Apple's Newest Mac Pro Turns Five Years Old Today

[compete12]

Better go out and buy a 2019 Toyota Camry now as there will be a "pause" until the 2024 model.

 

[Peperino]

As someone said here, in PRO computers, function should NOT follow form.
Apple released the Mac Pro trash Can 12 YEARS AGO.
DOES IT REALLY TAKE APPLE THAT LONG to RECOGNIZE ITS MISTAKE?
DOES IT REALLY TAKE APPLE THAT LONG to RELEASE A NEW VERSION?
In technology, 12 years is like a million Light years.

I guess Apple is too busy doing iphones.

Given what Apple is recently doing, in terms of increasing the prices on the entire computer line up, with my hopes are down for the new Mac Pro.

Macbook air- Up 20%
Macbook Pro up 30% (with touchbar)
Mac Mini up 70%

I wonder why iPad and Mac unit sales are actually down.
Electronic prices go down with time NOT UP. Especially considering the lack of innovation.

It seems that Apple pricing is according to Tim Cook's greed, up, up and away...

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

I considered this route as well. However, further integration of the T2 chip into new Apple hardware and the MacOS makes me wonder if days of hackintosh are numbered...

P.S. I love my cheese grater MP!

//

It could be if Apple requires it to install macOS.

I, too, love the 2009-2012 models and their ease at upgrading them with semi-current tech. 3.46Ghz 6-core, 32GB RAM, NVMe SSD, RX580 graphics and AirDrop capability...all with OOB Mojave install and very little money to transform an almost 10 year old design into something that rivals a base model "trash can" Mac.
[doublepost=1545234056][/doublepost]

As someone said here, in PRO computers, function should NOT follow form.
Apple released the Mac Pro trash Can 12 YEARS AGO.
DOES IT REALLY TAKE APPLE THAT LONG to RECOGNIZE ITS MISTAKE?
DOES IT REALLY TAKE APPLE THAT LONG to RELEASE A NEW VERSION?
I guess Apple is too busy doing iphones.

Given what Apple is recently doing, in terms of increasing the prices on the entire computer line up, with my hopes are down for the new Mac Pro.

Macbook air- Up 20%
Macbook Pro up 30% (with touchbar)
Mac Mini up 70%

I wonder why iPad and Mac unit sales are actually down.
Electronic prices go down with time NOT UP. Especially considering the lack of innovation.

It seems that Apple pricing is according to Tim Cook's greed, up, up and away...

"12 YEARS AGO"? Isn't it just 5 years (like the article says in the title)?

 

[citysnaps]

That was a very interesting read. iPads as input devices are obviously going to be a BIG part of the system. Given Apple has hired artists to "deeply" understand their workflow, and is literally optimizing the new pro for those artists strongly suggests how Apple defines its Pro users. Apple may be thinking about a radically flexible, new modular hardware solution that accommodates the wildly diverse needs of the Pro market. I certainly hope so. Nothing I read in that article suggests this though. Yes they could do both, but I do not think Tim thinks like that. More likely he thinks about leveraging Pros to sell iPads. Given the iPad becomes a pure input device (note to self: short Wacom now), likely it will not intro until next OS release. So think "Pros who wear Yeezys" not so much "Pros facing lab budgeting constraints". Very Tim really.

"More likely he thinks about leveraging Pros to sell iPads."

I don't see that at all. That stems from a Tim Cook quote saying a couple years ago (paraphrased) that many people can use iPads as a computer. Which is a very true statement considering Apple's very wide customer base, many who just do very basic stuff; ie surf the web, email, messaging, view photos, playing movies, creating a simple home budgeting spreadsheet, etc.

But... The whine crowd appropriated that statement into meaning Apple and the very mean Tim Cook hate Macs and are getting out of that market. That's just childish/juvenile blather from those that love being cast, and more importantly seen, as a victim, and want others to wallow in their victimhood.

Also... there's a lot of confusion about the term "Pro." Many here romanticize the meaning of "Pro" when it's used as a shortcut for "Professional." Scientists/mathematicians searching for the next prime number, designing bridges, engaging in nuclear research/simulation, rendering the next feature animation, etc, etc. There are hundreds of millions of professionals using computers in their business that are doing far more mundane tasks; such as running a business.

