Apple Working on Two New Mac Pro Desktops, One of Which Will Be Reminiscent of Power Mac G4 Cube

[dysamoria]

It’s well past time for Intel to start building modern CPUs with no 16-bit/32-bit CPU support, if they have any hope of getting their process issues sorted out. Holding on to the legacy cruft is slowly killing them.

Industrial machines today are still using RS232 serial ports, parallel ports, and probably 16-bit code. There are really good reasons that Intel & Microsoft have obsessed over backwards-compatibility.

Industry was never entrenched with Apple hardware. The worst problems were when Apple abandoned video/audio and 3D studio professionals with a lack of workhorse computers.

Otherwise, users have been forced to adopt the “it’s time to move on and abandon this perfectly good [insert software or peripheral here]” attitude, because backwards-compatibility is absolutely not of any interest to Apple. The company that makes the most noise about environmental responsibility has some of the worst obsolescence issues. They abandon the manufacturing of parts quickly, make things effectively unrepairable, and even fight against right to repair laws.

 

[dysamoria]

Was that a serious question? M1 macs don't have GPUs. So... no. I do all my 3D work on a machine that respects power. I use my mac to read and write.

Then what problem was solved on the M1 machine? Reading & writing was never an issue on Macs with thermal constraints.

 

[dysamoria]

Hah! What about all the comments in the past about the Mac being dead, that Apple's future and all that people really need (incorrectly and intentionally attributed to Tim Cook) are tablets? Such a hoot!

Companies don’t stay the same forever. They ebb and flow. Maybe we are seeing the start of a new flow...

Prior criticism doesn’t retroactively become wrong when/if the criticized company finally responds to the criticisms with some requested changes. As of now, it’s just rumors anyway.

Edit: Sorry, I misunderstood your point. I thought you were criticizing critics. You seem to have actually been criticizing Apple. 👍🏽 I agree with this perspective. I have felt Apple haven’t been really using their own products. Maybe their own internal users (professionals, some with heavy workflows, surely) have finally broken the culture battle... ?

 

[dysamoria]

You might have missed it but AS is superior in every way to the rubbish that is Intel and Rosetta 2 does a great job of handling legacy x86 software and plugins which will all get converted at some point.
Sorry but had to break it to you.

“All”... ha ha ha ha ha...

 

[dysamoria]

Yes they would and yes it can. Over 90% of professional software already has been converted over.

Uh... I’d like to see that list...

...and what are your parameters for “professional”?

What about drivers for third-party hardware?

 

[dysamoria]

Make yourself a Ryzentosh in an 011D Mini case, put a 5950X and a RX5700 XT GPU, use that fast non proprietary PCIe4 m.2 drives, put some SSDs and 2 HDDs in a hot swappable cage and laugh at the Mac Pro buyers who got a slower machine with less storage and paid more for it.

No. The biggest reason I chose Mac/Apple was to STOP with the hacking BS.

 

[4jasontv]

Then what problem was solved on the M1 machine? Reading & writing was never an issue on Macs with thermal constraints.

it got rid of the fan. My MBP sounds like a drone with normal use.

 

[dysamoria]

it got rid of the fan. My MBP sounds like a drone with normal use.

It probably needs cleaning. My girlfriend had this problem. It’s amazing how much quieter it was after we cleaned the mini dust bunnies out 😅

Without a fan, your new Air shouldn’t suck in garbage, but it also has constrained performance without active cooling.

 

[4jasontv]

It probably needs cleaning. My girlfriend had this problem. It’s amazing how much quieter it was after we cleaned the mini dust bunnies out 😅

Without a fan, your new Air shouldn’t suck in garbage, but it also has constrained performance without active cooling.

It's impossible for a fan to be quiet. Just doesn't work that way. The only way it can be quiet is if the fan is off.

I get you said quieter, but that was the solution offered by the M1 air. Quiet. Not quieter.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I wonder if this "Smaller Mac Pro" is what is intended to complete the Mac mini's transition away from Intel.

 

[MacCheetah3]

The Cube was a marvel of design in so many ways and so easy to open and work with, the only real issue was the hardware of the day was not powerful enough.

Upgrading was indeed surprisingly easy given the size, replaceable components faced the outside of the cube. As for performance, it simply couldn’t accommodate dual CPU configurations, which is understandable if you saw the size of the heat sink in the dual mid-tower models.

