Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
The 'Trashcan' Mac Pro: Remembering One of Apple's Most Controversial Designs Nine Years Later
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I managed to snag one on FB marketplace for $200 just a bit ago, tossed in a 12 core CPU, 64GB of RAM, and an eGPU with a 580x and I'm set for a a year or two on the Intel side till I see what higher end AS machine I want
You know full well that's exactly what he DID NOT mean. You're being just as insufferable, come on man. Be better than that.
I always wanted one for my collection but they held their value way longer than I thought they would. Recently they have gotten much cheaper and I picked one up a couple of months ago. I got a nice mid-range configuration, 3.5/512GB/32GB/D500 video cards, for $400.
It very much reminds me of the G4 Cube, removing the cover is akin to that neat self-ejecting handle on the Cube. Removing the cover or pulling the Cube apart is so much fun that you do it because you can.
While the design is indeed very interesting, the compromises it imposed were very frustrating. It's a prime example of form over function, and the CMP machines that came before it really made the 'can look bad from the point of view of function. I like my cheesegraters much more than the Trashcan.
And don't forget the special treat that is the job of replacing that battery.....
It very much reminds me of the G4 Cube, removing the cover is akin to that neat self-ejecting handle on the Cube. Removing the cover or pulling the Cube apart is so much fun that you do it because you can.
While the design is indeed very interesting, the compromises it imposed were very frustrating. It's a prime example of form over function, and the CMP machines that came before it really made the 'can look bad from the point of view of function. I like my cheesegraters much more than the Trashcan.
And don't forget the special treat that is the job of replacing that battery.....
It's a work machine first and a fashion statement second.
I'd prefer the former if I needed to get a a job done. By a long shot. Seriously, who cares how good it looks if it fails prematurely and can't get the job done?
You can get a maxed out 2013 MP for $500-600 these days. By "maxed out" I mean 12 core CPU and 128GB RAM. Just got one recently because "why not".
Love this Machine. Still use this as my Primary Mac , bought it a month ago.
I remember the first time we got one of these in at work, and I was thinking how absolutely cool it looked. I would much rather have preferred this design running Apple Silicon as opposed to what the Mac Studio turned out to be.
Yeah, but it did actually work out for a lot of usage scenarios, like for audio production. Not like a lot of us had the choice though. Needed a powerful robust machine that was a Mac and an iMac wouldn't work out.
The trash can was supposed to be expandable. Allowing for graphics card swaps and hard drive swaps. It was only the cpu and mother board that were supposed to be stuck BUT Apple never delivered on its promise to expand the line.
That being said my company has 3 of them still…
That being said my company has 3 of them still…
And loved it .... I still get mad thinking I sold it.
And the controversial cooling. Apple silicon has done wonders for packing pro performance into a small footprint.
Part of what has made Apple such an iconic brand is their willingness to push the boundaries of design. The fact we are still debating the design of the cylinder Mac Pro 9 years later tells me just how successful this strategy is. If you want a plain black box sitting on your desk humming looking uninspiring, there are numerous other computer companies from which you can purchase. I frankly appreciate that Apple invests in design, even if I disagree with some of their moves from time to time. They understand people aren't just buying an Apple device simply to do computing; people want to have a device they are proud to not only use, but also to own and display.
NINE YEARS?!?! WTF! Feels like 2 or 3 years ago. Time is weird.
That is kinda disappointing. I would expect it to make a sound or show some lighting. I think I remember the high end version had a $6,000 GPU that was designed for professional work and it would suck with gaming. I would expect a glass of water to make a small crater.
Apologies, but I don't understand how that disagrees with my original comment? You say the 2013 Mac Pro didn't work because "Apple engineers are scarce", but that's besides the point. Conceptually the '13 Mac Pro was flawed, not just because it utilised a single heatsink had to support the power supply, two GPUs, a CPU, RAM and all the accompanying sub-systems, but because Apple betted on multi-GPU support and chose to build the architecture around that.
The absolute most perplexing thing about the trash can design is that they didn't bring it *back* for the Apple Silicon lineup. I mean, they originally cancelled it because CPU heat had quickly become too much for their cooling design. Well, their own chips should be fine, right?
In all honesty, the Mac Studio is basically what happened to the trash can Mac Pro.
In all honesty, the Mac Studio is basically what happened to the trash can Mac Pro.
Why would they bring it back? Apple Silicon is an era of systems on a package. In fact, if you take a look at the Studio's main board where the M1 Max/Ultra sit, it is in volume about the same size as just one of the three logic boards in the trashcan. So you'd end up with a delta-shaped heatsink with only 33% being used?
The Mac Studio industrial design is better than the trashcan in every regard. Just because something 'looks' good doesn't make it practical.
Beautiful design really only let down by Thunderbolt 2. My 6 core is still going strong after all these years although it will probably be replaced by one of the bland aluminium boxes once we get M3 chips.