David Pogue: New iMacs and Mac Pros Coming 'Probably in 2013' [Update]

[SqueakyTech]

The new black

"Our pro customers are really important to us...don't worry as we're working on something really great for later next year."

This kind of vague reassurance sounds eerily similar to when Final Cut X was being rumored... and we all know how that went.

 

[jpine]

Looks like they took a page out of the failed FCPX release and modified it a bit. "Here's our long anticipated and needed release. Don't worry, it's not usable now, but just give it time and it may get better if we have the time, volition, and R&D resources to focus on it. Trust us! We're Apple and we believe in dancing with the people (pros) who brought us to the dance. We wouldn't dump you for some little sexy iDevice."

 

[caribousteaks]

Apple's Major Deskdrop

I find it gross yesterday's weak update to Mac Pro line and no mention of it in the keynote. It essentially is a slap in the face of every Mac Pro user. The very people who spend perhaps the most on Apple products (certainly a lot) and who probably utilize the products capability the most of all users. The message from Cook is, "we don't care about the Mac Pro even enough to give it a mention". No updated GPU, no update in CPU, no USB3, no firewire?! Heck the $999 macbook air has faster ports than Apple's $4K monster. So why no mention in the keynote? Why after two years, no significant upgrade? Why in the same time all the other platforms have upgraded once if not twice? Firewire and USB3 exclusion at the very least is inexcusable. Don't graphics pro's and MacPro types in general VERY often move huge volumes of files around? Would they of all people be the ones purchasing 1000$ plus thunderbolt RAID systems? What other thunderbolt products exist for normal jpeg point and shoot users? and who are they being bought by? Tim Cook missed a huge opportunity to make his first big splash yesterday by updating all of apples line up, or at least announcing that sort of thing with mountain lion, and instead came in with a resounding slap to all Pro users faces and a whimper to all iMac users as well. Its a disgrace after two years that this is what they come up with for mac pro folks. Apple to loyal PRO users who have often very humbly spent thousands and thousands on their machines, "WE DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU!"

 

[faroZ06]

I don't think anyone that's even remotely serious in audio processing is doing *anything* with the headphone/line-in jack on a laptop. That's amateur hour. Most people would use a FireWire or USB audio interface.

That said, you can use the port for audio in and out at the same time with a four-ring 1/8" adapter. I have an IK iRig for use with my iPad and it works just fine with my MacBook Air.

That's odd. So the input/output on these MacBooks is a four-ring 1/8" jack, but you can put a two-ring input or output but also put a four-ring splitter in?

 

[ericinboston]

Yeah, says the guy proudly stating he has 2 LENOVO laptops and a DELL PC in how signature.... I bet you never use your Mac Mini right?

You also neglected to state/notice how long I've been using Apple products...since the very early 80s....thank you very much. What does my Mac usage stats even matter to my business opinion on one of Apple's product lines?

I'm not going to re-hash what I've said...the entire Mac line, for various reasons, IMO, should be discontinued.

 

[faroZ06]

Albeit only mono and analogue.

Of course it's analog... It's the analog audio input.

And it's not mono.

 

[xgman]

"Our pro customers are really important to us...don't worry as we're working on something really great for later next year."

This kind of vague reassurance sounds eerily similar to when Final Cut X was being rumored... and we all know how that went.

Utter placating BS! Come back next year and we'll see. What a lame response.

 

[mozumder]

Actually he is delivering in 4k, but that wasn't the point. The point was that an indie was shooting 5k on a RED. An the troll was saying nobody shoots that high of a res. If an indie is shooting 5k, all out pros sure as heck are shooting at 5k (or better).

The best part is you're STILL complaining about things that don't matter.

You know that everyone is using offline editing for 4k. You know why? Because you can't even VIEW 4k. Do YOU have a 4k monitor? If not, then you're editing at 1080p or less.

The $10,000 indie productions sure aren't editing on $30,000 4k displays. They're editing in lower res, and sending the final output to render farms.

Again, like I said, NO ONE is using 4k.

You'll have to wait until next year to actually use 4K when the Retina displays come out, but until then you'll just have to keep whining and crying at Apple and have people like me make fun of your crying.

