Apple Spokesperson Confirms New Mac Pro Designs Likely Coming in 2013 [Update: Not iMac]

[bmustaf]

I hear a lot of moaning from a lot of users about how the MP is lagging, 2013 is really far away, etc, etc, but I wonder how much of that is really from *actual* target industry users doing actual work.

I think there's a huge portion of the population that buys on "specs", "latest and greatest", and plays the numbers/spec sheet game *hard*. Yup, AAPL has failed those folks. Woefully.

But, I think there's a huge number of MP target customers who sit right in the middle of the giant target that aren't moaning or aren't too unhappy.

They're big production users who have PCIe, SAS, Fiber Channel, etc attached devices doing BIG work, moving BIG data, who are having their needs met with their machines that, al beit old, are a *stable* configuration, well supported in the ecosystem, and just, well, get the job done.

Platform & tech stability in a 1-2 year long project is extremely important, and I think they value that over replacing kit all the time, esp in huge projects across multiple sites/teams.

Big deal there's not Thunderbolt. Big deal there aren't a huge gamut of video cards from the bleeding edge with however many shaders. They still get the job done, and I'm not sure these core Pro customers have the same "need for the latest spec sheet" the rest of us do.

The long and short of it is I think AAPL knows the market well, knows which technology shifts really make an APPLICATION LEVEL difference to their Pro customers and knows at what point in the technology adoption curve is best for both AAPL to move and the customers, too. That's when they'll jump.

I'm not sure why they'd update now, frankly. Thunderbolt is immature, the graphics technology can be incrementally updated/supported quite easily, etc, there isn't a huge quantum leap in processor, bus, or other technology that is making the current MP a total relic...I think it'd actually be a horribly timed move for a machine that is truly a PRO machine.

And, frankly, in the Pro market, 1 year or so isn't that long. That's perhaps the timeframe of a medium sized project/one season in the film/entertainment, less than one complex project in the large oil/gas exploration industry, etc...big deal.

 

[dryjoy]

So much for doubling down on secrecy.

Nice to see a slightly more pragmatic approach. I think they have probably realised they need to give a bit more acknowledgement of the needs of the pro community.

 

[AppleDApp]

You mean proof, not prove. Are you using a Windows PC?

I use both Windows and OS X. What does that have to do with anything?

 

[Confuzzzed]

I still remember buying my Dual 2.7 G5. I was excited, at the time it was probably one of the best made and one of, if not the fastest desktop you could buy for anything under 10 grand. I loved and still love mine. Sad to say, I don't think I'll ever get excited over another Apple.

You were younger, you probably didn't have much computing miles on the clock at the time, less cynical. probably no girlfriend. Of course you were more excitable. We all were in our teens!

 

[iGrouch]

The long and short of it is I think AAPL knows the market well, knows which technology shifts really make an APPLICATION LEVEL difference to their Pro customers and knows at what point in the technology adoption curve is best for both AAPL to move and the customers, too. That's when they'll jump.

I agree with this. The perception is that Apple really doesn't know what it is doing. My perception is that they do things by the seat of their pants but somehow arrive at great designs but what bmustaf outlines above is probably closer to the truth.

Looking at the keynote last night you can see where Apple pushed the boundaries with the new Retina MacBook Pro. This level of industrial design, from what I can tell, is primarily channeled through the creative force of Ive & Mansfield. It tells us something about where Apple will go next with the iMac.

What is implicit in all the info leaked is that while Tim Cook initially said later next year for both the iMac & Mac Pro and then another statement later referring only to Mac Pro is that he was referring specifically to big design changes for both Macs. Remember Ive & Mansfield can only concentrate on one thing at a time and a lot of important work and research had to go into that Retina laptop which will benefit other lines. Expect updates to the iMac and probably MacMini soon in their current form factor.

I can't see Apple allowing practically all their line up (excluding airs and Retina laptops) to continue in their current state with the soon to be released Mountain Lion that will use the new feature Power Nap.

