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Still Waiting for Mac Pro Updates, Suitable Intel Processors Due in Q4

johnpq said:
I'm very disappointed in this. I need a new desk top NOW as my G5 simply won't suffice any longer and I was really looking forward to getting a new Mac Pro. However, I can't see buying the current Mac Pro either given how much faster the upgrade will be and what I can build a PC for. I hate to say it but I'm going to be forced to build a Windows box and simply deal with not having OS-X then buy a Mac Pro in a couple of years when the PC has more or less paid for itself. :(

John
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the current mac pro is the most up to date xeon line intel makes
you wanting a new computer instead of the current one will not change that

a windows box will have the exact same components as there are no newer ones availeble

not sure what the problem is,
maybe you don't need a pro machine? you can buy a sandy bridge pc or iMac for 1000 $
 
Daschund said:
Really? Would you rather go to a PC and then come back in a couple of years than upgrade your G5 (which is what, 4-5 years old) to a computer that works perfectly fine and is waaaaay faster than your G5 just because you'll know there will be a faster one in a couple of months? Honestly that's very illogic to me...
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Actually, my G5 is 7 years old or so. I realize that the current Mac Pros are WAY faster then my G5 but from what I have gathered the performance increase in the new Pros is going to be really significant. So yeah, it hurts to think about spending the money on a device which is about to get a big upgrade. Or I can build a PC (gag) for much less then I can get a current Pro for. I grant that I may be looking at the issue wrong.

John
 
applefan289 said:
Apple has said before that Mac sales are growing and growing and is a big part of their income (not the biggest part, but a big part). I can't see them getting rid of Macs.

Come on, the brand was "Apple Computer, Inc.", would they really drop the computer part?

If they do drop all Macs, they will at least give us a device that can do mostly the same functions as a computer.
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They dropped "Computer" a while ago. They are officially Apple, Inc. as of right now.
 
downset said:
the current mac pro is the most up to date xeon line intel makes
you wanting a new computer instead of the current one will not change that

a windows box will have the exact same components as there are no newer ones availeble

not sure what the problem is,
maybe you don't need a pro machine? you can buy a sandy bridge pc or iMac for 1000 $
Click to expand...

Wrong. Check Dell's website. They have a MUCH larger selection of Xeon (including faster) processors than what Apple offers right now.
 
johnpq said:
Actually, my G5 is 7 years old or so. I realize that the current Mac Pros are WAY faster then my G5 but from what I have gathered the performance increase in the new Pros is going to be really significant. So yeah, it hurts to think about spending the money on a device which is about to get a big upgrade. Or I can build a PC (gag) for much less then I can get a current Pro for. I grant that I may be looking at the issue wrong.

John
Click to expand...

No you can't. Check the parts on Newegg. You can build a PC that is the same as a Mac Pro from there but it will only be about $100 less. Building something similar on Dells website to match a current MacPro is even MORE expensive than a MacPro.
 
Would be nice to have a cheaper entry-level model with an i7-2600... pipe dreams I know.

At any rate, I wonder how these Sandy Bridge-E chips will fare against the consumer-level Ivy Bridge chips that will come out a few months later...
 
downset said:
the current mac pro is the most up to date xeon line intel makes
you wanting a new computer instead of the current one will not change that

a windows box will have the exact same components as there are no newer ones availeble

not sure what the problem is,
maybe you don't need a pro machine? you can buy a sandy bridge pc or iMac for 1000 $
Click to expand...

You are correct with the 'need' portion. Mac Pros are overkill for my daily needs. The thing is I like to tinker with and upgrade my own machines and I can't do that with an IMac (which most certainly will meet my current needs). Also, I have been incredibly happy with my G5 (7 years old and never a problem) and would like to go to successor of that model then with the IMac.

