'Constant Negativity' From Pro Users Led Apple to Develop Modular Mac Pro, Which May Not Ship Until 2019

[Sharky II]

I'm with the 'cut the cMP in half' (remove 3.5" drives and optical) camp... add TB3 and/or USB-C, hopefully more PCIe, a dual CPU option (that's upgradable from a single CPU option - direct from Apple)...

 

[ventricle]

What we can count on is on something that is almost there, but has some kind of BS compromise some of us will have to get over.

Ah, expectations tempered: Two steps forward, one to the side, and one step back with a double twist.

 

[LordVic]

I'm with the 'cut the cMP in half' (remove 3.5" drives and optical) camp... add TB3, hopefully more PCIe, a dual CPU option (that's upgradable from a single CPU option - direct from Apple)...

I"m ok with removing them as part of the default configuration, But I'm not ok with removing the ability to install / upgrade to add should need. In a PRO machine at least.

there should still be an available 5.25" external drive bay, even if it's empty by default to allow "pro" users to add optical drive recording if need be, or one of many othe rdevices that fit in the 5.25" bay. Heck, there are water cooling kits, optical writers, even hot swappable hard drive trays. Heck in a single 5.25" bay, you can fit a tray that fits 4x 2.5" hard drives for a lot of expandibility.

If they do go and get rid of 3.5" drive bay, they still need to include at least 2 x 2.5" bays for expansion. 2.5" drives aren't ideal, but it still offers the ability to use spinners for storage, or SSD's for performance.

 

[Sharky II]

you can just buy a usb based optical drive

i'd be surprised if they included any internal storage that wasn't m2 NVMe and possibly SSD...

 

[peter2]

I'm with the 'cut the cMP in half' (remove 3.5" drives and optical) camp... add TB3, hopefully more PCIe, a dual CPU option (that's upgradable from a single CPU option - direct from Apple)...

What's wrong with the drive bays? Just pop in 4 of the 12 TB 3.5" drives which are now available. You prefer extra enclosures for everything? The (big) size is not a problem. On the contrary, small size would be a problem, as the system should be:
1. As flexible as possible (different people = different needs)
2. As dongle-free and external-enclosures-free as possible (there is a reason why people use closets to enclose all kinds of things into a single, clean, unit)
3. Have as much thermal "tolerance" as possible (so that running everything at 100% loads can be achieved without a fan noise)

For all of the above, you need SIZE. Just keep the Mac Pro as large as the cMP was! It's not a portable so who cares to make it small anyway.

 

[sfwalter]

Perhaps not what folks want but I'm excited to see Mac related posts dominating Macrumors this week. It gives us Mac-fanatics hope.

 

[lkrupp]

Apple should just go to Micro Center or Fry's, pick up the biggest, ugliest, cheapest black case, pull some other components off the shelves, stick them inside, let it run mac OS and call it the new Mac Pro. Problem solved... at least for the ‘pros’ on MacRumors.

 

[niun]

Having not read the rest of the posts - lazy, last day at work etc...

Seriously, what was the issue with the old Mac Pro?? Did anyone ever have issues with that beautiful beast?

 

[avanpelt]

Apparently, the negative response to the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, which many complained was not oriented towards pro users, was a major factor. Apple saw a surge of orders for older MacBook Pros instead of the new model...

I suspected this was probably the case, and I hope Apple understands that for most pro users, the Touch Bar is not useful. If a pro users needs to use the function keys and has developed "muscle memory" with standard function keys, the Touch Bar is an immediate non-starter. You simply can't develop a muscle memory very easily (or at all) with a smooth piece of glass. You have to constantly be looking down at the Touch Bar to make sure your finger lands in the appropriate spot. The Touch Bar should've augmented the functionality of traditional keys on the keyboard -- not replaced the top row of keys entirely.

 

[Peperino]

If it takes 4 years to realized that you created a bad computer (Mac Pro), and only until you create another even worst design of Macbook Pro, Then something is Really wrong!
Even more lame is the attempt to upgrade a 4 year old computer that no ones buys at a discounted price...

Whomever is in charge of design and marketing should be fired.

That is why many long time Apple user sadly sare starting to look at Surface Studio and other options

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

Let's hope it's not 2 years as one has said, but more like a one year.

 

[WinstonRumfoord]

What's wrong with the drive bays? Just pop in 4 of the 12 TB 3.5" drives which are now available. You prefer extra enclosures for everything? The (big) size is not a problem. On the contrary, small size would be a problem, as the system should be:
1. As flexible as possible (different people = different needs)
2. As dongle-free and external-enclosures-free as possible (there is a reason why people use closets to enclose all kinds of things into a single, clean, unit)
3. Have as much thermal "tolerance" as possible (so that running everything at 100% loads can be achieved without a fan noise)

For all of the above, you need SIZE. Just keep the Mac Pro as large as the cMP was! It's not a portable so who cares to make it small anyway.

Agreed. The single main thing that kept me from getting a nMP was the lack of drive bays. I work with TBs of video files and being able to just pop in a new drive is paramount. Instead, I had to waste money on an enclosure and went with an iMac instead.

 

[guzhogi]

Just make it easy enough to upgrade the RAM, drives, CPU & GPU. Make the base model start in the mid- to high $1,000s like Power Macs were so it's more easily affordable.

 

[sunwukong]

Apparently, the negative response to the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, which many complained was not oriented towards pro users, was a major factor. Apple saw a surge of orders for older MacBook Pros instead of the new model, and that, combined with the reaction to the LG 5K display and the "constant negativity" from professional users, led Apple to "double down on professional users."​

The decision to move ahead with a modular Mac Pro replacement was made "in recent months" with development starting "only a few weeks ago," suggesting it's going to be a long wait.

