Oh... I remember quite a few users criticizing our "constant negativity"... but it seems we were right after all in our quest trying to make Apple understand the field it stands for.
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'Constant Negativity' From Pro Users Led Apple to Develop Modular Mac Pro, Which May Not Ship Until 2019
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I like Apple...
Take some negitive comments and Apple takes it 'literally', and revamps the whole thing, when in fact users just want a Touch bar...
Its similar to a car tune up:... customer just asks to rotate types, but the guy not only give you new types but he spray paints the car as well because he thinks it will look better
What's so bad about the "trash can' look ? Just add the touch bar support, to the Apple bluetooth keyboard.
Take some negitive comments and Apple takes it 'literally', and revamps the whole thing, when in fact users just want a Touch bar...
Its similar to a car tune up:... customer just asks to rotate types, but the guy not only give you new types but he spray paints the car as well because he thinks it will look better
What's so bad about the "trash can' look ? Just add the touch bar support, to the Apple bluetooth keyboard.
I think for many people it can and does, but when people use the word professional, its probably more set in the creative content sector and that's where it doesn't seem to meet those needs. I can only say this by reviewing people's posts and responses, I'm not in that sector, so I really don't know.
The MBP doesn't fit my needs because of its missing ports, lack of mag-safe and its price. Other aspects of the laptop means I have to make accommodations or sacrifices but at nearly 3,000 dollars I don't feel like I ought to make the amount of sacrifices or compromises to make the MBP work for me because I expect a premium machine to meet my needs.
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I wonder if we'll see any changes to the MBP this fall, or will Apple just double down and give us more of the same.
I'm pretty much convinced that the constant negativity is a social ill and not based on a sound evaluation of the technical merits of the MBP. Seriously all you hear these days in the news is negativity and extremist views, it is like the whole country can't find a decent positive value in anything.
The current MBP isn't perfect but to try to imply that it isn't a professional machine is just complete nonsense.
This is perhaps the biggest mistake Apple has made, that is it has generally ignored the Mac line up except for the laptops. Even the laptops are poorly managed as a line up of separate models. The Mac Book for instance is way to expensive for what it can do, basically an expensive NetBook. The MBP as a line is congested around very similar performance points. For instance the 13" MBP has no discreet GPU option nor does it have a quad core option. In other words when you go up the product line you get very little in return for your dollar invested.
The Mac Pro suffers way to long periods between updates but sadly the bigger problem is that it is way too expensive for what many expect out of a desktop computer. The lack of a decent entry level machine just means far fewer sales to support the machines development. By entry level we are talking a variant that starts at well under $1500.
One word: Arrogance! Apple thought that they could dictate what the market should be buying and frankly got slapped by the market in response. Personally I don't see a big issue with the current MBP $15 as a pro computer. What I see as an issue is that Apple expected people to transition away from desktops to laptops. This is why we saw constant updates to the laptops while all the desktops where ignored. What Apple didn't grasp is that desktop hardware might not be selling well but that doesn't mean that such hardware isn't important to the people that need it. To sit around for years and not update the hardware they currently have, when there are obviously chip upgrades, is just very abrasive to the user community. The Mini is a perfect example as it could effectively serve many duties that a laptop isn't suitable for, yet Apple crippled the machine and then didn't update it for years. That is just asinine.
Honestly the announcement by Apple isn't exactly welcomed. The problem is they admitted they screwed up and then offered up nothing but wishful thinking. Further the idea of a a "Pro" iMac has to be one of the biggest jokes to come out of Apple in some time and would hardly be welcomed by pro users wanting a desktop suitable for pro usage. One has to wonder what sort of clowns at Apple thought it was a good idea to ignore desktops for so long and then realize the created a problem set about correcting it by offering up wishful thinking instead of real hardware. This news is not welcomed, it just demonstrates that Apple Mac division is completely off the rails.
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Contrary to popular opinion the architecture of the Mac Pro isn't that bad. If Apple would upgrade it to current 14nm parts it would be a most interesting machine and could rightly be called a "pro" computer. Two things have killed the Mac Pro in my mind. The lack of a suitable upgrade when the parts to do so have become available. The other is that it isn't a valid product line.
