New 2013 Mac Pro (possibly WWDC?) - Any word?

[WardC]

So does Apple have something in the works here, or not? I know the Mac Pro community is really hoping for something drastically new, refreshed, and updated...and Tim Cook has alluded to such things with statements such as "We have something really great planned for our Pro customers" -- but other than that, he has been pretty tight lipped about the situation, with not much word coming out of Cupertino about a new Mac Pro box making the testing rounds.

So what do you all think...do you think Apple is working on this "new" Mac Pro, and that we will see something of the sorts in 2013?

Or will the cheese grater aluminum tank be the end-of-line in a phase-out, as Apple moves to concentrate all energy on its more consumerish gadgets like the MacBooks, the iPad, and the iPhone?

I want to hear some discussion on this.

 

[deconstruct60]

I want to hear some discussion on this.

Just on the first page of active threads for this forum right now there is

Hope for official Blu-Ray option in new Mac Pro?
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1560610/

New Mac Pro release date, rumours and leaked images
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1519861/

No Mac Pro with "Updated" FCPX
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1519861/

Any chance for a smaller Mac Pro this year?
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1561446/


I'm pretty sure there are some more on the next page because that is plenty right there.

There are hours of discussion threads on this in this forum. Not sure what yet another one is going to illuminate.

 

[PowerPCMacMan]

We can only speculate on what the new Mac Pro will be like, but there are no guarantees that what we are saying will come true.. for all we know it could be a hybrid of a mac mini/iMac.

 

[MacsRgr8]

We can only speculate on what the new Mac Pro will be like, but there are no guarantees that what we are saying will come true.. for all we know it could be a hybrid of a mac mini/iMac.

Or nothing at all...

 

[deconstruct60]

Or nothing at all...

Unlikely Apple would keep repetitively pointing to the same statement they were going "do something in 2013" if they were not at least planning on going to do something in 2013.

"... Apple declined to give any further information about a potential Mac Pro replacement except to reiterate that it was "working on a pro product for later this year." ... "
http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/01/apple-to-stop-shipping-mac-pro-in-europe-on-march-1/

That statements not being narrowly specific on explicitly naming a Mac Pro is entirely consistent with the standing corporate policy about not commenting on future products. The fact they bring up the statement only in the context of when folks quiz them about the Mac Pro makes it highly dubious they are talking about something else.


If the Mac Pro market implodes so badly that they re-evaluate to think it can't be salvaged then could not be another one. I doubt though the decline is substantially larger than they thought it would be at this point. It is probably cratering given invoked the Osborne effect almost 10 months ago and are now just selling residual Mac Pros in partner inventories in EU markets.

 

[goMac]

Or nothing at all...

I don't think nothing at all is in the cards.

I'm sure not everyone is going to be happy with whatever it ends up being.

 

[deconstruct60]

I'm sure not everyone is going to be happy with whatever it ends up being.

And the sky is blue.

When hasn't that been true ? Every single product Apple releases at least 1/4 of all the replies on the announcement's thread here on MacRumors is folks rolling on the ground writhing in pain about some feature 57 that isn't present.

 

[goMac]

And the sky is blue.

That too.

I'm just saying it feels like a wasting of time getting all worked up about if we're going to like whatever Apple releases, because most the time, whatever Apple releases, a bunch of people are unhappy with it.

As it stands, there are going to be a group of people unhappy if Apple doesn't go after the mid end, and a group of people unhappy if Apple doesn't go after the high end. Apple is already in a lose/lose.

Something like an iMac or Mac Mini Pro would make a lot of people unhappy, but a lot of people happy. I'd probably be unhappy, but again, you can see how Apple is going to take flak whatever they do.

 

[PowerPCMacMan]

Correct, or nothing at all.. or, it may not even be a Mac Pro and just some Pro software and no hard ware.. Regrettably, we will never know until the day comes if it does.

I speculate that it will be a much smaller machine, with little to no expansion like the previous models.. The case design will be much different, possibly rackmount.. If this is the case then the Mac Pro as we know it and love will CEASE to exist.

I know I am not going to be pleased or happy if its a mediocre machine with limited expandability.

Or nothing at all...

