Apple Says All-New Modular Mac Pro With Apple-Branded High-End Pro Display Coming After 2017

[bojan1987]

Apple today reshuffled its Mac Pro configurations and pricing, marking the first "update" to Apple's pro-oriented desktop computer in over three years. Apple also confirmed it is working on a "completely rethought" Mac Pro with Apple-branded pro displays that will launch at some point beyond this year.

The former $3,999 model is now the $2,999 base model, while the previously built-to-order 8-core model with dual D700 GPUs is now the high-end stock configuration for $3,999. Both models are equipped with 256GB PCIe-based flash storage, four USB 3.0 ports, six Thunderbolt 2 ports, and dual Gigabit Ethernet ports.

The former quad-core model with dual AMD FirePro D300 GPUs and 12GB of RAM now has 6-cores with dual D500 GPUs and 16GB of RAM, while the 6-Core model with dual AMD FirePro D500 GPUs is now 8-cores with dual D700 GPUs and 16GB of RAM. There are no other hardware changes--not even Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Meanwhile, Apple said an all-new Mac Pro will be a high-end, high-throughput modular system that will "take longer than this year" to complete. It will be accompanied by an Apple-branded external display in at least one size, essentially marking the return of the discontinued Thunderbolt Display.

Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller via Daring Fireball:Apple said that Mac desktops represent roughly 20 percent of overall Mac sales, with the Mac Pro accounting for only a "single-digit" percentage of Mac sales, perhaps as justification for the elongated refresh cycle. 1,202 days had passed since the last Mac Pro update, per the MacRumors Buyer's Guide.

Apple also suggested that the "trash can" design of the current Mac Pro has restricted its ability to truly upgrade it.

Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi via TechCrunch:It isn't often that Apple pre-announces new products in its pipeline, but there were growing concerns that Apple no longer cared about professional users, and this is the company's way of proving otherwise. Schiller reiterated that Apple is committed to the Mac and has "great products" planned for the future.Apple's repriced Mac Pro configurations are now listed on its online store, but the 8-core model is "currently unavailable."

Article Link: Apple Refreshes Mac Pro Lineup, Says All-New Modular Model With Apple-Branded Pro Displays Coming After 2017

[doublepost=1491708521][/doublepost]Processor
Intel Xeon E5-2620 V3 - Hexa-Core - 2.4GHz - TB3.2GHz - 15MB - HT - 85W Processor
CPU Cooling
Supermicro 4U Active LGA2011 CPU Heatsink Fan
Mainboard
Supermicro SuperWorkstation 7038A-I Workstation Barebone - 2xLGA2011 - 16xDDR4 - 3xPCIex16 - 2x5.25" 4x3.5" - 2xLAN
Memory
32GB (4 x 8GB) - Kingston ValueRAM - DDR4 - 2133MHz - ECC Registered
Optical Drive
Asus DVD-Writer - 24X - SATA
SSD (OS Drive)
256GB - Samsung 850 Pro SSD - 550/520MB/s (Read/Write)
Hard Drive
1TB Western Digital Black 64M 7200RPM
Video Card
PNY Quadro K2200 - 4GB DDR5 - 640 CUDA Cores - DVI/2xDP
Audio
RealTek ALC888 7.1 High Definition Audio with S/PDIF header
Network
Intel i210 Dual Port Gigabit Ethernet
Virtual Machine Device Queues reduce I/O overhead
Supports 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, and 1000BASE-T, RJ45 output
Casing
Supermicro SuperWorkstation 7038A-I Workstation
Power
Supermicro SuperWorkstation 900W PSU
Warranty
1 Year A-Power Express System Warranty(72hrs) Repair Coverage
Guarantee
Every system undergoes a series of thorough stress testing for 24 hours to ensure the maximum system stability and consistent performance.

for 3999 Canadian dollars. compared to that mac pro .

 

[Irishman]

define "Modular"

And that is the debate and discussion that we'll be having until Apple announces the new Mac Pro!

 

[Rob_2811]

The concept of an all powerful desktop isn't going away, just different form factors, I agree.


