No Mac Pro: Not Fair

[Techhie]

And the whole "sold it based on rumors/guesses routine" of that particular machine doesn't mean it is my ONLY resource for income. the only ones making a "guessing routine" here are the ones implying that i'm dumb enough to sell the only source of all my income... that's not even my primary source of income.

Then why do you continually suggest a NEED for the update, and how you can't afford the wait? We wouldn't have assumed the urgency unless it was suggested. I'm just confused here, because you keep jumping between "needing" the Mac Pro and being non-relaint on it.

We love Macs, we even depend on Macs, but we not only LIKE them, we actually NEED them, so we can get some work done.

but pro-sumers.... man we need our stuff, and we need it ASAP.

WE NEED TO KNOW IF THE NEW MAC PRO IS COMING OUT OR NOT, AND IF SO, WHEN WILL IT BE RELEASED, because business people just can't just sit and wait.

I love Macs, always have, and probably always will, but i just can't afford this enigma anymore.

We need to get some work done, keep the suspense for the people who can afford it.

 

[notabadname]

I think people are overshooting the distinction between users and pros. This is not a "what does it mean to be human?" question of abstraction. There is a pretty solid line dividing them. I'm not saying where that line is, as others have pointed out, its not my place to say, however it must be noted that there is a line and most people fall on either side of it.

But we and the OP are usually the best judges of our own use. If you make money, even if not your principle income, as in my case, you are using the computer professionally. I could sell my Mac tomorrow and go without for a few months while waiting for the upgrade. During that time, I would not do any professional work, but that does not mean my prior Mac or my future Mac were not used professionally, or that I am not a "real" professional. I would still consider myself a professional photographer and a professional videographer, it simply is not my only profession, or my principal profession. The OP has stated so many times that he did not sell all of his revenue generating capability, and that it was not his only income source (just the opposite actually). So, while the line you speak of may be real, I view it more like a bar to jump over. And that bar to be a legitimate professional in any trade can be pretty low to get over. And I only mean in the sense, you either get paid or you don't. It is incorrect to assign a quantity to the bar. Paid or not. Simple. Some do their profession as a singular profession and get paid a little or a lot. Some do it on the side and get paid a little or even a lot, but still don't consider it their primary income. Some posters here however seem to feel they have ownership to the definition of what makes someone's work or business "Professional". If someone doesn't do it as much as they do, or make as much as they do, then they are not a "real" professional. That is the arrogance, and the tone, of many of the replies to the OP's first comments, which were directed only at Apple.

 

[VirtuallyReal]

I don't want to be the guy shouting "troll!," but some of your replies seem laughable.

We could go on all day, but obviously you are going to "express yourself" regardless of the venue or the thoughts of the forums you claim to regard.

Far be it from me to dictate where/when you make a fool of yourself.

This post was never intended to be controversial; i just said what i needed to say. you started the whole "who's Pro and who's not" approach; sorry but if that makes someone look like a fool, is not me.

You were a baby when i got my first Mac, yet you were so eager to dictate weather i'm a "Pro" or not, and you made assumptions on weather that machine is my "only source of income" or not, which i never said it was...

Again, i don't care how much it takes, i will not fall in debt or starve to death if the new Mac Pro hit the stores in 2012... apparently you don't even have a Mac Pro, yet you are on the first row, judging us who know what we're talking about, based on experience, not only opinions.

Laughable replies? please read your own.

I appreciate your "interest" on this thread, but if you stop posting now, that would be much more appreciated.

I've been polite enough to reply to you posts. i think it's been enough. Thanks.

 

[Vylen]

No.. please... keep arguing... I'm sure you two can keep it up till the new Mac Pro is released

 

[VirtuallyReal]

No.. please... keep arguing... I'm sure you two can keep it up till the new Mac Pro is released

LOL!!

Seriously, i never meant this to become an argument... sorry guys, all i needed to say has been said, i'm apparently not the only one feeling frustrated about Apple's Pro hardware update schedule.

Thank's everyone for your various opinions (even you, young Josh )

 

[johnnymg]

I'm losing work because i sold equipment and made buying plans based on the availability of new Mac Pro's by June.

Don't just jump into conclusions that easily.

I'm calling you out as a troll here and now. Go away ~~~~~~

 

[nanofrog]

Intel has said there is a short term shortage of Gulftown chips. Why on earth would you sell your machines?

That article has been misunderstood (was about the distrubutor market, not the direct market, where large vendors buy directly from Intel).

If you look at other vendors, they're able to build CTO systems with hex core parts (Gulftown SP and DP systems), and ship in a week.

Apple has been a direct buyer from Intel since the introduction of Intel based Macs, so there's no supply problems.

Apple just needs to sell OS X as a standalone operating system. They can keep making laptops, but an OS X for system builders would be nice.