What do I mean by saying it isn't a valid product line? Simple; as a desktop platform it is all high end with no reasonable entry point for the less demanding pro user. If there is no low end appeal then you don't generate enough sales to justify developmental costs. To put it another way Apples pricing structure is a complete disaster and in no way can support a desktop Mac Pro no matter what its feature set is. Frankly this is the same problem the previous model had, which also tanked due to crappy sales. Any new Mac Pro needs an entry level model that is in the $1200 to $1500 range and that must be a decent configuration. A decent configuration includes a desktop processor and a GPU of reasonable performance. The expensive high end variants aren't a problem as the sales numbers will never be significant, rather you need a configuration that generates volume and that requires a machine with a decent feature set at a reasonable price.
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It would be interesting to know who woke up from their mid summers nap. While in understand the state of the Mac Pro with respect to updates, there simply wasn't anything to do a valid update with, the rest of the product line boggles the mind. The Mini is a joke and the iMac isn't much better.
Knowing Apple they probably transferred the development teams to other projects.
A rushed product will be filled with mistakes and compromises due to the time schedule.
But late 2018 or even after that....seems silly.
Then again, these are rumours so who knows right
So TRUE!!!! However one thing that isn't a rumor is the fact that Apple is grossly out of touch with the user community. Further their need to forcibly pigeon hole users into certain machines is really backfiring on them. The noise about a "PRO" iMac just highlights that Apple still doesn't get it. Pro users, even semi pro users, don't want an iMac for a variety of reasons. iMac is simply the wrong machine for many people, they want viable desktop hardware. Apple desktop hardware consist of a low performance Mini and what amounts to a despot super computer in the Mac Pro with nothing in-between.
Okay, so the Pro Mac is not totally dead yet? That has to be, if not good, then at least decent news.
I also find the attendant nMP price drop to be significant - in two ways: Firstly it is an admission of defeat, secondly it is an olive branch.
Good to see that the world's most valuable company has not totally lost it's ability to express humility, even though I would want the top brass to echo the sentiment...
That said, there are some things which bother me:
- the long wait: As some here have noted, Apple could resurrect the cMP as a 7,1 in less than three months with modern innards if they'd feel so inclined. That they do not, is most probably based on that - having made the "Can't innovate, my ass" grand statement, going back to the cheese grater (or any equivalent tower) would be felt as too big an admission of failure.
- WTF is a modular Mac Pro (mMP) anyhow? The details are sketchy to say the least, and as such offer very little comfort to pro users who 1) have repeatedly felt shafted by Apple for the last half dozen years; 2) who did feel comforted when (prior to the nMP) Cook communicated "don’t worry as we’re working on something really great for later next year", only to then feel seriously let down.
Therefore, I have to class this as too little, too vague and very late (hopefully not too late)
Now, let me just say how I feel about a couple of things regarding the Pro Mac for the next decade.
• This time it has to be good. Apple failed the pro crowd with the nMP, and tried to pretend the customer was wrong. This Mea Culpa has to be both genuine and convincing. Fail again, and even the most hardy fans will start being HP.
• The top of the range needs to have broad reach. We're talking about a desktop. A desktop for those whose needs can't be covered by a mini, and who want to have it headless (no iMacPro). In my opinion that implies a broad range of CPU and GPU configurations, widely (more than 64GB) expandable memory, ability to handle standard expansion/extension cards and practically unlimited internal storage. And naturally all this has to happen in a format with thermal abilities to cope and full user access to all components. Fail on any of these and the crowds will tell you.
• If it's modular, integration will be crucial. Integration has to work on three levels: Technical, ergonomic and commercial. Technical: Extending your mMP must be as easy as placing another piece into the puzzle. Whatever interconnect (proprietary or TB3/4) apple is thinking of has to be solid and fast enough to work for the most strenuous needs, hot-swapping would be a bonus. Ergonomic: One of the most scathing criticisms towards the nMP was the cable jungle external extensions would invariable lead to. This solution would do well to consider a cable-free, stackable design. Commercial: Apple also needs to be sure that the pricing fits. If the price of adding a 3,5" disk has to be further increased by 200€/$ just to get a compatible enclosure, then modularity is only theoretical, not practical.