Can't ever get enough cpu power, but there are those who think the cloud and spreading the power around is the way to go. Ipad sales have nothing to do with this and they still sell heads and shoulders above the competition and can be used as a full-computer replacement, if your needs are such.


Ipad sales are not the future, neither are mac sales. The future is iphone sales. The reason for a less expensive ipad is to move downmarket and attract a new generation of apple customers. Brilliant move by Cook. And you can't know how the sales of this new apple gear is and how many might decide to buy it.

But that is one thing about windows, I can build a computer to my specifications. Jobs had a problem with the mac line starting July 22, 2009. That was the day windows 7 was released and was the enabler of the pc being the equal of the mac. You keep posting the "apple is going downhill", but customers are buying and the street don't seem to think so.

I expect Cook is going to be around for some time given where the company is today; until he decides to retire. And it is a GOOD thing for powerful, influential companies, where it makes sense to do so, to forward philanthropy and social causes. Airpods, watches, watch bands and emojis are just a side business.

The truth is they tried to balance the sliding sales by increasing the average selling cost with more expensive 'Pro' iPad devices but it has cost them in price sensitive markets.

Honestly the reason for the introduction of that low cost iPad is because they are starting to lose the education market to Chromebooks. Education is extremely price sensitive and none of their recent iPad Pro releases are cost effective for the education market.

It was actually quite short sighted on Cooks part to let the education market slide as much as it has. In the three years between 2013 and 2016 their share of the US education market fell by more that 50%.

Also I'm not exactly Tim Cooks biggest fan in terms of him being the man responsible for the vision for Apples future but he seems like a decent person and I think digs at his views on LGBT rights are a bit of a cheap shot. Steve Jobs would almost certainly approve.

 

[clibinarius]

They finally did something, and gave Pro customers news on a roadmap. About. freaking. time.

I can't see why they can't put out a new MB and update the chips on this thing as a stop gap measure. Some people I'm sure would buy a minorly refreshed Mac Pro...

 

[I7guy]

The truth is they tried to balance the sliding sales by increasing the average selling cost with more expensive 'Pro' iPad devices but it has cost them in price sensitive markets.

Honestly the reason for the introduction of that low cost iPad is because they are starting to lose the education market to Chromebooks. Education is extremely price sensitive and none of their recent iPad Pro releases are cost effective for the education market.

It was actually quite short sighted on Cooks part to let the education market slide as much as it has. In the three years between 2013 and 2016 their share of the US education market fell by more that 50%.

Also I'm not exactly Tim Cooks biggest fan in terms of him being the man responsible for the vision for Apples future but he seems like a decent person and I think digs at his views on LGBT rights are a bit of a cheap shot. Steve Jobs would almost certainly approve.

Why did Apple introduce the SE? I view the new low cost iPad in the same way. But maybe their dual purpose is to recapture the education market.

 

[Naimfan]

I can't see why they can't put out a new MB and update the chips on this thing as a stop gap measure. Some people I'm sure would buy a minorly refreshed Mac Pro...

Or buy something like a used 6 core 3.2 GHz MP, as I did. $410.00.

 

[calaverasgrande]

There is such a lack of leadership here.
Pick a bloody direction and stick with it!
As far as updating the nMP.
Easy, ask AMD for binned, faster versions of current video chips. D350, D550, D750?
Intel has other CPU chips in that same socket/chipset. Incl 15 core.
Update form factor to include security lock slot and more convenient power button (REALLY!).
This could be on the shelves for black Friday if Apple had leadership.
They do not.
Hackintosh for my next desktop, Apple is not keeping up at all, and I have stuff to do.

 

[CWallace]

It appears that the issue with the current Mac Pro is that it expects all three "sides" of the GPU/GPU/CPU triangle to be equal in temperature. With most applications only using one of the two GPUs, you get a "thermal imbalance" inside the case as the in-use GPU gets appreciably hotter than the other GPU and the CPU and the thermal cooling can't deal with it. I think this is why there is a high GPU failure rate - the one GPU doing the work fails due to running too hot.

