New Mac Pro Lineup Now Available on Apple Store, But 8-Core Model Currently Unavailable Online

[TechRemarker]

Wow... so generous of them... both the 6 and 8 core models STILL START WITH 256GB STORAGE!!!!

On a three grand plus machine that doesn't even ship with a keyboard and mouse

Apple.. dedicated to the 'Pro' user...

If you really think this is a good thing, that the base model now comes with an extra 4 gig of ram, and a higher end 4/ 5 year old graphics chip, is a nice gift.. well more fool you.

I don't believe anyone mentioning that was generous of them other than you. Yesterday, and the past several years, it's been a set computer for a set fee. Today, its slightly higher specs, for less money. More for less? Less I think that's a good thing, but if you believe that too be a fool, you could always try going to the apple store and say you want to pay more for less and see what they say?

 

[CWallace]

Because the price point is still atrocious.

It's $1000 cheaper than it was. They also almost halved the price of the 8-core upgrade ($700 lower) and reduced the price of the 12-core upgrade by a third ($1000 lower). You can also now get a better GPU (D800 vs. D700) and the upgrade prices for the D700 and D800 were reduced, as well.

And that's for new in the box. Refurbished models will be even cheaper.

 

[RickInHouston]

I'm just curious - are people generally excited about apple announcing a macbook pro in the next year or so ? or are you just burned out on disappointment from this company that had once had you excited with their new and innovative products?

I'm wondering how they stand to be pulled around by that leash around their neck.

 

[TechRemarker]

I don't understand why the MacPro is now "buy now" on buyer's guide. There is absolutely nothing new on it and it is just as obsolete as it was yesterday. It is just few $$$ cheaper.

I imagine you don't understand because you are mistaken. In regards to, "There is absolutely nothing new on it" that is unfortunately untrue. The $2999 model goes from 4 Xeon CPU cores to 6, and from dual AMD G300 GPUs to dual G500 GPUs. The $3999 model goes from 6 CPU cores to 8, and from dual D500 GPUs to dual D800 GPUs.

So I imagine what you meant is the changes were relatively small and unexciting to you. The changes are meant to get people to run out and buy one, but rather there are many people that have to still buy Mac Pros, such as if one of theres broke or other reasons, and for them they will be good news to know they can spend a lot less for more than what they would have otherwise gotten yesterday.

Apple could have simply announced they were working on new mac pros for another year or so and made no price reduction or speed increases, or done what they normally always do, make no announcement at all, but instead they did offer reductions in speed increases in the meantime. But can understand many will never be happy. As they could have released a new Mac Pro today and many would say, too little too late, or it costs too much, or doesn't have the feature they need. Luckily Apple doesn't force customers to buy Apple products and people are free to choose an PC option they prefer based on their needs.

 

[kaneda]

I'm just curious - are people generally excited about apple announcing a macbook pro in the next year or so ? or are you just burned out on disappointment from this company that had once had you excited with their new and innovative products?

We are excited because they are actually updating their ****...

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

Nice that the price came down.

 

[brentsg]

When the 2013 Mac Pro first came out, it was a decent deal. It wasn't easy to configure a PC near the same config, and even when you did, the PC's were more expensive (and no TB ports).

I've been considering replacing my 12-core D700 2013 mac pro with something new. I'm not fully happy with the ATI graphics cards (I prefer nVidia). I have a cart I created a while ago on New Egg w/ 2x12 core 3.0ghz cpus (vs the 1x 12 core @ 2.7ghz), 2x nVidia GeForce 1080's with 8gb of vram each, and a 1tb m.2 card. Add to that 64gb of ram from crucial and the price comes out to around $7500. Versus the $7k Apple is charging right now for a 12core D700 config. Yes the price came down, from $9k, but its still too much.

At this point I'm pretty invested in TB2 devices, so I'm going to wait a little longer and see what Apple comes up with next. That and OSX (vs Windows 10) is whats keeping me on the Mac. Windows has gotten better, but I still have enough issues with it to hold off jumping all in for now.

I'm in a similar boat, but with an old 2010. I didn't get into the 2013 early on, and by the time I needed it.. was really old and expensive. This helps, but dang.. now I hate to get in with something new on the horizon. My 2010 is old and problematic, so I've been trying to switch to Windows and it's tough.

 

[mpe]

I imagine you don't understand because you are mistaken. In regards to, "There is absolutely nothing new on it" that is unfortunately untrue.

Don't get me wrong. I am glad that there is a price reduction. Also I am happy they announced they are working on a new Mac Pro. Yes it is too late and it is still not a good value considering we are talking about CPUs that are long time end of life.

I just don't understand how such a price reduction can change buying recommendation in Mac Rumours Buyer's Guide. I guess this should be reflected as "caution price cut only" as they normally do when they double the storage in iPad or something.

To me this is very close as when they slashed prices of 512/1TB SSD upgrades last year.

I guess we should praise Apple for giving commitment to pro users. The actual 2013 Mac Pro specs is only a little less embarrassing than it was yesterday.

 

[AZ63]

Folks have been demanding Apple cut their prices on the current Mac Pro and the moment Apple does that, and by a fair bit (for Apple), they still complain about the price.