• Not all users with pro-level needs have MNC-level budgets. There are a lot of users who'd like to afford a pro desktop, but for whom ≈1500€/$ is the cap for an initial investment (addons and upgrades can be afforded later) - everything from researchers working on measly grants to independent film makers. If Apple wants to entice these audiences, then the most bare-bones setup should not cost more than 1500-1700 (this whole idea naturally hinges on easy upgradeability through mostly standard components).
• It's not (only) about the hardware, stupid. Finally, Apple's position in the pro segment has weakened not only due to recent hardware design choices, but also due to design choices made in OS development (fast update cycle, mobile-user features, lack of pro feature development); app development (no more Aperture, the FCPX-furore, the iWork debacle), as well as a general lack of focus. This, naturally, has to change. I don't care whether Apple uses their own resources or hires resources from outside, or actually commissions software houses to work on pro Software for the Mac, but it has to happens.
My 0.02€.
RGDS,
I also find the attendant nMP price drop to be significant - in two ways: Firstly it is an admission of defeat, secondly it is an olive branch.
Good to see that the world's most valuable company has not totally lost it's ability to express humility, even though I would want the top brass to echo the sentiment...
That said, there are some things which bother me:
- the long wait: As some here have noted, Apple could resurrect the cMP as a 7,1 in less than three months with modern innards if they'd feel so inclined. That they do not, is most probably based on that - having made the "Can't innovate, my ass" grand statement, going back to the cheese grater (or any equivalent tower) would be felt as too big an admission of failure.
- WTF is a modular Mac Pro (mMP) anyhow? The details are sketchy to say the least, and as such offer very little comfort to pro users who 1) have repeatedly felt shafted by Apple for the last half dozen years; 2) who did feel comforted when (prior to the nMP) Cook communicated "don’t worry as we’re working on something really great for later next year", only to then feel seriously let down.
Therefore, I have to class this as too little, too vague and very late (hopefully not too late)
Now, let me just say how I feel about a couple of things regarding the Pro Mac for the next decade.
• This time it has to be good. Apple failed the pro crowd with the nMP, and tried to pretend the customer was wrong. This Mea Culpa has to be both genuine and convincing. Fail again, and even the most hardy fans will start being HP.
• The top of the range needs to have broad reach. We're talking about a desktop. A desktop for those whose needs can't be covered by a mini, and who want to have it headless (no iMacPro). In my opinion that implies a broad range of CPU and GPU configurations, widely (more than 64GB) expandable memory, ability to handle standard expansion/extension cards and practically unlimited internal storage. And naturally all this has to happen in a format with thermal abilities to cope and full user access to all components. Fail on any of these and the crowds will tell you.
• If it's modular, integration will be crucial. Integration has to work on three levels: Technical, ergonomic and commercial. Technical: Extending your mMP must be as easy as placing another piece into the puzzle. Whatever interconnect (proprietary or TB3/4) apple is thinking of has to be solid and fast enough to work for the most strenuous needs, hot-swapping would be a bonus. Ergonomic: One of the most scathing criticisms towards the nMP was the cable jungle external extensions would invariable lead to. This solution would do well to consider a cable-free, stackable design. Commercial: Apple also needs to be sure that the pricing fits. If the price of adding a 3,5" disk has to be further increased by 200€/$ just to get a compatible enclosure, then modularity is only theoretical, not practical.
• Not all users with pro-level needs have MNC-level budgets. There are a lot of users who'd like to afford a pro desktop, but for whom ≈1500€/$ is the cap for an initial investment (addons and upgrades can be afforded later) - everything from researchers working on measly grants to independent film makers. If Apple wants to entice these audiences, then the most bare-bones setup should not cost more than 1500-1700 (this whole idea naturally hinges on easy upgradeability through mostly standard components).
