MP 7,1 Mac Pro Design - No Jony Ive influence?

[AdamSeen]

My wife - who is a fashion designer - saw the Mac Pro. The first thing she said was "It doesn't look like Apple, it's not as elegant. It's very masculine. Like someone else has designed it".

I don't have her keen eye for design, but I think she might be right. It would make sense that this may be one of the first non-Ive designs to reach the market and perhaps the shape of things to come. More cool and a little less elegant?

 

[gazwas]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I personally think its a great piece of industrial design which looks as good cover on or off and with a retro tip of the hat to the iconic cheese grater G5/Mac Pro of old.

 

[chfilm]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I personally think its a great piece of industrial design which looks as good cover on or off and with a retro tip of the hat to the iconic cheese grater G5/Mac Pro of old.

I agree, if this is not typically Apple, I don't know what is.
Johnny Ive even spoke the VO for the announcement film, I think it was his last product that he actively looked over at Apple.

 

[bxs]

You could be right about Jony's influence on the 2019 MP7,1's design. I recall watching a video of him with Tim Cook as they passed by the new MP7,1 at WWDC I believe, and Jony's look on his face told me every thing. That is, the MP7,1's design was not his making. Regardless, IMO the new MP7,1 is spot on and I like it, and it's typical 'Apple' in its design, simplicity and access to the 'innards'.

 

[retta283]

I'd say overall it still looks good. I prefer the cMP/PMG5 case, but this is not bad. I just wish they would release a Prosumer version of it.

 

[AidenShaw]

I think it was his last product that he actively overlooked at Apple.

I don't think that "overlooked" means what you think it means - actually, quite the opposite. "Looked over" and "overlooked" are opposites.

Nevermind though - my grasp of German is weak, and heavily influenced by Schweizerdeutsch. I know what you meant.

 

[loby]

When I first saw it when it was revealed at the WWDC (video) my first impression was that it was not an Ive design (or at least minimal). To me it looked like they took the pre-mac pro 2013 design and just modified it as many desired. I thought maybe Ive was mocking everyone by saying, "Ok, you don't like what I did, so I will give you what you want at a high price." It is not beautiful, but still looks like Apple. The monitor is probably not Ive, the back looks ugly, but useful.

Clearly, this was probably the first design that Ive did not do, but maybe added a few touches when he decided to come into the office for a few minutes to pick up his mail.

 

[chfilm]

I don't think that "overlooked" means what you think it means - actually, quite the opposite. "Looked over" and "overlooked" are opposites.

Nevermind though - my grasp of German is weak, and heavily influenced by Schweizerdeutsch. I know what you meant.

You’re right

 

[Adult80HD]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I personally think its a great piece of industrial design which looks as good cover on or off and with a retro tip of the hat to the iconic cheese grater G5/Mac Pro of old.

Bingo. Ive or not, I'm happy and I think it's a beautiful piece of industrial design. If you have one and haven't appreciated the interior yet, you should open it up and look. Extremely elegant and yet 100% functional--it's the antithesis of the PC world and to me the essence of Apple's hardware. Frankly I felt that many of the iconic Ive designs put way too much emphasis on form over function. See the trashcan MP as Exhibit A. Other fails include the Power Mac G4. If Ive designed the original Power Mac G5 and the followup cMP then this new one is really just the refresh of that design and both IMO are outstanding designs where function and form both live in harmony.

 

[DoofenshmirtzEI]

Ive is not a God, as evidenced by the crap that happened when he got his hands on the software design. That said, the iPhone 4 is the most beautiful thing Apple has ever designed, and that is definitely Ive's work.

 

[Adult80HD]

Ive is not a God, as evidenced by the crap that happened when he got his hands on the software design. That said, the iPhone 4 is the most beautiful thing Apple has ever designed, and that is definitely Ive's work.

He seemed a bit like Babe Ruth--tons of home runs but tons of strike outs.