Apple is going through another one of its transitions.This time with things like thunderbolt and all the complications that this entails. Remember the Intel transition. With the G5 they took an iconic design and within the first year (2006) after releasing the other lines released the Mac Pro based on the G5 case but it was so much better inside. I use that Mac Pro 1.1 and it truly is a great Mac considering how old it is now and it was great value for money at the time (arguably the current entry model isn't).

The reason Macs are so well designed is that Apple will take risks and go to the nth degree and spend time getting it right. It is frustrating for the end user at times but believe me I worked on Windows 7 recently and while it works well for certain applications it is primitive compared to Mac OS X. The whole Metro overlayer as opposed to the Launchpad underlayer used in the Mac system is clumsy in it's implementation. Microsoft just don't get design. They play it safe. They are just geeks, which is fine if you are into that kind of thing.

Likewise Linus Torvaldis may win a millennium award today which I think is great. We need people like this. Linux is king on servers. I am sure it works well but it does not have the panache that OS X has.

There was a similar panic for years running up to the release of the iPhone to the tune of "If Apple do not release a phone soon they are dead". That is all forgotten now. By next year this panic should have passed.

 

[marty177]

Thank goodness!

I'm waiting to buy my first iMac, so you could imagine my face when I read an update likely in 2013. This is good to hear that it is more likely sometime this year. It sounds more reasonable too.

 

[ahireasu]

Expect 2-3 Keynotes this year starting from july.

 

[theluggage]

Big deal there's not Thunderbolt.

Also, Thunderbolt's Unique Selling Point is that it gives PCIe-like performance for external expansion on laptops and small-form-factor systems.

That's not so important when you have a huge chesse grater with "proper" internal PCIe slots and 3 spare SATA bays. Want fast external storage for your Pro? Add an eSATA card. Can't live without USB3? There are PCIe UB3 cards. (That's if you're not into more exotic stuff like fibrechannel).

As for the graphics cards, the GPU in a laptop or iMac is all you're getting, wheras some pro users will be tearing the base graphics card out and sticking in a Quadro or something - so you don't necessarily want to pay for a kick-ass card in the base model.

 

[pertusis1]

Now I have a problem!

Well, there goes the sales for the rest of 2012. Someone at Apple should look up "The Osbourne Effect" on Wikipedia. Guess they had to announce something due to the backlash.

No kidding! I've been waiting about a year for the MacPro update. I have an old (2007) white Macbook and a (2007) iMac that also needs being updated. I was going to update the iMac to a MacPro with this update, but now I'm thinking I may want to update the laptop now and update to a MacPro next year....

I'm guessing the Macbook Pro would do fine for my simple (1080p) video editing needs?

 

[macsmurf]

The reason Macs are so well designed is that Apple will take risks and go to the nth degree and spend time getting it right. It is frustrating for the end user at times but believe me I worked on Windows 7 recently and while it works well for certain applications it is primitive compared to Mac OS X. The whole Metro overlayer as opposed to the Launchpad underlayer used in the Mac system is clumsy in it's implementation. Microsoft just don't get design. They play it safe. They are just geeks, which is fine if you are into that kind of thing.

Microsoft DO play it safe. That's why they are the king of business computing. They're trustworthy, reliable, transparent, and that makes them a little bit boring. They will actually tell you what they're working on, such as Metro, even though it isn't finished. They will also support old operating systems and legacy programs beyond all reason.

Apparently some businesses are just figuring out that Apple may be a little bit too exciting for their taste but it's honestly a bit beyond me why anyone are all that surprised. If they didn't know by now they never will.

 

[till213]

The best news about this is that we (pro community) and our collective disappointment was heard by Apple and acted upon.

"They acted upon" when new Mac Pros start hitting the stores - not before! Everything else is just wishful thinking or hugging trees...

 

[RTee]

2013??