Same with the new form factor. Bitch about wanting one, then bitch about having to wait for Apple to engineer it. And once it arrives, they'll surely bitch it isn't enough.

Doug Stanhope had it dead-on when he said some people find complaining their form of entertainment.

I think people are complaining because they feel Apple should have done this two years ago. Apple has not kept the internals current.
Tim says the Pro line is very important to Apple and there are great things in the pipeline and what comes out of Apple, spec bump.
Apple fans would, for the most part, IMO be fine if the company would update the lines in a 12 to 18 month timeline with major redesigns and such every 3 to 4 years. I guess that is too much to ask of the best run, most profitable company on the planet. Because Apple doesn't have to scramble to earn a buck, they can be indifferent to their walled garden folks and proceed as THEY see fit.
I guess it is love them or leave them.
I sure would like a new mini though.

 

[CWallace]

I think people are complaining because they feel Apple should have done this two years ago. Apple has not kept the internals current.

It took longer than a year for Apple to determine their assumptions about computing that led to the Mac Pro design were incorrect. They probably saw the writing on the wall last year and started working on a replacement form factor then. But they're not going to just give us a mass-produced Windows PC form factor so it takes time to design and validate. And if they are moving to nVidia (either as the only option or another option in additional to AMD) they need to develop drivers and validate macOS.

Tim says the Pro line is very important to Apple and there are great things in the pipeline and what comes out of Apple, spec bump.

And a price drop - two things this forum has been demanding for thousands of posts over scores of threads. And yet as soon as both happen, plenty of folks are still not happy with either, much less both.

 

[osaga]

I'm surprised that Apple leadership finally had the balls to discuss this problem amongst themselves. I imagine it was a somber meeting, way fewer high fives. This is absolutly the right path though, they should be transparent when they fail, Willy Wonka when they're succeeding, and have the brains to know the difference.

 

[guzhogi]

According to this article on AppleInsider,

"Touch doesn't even register on the list of things pro users are interested in talking about," Phil Schiller toldBuzzFeed News and other publications at an Apple prototyping lab. "They're interested in things like performance and storage and expandability."

While I agree that pros want expandability with performance & expandability, I disagree with the touch comment. I'm reminded of a Henry Ford quote about cars that goes something along the lines of

If you asked a man what he wanted, he would've said a faster horse

Sometimes, you don't know what you want until it's presented to you. I'm sure a lot of graphic designer/photographers would like a touchscreen with a stylus. I realize macOS isn't quite optimized for touch, but it could still be better than nothing. Plus, I'm sure the consumer market will like it.

I kind of wonder when Mac OS 11 (or whatever it's called) will be released. I don't mean 10.14, but a big rewrite of the macOS. Like between OS 9 → X. Probably keep many of the same technologies like iCloud, OpenCL, etc., but rewrite it Swift, take out old, legacy code. There's probably no way to optimize it for both touch as well as keyboard & mouse, but I hope there is. Breakup iTunes so that it only deals with music, and then have separate apps for movies, and another for syncing iDevices. But than again, all that's just wishful thinking.

 

[BlandUsername]

I don't understand why the MacPro is now "buy now" on buyer's guide. There is absolutely nothing new on it and it is just as obsolete as it was yesterday. It is just few $$$ cheaper.

I would say that those who are in dire need to acquire hardware, They would get a buy now, because of the price drop. If they had done the same thing to the Mini line and went from over 1k for a decked out machine to 699 I would buy now. Sometimes the economics of necessities comes into play.
[doublepost=1491331261][/doublepost]

Admitting the current Mac Pro is thermally constrained and redesigning it is an excellent move. Gives me hope.

Maybe a chassis with drive bays, and lots of power supply connections

 

[MH01]

This is so great! You can get a totally maxed out Mac Pro for $7,000 now, instead of $10,000. This news PLUS the news that the modular, upgradeable Mac Pro will release next year, makes today like CHRISTMAS!

They have not commited to next year could be years

 

[milo]

Folks have been demanding Apple cut their prices on the current Mac Pro and the moment Apple does that, and by a fair bit (for Apple), they still complain about the price.

They're not wrong.

Same with the new form factor. Bitch about wanting one, then bitch about having to wait for Apple to engineer it.

They're not wrong. And Apple has had over three years since the last version was released.

 

[mpe]

I would say that those who are in dire need to acquire hardware, They would get a buy now, because of the price drop. If they had done the same thing to the Mini line and went from over 1k for a decked out machine to 699 I would buy now. Sometimes the economics of necessities comes into play.

Then there was already effective price reduction already last year when they slashed prices of 512GB/1TB upgrades (almost mandatory upgrade in a Pro machine) which should be arguably even more exciting?

Consider we are talking about giving E5-1650 part instead of E5-1620. Those CPU are both long time end of sale / end of life and average price of them is about $100 on eBay.

 

[aaronhead14]

They have not commited to next year could be years

From the Techcrunch article: "a new Mac Pro from scratch means that the new machine will not be arriving this year, and is instead slated to appear some time next year."