• It's not (only) about the hardware, stupid. Finally, Apple's position in the pro segment has weakened not only due to recent hardware design choices, but also due to design choices made in OS development (fast update cycle, mobile-user features, lack of pro feature development); app development (no more Aperture, the FCPX-furore, the iWork debacle), as well as a general lack of focus. This, naturally, has to change. I don't care whether Apple uses their own resources or hires resources from outside, or actually commissions software houses to work on pro Software for the Mac, but it has to happens.
My 0.02€.
RGDS,
So Apple is using the 'fake news' card? They have such a small degree of market penetration, they can't afford to be so snooty...
They used to make good tools... Used to... America used to lead the world... Used to...
Things change, but Apple, hopefully, learned something from this (although I doubt it).
Sooner or later the old ports would have been dropped. I really see people complaining about the 4 USB-c ports as simply not getting the fact that they don't have to buy the machine. Further they don't grasp that the 4 USB-C ports aren't a big deal.
Battery life in the MBP sucks even with the older models if you are doing anything "Pro" like. Apple likes to bamboozal people into believing that there internet based battery lifetimes reflect real work pro usage. What they are doing is using consumer metrics to characterize a machine they try to sell into the pro world. I can assure you that older MBP's still suffer from battery lifetime problem the minute you try to do anything demanding. In any event yeah Apple blew it big time decreasing battery size instead of increasing it.
As for the soldered in SSD, that to me isn't a big problem as a properly soldered in SSD will be more reliable. The problem is the lack of an internal expansion port to fatten up your secondary storage. Frankly this would be a key feature for pro usage, that is internal secondary storage expansion. The reality is you don't really need an SSD per say, an internal slot for a SD card would be excellent. Internal to keep the laptop form sprouting a little wing.
I'm not sure who or what the problem I at Apple but I can say with 100% certainty that I could manage the division better than it has been managed over the last 5 years. I'm someone with zero management experience which ought to highlight just how poorly is view the current situation at Apple.
Is it, was it, arrogance, or a corporation so used to the rabid support of their fans, drinking deep of their own 'WOW! This will rock the world' And coming out with something far to 'revolutionary'...
That, I see, is the biggest problem with being 'famous': Not drinking your own Kool-Aid. They obviously invested a hell of a lot of time and money into the trash can, and obviously thing that it has to be just a 'perspective' thing. But I remember reading about Apple R&D, and all the products that don't make it to the light of day. This one shouldn't have been offered as the sole replacement of the venerable Mac Pro line. It wasn't 'evolutionary' as much as it was a market killer.
Why do I rant so hard on this?
Because the original Mac Pro was the 'Professional System' that the 'Average Person' had a chance of buying and using. Seriously. Even at refurbished prices, the old Mac Pro was somewhat affordable. The trash can, with its need for so much external equipment for storage, etc, pushes it into the 'diva category', and well out of the range of the 'average'... So us 'power user wannabes' are left with either the iMac (anemic) or the Mini (a joke).
I have a Mac Pro. I love it. It's HUGE, but it's powerful, it's loaded with drives, still rips CD's and DVD's like a champ, and I can still do quite a lot with it, still! (Except run Sierra apparently) And I HAVE upgraded it! I upgraded the video (twice). I threw in a new NIC. Yet I knew the new Mac Pro was out of my price range, and I felt sad about that. But whatever...
Carry on...
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The USB-C ports ARE a big deal in that they aren't being used that much currently. Apple just jumped the shark, couch, Snake River Canyon, on that. The fact that it had flash drive companies struggling to fill the gap is indicative of that. The plethora of dongles is a sign of that. EVEN Apple WASN'T READY TO SWITCH!
Regarding the battery life, you are correct. Apple's obsessive compulsive need for skinny has hobbled their products for years now. Battery life has always been secondary in Apple products for what, decades? 'Bendgate' also exposed the cheapening of the construction of the iPhones. Swapping out a metal shield for something less, in a product that will be mildly abused, and acting all indignant when it DOES fail is living in a bubble. It's abusing your customers. The whole bend issue could have been fixed so many ways that didn't involve blaming the customer.