Total bummer if the doomsdayers get their way!

 

[bigpics]

Of course, Tim Cook cannot publicly say "we don't care about pro users anymore", but the reality does not leave much room for interpretation anymore: For Apple, the desktop and the pro market are DEAD. Their focus very clearly is on mobile consumer gadgets.

But why they don't simply sell a proper docking station for their high-end notebook line is still beyond me. You know, a 27" or larger iMac where you can simply slide your Macbook Pro in and turn it into a really powerful desktop system when you need or want it.

But who knows, maybe they're working on something like this right now. Or maybe not, maybe they believe their future lies in the iCloud with touch screen gadgets.

They're not only working on this - the first version - of what you could call a "notetop" - the new Retina MB Pro - is here. One TB wire into a 27" TB monitor with all your peripherals attached (a better port complement and more is likely coming on the next iteration given USB 3.0 on the MBP, but even so....) and you're boom, at a multi-monitor workstation and NAS, scanner, printer, ODD, etc. - then unplug that wire and boom, you're a road warrior with a geek fetish object. And MB Airs give you a lowered powered version of the same kind of dual-use set-up (which will meet some user's needs and/or max budgets). That's clearly their vision IMHO.

Customers with dual use notebooks, iPads, iPhones, Apple TV's, etc.

And the MBP has TWO TB ports and can drive two external monitors. And is as powerful as any iMac of a year or two ago.

So just a cable or two max. No docking station required. Though I am expecting some kind of third-party "Thunderbolt break out boxes" - with multiple assorted ports to come out for those who prefer to roll their own monitors.

The iMac will stick around, but will keep losing market share to notebooks and even iDevices. And at its top end keep its appeal to prosumers and meet the needs of some pros - i.e., play the "pick-up" to the Pro's semi-truck.

As for the pro market - which needs support, not "event marketing" - I find it a (hopefully) healthy sign that Apple sounds like they're beginning to acknowledge that - and may adopt a less opaque approach to this small, but critical for mind-share part of Apple's strategic operations. As noted elsewhere, these are people who work on larger projects and longer cycles and need some idea of where their key suppliers for their expensive gear are going.

So I don't hear "You're dead to me" in Cook's remarks.

 

[Danoc]

Is that the first time Apple announces a redesign?

 

[drorpheus]

I hear a lot of moaning from a lot of users about how the MP is lagging, 2013 is really far away, etc, etc, but I wonder how much of that is really from *actual* target industry users doing actual work.

I think there's a huge portion of the population that buys on "specs", "latest and greatest", and plays the numbers/spec sheet game *hard*. Yup, AAPL has failed those folks. Woefully.

The long and short of it is I think AAPL knows the market well, knows which technology shifts really make an APPLICATION LEVEL difference to their Pro customers and knows at what point in the technology adoption curve is best for both AAPL to move and the customers, too. That's when they'll jump.

And, frankly, in the Pro market, 1 year or so isn't that long. That's perhaps the timeframe of a medium sized project/one season in the film/entertainment, less than one complex project in the large oil/gas exploration industry, etc...big deal.

Apple has hit a sand trap with Intel in terms of there top of the line workstations, Intel has focused mainly on squeezing the most out of mobile chips, and has done next to nothing on there server class chips since 2010. That's weak. Cutting off the XServe line was a great showing of appreciation. And turning FCS into Final Cut Xpress was another great jesture. Apple left IBM because it took 3 plus years to update there laptops, now its acceptable and ok when Intel stalls for 3 years on offering any significant type of boost on there flagship line.

 

[Mac4Brains]

Apple - laptops and desktops

Take a closer look at the number of days they listed for the "Average Update"

Laptops
MBP : Avg = 267, last 231
Air : Avg = 322, last 327
TOTAL : AVG = 294.5, LAST 279 or 15 days below Apple's average

Desktops
iMac : Avg = 273, last 407
Mini : Avg = 356, last 400
Tower : Avg = 427, last 685
TOTAL : AVG = 352, LAST 497 or 145 days above Apple's average

I am getting the feeling that Apple's Mac line will become a laptop only config soon.
Making Apple a portable only, electronic gadget & gizmo company.