 

[Bradleyone]

I recall watch a video of him with Tim Cook as they passed by the new MP7,1 at WWDC I believe, and Jony's look on his face told me every thing. That is, the MP7,1's design was not his making.

This one?

I dunno, he seems pretty animated about it.

Tim Cook is the one who is like, "What the hell is this thing and why the **** did I write a check to make it? Oh well, maybe I'll show it to my mate Donald some day."

Frankly I felt that many of the iconic Ive designs put way too much emphasis on form over function. See the trashcan MP as Exhibit A.

And the original Bondi blue iMac as Exhibit B? The iMac that saved Apple.

Beauty is in the eye of the shareholder.

 

[wallah]

I'd say overall it still looks good. I prefer the cMP/PMG5 case, but this is not bad. I just wish they would release a Prosumer version of it.

They might after a couple of years? Just long enough that it's too long to wait for it

Time enough that those with the bigger budgets will cover a good chunk of the 7,1 R&D.

After that, start pumping out a spec'd down version for economies of scale (lower RAM ceiling, the cheaper cpu version, etc.). But marketing-wise, notwithstanding trademark issues with Sonnet's xMac, what would they call it? 'Mac notMini'?? Or just 'Mac'?

I know - for all the people that built Hackintoshes, they can call it.....the Macintosh

 

[mattspace]

When they first unveiled it as a front-on view, I thought they were pranking the audience with a picture of an *actual* cheesegrater, that would then be lifted out of the way to reveal the comuter...

It's got the vulgar-bling aspect of Ive's design taste that came out in the gold apple watch.

 

[08380728]

My wife - who is a fashion designer - saw the Mac Pro. The first thing she said was "It doesn't look like Apple, it's not as elegant. It's very masculine. Like someone else has designed it".

I don't have her keen eye for design, but I think she might be right. It would make sense that this may be one of the first non-Ive designs to reach the market and perhaps the shape of things to come. More cool and a little less elegant?

Your wife hasn’t been around long enough, either that or she’s blind, meh.

Show her the G3/G4 era CRT Cinema Display (B/W, Graphite), the rear of the Quicksilver and MDD Powermac G4’s, the G4 Lamp iMac’s, the Powermac G5 etc.

The Mac Pro and XDR display has Jony Ive written all over it.

To me, this is typical Jony Ive 1950’s retro industrial design.

 

[Strangedream]

The new Mac Pro a.k.a. "cheese grater" looks more Apple-y than the previous Mac Pro, affectionately nicknamed "trash can".

 

[loby]

This one?

I dunno, he seems pretty animated about it.

Tim Cook is the one who is like, "What the hell is this thing and why the **** did I write a check to make it? Oh well, maybe I'll show it to my mate Donald some day."



And the original Bondi blue iMac as Exhibit B? The iMac that saved Apple.

Beauty is in the eye of the shareholder.

I remember this while watching the WWDC and I remember hearing what they were talking about and how surprised I was when Ive had to explain what this "thing" was to Tim....? Shouldn't (or wouldn't) Tim already know about what the Mac Pro project is...??? I thought at the time.

Also, I was amazed at what Ive actually said during the conversations (he fumbled around explaining it as if he does not know about it that much either).

I thought, "It sounds like he (Ive) did not create this (and acted like it)...and Tim (maybe both) acted like it was the first time he (both) saw the finished product (or actually seen it at all...maybe Tim).

Good job to the design team that probably did it without Ive and showed that the team is ready to move on without Ive's direct involvement anymore. This might have been the plan and the Mac Pro 2019 really was not a big risk for Apple as far as design... (no brainer...just take the pre-2013 model design and update it). This was what I was thinking when viewing the WWDC last year.

Ive acted like an upper manager that was not involved in a project and was briefed about the project right before the unveiling, because he has to do a PR event with the CEO...it looked like both did not know much about the project and Ive especially had to act like he did...

