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HP are killing off all the hardware divisions, apple currently run HP servers to power the iTunes store and cloud services. Apple are going to be stepping up the cloud approach, especially considering it's all UNIX and Mach..

HP were going to try and sell their consumer computer division. Then they got rid of the CEO that suggested it. They are now merging it with printers to reduce costs and continue in the market. They were never going to sell their enterprise/business side.
 
There would also be a mac-mini based blade server chassis.

So basically think a Mac Mini on steroids with rack ears and 4 thunderbolt ports.

The Mac Mini has pretty pathetic memory capacity, and its non-ECC RAM. They're really not suitable for a whole range of serving tasks. Like almost anything that needs enough servers that a blade or rack-mountable form factor is a thing. Yes, there are some hosting companies that use them, but they're both novelty platforms and - to be quite honest - not something I'd use if I was intending for my servers to be used heavily.
 
There would also be a mac-mini based blade server chassis.

So basically think a Mac Mini on steroids with rack ears and 4 thunderbolt ports.

The suggestion of rackmounted mini servers comes up at times. It's really not a very good one. You also mentioned the HP thing, but I don't think Apple would trust OSX server in their data centers. They're not going to get into server design for something like that. Calling one of the minis the "mini server" is marketing. There's really nothing more to it.
 
After effects.

'nuff said.

Sure I can buy all new windows apps and start running windows, but there's a reason I ditched windows years ago.

No way the imac has enough memory and HP to run AE effectively

exactly.

even with my 8 core, 20gb ram, ssd, etc., my AE comps are heavy and take awhile to render.

to give you an idea, a 3 second HEAVY title still takes me 10 minutes to render (1080p24). That's dedicating 17gb to AE and having multicore processing turned on. It's a very fast machine, but for heavier comps and 3D, a lousy iMac would never EVER be able to handle it.

If the 16 cores with the E5's came out, I'd order one and grab a 64gb ram kit within hours of release.
 
What is that geek doing in China? I'll tell you, not building me my new Mac Pro. Sort it out Tim - Cook me my Mac Pro.
 
How about this...


They release the middle ground mac, the expandable tower everyone wants that wont break the bank.



But to satisfy the high end...

They make the hardware expandable with thunderbolt!
Want a monster highend mac with all the trimmings?

Buy two and hook em together for more processor and more memory expandability, up to a maximum of eight? Perhaps no limit... THAT my friends would rock my socks and yours!


The single unit would be powerfull enough for the gamer and college kid with ps and word.

Is it possible? Think perhaps it is very close to possible, the technology in osx should be able to make that happen. Think grand central dispatch'ish stuff.
Imagine a studio with 20 dual stations connected with thunderbolt, that turns into a true supercomputer spitting out frames all night...
That would be kickass. AND apple doesnt need to have a dedicated "highend" machine anymore.


Jiiiiiiiises i should be paid to do this... Hehe... Probably not...

A
 
They make the hardware expandable with thunderbolt!
Want a monster highend mac with all the trimmings?

Buy two and hook em together for more processor and more memory expandability, up to a maximum of eight? Perhaps no limit... THAT my friends would rock my socks and yours!

You can't have multiple systems on T-Bolt - it's an extension of the internal bus and general multi-access to the bus is a hard problem. (Target disk mode isn't general access....)

You can put 10 GbE on T-Bolt on each system, and cluster over Ethernet.
 
But to satisfy the high end...

They make the hardware expandable with thunderbolt!
Want a monster highend mac with all the trimmings?

Buy two and hook em together for more processor and more memory expandability, up to a maximum of eight? Perhaps no limit... THAT my friends would rock my socks and yours!

This is one of those things that's suggested constantly, yet no one has ever displayed a true proof of concept. Even if they could do so, there are better solutions for a small server farm. The typical suggestion is chaining a bunch of minis into a cluster.....well perhaps I shouldn't type that:D. It wouldn't really take the place of anything that isn't already available. If a server farm type solution isn't appropriate, it changes nothing. I think some of you over estimate just how much is required from Apple to keep the mac pro going. Adding thunderbolt may have required a redesign of the logic board. It wouldn't have been really worth it mid cycle given that even today, thunderbolt peripherals are pretty scarce. Nothing that exciting came out in terms of gpus. At this point the theories about what will happen to the line are becoming kind of weird.

You can't have multiple systems on T-Bolt - it's an extension of the internal bus and general multi-access to the bus is a hard problem. (Target disk mode isn't general access....)

You can put 10 GbE on T-Bolt on each system, and cluster over Ethernet.

I've read many many posts about people suggesting TB as an interconnect for a cluster, yet I've never seen anything indicating that it's actually been accomplished. I figured it probably couldn't handle such use. People are still confusing the function of a workstation with that of a small server farm:rolleyes:.
 
almost every company has a "Flagship" model, no matter what they do.

