in essence Apple will just make 2 laptops along with a desktop form factor of those 2 laptops (depending on the model chosen). JMHO....

 

[xgman]

oh well.. another few years of imac bezel bingo. Not the worse thing in the world, but compared to what's in store for the new iphone and already virtually every TV and computer monitor (and all-in-one) in the market... kinda stale looking now. color me bored.. but not at all surprised.

 

[theluggage]

The hard drive isn't ideal, but it's easily upgradable to an SSD,

I looked at the iFixit site for that and yes, its a lot easier than on the iMac (the only glue involved is tearing off the rubber feet to get at the screws) but obviously not a "user serviceable part" so bye-bye warranty. You'd be talking about a SATA-based M.2 drive rather than Apple's super-fast 4xPCIe drives (and it sounds like the HD slot could be SATA 2 only). Not ideal on a machine that only really competes with the iMac on price if you cost in a nice Wacom tablet for the latter.

As for the GPU, well, I'm in the UK and the surface studio isn't available here yet, so by the time it materialises we could have an iMac with a bumped GPU.

The MS surface range does have me curious (they look more fun than the current Macs, and I'm not scared of Windows), but I haven't liked what I've heard when looking deeper.

 

[ArcaneDevice]

I don’t buy Timmy’s excuse that adequate "vocational talent" doesn’t exist in this country. After all, we still manufacture more goods than anyone and our workmanship is some of the best. The issue is, he can’t acquire that skillset for a Chinaman’s wage.

Nope.

If you want vast consumer electronics output you won't find it here. If you want aircraft, military hardware, vehicles, industrial machines and fuels then you will.

Did you see mass groups shouting for electronics and technology jobs this last year? Or did you see people shouting about coal, cars and oil jobs?

 

[sziehr]

It feels like Apple is getting out of the hardware business (with the exception of the portable iDevices). They stopped making the Airport, stopped making the Display's.

I hate to say this but maybe they need to just port MacOS to other platforms. I know blasphemy! But hear me out. The iMac's (and yes Mac Pro's) are definitely beautiful. I myself am waiting for a 2017 iMac. However I have to choose wisely because that iMac is usually NOT upgradeable. If I do want to upgrade I have to wait for Apple's next lineup to keep current. I have MacOS running in a VM. It works OK and has the features I need (for the most part). I would gladly buy MacOS for $100 to run on the hardware that is easily upgradeable. To me what makes Apple products so polished is not just on the outside but what's on the inside. I get it Apple is a closed echo system. And yes their appearance does count. But having the option upgrade and be customizeable on another platform, even at a higher premium would be worth it for more flexibility.

Apple is getting out of products that do not make sense for them. The airports while great required a heavy bit of production and eng to make. They can shift that focus to wireless things like iPhone and laptops. The vast majority of people in the states are provided a wifi access point now by the ISP.

The display was a re-sold LG display. They just cut them selves out in order to not having to have so much production going.

They replaced these product lines so far with things like AirPods.

This is a departure from the norm but I think they are leaning out to spend more money on some mythical project. I hope that project pays off we have seen some serious slow downs caused by it

 

[havtan]

can't wait for touch bar keyboard.
I hope it'll fit the current MAC version...

 

[ThisBougieLife]

I keep hearing about the "AMD graphics chip" but what about the 21" iMac? Is it going to be updated with discrete graphics or is it just going to be completely ignored?

 

[Cansalt]

I'm amazed how out of touch Tim and Jon can be with regards to the direction of the Mac line. How they can release the black cylinder Mac Pro, which fails on every design metric and likely fails in sales, but offer no alternative. How they take a very popular computer like the Mac mini and actually make the latest generation less powerful and again offer no alternative. How the Mac community is calling for flexible design, repairable machines and more power, but apple unlike any other computer company in the history of the digital age ignores them, completely. Hey Apple!! Desktop machines don't need to be thinner! When a hard drive or a graphics card fails, I don't want to throw out my computer!!

Go ahead defend Tim and Apple by quoting the stock price, yes the ship is still steaming ahead and the band is still playing a loud tune. But the iceberg is slowly tearing a hole along the side of the big ship known as Apple.
The demographic of young baby boomers and gen Xer's that formed the core of the evangelical Mac supporters are losing faith. Yes they still use Mac and iPhone and iPad. But the switch away from Mac is here, right now and it threatens the whole Apple eco system.

If we stop buying Macs and buying Macs for our kids (who use Chrome books at school), where is the future of Mac.

If the only choice is iMac then Mac is over.

 

[ArcaneDevice]

Apple is damned if they do and damned if they don't. People clamor for innovation and then get mad when anything changes. Can't have it both ways.

You can have it both ways quite easily.

Add a future-use port while retaining a legacy port. It's not that hard. Apple clung on to FW800 far longer than they should despite it's obvious limitations every year and found a way to stick it into almost every Mac they could even when it was past it's use-by date.

So if they can make accommodations for their own technology it should be just as easy for others.

 

[mkeeley]

It feels like Apple is getting out of the hardware business (with the exception of the portable iDevices). They stopped making the Airport, stopped making the Display's.

I hate to say this but maybe they need to just port MacOS to other platforms. I know blasphemy! But hear me out. The iMac's (and yes Mac Pro's) are definitely beautiful. I myself am waiting for a 2017 iMac. However I have to choose wisely because that iMac is usually NOT upgradeable. If I do want to upgrade I have to wait for Apple's next lineup to keep current. I have MacOS running in a VM. It works OK and has the features I need (for the most part). I would gladly buy MacOS for $100 to run on the hardware that is easily upgradeable. To me what makes Apple products so polished is not just on the outside but what's on the inside. I get it Apple is a closed echo system. And yes their appearance does count. But having the option upgrade and be customizeable on another platform, even at a higher premium would be worth it for more flexibility.

I'd go further and say that as they show less and less interest in OSX, with each release seemingly more sparse in new feature than the last, spin it off to a new but related company who actually cares about it.

Of course you can build a very stable, low maintenance hackintosh now if that's what you want.

 

[rtr1985]

So 2016 MBP and upgrade in 2018? Not going to wait around for a minor speed bump in 2017.