----------

goMac,

I am inclined to agree with you.. as I mentioned in previous posts while there *maybe* something in the works, regrettably, we will never know until it comes..

If it turns out to be a pro piece of software unlike FCPX and Logic Pro, then I am sure everyone will be FLAMING angry and threaten to leave Apple.. Again, I can only speculate what this "wonderful" pro product will be.. I am sure it won't be the same Mac Pro as we all have now.. but it does NOT look good thus far.

I don't think nothing at all is in the cards.

I'm sure not everyone is going to be happy with whatever it ends up being.

 

[GXPvince]

Just on the first page of active threads for this forum right now there is
>Snip<

I'm pretty sure there are some more on the next page because that is plenty right there.

There are hours of discussion threads on this in this forum. Not sure what yet another one is going to illuminate.

Are you a moderator?

Can you mod all the 7950 threads also please? Thanks.

If the moderators think its to much I am sure they will mod some. No need to post in everyone's threads about how many other threads are just like it.

 

[deconstruct60]

Apple is already in a lose/lose.

Making hard choices about design choices isn't a lose/lose situation. There are just customers that Apple isn't targeting. That isn't necessarily a "lose" since it is not an objective to sell to those folks. It isn't like Apple is going to go to the poor house if most of these "inbetween" folks fall through the cracks.

Pleasing everybody rarely, if ever, happens so it isn't really part of winning. Efficiently, finding the right people to match with is winning. Frankly, some of the 'elite gamer' crowd folks poo-pooing their efforts actually probably saves Apple time and effort not having to handle more of that crowd.

 

[PowerPCMacMan]

Some people are scared about this whole fiasco with the 2013 Mac Pro.. perhaps thats why there are so many threads on it. I agree they all should be combined into one thread.

This whole thing is giving me a headache.. I am just happy with my w3680 and thats the fact.

 

[greenmeanie]

Magic 8 Ball says "who the hell knows"

 

[PowerPCMacMan]

You got that right, bud!

Magic 8 Ball says "who the hell knows"

 

[deconstruct60]

Are you a moderator?

Redundant threads don't help the long term health of a forum.
Forums that constantly regurgitate old "news" as a substitute for activity typically drift into a death spiral.

Can you mod all the 7950 threads also please? Thanks.

A completely vacuous comparison. Something actually just happened with the 7950. There is nothing new in all these "rehash on no new information" threads. There is no indicators one way or the other at all anything will be announced at WWDC.

If the moderators think its to much I am sure they will mod some.

Typically not. Especially not on a board with get paid by ad views. That way kooky rumors end up on top level pages of this site even when it is almost certain they are false. Of late.... the

Friday March 29, 2013 12:19 pm PDT
Apple Working on Dedicated iOS Game Controller?

Friday March 29, 2013 1:33 pm PDT
Apple Has No Plans for Dedicated iOS Gaming Controller

over 200 posts and thousands of page views later.... payoff.

No need to post in everyone's threads about how many other threads are just like it.

If it is the quantitative truth what is the problem? I don't post these all the time but of late it is getting a bit out of hand.

 

[PowerPCMacMan]

Well said!

 

[Bubba Satori]

NAB starts in five days.
I expect there will be something announced then if there is going to be anything in 2013.
The only reason is because of the recent FCP news.

If Apple doesn't bring out new MPs and ACDs this year they might as well
not bother next year because most everybody will have moved on
and then they will say, "gee the market for expandable desktops isn't big enough for Apple to sell MPs".

 

[PowerPCMacMan]

One look at the current desktop macs(minus the mac pro) will give you a hint that the days of highly open and expandable macs is drawing closer and closer to a close, sadly..

Apple today is all about the consumer and prosumer.. They could care less about the real Pro users who need these Mac Pros to make a living and or provide descent apps for IOS.

We will have to wait and see..

NAB starts in five days.
I expect there will be something announced then if there is going to be anything in 2013.
The only reason is because of the recent FCP news.

If Apple doesn't bring out new MPs and ACDs this year they might as well
not bother next year because most everybody will have moved on
and then they will say, "gee the market for expandable desktops isn't big enough for Apple to sell MPs".

 

[scottrichardson]

I totally forgot about NAB being so soon.... let the anticipation begin!