But the new MacBook Pro is a closed box. Everything hard soldered, and a crappy 'Gosh look how thin this thing is' keyboard. Pro's smell desperation a mile away. (Millennium Edition, Vista, 8, to name a few) Pro's also see a not mess of product that they don't want to have to wet nurse from the moment they open the box. Corporations don't like to outlay major capital on something that is a dead end. Corporations hand down IT resources (notebooks, etc) through their ranks, and DO upgrade them from time to time. Buying memory IS still cheaper than replacing a notebook, but having a notebook be a dead end, that when it becomes unusable, it's not 'fixable', burns them.
It seems like Apple's neurotic compulsion to make everything thin is coming home to roost. Coupled with the closed box paranoia, and people are saying 'Nope. Pass.'
And 'more reliable'? That's funny...
I come from the 'bike world', and there is a major move to drop the 'quick release' in favor of something called 'through axle' on top end bikes. People are beside themselves harping on the difference. Having worked in consumer audio back at the tail end of the 'tube v transistor' jihad, I laughed at the people that swore they could tell the difference. I see that now in bikes. People 'swearing' they can tell the difference.
Well, the odd thing is that the 'it's more reliable' camp is trying to make people ignore the fact that the 'quick release' has been around since their grandfathers were riding bikes. Talk about reliability all you want, but aside from idiots not knowing how to flip the level to lock the wheel in the front fork
rolleyes, the QR has been THE way to secure wheels on bikes for a really long long time. Then the idea of TA becomes more about a stagnant industry trying to eek out more cash from a gullible consumer. (Although the TA really could be their answer to the QR lever flipping into the disc brake rotor mount on the front wheel, but a redesigned skewer would have fixed that easier, but that issue was more about idiot consumers and bad design on the manufacturers side too)SO, no, this dog ain't hunting on the 'hard soldered is more reliable' idea. It's a way to screw your customers and try to get them to either 'buy big' which is what I tell people' or to toss and replace when it gets to be unusable. Neither one is very 'green', except for the cash that Apple might get after the customer needs more power to offset the 'features' of the new OS.
It is only god news when we see a shipping product and a rational line up.
The Mac Pro is one of those things that is either grossly overpriced or poorly configured for the majority of users that might be interested. I don't have a huge problem with the price tag on the high end models, it is the total lack of a decent machine between the Mini and the Mac Pro that boggles the mind. The iMac simply isn't the answer for many users / use cases. An iMac Pro would be even farther away from what users need and want.
I'm not sure they where expressing humility. In any event how this was handled just infuriates me as you are left with the impression that the Mac division has been on auto pilot and the captain of good ship Mac just realized he is about to run around on a reef.
What people seem to forget is that the cheese grater was a complete failure! Going back to that design will not solve the number one problem with the Mac Pro which is the lack of decent sales. The nMP was a result of flagging sales of the oMP. Sadly though Apple created a machine that would actually lower sales volumes even more. In either case the problem is that the entry bar was too high for either model to generate viable sales, sales that would justify a strong development program.
I'm really surprised that Apple doesn't understand that you can't expect high volumes out of a machine that costs considerably more than a run of the mill desktop. Even HP is smarter than that and has a variety of configurations for machines built on their pro chassis.
Who knows! Seriously I know what I would like to see in a Mac Pro but I highly doubt Apple would listen. They probably would listen though if I charged them $100,000 for a consulting fee. That might be part of Apples problems right there, listening to the wrong people.
Here is the thing, I really don't see the nMp as a bad machine, it is in fact very innovative. The market rejected in the same way they reject FCPX. Basically a bunch of pros throwing a temper tantrum over things they don't understand.
I might add too stupid and too much of a blow to customer relations.
Actually this is more debatable than many think. The portion of the pro crowd where the Mac Pros design makes a difference is very small. The nMP isn't perfect but it is no where near as bad as many make it out to be. Apple did fail by not offering up a complete system. This would include a video monitor and a disk array to go with the machine.