Anyone who has been involved in explaining a project to a CEO (or has been an upper manager or VP) and who was not familiar with a project (but was suppose too) acted JUST like Ive did.... i.e. do your best "tap-dance' or "juggling" act in-front of the CEO, the cameras and especially the shareholders...

Even with the fake smiles...trying to act proud of something he (Ive) had little or nothing to do with (he was on other projects...i.e. his own outside of Apple).

The Mac Pro 2019+ is a great product regardless.

 

[confessJason]

Your wife hasn’t been around long enough, either that or she’s blind, meh.

Show her the G3/G4 era CRT Cinema Display (B/W, Graphite), the rear of the Quicksilver and MDD Powermac G4’s, the G4 Lamp iMac’s, the Powermac G5 etc.

The Mac Pro and XDR display has Jony Ive written all over it.

To me, this is typical Jony Ive 1950’s retro industrial design.

Yes, completely. There’s a certain 50s/60s retro feel to it that also seems futuristic. Seems very much like Jony.

 

[StuAff]

Considering how much of the 7,1's design is a greatest hits package of previous product- the handles/feet and overall look recall both the G5/1,1-5,1 case and the B&W G3/G4 iterations, the holes are a heavily machined variant on those on the back of the MDD, the case opening is the Cube in reverse…highly unlikely Ive wasn't involved at least as a sounding board. He'd have had responsibility for signing off on it, at least in part. And the idea that Cook saw it for the first time right before the keynote, or some such, is nonsense. No executives of Ive's level, let alone Cook, could hope to be across everything, all the time- but they'd be getting regular briefings etc from Dan Riccio and John Ternus, to name but two. It might be a minor product in terms of sales, but one that still involves a lot of design work, prototyping, logistics, co-ordinating with suppliers and manufacturers, and so on, and paying very, very large invoices. They wouldn't have been in the dark, ever, about what was planned.

 

[||\||]

It's not like Apple designs are terribly original to begin with. They pulled a lot of the external looks from products Dieter Rams had created decades before.

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[LorenK]

I watched the video and I had a different impression. I saw Ive explaining the design to Tim, how the top worked and the air vents worked, and while it may have been a show for the camera, I didn't see dislike on Ive's part, the Apple team had been working on the new design for several years, so I'm sure that he had input all the way through. I think that people see what they want to see in the video, and I can imagine that if I've been working on something for a number of years, I couldn't exhibit the amount of enthusiasm and energy that people seem to be expecting.

What I see if a work of great industrial design, and the only quibble I have are the feet, which in their roundness at the end of somewhat ill-sized legs have an afterthought feel to them in terms of the overall design, but that is a quibble, and if I could afford one or absolutely needed one, you can be sure that I would have jumped on it. It is a great design compared to other computers out there, in my opinion.

 

[profdraper]

Great to see the back of Ives ... the 16" MBP (finally) would seem to be another good indication of common sense over the rather appalling MPB models from the last few years prior.

 

[richinaus]

Great to see the back of Ives ... the 16" MBP (finally) would seem to be another good indication of common sense over the rather appalling MPB models from the last few years prior.

Ive did oversee all the macbookpro’s prior to the ‘appalling’ recent ones...... how do you know it is all his fault. Maybe engineering over promised, maybe intel supplied them hotter CPU’s than anticipated etc. Ive didn’t engineer the keyboards either.

i am sad that he has semi left Apple - he is simply one of the top industrial designers of the modern age, and to dismiss this is very naive.

 

[Coyote2006]

Actually I was surprised that the MacPro was not space grey or even black. But I do like it in silver. The design somehow follows function or the other way around. Glade at least that no stand is needed to run it.

 

[gazwas]

Actually I was surprised that the MacPro was not space grey or even black. But I do like it in silver. The design somehow follows function or the other way around. Glade at least that no stand is needed to run it.

Personally think all Macs (and iphones) should be silver and so very glad the Mac Pro/XDR is .