They'd have to exit the computer side all together (MP, XServe, iMac, Mini and laptop systems combined) before they'd even think about it. And that's not likely in the near future (if ever, as they'd then have to deal with a lot more hardware in the validation phases of the development process, and if the market share was large enough, security would become a much harder aspect to deal with as well, just as it currently is for Microsoft when it comes to Windows).

Don't you think there's a clear trend emerging that Apple sees it future in the contents consumption market instead of the contents creation segment? It used to be the other way round. Apple products used to be the weapon of choice for people in the creative business segments (ad agencies, graphics designer, movie makers, etc) but I see more & more professionals who are forced to leave Apple because they have no other choice (especially in terms of pro software).

Content delivery and the devices to consume the content is the market where the money currently is though, compared to the computer side.

Being kept in the dark by the company on which you depend for core technology for your business is not a positive situation. Apple's commitment to the pro market remains an open question.

This is highly unusual for the enterprise market (workstations and servers). No other vendor does this, and especially not Intel. But Intel's information isn't adequate for MP and XServe users to base their upgrade strategies on (planning phases).

It's a developer's conference, not a conference for new products. While you may be concentrating on the keynote, there is a whole week of development workshops.

I see the content distribution and content consumption devices as what WWDC is being focused on, as it's where the money is. They want to attract software developers to create content for their devices, and then sell it through their store.

Win-win for Apple, and the market is definitely there. As the computer systems aren't the primary means of content consuption (comparitively speaking for Apple's products = largest chunk of profits), they've been left out.

 

[UltraNEO*]

LOL @ OP!

I'm calling you out as a troll here and now. Go away ~~~~~~

+1

 

[gri]

That will never happen.

Hell already froze over once and pigs DID fly (Intel switch)

 

[Techhie]

Thank's everyone for your various opinions (even you, young Josh

I guess this is what I get for revealing my age on forums. From now on, I am as ageless as time....or the ever enigmatic nanofrog

Apple has been a direct buyer from Intel since the introduction of Intel based Macs, so there's no supply problems.

This needs to be stickied

Win-win for Apple, and the market is definitely there. As the computer systems aren't the primary means of content consuption (comparitively speaking for Apple's products = largest chunk of profits), they've been left out.

It's a kind of forced-nostalgia to 2006, when Steve excitedly claimed screamed "zomg 3.0 GHZ guyz!"

 

[foidulus]

For the people who say the current performance is "good enough"

you are ignoring pretty much one of the fundamental laws of computing(and economics for that matter), demand ALWAYS scales with capacity.

By your arguments you could say that we should all be content with 1984-era Macs, because, after all, there has been no reduction in the amount of work they could do.

While that argument is admittedly a bit of a straw man you see my point. HD video and near real-time editing is now becoming the baseline instead of the exception and more and more powerful computers are needed to meet the increased demand.

Not to mention that with the economy professionals now need to be more adaptable than ever. If your 2009 mac pro renders a complex edit in 8 hours while your competitor, a windows user with a brand new Dell, can do it in 6, who do you think the customer is going to choose? Which editor will be able to take on more work, the one who can do things close to the bleeding edge or the one who says "2-year old technology is good enough!"

Hint, it's not the latter.

Apple is abandoning it's pro market, and there may come a day when Apple needs that market again but it simply won't be around anymore because Apple decided consumer devices were infinitely more important. However consumer electronics customers are notoriously fickle, just because Apple has a hit today doesn't mean they will still have one tomorrow.

 

[PeterQVenkman]

No, it's not that simple. Professionals do not sell their workstations for the chance of a slightly faster machine, nor can they go without a machine for as long as you have. When you sell your primary method of income based on a probability, you do not classify as a pro, or at least not a sensible one.

"Pro" is a very general term, but most here would classify you as an enthusiast because you obviously do not rely on the machine for sustenance.

Semantics. Was it smart? Probably not. Unless there is a list somewhere of what professionals do and do not do in the course of their lives that I've missed.

I would say making a mistake makes him human, much like the rest of us. How many of us professionals have seen our bosses do very, VERY stupid things?

I'm calling you out as a troll here and now. Go away ~~~~~~

Ummm, didn't he start the thread? If you don't like someone, don't spend time over at their house.

 

[macuserx86]

you are ignoring pretty much one of the fundamental laws of computing(and economics for that matter), demand ALWAYS scales with capacity.

By your arguments you could say that we should all be content with 1984-era Macs, because, after all, there has been no reduction in the amount of work they could do.

While that argument is admittedly a bit of a straw man you see my point. HD video and near real-time editing is now becoming the baseline instead of the exception and more and more powerful computers are needed to meet the increased demand.

Not to mention that with the economy professionals now need to be more adaptable than ever. If your 2009 mac pro renders a complex edit in 8 hours while your competitor, a windows user with a brand new Dell, can do it in 6, who do you think the customer is going to choose? Which editor will be able to take on more work, the one who can do things close to the bleeding edge or the one who says "2-year old technology is good enough!"

Hint, it's not the latter.