Actually a lot of the customers complaining where in fact wrong. The fact that the nMP wasn't designed for them has nothing to do with the fact that it is a well designed pro computer designed for pros that would be using it on their desktops.
HP isn't perfect either.
This I agree with!
This is where we part company. Your CPU should not be in the same box as your storage subsystem. It is just poor engineering in my opinion bulk storage belongs in its own box.
Yep
Obviously no body knows what Apple has up its mind. Me I know what I'd have them build.
A base model in the $1200 to $1500 dollar range is a must. It is the only way to generate enough volume to justify development of the physical components of the computer. By the way we aren't talking barebones here. Such a platform needs to be completely functional giving decent performance.
In some cases Apple drops stuff because of poor sales. Just because you or someone has purchased a product doesn't imply it was a success.
As for FCPx, this is a perfect example of knee jerk reactions and the negativity mindset of they generation. The funny thing here is that many pros went back to FCPx after understanding the software and realizing it was indeed a powerful replacement father old software.
By the way what is wrong with iWork?
Oh and on cables. I've seen lots of nonsense about the nMP creating a rats nest of cables. For many users the machine would actually reduce the rats nest as you are interfacing to external boxes far away from the machine. An analog in box could be meters away and connected to the computer with one cable. The old way would have had all those analog lines going into the Mac itself. In the end it comes down to how you use the machine, but in most cases the nMP would reduce cable clutter Again it is an issue of people that can't adapt rather than a pice of hardware that is faulty by design.
Woah-woah-woah!!! What's the rush? Get it out in 2022 when you are done dancing on Ellen and visiting the Chinese.
If only Apple would go back to the thickness of the iPhone SE, that would be great. The SE, IMO, felt comfortable in my hand because of the form factor. I originally thought that rounded edges like the 6 and 7 would be a good direction but realized flat edges are better for grasping and holding.
I love the software but hate the latest Mac machines.
The hardware is already out there to deal with this. It's just that Apple wants to lock it all down in their own hardware ecosystem of things. Making it "Apple Only" is the real reason it will take 2 years.
They should of stayed with he old G4 and Xeon cases. At least they had plenty of air and were good to work on. A proper tower case, not a Rubbish Bin design.
The hardware is already out there to deal with this. It's just that Apple wants to lock it all down in their own hardware ecosystem of things. Making it "Apple Only" is the real reason it will take 2 years.
They should of stayed with he old G4 and Xeon cases. At least they had plenty of air and were good to work on. A proper tower case, not a Rubbish Bin design.
Their latest XBox is apparently Project Scorpio which may see release in 2018 which is likely now that the Switch is out in the market. It is expected to be VR/AR ready due to the graphical processing power which is what I read recently.
Surface Pro 5 is now being readied for unveiling in a couple of weeks so I expect it to pop out on the market around Spring or Summer. The Surface Studio, I believe, may get cheaper at the next iteration or they'll do two models of different sizes for that.
People need to realize that it's unwise to underestimate Microsoft or other competitors. Tim Cook made a huge mistake in pooh-poohing the Surface Pro when he should've taken it seriously. The longer he stays there, the more ruin he brings to the company, along with the others.
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Not just that, but having a Watch by iOS only is a big, big mistake. What happens if someone wants to move from the iphone to Android? How is this person going to be able to use the Apple Watch?
Talk about having a closed ecosystem biting them in the a$$. It's a form of entrapment. This is why Apple Watch should have been platform agnostic, as one example.
It is courageous to call feedback from users "negativity"
I'm sure they're mashing the sad-face emoji's on their touch bar when reading the posts here
I saw this coming when they languished for a couple years after Job's passing and finally came out with the Watch. It was this particular time frame that made me think they wasted 4-5 years developing this ONE product, the Apple Watch, and neglecting the iMac and Mac Pro lines.
I believe it eventually will.
The iPod initially worked only with Macs, until Apple made iTunes available for Windows. The Apple Watch is literally following the iPod playbook here.