I'll just say that the time to 'care', and invest in any customers you want to keep, is BEFORE you indirectly force their hands and wallets to go elsewhere because you absolutely halted making products that they need and use. You need to be serving the customers' needs constantly, consistently, not when they have started and have been walking out the door. At that point, the trust is broken, and you might not ever get it back. Some of these products are not 'art projects' to manyt of us. We can not afford to just wait and deal with whatever Apple's whims are. Apple is a business and they can do what they want, but actions/inactions do have consequences. If they care about those consequences, then the time to be PROACTIVELY doing something about them is BEFORE they happen.

 

[Peperino]

Interesting read about the feedback on the new MacBook pros and people buying the previous model.

Whenever they ship the new Mac Pro , looking forward to it

Not only that people bought the previous model, but know many other people that bought the new and return it.

 

[guzhogi]

What's wrong with the drive bays? Just pop in 4 of the 12 TB 3.5" drives which are now available.

Include hardware RAID support on the motherboard, and I'm sure many pros will be happy.
[doublepost=1491577893][/doublepost]This makes me wonder how wrong they are about touchscreen Macs. I've seen a lot of posts here on MR saying they don't want touchscreen, but how many other people do? Also, people come off as thinking it has to be just touchscreen, or just keyboard & mouse, not both. Use the touchscreen when that's easier, use a keyboard & mouse when that's easier. Apple will have to update the GUI to be more touch-appropriate, but the two things aren't mutually exclusive.

 

[Mikael H]

Include hardware RAID support on the motherboard, and I'm sure many pros will be happy.
[doublepost=1491577893][/doublepost]This makes me wonder how wrong they are about touchscreen Macs. I've seen a lot of posts here on MR saying they don't want touchscreen, but how many other people do? Also, people come off as thinking it has to be just touchscreen, or just keyboard & mouse, not both. Use the touchscreen when that's easier, use a keyboard & mouse when that's easier. Apple will have to update the GUI to be more touch-appropriate, but the two things aren't mutually exclusive.

At least on the MBPr, when I switch between the iPad Pro with smart keyboard and the laptop, I always have a tendency to brainfart and attempt to touch and swipe on the screen a couple of times before returning to the trackpad. I'm sure the tendency would be less pronounced on a large desktop computer monitor... Then again my 4-year-old gets extremely frustrated that he can't swipe on the TV to manipulate the Apple TV UI. And yes, our TV display requires regular cleaning...

 

[macduke]

Speak for yourself - I need that optical drive and 5 internal 3.5" drive bays.

What reason in 2018/2019 would anyone need those internally? If it's a desktop machine already then what's the problem with buying a USB optical drive and a Thunderbolt drive array? Might as well make it cheaper and have a smaller footprint for those who don't need all that outdated technology, which is probably > 90% of users.

 

[kyleh22]

There's been some really good apple news recently: Modular mac pro, possible new thunderbolt monitors, Imac with solid specs, replaceable ram, high end mac mini, etc.

Sounds like Apple may finally be listening to it's computer users. Now lets hope they give us this stuff at reasonable prices.

 

[Peperino]

Mac Pro ... Failed
2016 Macbook Pro with stripped... failed big time
iMac not updated
Mac mini not updated

We all know that Apple only priority is the iPhone.

But how many failed products do you need to have to fire the head of design??

 

[mithion]

Honestly, with the macbook pros the solution is pretty damn easy. Bring back the 2015 chassis, put it killer new internals (7th gen intel CPU, AMD RX 5XX GPU, 32GB of ram option) , add touch ID (not the whole touch bar, just the touch ID part), change ports to include 2 USB-C and voila, new pro machine. I think the number of people who'd complain from them doing that would be dwarfed by the number of Pro users who'd rejoice. Pro users care less about external design anyway and more about the raw capability of the computers.

As for the Mac Pro, I'm also surprised they didn't see the writing on the wall earlier. At this point, they should already be close to finalizing the design of the replacement Mac Pro and target for a fall-winter 2017 release. It has me worried given it will take them about 2 years that although the new machine is expected to be "modular" (whatever that means), it will still be a non traditional design prone to idiosyncrasies. But at this point, let's wait and see I guess. Good thing I'm not in the market for such a machine as it would drive me nuts to wait until potentially 2019 to get a new computer...

 

[milo]

So much for those who insisted that it was pointless for users to complain.

It's a bummer it's taking this long but good news that Apple has finally started listening to users again. I hope we see a good result and I hope they start listening to other feedback.

 

[skinned66]

Apparently, the negative response to the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, which many complained was not oriented towards pro users, was a major factor. Apple saw a surge of orders for older MacBook Pros instead of the new model, and that, combined with the reaction to the LG 5K display and the "constant negativity" from professional users, led Apple to "double down on professional users."

Ha...congratulations to everyone who voted with their wallets.

 

[gorskiegangsta]

"Constant negativity" as opposed to what, constant positivity, for pro users repeatedly being ignored and shown the proverbial finger?

Apple didn't buck under the so-called "negativity". They bucked after the "pro" people voted with their wallets and they realized that that demographic might not be as tiny as they thought.

 

[robbutler]

Another company did this BLACKBERRY failed to innovate and look what happened to them. Apple, please you have a superior product that is no longer superior. Fix it - I still have Macbook Pro 2011 and I have $5K with your name on it... Just waiting!