Car companies have their super high end cars, camera companies, watches, furniture, glasses etc etc.

Why should this be different? Do you really think Audi or Nissan sell that many R8's or GT-R's to make it "worth it" to them? No, because they want to deliver something as high end as they can to satisfy the niche.
 
almost every company has a "Flagship" model, no matter what they do.

Car companies have their super high end cars, camera companies, watches, furniture, glasses etc etc.

Why should this be different? Do you really think Audi or Nissan sell that many R8's or GT-R's to make it "worth it" to them? No, because they want to deliver something as high end as they can to satisfy the niche.

It shouldn't be different but at times it seems like Apple is all about maximum profit.
 
Right now I have a Mac Pro 2006, which is clearly a starting point to get a little old. I thought I could for a year or two more out of it, but it is a stretch. Needless to say, I am very interested in a new Mac Pro will be released, especially because I am still a student and a student to use for a fee.
 
Yeee, a man can dream though, a man can dream..


Remember when people used to love all sorts of outlandish ridiculous apple hardware rumors? Even make mockups, anyone do that anymore?
 
611 days and counting. 512 posts and hardly counting, certainly none with new info. My Mac Pro 2003 gone to the basement and confidence in Apple on its way down.
 
I certainly feel the same way...
I think Tim is happy with an iPad as the only computer he actually use at home and that make me cry.
When i gonna be able to put 4-5 big SSD and having 2 Eizo monitor hooked on my ipad only then i'm gonna call myself a "post PC " user :D

My vision as a power user is:
1- BAD @ss Mac Pro fully loaded as main working machine
2-Macbook Pro/Air when doing real thing when i'm out and about
3- iPad for leisure



611 days and counting. 512 posts and hardly counting, certainly none with new info. My Mac Pro 2003 gone to the basement and confidence in Apple on its way down.
 
611 days and counting. 512 posts and hardly counting, certainly none with new info. My Mac Pro 2003 gone to the basement and confidence in Apple on its way down.

One could argue that it's 1122 days and counting - the July 2010 upgrade was very minor, just new CPUs and graphics cards in virtually the same system.
 
I've read many many posts about people suggesting TB as an interconnect for a cluster, yet I've never seen anything indicating that it's actually been accomplished. I figured it probably couldn't handle such use. People are still confusing the function of a workstation with that of a small server farm:rolleyes:.

I've yet to see TB used as an interconnect for a cluster, and yeah - there are workstations, there are clusters, and the uses of them are actually different. Which is why most people who make proper machines for small server farms/clusters (Dell, Lenovo, HP, etc.) also make workstations.
 
When is next week

Any news on the new mac pro with e5 chips?? i am desperately waiting for this computer.
 
I've yet to see TB used as an interconnect for a cluster, and yeah - there are workstations, there are clusters, and the uses of them are actually different. Which is why most people who make proper machines for small server farms/clusters (Dell, Lenovo, HP, etc.) also make workstations.

I know. There are some weird ideas posted on here as to what people feel could replace a mac pro. I kind of wish they'd stick to things that could actually be implemented when stating their arguments:rolleyes:.
 
Mac Pro Sandy Bridge Processors

So are we to believe any of these postings that somehow somebody knows something about the possible release date of the new Mac Pros ? I have been holding out for about 1 year now waiting and waiting this has to be one of the longest Pro re refresh from Apple. It seems as if Apple is paying more attention to their iPhones and iPads and less and less to the Pro Line. It is such a shame ! We wait with anticipation but I definitely do not believe any of these supposed postings from people saying they are coming they are coming.. Its been over 4 weeks since this poor idiot posted that it was coming next week. Well guess what They're not here and nobody really knows when they will be releasing them.."if they even considering maintain the pro line alive".
 
@all the macpro bashers :
"Let's discuss the taste of oysters with those who tried them" as Mark Twain said.
I am happy that your imac fells great and quick for your tasks. This does not mean, however, that your imac will feel great for other tasks of other people.
If you only knew Windows and then learned about Macs via your i-stuff then it's not all the systems out there.

There is a difference between iMac and Mac Pro, one of them is upscaled laptop and another is a downscaled server. They come from different worlds and at different prices, no point arguing and trying to price-match them at same number of threads.
Most people don't need them. Most people are fine with laptops (in the west) but even more are happy with just smartphones (India, China).

i-stuff is for sheep, pro stuff is for shepherds.
kill the pro stuff - and who will feed the sheep?
sorry if it sound shauvinistic, it's just an analogy.
You need one great whip for each 1000 of ship.
Numbers don't make sense there, it's all about different purpose.