Putting a faster GPU in there will just exacerbate the issue - the "in use" GPU will run hotter and fail quicker.

 

[DeepIn2U]

That 6-core CPU is quite an upgrade in performance over the old 4-core version they previously used in the lowest end model, it's probably the sweet spot for most workloads (i.e. any software not specifically written to take advantage of many cores.)

Edit to clarify: I'm saying running Logic or an Xcode build will actually run faster on the six core CPU than the eight core CPU.

Why do I keep reading this?

I distinctively recall Logic, back when owned still and created by Emagic prior to Apple purchasing them ... had Gerhard talk specifically about multicore threads and 200+ instruments and tracks running on OSX Panther when the G5 debuted (multi-core and symmetric processing).

Have I missed something?

 

[rayrainer]

What I don't understand about the new Mac Pros is their design. How does that design stay competitive with PC's? Those video cards are made large for a reason. If they could make them smaller, they would. I am not giving up on my Mac Pro 2010. I want a standard Mac Pro design where I can put the latest and greatest video cards in there. I would like to see the case lighter. I can't believe sometimes how heavy my 2010 Mac Pro is. It is like Apple wants you to leave?

 

[calaverasgrande]

It appears that the issue with the current Mac Pro is that it expects all three "sides" of the GPU/GPU/CPU triangle to be equal in temperature. With most applications only using one of the two GPUs, you get a "thermal imbalance" inside the case as the in-use GPU gets appreciably hotter than the other GPU and the CPU and the thermal cooling can't deal with it. I think this is why there is a high GPU failure rate - the one GPU doing the work fails due to running too hot.

Putting a faster GPU in there will just exacerbate the issue - the "in use" GPU will run hotter and fail quicker.

I think you are telegraphing from incomplete info.
Where does it say that single GPUs are heating up?
Pretty sure the OS takes care of load balancing stuff that is GPGPU based like OpenCL.
That would be baked into grand central.
The case of single vs dual gpu is that the industry was going dual gpu 4-5 years ago when the Mac pro was designed.
Since then it has reversed course and gone back to single big cards.
As far as failure rate, thats a D700 thing. I should know...sigh.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Honestly the reason for the introduction of that low cost iPad is because they are starting to lose the education market to Chromebooks. Education is extremely price sensitive and none of their recent iPad Pro releases are cost effective for the education market.

It was actually quite short sighted on Cooks part to let the education market slide as much as it has. In the three years between 2013 and 2016 their share of the US education market fell by more that 50%.

That is a HUGE market fall ... that alone translates into HUGE further growth and sales. That drop eroded the long relationship and hard work by Job's 2nd stay which led to Xserves, USA Universities with iTunes U courses and then after with iBooks for Schools [K12].

I also think it's because Apple tried to get a deal with the California state government for iPads in schools yet their staff or something similar screwed up the deal by NOT following due diligence with the terms. That also heavily costed Apple.

 

[jclmavg]

It appears that the issue with the current Mac Pro is that it expects all three "sides" of the GPU/GPU/CPU triangle to be equal in temperature. With most applications only using one of the two GPUs, you get a "thermal imbalance" inside the case as the in-use GPU gets appreciably hotter than the other GPU and the CPU and the thermal cooling can't deal with it. I think this is why there is a high GPU failure rate - the one GPU doing the work fails due to running too hot.

And you got this nugget of information from where?

 

[CWallace]

And you got this nugget of information from where?

The thermal imbalance information is from John Gruber on "The Talk Show" in speaking with Craig Federighi during the limited press event. The trio at the "Accidental Tech Podcast" have also discussed it based on the transcript of the event.

The GPU overheating speculation is from ATP.

 

[2128506]

Here's a sneak peak of a modular Newest Mac Pro in "2x Configuration" ($6999):

Apple Modular Interface Cable ($499) not shown, sold separately.
Apple Modular Physical Adapter ($79) not visible, sold separately.
Apple 2x Power Button Toggler Bar ($59) not shown, sold separately.