 

[mini998]

I don't see the point of waiting 6 months more hoping for an update on iMac ,I waited couple of months already now.

I'm just gonna buy one,I cant wait any more.

 

[foodog]

Looking to get a PC for gaming but what are the odds that Apple will create a gaming Mac Pro, or an iMac with desktop GPU?

You know, since "redesign" is being thrown around.

Already exist

----------

No kidding! I've been waiting about a year for the MacPro update. I have an old (2007) white Macbook and a (2007) iMac that also needs being updated. I was going to update the iMac to a MacPro with this update, but now I'm thinking I may want to update the laptop now and update to a MacPro next year....

I'm guessing the Macbook Pro would do fine for my simple (1080p) video editing needs?

If you have time to wait for it to process the video it will work just fine. If you have deadlines you have to meet, maybe not.

 

[basjhj]

Apple has hit a sand trap with Intel in terms of there top of the line workstations, Intel has focused mainly on squeezing the most out of mobile chips, and has done next to nothing on there server class chips since 2010. That's weak. Cutting off the XServe line was a great showing of appreciation. And turning FCS into Final Cut Xpress was another great jesture. Apple left IBM because it took 3 plus years to update there laptops, now its acceptable and ok when Intel stalls for 3 years on offering any significant type of boost on there flagship line.

Which begs the question: is Apple going to defect to AMD? Just curious, but we'll find out eventually...

 

[theSeb]

Which begs the question: is Apple going to defect to AMD? Just curious, but we'll find out eventually...

No. AMD has not released anything compelling for some time.

 

[sshambles]

Apple seem to be damned if they do and damned if they don't.

Minor upgrade would make users think, why bother? No upgrade makes them think, they're not bothering. If I was in the mind to buy a Mac Pro, I'd rather wait it out for something amazing.

Given I'd prefer an iMac, I'll be waiting it out, unless a MBPR gets the better of me in the meantime.

 

[69650]

Well, they have old stock to sell.

They have replaced the old MBPs with the new MBPs so it's not a case of clearing old stock. My point was that they don't seem to highlight the fact that new models have just been released anymore which seems kind of strange.

 

[DakotaGuy]

NOTE TO TIM COOK.. YOU GAVE IN ON USB 3 INSTEAD OF LEADING THE WAY WITH THUNDERBOLT AS A STANDARD. STEVE WOULD HAVE NEVER STOOD FOR THAT.

I'm glad their adding USB 3.0. Have you seen the price of the Thunderbolt stuff? Thunderbolt will have a use, but for most USB 3.0 drives and devices will be much cheaper while still giving users a nice gain in speed.

Adding it was a great move and I hope updated iMacs get it as well.

 

[brbrown1988]

So for the third @#$%in time, when will the iMac be updated!? This is beyond ridiculous. These little "releases" are almost more trouble than their worth. I tried to buy one yesterday, but the store was of stock. Maybe for good reason.

 

[mbee86]

I've been waiting for the new iMac since around Christmas.. very disappointed there wasn't even a mention of it yesterday, i'm not buying a however-old-it-is machine for full price now because that would be ridiculous & a major rip off, also i'm done waiting - if they'd acknowledged a refresh with mountain lion I'd wait one more month but with the uncertainty enough is enough, it could be another year whilst i'm sat with no computer, monitoring forums to find out new details - what a waste of my time.. I'm getting a PC instead.. so they lost £1,000+ on me. The whole thing has turned me off apple altogether, sick of the cloak n dagger ****, bought the iPhone 4s last year, that was a disappointment after all the 5 hype, think i'm done with them now, would rather support a company that values its previous customers..