Apple is abandoning it's pro market, and there may come a day when Apple needs that market again but it simply won't be around anymore because Apple decided consumer devices were infinitely more important. However consumer electronics customers are notoriously fickle, just because Apple has a hit today doesn't mean they will still have one tomorrow.

You're assuming that the quality of work is exactly equal and that speed is the only factor in getting work.

There's a middle ground here.

 

[richim]

Enough of this rubbish, I did exactly the same as the OP, I sold my machine back in December thinking an update would be coming between January-March.

At the time, it seem perfectly reasonable to assume an update by March, indeed everyone I know in the industry expected that to occur.

Yes I am a professional and needless to say I deeply regret that decision now and had no idea it would take anywhere near as long as 7 months (and still going).

 

[foidulus]

You're assuming that the quality of work is exactly equal and that speed is the only factor in getting work.

There's a middle ground here.

What makes you think that the choice of an operating system affects quality? The tools on Windows are as good as those on Macs for the most part.

I didn't explicitly mention quality because it was implied, if two professionals of similar quality go head to head the one who is faster and more nimble wins the work every time.

 

[Man-Droid]

I totally empathize with the OP. That's all I have say about that.

 

[chrono1081]

The point of this thread is exactly that: Pro consumers deserve to have RELIABLE time frames.

100% impossible in the computer field. Seriously this is impossible.

To make a computer you have to rely on technology being created by other companies. Those companies have to research, develop, and produce the technology so that the computer companies can utilize it.

If Apple can not get the processors they need due to a shortage (which is happening now) then they can't release the product. So, people in the "pro" industry need to be aware of that and adjust accordingly.

This goes for every single computer manufacturer not just apple.

 

[THX1139]

?... On a current tricked-out MacPro, rendering my current movie takes 8 hours -- WAY too long and it can only be done over night, which means that I lose precious (and expensive) time...[/I]).

Most pros don't rely on a single machine for their precious projects. They edit and then off load to a render farm. At the minimum, you could set up a cluster of minis and render independently of your edit machine. But of course, since you are a "pro" you already knew that. Right?

The current shipping Mac pros can handle pretty much anything you throw at them. If you're having trouble, that just means you have been trying to get by on the cheap.

 

[vonMarion]

Regardless of what WE need, Apple seriously needs to update the Mac Pro for it's own benefit, or give the public information on what is happening. I spoke for an extended period of time with the manager at an Apple store in one of the biggest malls in the world, and he told me that in the past month, only 3-4 mac pros were sold at that location that he was aware of.

it would seem everyone is just waiting for an update, and many people are just deciding to buy the 27" iMac, rather than wait and decrease productivity.

I'm more than willing to put forth $3,000 on a Mac Pro, but for the same price as it was 1 year ago, and with an update imminent, no way. At least if Apple said "Hey guys, we're cooking up something, but don't expect it until september or even December," I could then make the educated decision to buy the current model, rather than simply cross my fingers from week to week. I'm an adult dammit! Treat me like one Apple.

 

[Halamolo]

I'm more than willing to put forth $3,000 on a Mac Pro, but for the same price as it was 1 year ago, and with an update imminent, no way. At least if Apple said "Hey guys, we're cooking up something, but don't expect it until september or even December," I could then make the educated decision to buy the current model, rather than simply cross my fingers from week to week. I'm an adult dammit! Treat me like one Apple.

Exactly. I agree 100%.

Apple is the unprofessional here.

 

[ValSalva]

it would seem everyone is just waiting for an update, and many people are just deciding to buy the 27" iMac, rather than wait and decrease productivity.

Maybe this is Apple's intent now

 

[pianojoe]

Now, if I were in need of speed, I would just get me another MP and set up a qMaster cluster. Problem solved.

 

[VirtuallyReal]

I'm calling you out as a troll here and now. Go away ~~~~~~

You are a MBP user... you are not even a MP user, i wonder what are you doing here. My point remains: it is an inconvenience to wait this long for the update; again, if you don't relate to the issue, your opinion is marginal. don't get mad, and feel free to go away anytime, starting, say, now.

 

[Marty Macfly]

You are a MBP user... you are not even a MP user, i wonder what are you doing here. My point remains: it is an inconvenience to wait this long for the update; again, if you don't relate to the issue, your opinion is marginal. don't get mad, and feel free to go away anytime, starting, say, now.

I recommend that you buy a PC if you are so dependent on frequent updates. Apple has never... ever... updated their professional desktop line in a manner that someone would equate to the word 'quickly'.

I'm serious here, go buy a PC. You don't seem to want a Mac.

 

[Halamolo]

I recommend that you buy a PC if you are so dependent on frequent updates. Apple has never... ever... updated their professional desktop line in a manner that someone would equate to the word 'quickly'.

I'm serious here, go buy a PC. You don't seem to want a Mac.

I´m sure many will go out and buy a Windows 7 PC. And actually some have already in my circles.

Apple doesn´t clearly care about the pro market anymore.

Sad sad says for Apple. In fact they should change their name to iApple or iToys or something.