The Cube was an abysmal failure from day one. Hopefully they've learned their lesson

The Cube actually had a pretty cool industrial design. It was one of the first Mac designs to be fanless and cooled by convection. Unfortunately, it had other problems and didn't sell well.

Its “problem” was price. As marvelous as the look and certain features (size, fan less, spherical speakers) were, it was marketed as a “pro” system but lacked a lot of the upgrade and expand ability of the mid-tower models. Basically, the G4 Cube was too much form/style over function for the majority of its target users — I knew someone who did buy one and it was a beautiful machine.

Power Macintosh G4 450 Cube Specs (Power Mac G4 Cube, M7642LL/A, PowerMac5,1, M7886, 1844): EveryMac.com

Technical specifications for the Power Macintosh G4 450 Cube. Dates sold, processor type, memory info, hard drive details, price and more.

everymac.com

Due to its size, the Power Mac G4 Cube lacks PCI slots and a full-length AGP slot, has three RAM slots instead of four (and a single drive bay instead of four) like the "full-size" Power Macintosh G4 (Gigabit) models available at the time. It also lacks analog audio in and out (using USB for audio out), but otherwise packs comparable power in an attractive eight inch cube. For easy upgrading, the interior housing of the cube slides out from the bottom, providing access to internal components.

Unfortunately, the Power Mac G4 Cube was not financially successful, as it generally was viewed as too expensive compared to the other Power Macintosh G4 models, and Apple placed it on "indefinite hold" on July 3, 2001.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

I have a feeling, and I may be wrong, that Apple are going to get to be more and more of a juganaught over the next decade or two and will become more and more controlling over what users can do, and what they want users to pay for.

They are, one might say, pushing the limits even now, but still people are just about ok with it.
Arrogance and feeling of invulnerability is a very easy error for giant companies to get as years go by.

Microsoft I'd say rose up, got too large/controlling, got knocked back, regrouped and have come out better.
I'm feeling that Apple is perhaps on the same path, and will at some point get knocked down, either due to their controlling practices simply getting too much, or customers becoming interested in someone else. Perhaps someone we don't yet know of.

Just a thought: Having heard of, and experienced the joys of a 'Windows Phone', and all the people fleeced by the whole 'droid ecosystem', I'm good with Apple being a life guard at the 'App Pool'. Sure, there are missteps, but I don't have to worry so much about outside people leafing through my data. That, to me, means a lot. Yeah, it sucks sometimes, but...

 

[citysnaps]

Companies don’t stay the same forever. They ebb and flow. Maybe we are seeing the start of a new flow...

Prior criticism doesn’t retroactively become wrong when/if the criticized company finally responds to the criticisms with some requested changes. As of now, it’s just rumors anyway.

Edit: Sorry, I misunderstood your point. I thought you were criticizing critics. You seem to have actually been criticizing Apple. 👍🏽 I agree with this perspective. I have felt Apple haven’t been really using their own products. Maybe their own internal users (professionals, some with heavy workflows, surely) have finally broken the culture battle... ?

You got it right the first time. It's always been a race to the bottom with whiny juvenile snark trying to show how awful Apple's direction is..

And, as I pointed out above, the notion that the Mac was dead was intentionally and incorrectly attributed to Tim Cook's comment that many people can use an iPad for their computing needs, meaning that that Mac was on the way out. Oh the horror, the sky is falling! The Mac was never dead or on the way out. There was no "ebb and flow" on that.

 

[MacCheetah3]

If I could get a Mac Mini Pro that just lets me swap out at least two M.2 drives, a single full size GPU, and RAM that would be great. But how will this work if it's an Apple variant? Will Apple sell upgrade parts or will they allow some limited compatibility with certain PC parts or brand partners that get certification?

I assume, no aftermarket RAM upgrading. It will be ECC but soldered. An M.2 type slot? M-A-Y-B-E. One or two PCI-E slots for specialized cards and support for a few graphics cards. My guesses anyway.

 

[Abazigal]

I have a feeling, and I may be wrong, that Apple are going to get to be more and more of a juganaught over the next decade or two and will become more and more controlling over what users can do, and what they want users to pay for.

They are, one might say, pushing the limits even now, but still people are just about ok with it.
Arrogance and feeling of invulnerability is a very easy error for giant companies to get as years go by.