But what's really funny, and lost on so many,...is that Apple's use of the term "Pro." It does not mean professional, but... PROductivity. Yes...productivity; ie meaning that some Apple computers have better specs/features for people who produce and need to be more productive with their tools.

That doesn't carry the same romanticized allure as "professional," but people still believe that's what it means; I guess because that's how many want to be viewed.

 

[DNichter]

More difficult to upgrade due to the all-in-one form factor and the need to remove and re-apply adhesive for the display screen - this also makes the iMac Pro more difficult to clean and keep well ventilated. If the Mac Pro came in a rack mountable blade form or as a tower these problems would go away.

Makes sense. So is the iMac Pro just not functional as is? I mean, if you bought a maxed out iMac Pro - still a good option right? Just wouldn't be upgrade able in the future.
[doublepost=1545234437][/doublepost]

If it is a very small minority, it's only because no one wants to buy 5 year old tech at the same price it sold for 5 years ago! The only choice is to buy something else Apple decided to make (either a mini or an iMac). It's sort of a self-made problem for Apple.

I don't think there is a huge market for it, even when brand new. I could of course be wrong though. I think they offer other options with better performance today.

 

[Theophilos]

I’ve had the 2013 Mac Pro as my main Mac for the last three years. I bought it refurbished at a nice discount from Apple and then proceeded to swap the entry level quad-core Xeon with an 8-core Xeon from eBay that runs faster than Apple’s original 8-core processor. I also upgraded the RAM to 64 GB, and recently, swapped out the internal 256 GB SSD with a 1 TB Samsung 970 NVMe with adapters, which runs at twice the speed of the original SSD.

I know people complain this Mac is not modular, but here is an example of someone that did quite a lot to keep the computer relevant and powerful for today’s apps.

I’ve owned many, many Macs in my 20+ years as a Mac user and must admit that this 2013 Mac Pro is by far the best machine I’ve owned. Even today, it feels like a beast and runs circles around my top-of-the-line 2017 MacBook Pro.

 

[avanpelt]

The fact that they're still selling this thing for the same price it debuted for asinine.

Apple seems to be the only computer company on the planet who will unashamedly require the same amount of money for a computer today as they did for that same computer five years ago. I don't care how "innovative" Phil Schiller thought this Mac Pro was when he announced it five years ago. Five year old technology is still five year old technology.

 

[Sabelonada]

It's not just the Mac Pro that has been neglected. All of Apple's desktops have the same problem.

The iMac is overdue for an update.
The Mac Mini was not updated for years, and this year only a minor speed bump was announced.

Very disappointing.

Minor speed bump? That's absurd. It's faster than the Mac Pro.

 

[Manzanito]

That's where you're mistaken: "PC" manufacturers haven't come out with a truly new model since the early 1990s!!! They just keep putting the same old Intel reference designs into new metal/plastic and call it "New".

Yeah, that's "engineering", all right...

You know why? Because it works.

 

[Boil]

I own a trash can mac pro, got it as soon as it came out, it was priced fine back then. I love this machine, it still runs like new. But I do wish it had Nvidia option, I could just get an e-gpu I guess. I just wish apple would make a motherboard and let us build a computer with the parts we wanted. I would use the Chimera’s Mach One Case, and throw in a nice Ryzen. Would be sick. I really do hope they have a new machine that can keep up to date. Otherwise I am going to end up waiting another 5 years for the next iteration, since I have no plans to update in 2019.

Good day to you, my SFFN brethren...!

Hey, we can play a fun new game, see which comes out first in 2019, the new modular Mac Pro or the Chimera Mach One chassis...! ;^p

X570 ITX motherboard, Ryzen 9 3850X (7nm, 16c/32t, 4.3GHz base/5.1GHz boost, 135w), & Radeon RX 3080 (7nm, Navi 10, 8GB GDDR6, 150w); sounds good to me...

 

[DNichter]

It’s the minority because they’ve all but abandoned the Pro market and even if Apple releases something new, the Pros now have trust issues about switching back. Apple has put themselves in this position.

That's fair. I guess I am just wondering what tasks an updated Mac Pro could handle that one of their other Pro machines couldn't.

 

[Sabelonada]

You know why? Because it works.