 

[BeatCrazy]

Suppose you soon could get the previous entry-level model used for around $1000 instead of around $2000?
Would be like a more powerful alternative to the mini at that price.

Would be a good value, but the 6,1 Pro uses about 5X the power consumption of a mini.

 

[almirramic]

I'm just curious - are people generally excited about apple announcing a macbook pro in the next year or so ? or are you just burned out on disappointment from this company that had once had you excited with their new and innovative products?

The short answer, nothing really excites me about Apple any more. The current leadership is sucking the life out of Apple at an alarming rate.

Apple is deteriorating quicker than most people notice. The only focus they have is how to increase profit margin and milk their loyal base for it, brainwashing them into believing that they are still that same innovative company. They are currently testing the idea that the loyal base will also swallow product refreshes with minimum performance upgrades and removed features and functionality counting on brand power, thinness and aesthetics. They will very soon be in trouble if they continue screwing us over. I am a long-time Apple fan, watching its implosion into a car-salesman-type corporation already considering alternatives. MacBook Pro has been my workhorse since the first generation. The New MBP is an insult that fits into the profit margin approach I described. They stripped it to absolute minimum, hoping to also profit on things sold separately, offer minimum performance upgrades while the 15" model maintains the price of the 17" discontinued model, which had all of those things included. Sure, they are currently reaping benefits from the increased profit margin, but the loyal base and fandom is quickly softening and falling apart, which will eventually cause massive troubles across the board, including profits.

 

[MH01]

From the Techcrunch article: "a new Mac Pro from scratch means that the new machine will not be arriving this year, and is instead slated to appear some time next year."

I'm aware of that, just saying there is no committed date. And there is a good chance it might slip, not being apples cash cow. The laptop and macOS segments struggle enough with resourcing vrs iPhone /iOS. The Mac Pro is single digit sales figures , not a priority at all

 

[apolloa]

I don't believe anyone mentioning that was generous of them other than you. Yesterday, and the past several years, it's been a set computer for a set fee. Today, its slightly higher specs, for less money. More for less? Less I think that's a good thing, but if you believe that too be a fool, you could always try going to the apple store and say you want to pay more for less and see what they say?

Actually they have.. read the comments before posting. And FYI, they used to actually update the Mac Pro EVERY YEAR! Go and ask those in the Mac Pro fourms why they still keep and use their older tower Mac Pros. Or have switched to Windows.
Meh if you want to believe under Apples RDF that four year old computer tech costing them peanuts to buy being discounted for you is good, then it really is more cool YOU!
[doublepost=1491333573][/doublepost]

Then there was already effective price reduction already last year when they slashed prices of 512GB/1TB upgrades (almost mandatory upgrade in a Pro machine) which should be arguably even more exciting?

Consider we are talking about giving E5-1650 part instead of E5-1620. Those CPU are both long time end of sale / end of life and average price of them is about $100 on eBay.

Those price reductions were in the US only, they actually increased the prices elsewhere..

 

[iop]

I don't get it... In 2013 mac pro's price was somewhat justified because of its fast SSD. PCIe drives used to cost an arm and a leg back then. Nowadays you get an equally fast 500 GB SSD for $330, so it's possible to build a significantly better specced PC for $1.5k. How is Apple planning to stay competitive with the new pricing? Mac OS is definitely no longer an advantage it used to be for 'pro' users. Whatever you get for Mac, you also get for Windows, so what's the point? I'm the last person to preach Microsoft, but I just don't understand why Apple doesn't recognize they are rapidly losing the computer market. Sure, increased prices help in the short term, but they do a lot of damage long term.

What do you think?

 

[weup togo]

It plays into Apple's fake spin to call this an "update."

All they did was rearrange the purchase options and reduce the outrageous price a bit.

There was zero new engineering qualification involved in this. It's literally just a tweak to the ordering system and removing some components from the supplychain.

 

[jigzaw]

Folks have been demanding Apple cut their prices on the current Mac Pro and the moment Apple does that, and by a fair bit (for Apple), they still complain about the price.

Same with the new form factor. Bitch about wanting one, then bitch about having to wait for Apple to engineer it. And once it arrives, they'll surely bitch it isn't enough.

Doug Stanhope had it dead-on when he said some people find complaining their form of entertainment.

I've been one of the complainers but I find today's announcement to be very good news. As a pro (editor for TV shows) I've been lamenting the amount of people I know switching to Windows and was pondering that myself, but this news today will keep me in the Apple world for the foreseeable future. I was left in limbo when no iMac came out last year right as I was looking to get one, I started shopping around for Windows systems, but word that an "iMac Pro" is coming later this year is enough to calm me down and give me something to look forward to.

 

[brianvictor7]

I'm just curious - are people generally excited about apple announcing a macbook pro in the next year or so ? or are you just burned out on disappointment from this company that had once had you excited with their new and innovative products?

I've lowered my expectations, but in all honesty, Apple continues to be an excellent company and I'll remain heavily invested in its ecosystem for the foreseeable furture. I think we are all noticing that it has slowed some in its pace and also the competition has finally gotten much of its act together.