No point comparing profits and saying where Apple should focus.
If Apple went for profits they might as well have moved on to realty or something (oil, gas, pharma, energy). Do you really want to focus Apple on profits, and not on great products that change the world? That would be the end of Apple if they did.

Now let's see my personal angle:
I am a Microsoft IT Professional, and need a lab to practice and model things in enterprise environment. Things like DirectAccess, BranchCache, RD Gateways, NAP, AD Federation Services, RMS, Transitive Trusts etc.
I could have used a bunch of servers at work but they're all busy with production stuff. It is simply not economical to create a fully physical test environment just for my certification tests and modelling.
Consider I want to model three domains, with application servers, clients, as well as domain controllers in each. Two different virtual companies, each with it's own LAN, Intranet and DMZ. Things like NLB mean 2 or more VMs for same purpose (ex Citrix Web Access Interface). Think of how many cores, memory and disk bandwidth I would need and whether your iMac will suit.

I have been a Mac user since 1994 (System 7.5) and Apple ][ hacker since 1988.
I had a PowerMac G4 Cube that lasted since 2001 until 2010 (it still runs in my ex's pad and she uses Skype video sometimes). It was a great expandable professional machine that lasted much longer than you'd expect. I also had an iPhone 3G but you know - after 18 months when it was stolen I did not miss it much. i-stuff just does not excite me much. I never had an iPad, and I don't like iOS because there are other systems with a better UI (webOS). iOS makes you watch it's "yellow pages" of Apps every bloody time you want to do anything. Even WP7 is better in this regard. Apple is so focused with selling apps to you that it's simply distractive for people who think different...

But back to Pro stuff - from the Apple angle of view.
It's problematic, indeed. People buy professional-grade stuff and keep it for years. Think 6-10 years. I am after top line newest macpro and I won't buy another probably until 2020. It's a problem for Apple. My gain, their loss.
So they may indeed decide to feed me imacs every two years, but I won't have them. I will simply wave Apple goodbye. Since I am not an iOS developer I could do this. I do not have anything Apple now, except Airport express and my spouses iPhone 4. If I bought a macpro, then I would buy and iPad instead of my hp Touchpad, and probably replace hp pre3 with a new iPhone 5 (or will it be called "the new iPhone"?). Then get into iCloud and become and AppStore regular. If not, then I won't. It's a halo effect for me, anyway I look at it.
I still think you can own your cloud, back at home. It can have enough storage, and be integrated (with Microsoft's solutions).

@all the folks like me:
If Apple gives up on macpro, and you are not tied into MacOS X (I am not), take a look at hp z820 workstation (comes April 2012). It is a much stronger machine http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/workstations/z820_features.html heck even their Z1 will beat the crap out of iMacs.
512G RAM in quads - you got it
newest Xeons and upgrades - you're covered
If not Apple MacPro, I will simply buy hp Z-series and have my virtual havoc there. No MacOS X is a pity but I will survive, MS operating systems got much better now. But for Apple to have me as their ecosystem user would be more lucrative then a one-off payment to hp. Wait a minute - this may mean I will save some money - that can't be bad :)

@Apple - if you drop MacPro, then certify MacOS X to run on hp Z-line. To still give shepherds their tools.
 
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Apple might make most of their money now through their i products but a lot of industry professionals need high end machines to be able to do their work. I'm a film student having to use a MacBook Pro which I've maxed out at 8gb and can just about get away with this for the short films I'm working on but will struggle with anything involving lengthy edits and special effects. iMacs aren't a solution as they're not powerful enough either plus those glossy screens really are awful! I use Avid and After Efects (ex long term FCP user, thanks Apple!) and even though they're both available on PC's, I really don't like Windows. The world will never go totally portable either as raw power means more to industry professionals than portability. You're not likely to see, for example, a music producer using Starbucks as his/her office anytime soon. With so much speculation on the future of the Mac Pro, Apple at least owe it to their customers to give us an answer one way or the other.
 
i-stuff is for sheep, pro stuff is for shepherds.
kill the pro stuff - and who will feed the sheep?
sorry if it sound shauvinistic, it's just an analogy.

You lost me at "sheep". The use of "sheep" is worth -10 rhetoric points. "Sheeple" is worth -25, so you dodged a bullet there.

You double lost me at "shauvinistic". Pros enable spellcheck.
 
Actually I'm quite fond of sheep and sheeple. Well the terms, not the actual sheep/sheeple (stay away PETA!).

And his point made sense to me, at least.
 
My Mac Pro 2003 gone to the basement and confidence in Apple on its way down.
Why cant you use your time machine this time too? If you got a Mac Pro 3 years before it launched you would most certainly be able to get the future Mac Pro today too.
 
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