But does it "just work"?

 

[ThunderSkunk]

I remember as a kid not knowing how to break up with my first few girlfriends without them getting so mad they’d torpedo the other prospects for further relationships I was more excited about.

I slowly, increasingly ignored her & detached until she thought I was completely unreliable and she couldn’t depend on me for anything. Without there being any one thing I did to them to make them the victim, they eventually decided to leave on their own.

Then I grew up, and quit being such a child. Grow up apple.

 

[Virinprew]

I just want to see how Phil will present the new Mac Pro.

 

[Bacillus]

I just want to see how Phil will present the new Mac Pro.

I guess in the same 40" jeans ("couldn't innovate my ****"....etc.)

As someone said here, in PRO computers, function should NOT follow form.
Apple released the Mac Pro trash Can 12 YEARS AGO.
DOES IT REALLY TAKE APPLE THAT LONG to RECOGNIZE ITS MISTAKE?
DOES IT REALLY TAKE APPLE THAT LONG to RELEASE A NEW VERSION?
In technology, 12 years is like a million Light years.
I guess Apple is too busy doing iphones.
Given what Apple is recently doing, in terms of increasing the prices on the entire computer line up, with my hopes are down for the new Mac Pro.
Macbook air- Up 20%
Macbook Pro up 30% (with touchbar)
Mac Mini up 70%
I wonder why iPad and Mac unit sales are actually down.
Electronic prices go down with time NOT UP. Especially considering the lack of innovation.
It seems that Apple pricing is according to Tim Cook's greed, up, up and away...

Any manager coming up to Tim with a Mac Pro release plan, leaves his office with an Apple Pencil in his hand

 

[Manzanito]

I just want to see how Phil will present the new Mac Pro.

“Two times faster than the previous generation! Unbelievable!!”

 

[ahireasu]

"If we've had a pause in upgrades and updates, we're sorry for that"
How many years does it take to count as a pause? Any pause experts out there?

That's not a pause ... that's Meno-pause.

 

[Boil]

i said goodbye to buying anything apple two weeks ago when I built my PC/Hackintosh. I think I spent about $2400 on
everything, i9 9900, 32gb RAM, 2tb NVME, SSD boot drives, Vega 64, AIO cooler and a slick case. Easily upgradeable. Runs windows and Mojave just fine. Stays at 34c during all tasks. I couldn't justify spending nearly 7K on an iMac Pro to get close to the same performance editing 4K videos, and photos. I would love to see another cheese grater design. I loved mine, but i think apple is done with the pro market as long as Timmy is around. He needs to go.

Which motherboard, GPU, & chassis...?

I have a hankering for an all AMD HackPro, featuring the upcoming 7nm bits...

 

[AndiG]

The new Mac Pro is doomed.
1) It won't support Nvidia cards the same way you cannot use Nvidia cards as eGPU now (without much hiccup)
2) OpenGL deprecated/old / Vulkan not onboard
3) Apple relies on Thunderbolt for monitor/display connection - no standard graphics card ships with thunderbolt

Btw: I would love to see a Mac Pro where I can insert two Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti cards with slotted/upgradeable RAM and slotted/upgradeable M2 SSDs. All of this with a macOS 10.15 that ships with modern OpenGL/Vulkan support. But is this likely to happen? Guess not ...

 

[kaycrystal626]

I think Apple should just gave up on the Pro market. It's over priced, not selling well.

 

[Greymacuser]

And 5 years ago this pile of junk was out of date when it was new.
5+ years to build a new high end desktop?
As a mac user, I can understand why PC builders laugh their backsides off at us.
This is just embarrassing and insulting.

 

[Sabelonada]

Which motherboard, GPU, & chassis...?

I have a hankering for an all AMD HackPro, featuring the upcoming 7nm bits...

The build mentioned specified i9. Which Ryzen or Threadripper is that?

 

[bladerunner2000]

That's 5 years of Apple slapping their consumers in the face. Also 5 years of their consumers still buying their products.

 

[jjudson]

Exactly who is their target market these days?

By the number of emojis they've added this past year -- children.

 

[The Cappy]

Every time there’s a discussion about this, I have the same thought: “modular” isn’t how I’d describe a tower. I keep thinking they must have something else in mind.