Good point, but I'd go further .
Apple only has a few things going for them that are or have been unique : the iMac ( still relevant ) , the iPod ( not so much ), Mac OS ( has been ignoring incompability issues for some time ) , great hardware on the Mac side after the Intel switch - until the nMP, nMBP and nMB ( are the latter accepted abreviations? ) .
The iPhone, iTablets, iOS, the horrible iWatch, watchbands, selling user data and content, it's made Apple a ton of money, but those are easily replacable by other products and nothing to base a future product line on .
In this pond, Apple is not the biggest fish by any measure, nor do they offer a superior product .
.....
Well, to be honest, at this point I just don't want to to be forced to use Windows, after using Macs since the 90s, that's my only concern .
To me , without Mac OS , Apple has no value; and that sentiment has been challenged by OSX getting enclosed more and more in recent years .
I've noticed the tendency in Apple culture to criticize the person who criticizes. Not sure if that is common in the Windows culture or not?
Yes, sometimes, it's someone just venting about stupid things. Other times, it's just plain attacking the victim. Often it is somewhere in between. I recall when the dGPU's in the 2011 MBP started dropping like flies that many of the fan b0ize initially were blaming owners for the computer's failure, then blamed AMD, and then eventually tried to rationalize that a $3,500 investment dying in 3-4 years wasn't all that bad...literally, anything except acknowledging Apple's epic design failure.
The R2D2 Mac Pro cylinder is a beautiful design, and it would be a pity if Apple does not keep the design and update it with new processors and graphics cards, when available. It does fill a niche of people who require performance, do not want noise, and rarely add additional cards. But then I liked the cube too ... though the cube always had poor performance compared to the Mac Pro, and R2D2 is a pretty sharp performer - even after 3 years.
Apple executives this week made an unusual and surprising announcement, detailing the company's work on an entirely revamped high-end modular Mac Pro that's set to be released sometime after 2017.
No specific information on a potential release date was shared, but OSnews' Thom Holwerda has shared some tidbits heard from "people and sources who know their stuff," giving a little insight into just when we might see the revamped Mac Pro and why Apple decided to renew its focus on professional users.
Ahead of Apple's announcement, Holwerda says the Mac Pro was in limbo, and Apple wasn't sure what was going to happen to the machine.
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.
Given a rough estimate of the length of time it normally takes to develop a project, it could be late 2018 or even 2019 before we see the machine.Aside from the Mac Pro, Holwerda also believes Apple is working on additional MacBook Pro models sans Touch Bar, and developing other features aimed at professionals, such as pairing the iPad Pro with a Mac so that it can be used as a Cintiq-style drawing tablet.
Apple hasn't shared a lot of detail on the new Mac Pro, but the promised modular design will allow professional users to keep it up to date with new hardware on a regular basis. Apple executives have said the machine will also be able to handle virtual reality software and high-end cinema editing, pointing towards support for higher-end single GPUs, and Apple also plans to ship the machine with an Apple-branded professional display.
Article Link: 'Constant Negativity' From Pro Users Led Apple to Develop Modular Mac Pro, Which May Not Ship Until 2019
I know that many IT professionals that have lost their trust in Apple's professional tools. We based our previous Company on Apple's professional tools. Yes, since Windows 95 came out we also supported Windows. Still our preferred tools were Apple products. Their great modular towers (almost all our staff had one), their Xserves, FinalCut Pro and suite of tools for marketing, etc. We had them all. Then a change happened at Apple. These were all not being updated. We hung on to the equipment for as long as we could. There is costs not just in hardware and software but in retraining all our staff for the new hardware and software that worked on Windows. Why the decision to get rid of the great rack Xserves, taking years to upgrade tools like FinalCut Pro, and dropping other tools completely was made at Apple I do not know. I think that the executives at Apple had forgotten (Jobs), or the newbies never experienced building up a company from scratch. How you take years of dedicated, reliability, commitment, and attention to the customer base to build up the business.