 

[bobobenobi]

That's odd. So the input/output on these MacBooks is a four-ring 1/8" jack, but you can put a two-ring input or output but also put a four-ring splitter in?

I doubt you can plug a TS output into the MacBook's jack without an adapter, but I've never tried. I've used the iRig with a guitar and MainStage. My friend uses one of these: http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-...0WAQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339528458&sr=8-1

 

[tcgjeukens]

New is not so new

In the first few hours after the keynote, the Apple store (in the Netherlands) had the word "new" attached the the MP picture.
24 hours later, Apple has removed the word new.

A company so occupied with appearances and profiling, should have known better that the word new would infuriate a creative and outspoken group of users.

Coen

Long overdue to replace a PowerMac G5 with a new tool to process Sony NX5e footage.

 

[calaverasgrande]

Mac Pro 2013

Ivy Processor (Quad-core)
Super Slim
6 GB RAM (Not user upgradable)
2 256GB SSD Standard, with 4 slots available (Can be upgraded to 768GB per slot, but not user upgradable)
4 Thunderbolt Ports
3 USB 3 Ports
Bluetooth 4
No Firewire (Adaptor available for $50)
No Ethernet (Adaptor available for $50)
OSX 10.9 Jungle Cat
Requires Retina Monitor (OSX 10.9 and up)

....will probably be awesome

yes make the Mac Pro tower more like the Macbook Air.

 

[NY Guitarist]

Again, like I said, NO ONE is using 4k.

Please post this over at REDUser. I would love to read the responses there.

You realize that just because the display is not showing 4k doesn't mean the files are not 4K, right? You do realize that?

Like when you view and edit Raw photograph files from a hi-res DSLR?

As someone who actually uses 4K video files on a regular basis, and sees many, many, projects being recorded and edited, and starting to be delivered in 4K, I wonder what kind of work you do?

 

[cliffjumper68]

The best part is you're STILL complaining about things that don't matter.

You know that everyone is using offline editing for 4k. You know why? Because you can't even VIEW 4k. Do YOU have a 4k monitor? If not, then you're editing at 1080p or less.

The $10,000 indie productions sure aren't editing on $30,000 4k displays. They're editing in lower res, and sending the final output to render farms.

Again, like I said, NO ONE is using 4k.

You'll have to wait until next year to actually use 4K when the Retina displays come out, but until then you'll just have to keep whining and crying at Apple and have people like me make fun of your crying.

Actually 4k is very common, it gives you more flexibility in post and allows you to render down a better quality picture. Now 48fps is rare (only Jackson) and native dual camera 3d rigs are rare, but 4k especially in pre is very common. The bigger issue here is the lack of thunderbolt support which is a motherboard level technology that would really be most useful to data hungry tasks like rendering and post in general.

 

[calaverasgrande]

How is RAM that is 2 times more than what they had before and a 20% fater CPU than the old one a minor bumps .

Old https://forums.macrumors.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=342627&d=1339442551


New http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/mac_pro

a 20% bump in CPU speed would be pretty much imperceptible.
The fact that they are shipping with an almost reasonable amount of ram is nice. But everyone knows you really need 8gb MINIMUM in a Mac Pro. 3GB of ram is pretty much the least you can get away with and still boot.
In order for it to be a worhtwhile speed bump they would be making a jump to a faster system buss (really they are selling Mac pros with slower system busses than their laptops or the imac?) and faster ram (ddr 1066? in 2012?!)

 

[relimw]

Please post this over at REDUser. I would love to read the responses there.

Ha!

You realize that just because the display is not showing 4k doesn't mean the files are not 4K, right? You do realize that?

Like when you view and edit Raw photograph files from a hi-res DSLR?

As someone who actually uses 4K video files on a regular basis, and sees many, many, projects being recorded and edited, and starting to be delivered in 4K, I wonder what kind of work you do?

I'm guessing he lives under a bridge in a fantasy world, hitting people up to cross his bridge.

Some people just aren't worth the effort to educate...

