New Mac Pro is Quieter Than iMac Pro, Has Optional Wheels, and Was Kept in Top-Secret 'Stealth Enclosure'

[MacRumors]

On the latest episode of the Mac Power Users podcast, hosts David Sparks and Stephen Hackett had the opportunity to speak with Apple product manager Doug Brooks about the all-new Mac Pro, unveiled at WWDC 2019 earlier this week.

The new Mac Pro is an absolute powerhouse with up to 28-core Intel Xeon processors, up to 1.5TB of RAM, up to 4TB of SSD storage, and the option for the "world's most powerful graphics card" in the AMD Radeon Pro Vega II. Brooks said this performance will ensure the Mac Pro remains capable well into the future:

When we look at things like 8K workflows, that's not the norm today. There's definitely people doing it at the high end. But we want to make sure we're ready for it and have the performance throughout the system to deliver on that.

To manage the heat that comes with this performance, Brooks said the new Mac Pro has a so-called "low-impedance airflow system" that moves a lot of air through the system and cools the machine "very effectively":

The past Mac Pro tower had nine fans. We wanted to kind of simplify and make the thermal system a lot more elegant. It's what we call a low-impedance airflow system. If you look through the heatsink... the fin spacing is pretty wide. We're able to move a lot of air through the system, get a lot of heat exchange with these big fans... they tend to move a little slower so they don't create a lot of noise, but can move quite a bit of air through the system to cool the system very effectively.

Brooks said that sound from the new Mac Pro under a desk measures around 10 decibels, making it quieter than an iMac Pro or the current Mac Pro on a desk, which he said are both already "virtually silent" at around 12 decibels.

Brooks also reflected on the new Mac Pro's optional wheels:

You realize you have this thing next to you and there's a handle there. It's perfect to just grab... what if I just wanted to slide it out a bit to get access to the top boards or spin it around for the back. The feet have material on the bottom... it's really easy to slide around. It's like, what if this thing had wheels?

Apple supposedly used G-sensors to ensure that the new Mac Pro would be able to withstand reasonable amounts of shock and vibrations while being wheeled around in production trucks and other professional environments.

Image: The Verge​

Another notable tidbit was that, like many other Apple products, the new Mac Pro was kept in a "stealth enclosure" during testing in Apple's labs to ensure that its design remained a secret until it was announced. This was certainly effective, as the new Mac Pro's design was a complete surprise.

The entire interview can be listened to on the Mac Power Users podcast at Relay.FM.

Article Link: New Mac Pro is Quieter Than iMac Pro, Has Optional Wheels, and Was Kept in Top-Secret 'Stealth Enclosure'

 

[Tapatio]

Are the wheels an extra $1000 a piece?

 

[bladerunner2000]

Was the $3,000 markup also kept top secret? Base model is really only worth about that much.

Linus Tech Tips already did the breakdown of the parts (Price starts at 11:10)

So yeah... it's a $3,000 markup.

 

[Plutonius]

The wheels make it look like a toy .

 

[8281]

Looks nice, but it’s absurd that the base model starts with a 256 GB SSD.

 

[theluggage]

Are the wheels an extra $1000 a piece?

No, that would be outrageous.

$1000 for a pack of 3...

 

[squizzler]

I like it.

Anyone leaving negative comment does not need or intend to buy it. People just being negative for the sake of it.

 

[needfx]

I can only afford a screw

 

[BootsWalking]

They kept the design secret by hiding it in the 2006 Mac Pro enclosure. They simply forgot to remove the disguise during the WWDC presentation.

 

[Swazaloo]

Was the $3,000 markup also kept top secret? Base model is really only worth about that much.

Please post a link to an online build of a computer with similar specs that is $3k cheaper. Everything I've done come out to about $3k MORE expensive than what Apple is offering.

 

[BruceEBonus]

I couldn’t justify the astronomical price whatsoever .... but ..
After seeing those wheels .... take my money!

 

[oneMadRssn]

Can it support the weight of a person riding it down the hallway like a horse?

 

[dannyyankou]

I wouldn’t put a wheel-equipped Mac Pro on top of a desk though...

 

[Luap]

That thing needs a Mac Pro OS.

 

[theluggage]

but it’s absurd that the base model starts with a 256 GB SSD.

...and the same GPU as the $2300 non-pro iMac (not even the top end option for the iMac).

 

[tallscot]

You can easily do 8K editing right now. RED Dragon at 8K is about 250MBps, last I checked. That’s at 3:1, not 5:1 compression.

Thunderbolt 3 RAID drives read about 2,800 MBps, so the 250 per stream for 8K is not a big deal.

What I want is nVidia because CUDA doesn’t work with Radeon.

 

[JessWinter]

Can it support the weight of a person riding it down the hallway like a horse?

Asking the real questions here

 

[CWallace]

Are the wheels an extra $1000 a piece?

On "The Talk Show Live" Craig Federighi noted that the price would depend on how many you wanted and installment plans would be available.

 

[nutmac]

I totally applaud Apple for making no compromise, spared no expense Mac Pro.

The new Mac Pro is also totally not the right Mac for me, the software developer. I hope Apple will follow up new iMac Pro, MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and 27" display, with configurations ideal for software developers.

 

[Zen_Arcade]

Purchase order is ready . . .

 

[ChrisMoBro]

I like it.

Anyone leaving negative comment does not need or intend to buy it. People just being negative for the sake of it.

There’s a fair few of us who wanted a Mac Pro that had Nvidia support and a base model that wasn’t so heavily marked up. Ever since the first Mac Pro, the entry level prices have been around the 3K mark. They’ve just priced out a huge market of designers, photographers, animators and videographers in favour of large companies and studios.

 

[milo]

You can easily do 8K editing right now. RED Dragon at 8K is about 250MBps, last I checked. That’s at 3:1, not 5:1 compression.

Thunderbolt 3 RAID drives read about 2,800 MBps, so the 250 per stream for 8K is not a big deal.

8K ProRes RAW? That's uncompressed, right?

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

That thing needs a Mac Pro OS.

What is it you think macOS can't do that this machine needs?

Well, other than Nvidia drivers.

 

[IIGS User]

I dunno, I don't like the feet.

You mean evil feet?

It would have been nice if it had wheels.

You mean evil wheels?

YOU ALWAYS DO THAT!!!!!!!

 

[DrJohnnyN]

I'll take 2!