Imagine for a minute if Apple had put millions into continual development of these tools instead of pouring the money into the bank (still lots left over for the bank). When the surge in Apple popularity with iPhones, and iPads, more and more IT departments would have tried out Apple products and came to like them like the rest of us. It would have been us dedicated Apple product developers that would have been the 'end of the spear' with these products.
I will use a MacOS computer for my development because the development environment I use still runs on it. I have no specific love of Apple anymore. The passion is gone from supporting them. I personally got burnt too many times by Apple not sticking with the Pro tools. The latest round of 'Pro' tools shows they are only interested in 'pretty' design and the high end consumer market.
As a professional I want a modulare 'Desktop' that I can add cards into for new or old ports, new interfaces for new products, etc. For my laptop I do not really care that it is the thinest possible, and lightest possible. That is the consumer market (MacBook, MacBook Air). For my main laptop I want speed, RAM, storage space, 17" screen and lots of ports. As it typical of an Apple change in ports, I spent weeks trying to find a hub that will work with USB-C to connect up my two DisplayPort monitors from Apple, and then a bunch of other devices for a potential purchase of a MacBook Pro 2016. I finally found one hub to support 2 DisplayPort monitors. All other devices advertised are not actually on the market.
As it sits now, I think I will skip out on another year of a new MacOS computer. Instead I purchased a brand new Dell Laptop. I will wait and see what 2018 brings from Apple. Unless something compelling comes out I suspect that my current 17" 2011 MacBook Pro will be my last. That is amazing for a dedicated Apple Developer from 1986 to be saying. It just tells the sad tale of lack of attention to the professionals that develop for Apple products by Apple.
There are other problems that Apple seems to not understand. They have turned into a consumer only focused company. Therefore they will never break into the business market. As a developer of Apple software we were critical to making the sale of Apple products. When Apple would push ahead with new OSes but due to the regulatory environment in our market (medical), or a generational gap in our development tools we could not make sales of Apple products. Instead of their 'business' people understanding and supporting they just cut us off. We hardly made any money from Apple sales when we sold the products. We made far more from any kind of Windows product. So in the end we were better off only selling Windows based products. Those people that wanted Macs we would send them to the Apple Website. The message to our clients - by Windows (even though we showed up with all MacOS laptops).
Apple you want the business world get committed. Get someone in charge that understand a startup business and what it actually takes to get it done. It is far different business than the consumer market. You have the cash to do it. Get the attitude.
Of course only my opinion.
I agree that Tim Cook is probably a good CEO, but not what Apple needs to maintain its success. We need someone who is more driven, hands on, ambitious, and passionate about Apple.
As a result, products lines have too much overlap, are ambiguous, and aren't getting updated in a timely manner. Customers are jumping ship and looking for other solutions. Don't get fooled by stock as it's an indication of public perception.
The situation is getting dire, and their open apology is proof of this. They haven't even *started* the Mac pro and the rest of their product lines are long overdue for an update. With their resources and high profile, there is no excuse.
The aluminum mac pro (last gen) was the best design IMO. That thing looked like a beast - professional, and modular in the sennse you can put in multiple drives, memory, and PCI cards.
As a result, products lines have too much overlap, are ambiguous, and aren't getting updated in a timely manner. Customers are jumping ship and looking for other solutions. Don't get fooled by stock as it's an indication of public perception.
The situation is getting dire, and their open apology is proof of this. They haven't even *started* the Mac pro and the rest of their product lines are long overdue for an update. With their resources and high profile, there is no excuse.
[doublepost=1491666105][/doublepost]Making a chassis look like a trash can? I'm not so sure.
The aluminum mac pro (last gen) was the best design IMO. That thing looked like a beast - professional, and modular in the sennse you can put in multiple drives, memory, and PCI cards.
Bring back the Xserve! And the Xserve should be more powerful than the 2018 Mac Pro! What is Apple using to host iCloud? Dell servers?
Bring back the modular Mac Pro and the modular Xserve!
And the Xserve should be more powerful than the 2018 Mac Pro! What is Apple using to host iCloud? Dell servers?
Bring back the modular Mac Pro and the modular Xserve!