----------

a 20% bump in CPU speed would be pretty much imperceptible.
The fact that they are shipping with an almost reasonable amount of ram is nice. But everyone knows you really need 8gb MINIMUM in a Mac Pro. 3GB of ram is pretty much the least you can get away with and still boot.
In order for it to be a worhtwhile speed bump they would be making a jump to a faster system buss (really they are selling Mac pros with slower system busses than their laptops or the imac?) and faster ram (ddr 1066? in 2012?!)

Um, really, minimum ram would be closer to 16GB, if you actually intend to get anything done these days (2012 and they're only up to 6GB? Better to buy elsewhere in any case...). I would personally prefer more cores vs a speed bump, and a heck of a lot better graphic/GPU options.

 

[buckeyechris]

New iMac's

WHi everyone. After being an avid reader of this blog/forum/page for over a year, I decided to register and give an opinion on why in particular the iMac was not updated.

I've been waiting to purchase my first Mac computer for a few months and myself, like many others were dissapointed when Apple updated the Mac and did not include the iMac. As it turns out to be, there may be a silver lining to all of this. I certainly haven't read all 500+ comments on this thread, but I wonder if someone mentioned something about any potential similarities between a rumored "iTV" and a newly redesigned iMac.

I think Apple may have an unbelievable surprise under their sleves when the new iMac comes out. Maybe they'll incorporate advances in OLED technology to create the thinnest desktops ever created combined with an all new designed that would be physically similar to an "iTV". Maybe the new iMac will be a computer/TV "hybrid" or something like we have never ever seen before.

We know Apple (Tim Cook) have championed the use of economy of scale to secure future supply purchases at low costs (evidenced by the $100 decrease in price for notebooks with upgrades), but with the current success I wouldn't be surprised if Apple decided to put an iMac refresh on hold to guarantee future stock and of course, use a newly redesigned iMac as a way to increase sales of a hyphotetical "iTV" just as the iPod did for Macs and the iPhone did for iPads.

Thank You

 

[RBR2]

You have no idea what you're talking about. Since the Nehalem CPUs came out in 2009, Xeon processors have 3-channel memory controllers. Those "tests out there" actually support the opposite of your claim.

http://ark.intel.com/products/48768...E5645-(12M-Cache-2_40-GHz-5_86-GTs-Intel-QPI)

----------

Not to belabor the point, but the early renditions with dual channel RAM actually ran better when not filled with RAM. All Apple does is warm over an Intel reference motherboard.

The real point, however, is the neglect of the platform. Apple has been bleeding pro users since the delays in getting Adobe CS 64-bit out (partly as a result of an ongoing feud with Apple and partly because of a change in the implementation dates for code changes. Adobe says that their Mac sales have declined (as a percentage of sales) for some time now.

Cheers

 

[Fraaaa]

Not really. SATA3 is standard on motherboards on all newer PC's (1-2 years old). My PCIe slots (the Mac Pro only has 3 after the gfx card) are already occupied by a soundcard, a DSP-card and a video HDMI monitor card. So there you have it, I am using my MP for Logic too, and I can't waste a PCIe slot for adding SATA drives. Also, the current MP has PCI Express 2.0 standard, as far as I know, and that is just about pushing the limits of the SATA 3 standard + your gfx card and what more you have running on the PCI bus.

There is NO excuse for Apple not coming out with a Thunderbolt + USB3 + SATA3 Mac Pro NOW (or sooner) - I think we just have to face the truth that the Mac Pro is being phased out. I don't but the "later next year" thing.

Sure, that is why it has PCI slots, to create possibilities. But not being able to use any of the six SATA ports for high speed data storage is somewhat limiting, not least because of space considerations (how to route from the PCI card slot to one of drive bays for a standard 2.5" SSD).

Um, you do realize those few slots Apple decided to give us, fill up rather quickly right?

I see. I share your concern.

You mean wasting PCI slots on things that are included standard on pretty much every other mac and PC shipping today?

No, I meant upgradeability with aftermarket hardware.

 

[nec207]

Look like apple is not going to do any more updates this year base on https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1380858/


May be next year base on https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1380858/

 

[PhilDN]

No iMacs

I am gutted by this. Desperate for a new iMac as my 5yr old machine just doesn't cut the mustard when it comes to PS and Lightroom. I even read the spec's on a new HP but I can't get away from the fact that it won't run OSX - unless I want to do some serious fudges but how stable is that!