 

[Sol]

One look at the current desktop macs(minus the mac pro) will give you a hint that the days of highly open and expandable macs is drawing closer and closer to a close, sadly..

Apple today is all about the consumer and prosumer.. They could care less about the real Pro users who need these Mac Pros to make a living and or provide descent apps for IOS.

We will have to wait and see..

The consumer Macs were never easy to upgrade for a reason; most people who buy iMacs and iBooks just want computers that work with a minimum of fuss out of the box. This idea is still shocking to the PC crowd but so was the idea of a computer without a floppy drive.

Apple dropped the ball with the Mac Pro but I doubt they are phasing it out when they are selling software like Motion 5 and Final Cut X that demand high-end graphics and other hardware. I think when the Mac Pro desktop product gets a real upgrade there will be genuine excitement from the pros who use high-end apps and had their doubts in the last few years.

As far as video editing goes, Avid is in financial trouble and Final Cut X is now fully featured so a lot of holdouts could be persuaded to invest in a new Mac Pro with this strange but wonderful new version of Final Cut. Everything changes and editors need to get with the times of be stuck on legacy systems.

 

[deconstruct60]

The only reason is because of the recent FCP news.

.....

.... but I doubt they are phasing it out when they are selling software like Motion 5 and Final Cut X that demand high-end graphics and other hardware.

A Mac Pro isn't necessary to get useful commercial work done with Motion and FCPX. The top of the line iMac has above over 2 TFLOPs of computing potential inside the box. Most of the whole 27" lineup is over 1 TFLOP. with the 2014 updates the whole iMac line up will probably be over 1 TFTOP to potential. The software need to be useful across the whole Mac line up for it to viable long term.

There are certain subclasses of work that would require that particular combination, but it isn't necessary.

Updated and expanded set of GPU drivers is a far more closely coupled indicator for a Mac Pro. If the Mac Pro wasn't due for an upgrade FCPX would need to make some rumblings around NAB just to keep up with the other marketing blitz for its competing tools this year. It isn't particularly indicative of one way or the other for the Mac Pro. FCPX updates multiple times a year so it is trivial to drop one of those updates relatively close to NAB.

Given the Mac Pro is completely stalled in the EU Markets someone at Apple would be completely bozo if they are "waiting for NAB" to release a Mac Pro. It is way overdue. They should release one as soon as they can if targeting inside of this part of the year.

NAB and WWDC are like "broken clock" inferences. They show up every year. Periodically they are right like a broken clock is right twice a day.

If Apple is still sticking to Tuesdays then it likely would have been now for a new Mac Pro so folks could set them up in NAB booth displays.

 

[xgman]

I think I see it way down in the middle somewhere . . .

 

[PowerPCMacMan]

Just my opinion..

I think what Apple is trying to do through conveyed marketing is show that FCPX and all of the video editing software + Logic Pro does NOT require a Mac Pro at all these days.. Apple is marketing PRO software for those professionals who now use MacBook Pros, iMacs, and Mac Minis..

The writing is on the wall.. While I am optimistic a new Mac Pro will come out or whatever this wonderful product will be, rest assured that it will not be a Mac Pro of what we all now know and use.. It will be a hybrid machine, a lot smaller in design with 1-2 maybe if you are lucky, 2 PCIe 3.0 or 2.0 ports, thunderbolt, and INTEGRATED Intel graphics.

Or it could be some high end PRO user software for use with the MacBook Pro, iMac and all of Apple's CONSUMER machines. Apple is now catering to the Consumer and Prosumer.. Its days of relying on the PRO users has all but gone nil at this point.

 

[Macsonic]

I am also thinking the quality of hardware materials as to what Apple will be using for the new Mac Pro. The trend seems to show Apple "cutting corners" on newer Macs. I recall the PowerMac G5s, the 2006 and 2008 Mac Pros had the most sturdiest of hardware materials. They were of premium quality and heavier in weight.

 

[goMac]

I think what Apple is trying to do through conveyed marketing is show that FCPX and all of the video editing software + Logic Pro does NOT require a Mac Pro at all these days..

Actually, I've noticed on the latest FCPX user stories on Apple's site, the Mac Pro is once against listed in the hardware list.

http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/in-action/globe-and-mail/