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Nehalem Mac Pro Redesign

Tallest Skil

Tallest Skil

macrumors P6
Original poster
Here's how I see it: Apple has let two processors go by over the Intel transition before they redesigned their computers (so as to make the transition smooth). It's been two Mac Pro processors (finally...) and so Nehalem's release is a prime opportunity for a redesign of the oldest case of the Apple line.

Don't get me wrong; I love the cheese grater, but there are other designs I'd like to see. I was going to sketch up a design that I had in mind when I suddenly realized something:

Handles.

The professional Mac line has had top and bottom handles since the G3 B&W. I'm... not sure I want them on my new idea... but I have no clue what to implement in their place. Any ideas for what to put in their stead? Thanks.
 
Rubber stoppers.

The handles do need to be gone from the bottom, it's not like it takes four people to lift a Mac Pro. Only two. 😉
 
The majority of high end chassis will have a bottom air intake - look at any high end gaming rig these days (HP Blackbird 002, anything built with the COSMOS 1000 case, etc...) - the Mac Pro is certainly in their power class, it will need to maintain the appropriate level of airflow.

I guess you could go with four round furniture legs like a coffee table or something instead of bottom 'handles' - depends on the aesthetic you are shooting for.

I prefer casters if you're shooting for heavy 🙂

Top handles are handy when you actually need to move the box - however I'm sure symmetry was a factor in the elegance of the current Mac Pro. Workstations aren't generally relocated regularly, we have laptops for that. So ultimately, top handles are a flip of the coin.
 
Sometimes I wonder if marketing considerations have kept the Intel designs largely kept the same as the PPC designs.

Maybe they felt/feel the transition would be less jarring for the user base if the Intel computers largely looked and felt like the PPC machines?

It's not like the designs are outdated. As it is, I think you'd be very hard pressed to find any machines as pretty as the Mac lines. So they save some resources by not (completely) redesigning the form factor, our fragile psyches are spared, and everyone wins. Well, except for Motorola.

On topic, for the new designs - I'd say they should work as much Minority Report in as possible:

minority_report-a.jpg
 
cmturner2 said:
The majority of high end chassis will have a bottom air intake...
Click to expand...

That reminds me... I've never seen any picture of the bottom of the Mac Pro case. What's down there? Owners, please don't post any! I want to solve this mystery for myself when I get my Mac Pro!

Apple probably put four more USB, two FireWire 400, two FireWire 800, two more gigabit Ethernet, and two eSATA down there and we'd never know... 😀
 
Does anyone remember the rumours building up to the G5 case redesign? Specifically I remember some fake images that were published on macrumors that showed a black case, quite small relative to the current design, with a large white lit up apple sign on the side and the transparent angular handles similar to the G4s. I remember hoping that that was what the G5 would look like and was actually kind of disappointed when they eventually demoed it!

Any chance anyone remembers this picture and knows where to find it? It was quite a low quality image showing this black powermac from the side on from a distance. I'm trying but not having much luck.
 
not to put you off your redesign, but from a design perspective i thought i'd chip in, i personally love there being handles on the bottom, not only does it aid ventilation, allow cables some room etc, i find them very useful when moving the mac pro around, if you are placing them anywhere above chest height or horizontally you begin to appreciate their design 🙂

i myself think the mac pro is as good as affordable case design gets, the only thing missing is an eject button/strip, they should make the disc lid touch sensitive, so it opens when you swipe your finger across it, apart from that i consider the design inside and out to be near flawless 😎

good luck with your redesign !!!
 
Prediction: Nehalem Mac Pros will come equipped with video cards that cannot be used in the Harpertown or Cloverfield Mac Pros. Apple will release some statement saying "we're working on it", while secretly hoping enough time passes that people forget Apple locked them out of an upgrade path on the "most upgradeable Mac ever". 😛
 
Mike Teezie said:
Sometimes I wonder if marketing considerations have kept the Intel designs largely kept the same as the PPC designs.

Maybe they felt/feel the transition would be less jarring for the user base if the Intel computers largely looked and felt like the PPC machines?

It's not like the designs are outdated. As it is, I think you'd be very hard pressed to find any machines as pretty as the Mac lines. So they save some resources by not (completely) redesigning the form factor, our fragile psyches are spared, and everyone wins. Well, except for Motorola.

On topic, for the new designs - I'd say they should work as much Minority Report in as possible:
Click to expand...

A little trivia... A friend of mine who was working for NorTel at the time (as an Industrial Designer in their design department) was sent to Hollywood to help develop the product aesthetics of the electronic gizmos in Minority Report. As do a lot of companies, NorTel had a section dedicated exclusively to "product placement". Their job was to get NorTel stuff into movies, TV, magazines, etc, so they sent him down to work on futuristic designs. He is a hardcore Mac fan 🙂 I don't know how much that influenced his designs, but he had a lot of fun with the project.
 
I dont see really what they can do with it.

It looks great, it cools great.

All your going to have is a different shaped box with maybe a different color.

Its a professional tool, not a fashion statement.
🙂
 
Wild-Bill said:
Prediction: Nehalem Mac Pros will come equipped with video cards that cannot be used in the Harpertown or Cloverfield Mac Pros. Apple will release some statement saying "we're working on it", while secretly hoping enough time passes that people forget Apple locked them out of an upgrade path on the "most upgradeable Mac ever". 😛
Click to expand...

I predict you may be right 😀😛
 
I think it's more important Apple sort out the ACD before the MacPro though..

Whilst I certainly would love a new MacPro redesign, one with decent amount of usb's and firewire, but more importantly for me the ACD is so overdue at this stage it's criminal. Added to it's still ridiculous pricing compared to the competition.
 
Current design is great. If they needed to change it they would have done it when they switched to Intel. Will there be some changes down the road? Sure. I just don't see anything drastic changing, and I think it's a good thing. Current design is simple, practical and looks great.
 
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