 

[O1iver]

MacPro Update - the future of the personal computer

I have enjoyed my MacPro for several years and really looked forward to a real update. What a disappointment.

It seems that Apple, and perhaps some other PC makers, have lost faith in the desktop. While tablets and phones may dominate revenue, it is the fact that a computer - whether it be a tablet or a phone - is personal that is the really important quality that makes all these devices desirable.

For those of us who use a computer professionally, there is no substitute for a desktop machine. And the MacPro - despite the pathetic update - is still one of the best and most powerful professional level computers available. Its design is superb. Where is there a better computer case than the one housing the MacPro?

Updating the MacPro as the flagship for Apple brings a prestige that cannot be matched by lesser models. One can only implore Apple to give higher priority to the MacPro and put some of the extraordinary wealth of the company into continuing to offer the best personal/professional computer in the world.

 

[LethalWolfe]

Is 3 years really that long for a pro machine (if it happens in 2013?)

Yes. It's long for a computer period.

If phones/tablets are on a 1-year cycle, consumer desktops/laptops could be around 2 and pro machines around 3. My point is that those machines "change" less frequently.

Not really, and Apple used to be on a 6-8mo update cycle and that was even considered slow. Then it slipped to 8-12mo and now it's 12mo-whenever. New GFX cards, new I/O (USB 3, eSATA, HDMI, etc.,), CPU clock speed bumps, Blu-ray, etc.,. There are a number of ways the Mac Pro could've been refreshed between major revisions.

Maybe you true pro users feel differently, but when I buy a computer, I'd want it to last at least a few years. When you go to buy something, do you really expect to swap it out 1-1.5 years later? If you assume what you have will be unusable by then, then why buy it in the first place?

How long something should last doesn't relate to how often new products should come out. Should new cars only come out ever decade since a car should easily last 10yrs? When Apple actually update their towers regularly a lot of pro users would update every 18 months give or take. When your gear earns $$$ it pays to have the best gear you can afford. My personal stuff, on the other hand, I want to make last as long as possible because it's basically money gone forever once I buy it.


Lethal

 

[mozumder]

Actually 4k is very common, it gives you more flexibility in post and allows you to render down a better quality picture. Now 48fps is rare (only Jackson) and native dual camera 3d rigs are rare, but 4k especially in pre is very common. The bigger issue here is the lack of thunderbolt support which is a motherboard level technology that would really be most useful to data hungry tasks like rendering and post in general.

My point is no one that uses 4k is edit monitoring in 4k. There is no COMPLETE 4k online production system.

All 4k editing is done offline or editing lower-resolution monitors, negating any need for an upgraded GPU. The display resolution is STILL the same as when the Mac Pro GPUs first came out 3 years ago, which is perfectly fine for editing purposes. (4k Rendering is done offline in server farms using distributed Compressor, never at the local workstation.)

Given that, I fully expect next year's Mac Pro to include Retina Displays... maybe a 30" 20 megapixel monitor? At which point people will start to care about upgrading GPUs & more powerful local systems.

 

[dbit]

I think you're ignoring the fact that gpu's are doing a lot more these days than just displaying to the monitor.

 

[strangegeek]

Agreed - I want a new IMac

GnnnnrrrrghhggrrgnnnnnnnnghghgnnnhhggghhhrrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRGGGRRR!

I want my iMac.

I know I am going to get an IMac, the only factor left is when. I want the 27" screen and was hoping that a retina display IMac would show up yesterday - (wishful thinking, I know).

My main point of conflict is do I go ahead and get the current 27" IMac that is available or hold off for what could be a minor spec bump or a major revamping? The current model is more than enough for my computing needs but I'd hate to get one to have the new model come out right after the return period has expired.

That being said I do realize that if you need something now then get it because if you wait for the next big thing it will always be just around the corner - but if there is a good chance of a new IMac in the next 2-3 months then I would like to hold off for that one.
Does anyone have an opinion on this issue - one way or the other, any insight is always appreciated.