 

[MelodyAdelai]

Exciting!!

 

[zzzachi]

Here's a sneak peak of a modular Newest Mac Pro in "2x Configuration" ($6999):
Apple Modular Interface Cable ($499) not shown, sold separately.
Apple Modular Physical Adapter ($79) not visible, sold separately.
Apple 2x Power Button Toggler Bar ($59) not shown, sold separately.

thats pretty much how i expect apple to see a pro workstation.

 

[DevNull0]

thats pretty much how i expect apple to see a pro workstation.

As long as we're clear those 2 modules shown are $6,999 each, I agree with you.

 

[Neodym]

Hackintosh for my next desktop, Apple is not keeping up at all, and I have stuff to do.

Not sure if having a maintenance-intensive Hackintosh is the right path when you got "stuff to do".

 

[Tech198]

Wow.... This is unexpected. Is it a delayed April fools post?

Although I have said many times that there is a truly new Mac Pro, new iMacs, and Apple displays in the works. I guess this is confirmation to doubters.

lol...

They are still keeping the round shape it seems as well ..

I'll never believe it until i see it

...preferably in stores.

 

[jjjoseph]

I can't believe a new MacPro tower replacement is only a few years away... Only a few years everybody!!! Also I found a company crowdfunding a new teleportation device, they will have prototypes by 2019. Can you imagine the look on the Apple employees face when I teleport to the first spot in line! "One new Modular Mac Pro Please!" I can't wait.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

I can't believe a new MacPro tower replacement is only a few years away... Only a few years everybody!!! Also I found a company crowdfunding a new teleportation device, they will have prototypes by 2019. Can you imagine the look on the Apple employees face when I teleport to the first spot in line! "One new Modular Mac Pro Please!" I can't wait.

But we have the iMac Pro.

 

[SteveW928]

But we have the iMac Pro.

Impressive specs, but same problem as the iMac. Built-in display and who knows if it can run 24x7 full out (I doubt it).

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Impressive specs, but same problem as the iMac. Built-in display and who knows if it can run 24x7 full out (I doubt it).

I would agree. It would seem that Apple has a problem with internal case 'climate change' denial. Stuff gets hot. Heat is not your friend. Fans ARE necessary to keep things from melting into goo.

If the fans in the iMac Pro aren't easily replaceable, they will be a major pain in the butt. I have an older iMac that has a muffin fan that is on its last legs, and digging it out and finding a replacement is going to be a major hassle. The iMac Pro, with it's supped up engine, had better have some serious cooling. That is NOT the machine (being that it's essentially a 'bone' being thrown to the Mac Pro faithful) to have thermal issues and literal meltdowns with.

I personally can't understand why the 'New New Mac Pro' wouldn't look like the old IIcx/IIci, or even the old IIfx.

 

[jjjoseph]

I would agree. It would seem that Apple has a problem with internal case 'climate change' denial. Stuff gets hot. Heat is not your friend. Fans ARE necessary to keep things from melting into goo.

If the fans in the iMac Pro aren't easily replaceable, they will be a major pain in the butt. I have an older iMac that has a muffin fan that is on its last legs, and digging it out and finding a replacement is going to be a major hassle. The iMac Pro, with it's supped up engine, had better have some serious cooling. That is NOT the machine (being that it's essentially a 'bone' being thrown to the Mac Pro faithful) to have thermal issues and literal meltdowns with.

I personally can't understand why the 'New' Mac Pro wouldn't look like the 'old' IIcx/IIci, or even the 'old' IIfx.

The iMac Pro will be pretty horrible for Pro Audio as well as Pro video. Not being able to house the computer in a quite room or headless in a machine room doesn't make much sense in the pro world. Can you imagine trying to mix Audio with Fans blowing the whole time? The iMac Pro is such an odd duck, I just don't get why Apple wanted to give us something we didn't ask for. People love their iMac's they are a really cool computer, but for Pro work, it just seems like absolute overkill. I can Facebook and Instagram faster than any other computer...