John

PS, thank you all for your replies. I'll rethink the problem and look at refurbs and IMacs. The thought of going back to a PC really isn't attractive. :apple:
 
I gave up waiting. The current entry level Mac Pro had a horrible cost/performance ratio when it was released over a year ago. Today it is pitiful. I don't how care how great the "other stuff" is, a $2500 machine should have better than a $250 CPU and $70 GPU and about $20 worth of memory.
 
TwitchOSX said:
Wrong. Check Dell's website. They have a MUCH larger selection of Xeon (including faster) processors than what Apple offers right now.
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Well, go get a Dell.

I am willing to bet we will see a new form factor for the next Mac Pro, why else would Apple not add Thunderbolt to the top end machine with a small upgrade?
 
Spock said:
Well, go get a Dell.

I am willing to bet we will see a new form factor for the next Mac Pro, why else would Apple not add Thunderbolt to the top end machine with a small upgrade?
Click to expand...

Because it would require a new logic board, custom graphics cards and graphics drivers which are expensive costs that probably wouldn't be made up for in extra sales. The Mac Pro seems to sit in a place where it can just flow with Intel's workstation schedule. The majority of customers will buy them because they need them as they still carry a lot of unique features.
 
I would love to see the block diagram on how they plan on handling Thunderbolt on the Mac Pro. Otherwise Sandy Bridge-E is full of teething issues to date.
 
Justinf79 said:
I'd kind of like to see Apple drop the Xeons and just put in regular desktop CPUs in. And drop the price a few hundred while they're at it. :)
Click to expand...

Not likely, but this would put the mac pro back in play for relevant technology updates in a timely manner.
 
The tiny amount of money they make on the Mac Pro really has no effect on their bottom line. The future is iDevices. Steve has said this himself. Just like they buried the floppy disk, the CRT, and soon to bury the DVD drive, the tower computer is next on their list. I would not be surprised if the iMac is the last desktop Mac standing in the next year or two.

The Mac Pro just does not fit into their product mix and targeted market these days.
 
Pros may be a silent minority but it'd be outrageously stupid for Apple to underestimate their actual worth for its ecosystem and marketing.

Pros make software for iOS and OS X. You can make yet another twitter client on your Mac Mini, but it won't do if you're developing a huge 3D action game for future hardware.

Pros push the technology, which can be later adapted for regular users. There wouldn't be iMovie without Final Cut. There wouldn't be so many Final Cut users if the best hardware Apple could offer, was iMac.

In the end of the day pros are extremely influential opinion-makers. Being a satisfied and experienced Mac user and a "geek friend" of my friends, intentionally or not I introduced at the very least five new users to the Mac platform, and helped them learn it and tackle the difficulties. I'm sure this is not an uncommon situation, but you won't find statistics anywhere on how it impacts the sales.

Instead people count the amount of pro users and multiply it by the price of hardware they often use. Think wider!
 
OliverOSX93 said:
they could be waiting for the HD7000 range from AMD you know.
Click to expand...
Later this year, hopefully. Skyrim and Battlefield 3 are going to be a hardware upgrade fest for gamers. I would like to know what GP computation features AMD is going to offer in this CUDA world.
 
They are no more going to drop the MacPro than they dropped the MacMini when all of those rumors were going around. The delay has an obvious cause (Intel Processors not yet available), and there will be a kick-ass MacPro out when they do materialize.
 
Not necessarily. All you should need is a video card that has the Thunderbolt chipset on it. In fact, I'm surprised we haven't seen this already; it would be a great way to add Thunderbolt to existing Mac Pros.

(or maybe that's exactly why we haven't; Apple wants us to buy machines!)

Umbongo said:
Because it would require a new logic board, custom graphics cards and graphics drivers which are expensive costs that probably wouldn't be made up for in extra sales.
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what if :apple: bought Amd? they do have all that cash sitting around. Heck they could leverage all the IP and make themselves a tightly integrated system so competitive that could force MS to consider merging with Intel...

I'm just saying, they have ALL THAT CASH..... that is all!

:confused:
 
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