Microsoft I'd say rose up, got too large/controlling, got knocked back, regrouped and have come out better.
I'm feeling that Apple is perhaps on the same path, and will at some point get knocked down, either due to their controlling practices simply getting too much, or customers becoming interested in someone else. Perhaps someone we don't yet know of.

Censorship and curation are but two sides of the same coin.

There are many people who love the Apple ecosystem precisely because Apple puts in the extra effort in tending to their garden.

I agree with you in that I believe Apple will become even more closed and locked down in the future. Because that’s what the majority of their user base not only want, but appreciate.

 

[jasoncarle]

No. The biggest reason I chose Mac/Apple was to STOP with the hacking BS.

It was ridiculously easy. I went back to Linux because I got a 6900XT GPU, but if they decide to support these cards I may do it again. One thing didnt work and that was "Hey Siri"

 

[lupinglade]

It would be cool if they made a cube that looked more like the NeXT cube, maybe in space grey.

 

[smulji]

You got it right the first time. It's always been a race to the bottom with whiny juvenile snark trying to show how awful Apple's direction is..

And, as I pointed out above, the notion that the Mac was dead was intentionally and incorrectly attributed to Tim Cook's comment that many people can use an iPad for their computing needs, meaning that that Mac was on the way out. Oh the horror, the sky is falling! The Mac was never dead or on the way out. There was no "ebb and flow" on that.

When it comes to the big picture, I think MS was right with adopting a desktop OS (Windows) for its tablet & 2-in-1 laptops. It realized, when it comes to complex workflows, a mobile OS wasn’t going to cut it.

 

[Boil]

NeXT Cube would be too large...!

I would love to see Apple use the same dimensional parameters as the G4 Cube, and the same "removable core" concept; but with an aluminum shell & the "locking handle" would be like the one on the 2019 Mac Pro...

Plenty of internal volume for an integrated PSU (no brick) & actual cooling fans; I would go chimney-style with rear I/O; top & bottom venting like the 3D venting of the 2019 Mac Pro (Cheesegrater v2.0)...?!?

And what if the aluminum shell was of the transparent variant...!?!

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

I wonder if this "Smaller Mac Pro" is what is intended to complete the Mac mini's transition away from Intel.

Interesting point.

Whatever Apple labels this machine, I believe that it stands more chance of being under the 'Pro' branding than 'mini', for the simple reason that the latter is no longer 'mini' if Apple makes it larger. Furthermore, it would blur the lines between what is modular and what is not, which defeats the messaging of the higher-end machine.

I would suggest that this rumoured smaller Mac Pro will literally be a shrunken-down version of what we already have. It will have it's own MPX standard that mirrors the size of regular PCIe cards, and because of the lower power consumption, the heatsinks will be smaller and there will be fewer fans.

Having said this, I think it's a given that the current space grey Intel Mac mini will be replaced by an M1X variant, becoming the more powerful option.

 

[skitidetdu]

This is awesome!

 

[Stephen.R]

I believe that it stands more chance of being under the 'Pro' branding than 'mini', for the simple reason that the latter is no longer 'mini' if Apple makes it larger.

Mac Pro Mini Air Express Cube.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Mac Pro Mini Air Express Cube.

Sounds like a 'trendy' Hipster coffee!

 

[Stephen.R]

Sounds like a 'trendy' Hipster coffee!

A cube of foamy milk and nothing else. 90% air. 10% hopes and dreams.

 

[Mr.PT]

Honestly, I would LOVE a new trashcan machine based on Apple silicon. I deployed so many of those when I worked at ESPN, truly a beautiful design up close.

I’m a fringe minority- I drag my 2019 MP around the world for work. The current gen is a total bitch to haul around while the 2013 trashcan + Thunderbay could fit in a duffle bag and carried on your shoulder (don’t skip shoulder day kids). Would also fit in overhead bins.

So I’m exited about the possible reduction in weight and size. Knocking some $$$ off the price is nice too.

M1 performance wise- using Logic for huge projects barely makes the current Xeons raise an eyelid, so I’m not wanting for horsepower. But perhaps the M1 will feel snappier? Not sure.

Feel the same about trashcan, it’s something like no other. However given the way Apple’s “trashed” it with the “thermal corner” comment, I don’t think will see it back in near future. Personally an “extruded” MacMini with some kind of concealed handle would be nice.