USB 3.0 and Faster FireWire in Next Mac Pro, iMac?

[Lord Vader]

When people have workflows it isn't convenient by definition...

Bla, bla, bla. First i have only 16 bluray discs and I add 1-2 every 2-3 months. Most evenings i like to watch something that would mean putting disc in and taking it out many times (fingerprints, dust and scrathes). Now i have everythin on iTunes and WD TV HD with no need to change discs or look for them. I still see no point why i would want to watch bluray on my iMac, i have tv for that if i want to.

 

[Mylardis]

I have to admit, I'm not that involved in the history of DVD and BD - I enjoy an occasional BD...but not on a computer screen. If I want to watch movies, I walk over to the couch and use my LCD TV and my PS3.

When it comes to storage of movies and series, I do use iTunes - But that's just for mobile entertainment on my MacBook, where I don't need maximum quality.

As I already stated, I think it would be best if consumers had a BTO option for removing the optical drive completely and using the space for a SSD, which is far more important to most tasks accomplished with your computer.

 

[Lord Vader]

As I already stated, I think it would be best if consumers had a BTO option for removing the optical drive completely and using the space for a SSD, which is far more important to most tasks accomplished with your computer.

Not only SSD, but also ordinary HDD + raid would be great. Same for notebooks would be great too. Space wasted. I think Apple is not that far from dropping optical media at least in some machines.

 

[mrfoof82]

Here's to hoping the iMac sees a GPU update. A mobile Radeon 5850 or 5870 would be VERY much appreciated. The current top-of-the-line iMac GPU has been out in the wild (though not necessarily in the iMac) for over 2 years.

Hmmm... I know what I'd be buying myself for Xmas!

 

[anomie]

How long can Apple ignore blu-ray? 100GB blu-ray discs were just introduced, which is more than interesting regarding storage and backup.

 

[toke lahti]

But we digress, this is supposed to be about the USB 3.0 and faster firewire. Most welcome improvements. I have the money saved for the Pro for a long time now, I just hope they don't rise the prices ridiculously as they have done with the mini.

This trhead turning to about BD is yet another sign how much people want BD in their macs. I bet almost every thread about new mac will turn to this until Apple adds BTO BD.
Hope they fix the memory architecture in new MP. It has been embarrassing...

 

[ericinboston]

I'm a bit late to the post...but some opinions:

1)Firewire...does any consumer still use that? Seriously. Maybe folks with video cameras but FW, in my opinion and industry experts have stated that FW lost to USB over a decade ago. Nice to have on a Mac for that rare external hard drive connection but for the typical consumer (Pro or iMac) I think the port is rarely used. I'm sure some folks will chime in here about the FW 4% speed improvement over USB 2.0 or some kind of setup with 11 drives powering a website, but let's stick to the vast majority of Macs out there that have something plugged into their FW port.

2)I frankly don't care about watching movies on my computers but I hear a lot of people here as well as other boards state they love watching movies on their 17-24" monitors. I do agree, now, with a lot of people demanding Blurary...it's been selling like mad (units and movies) since mid 2008...and I'd love to have a BD burner simply to backup 25-50GB on a single disc. My Sony home BD player cost $125 to my door. I own about 35 movies...all of which I paid $11.99-$17.99...all are blockbusters and all are stunning to watch on hi-def compared to their dvd counterparts. I think it would be worthwhile for Apple to include BD as an option...especially since Apple updates the Macs every 12-18 months. Do the people who want BD want to wait for the 2012 version of the Mac?...no. They may be able to go out and purchase a drive for $150-$200 but that's a pretty penny...and not sure if the consumer would then need to purchase software.

3)USB 3.0 is gonna rock...theory is 10x faster but likely 5x faster will be the norm. Heck, I'll take 3x faster. Backing up 200GB is not quick on USB 2.0.

-Eric

 

[WvB22]

Bla, bla, bla. First i have only 16 bluray discs and I add 1-2 every 2-3 months. Most evenings i like to watch something that would mean putting disc in and taking it out many times (fingerprints, dust and scrathes). Now i have everythin on iTunes and WD TV HD with no need to change discs or look for them. I still see no point why i would want to watch bluray on my iMac, i have tv for that if i want to.

Great valid points but there are just as many points in favor of Blu-ray. If you don't need it I'm fine with that. But I would love to have the option to add a Blu-ray player (build-in) in my new Mac. The MacMini would be an awesome media player. And Blu-ray movie would look great on an iMac 27".

They should sell it as an option and let people decide if they would like to have it or not. Don't want it? Fine. Need one, order it as an extra option (probably for a ridiculous price). Everybody happy.

But it won't happen because Steve is hiding behind 'The bag of hurt' argument. It's just not true (anymore). All computer manufacturers have handled the licensing issue. Steve just don't want you to have it because it hurts his iTunes business. I can live with that if he was honest about it. Instead they just play dumb. Apple is as evil as Microsoft in its best days it seems.

 

[macduke]

As long as the MacBook Pros get this by next summer!

Whatever happened to Wi-USB or whatever that WiFi - USB mashup was called? Because it seems like printers and things are just embedding WiFi chips now instead. It is nice to be able to print photos straight off my iPhone though. Speaking of which, there was an amazing sunset last night and my iPhone 4 captured it beautifully. Amazing for a phone!

 

[toke lahti]

Movies:
Who needs Blue Ray Support when you can download HD movies?

Most mac users can't download HD movies. Because of:
1) regional distribution only in few countries
2) lack of bandwidth
3) ISP caps

Backup:
Who needs Blue Ray when you can archive 100's GB on a very cheap portable HD?

When that cheap hdd brakes down (everyone of them will at some point), you loose your data. When that bd-drive brakes down, you still have your data.

 

[toke lahti]

You may give me a cracker as well; Blu-Ray is, as exhaustively explained before, a ridiculous DRM-ridden technology that brings only marginal gains when compared to normal DVDs.

You could same exactly the same about iTunes "HD" movies.

 

[Lord Vader]

Great valid points but there are just as many points in favor of Blu-ray. If you don't need it I'm fine with that. But I would love to have the option to add a Blu-ray player (build-in) in my new Mac. The MacMini would be an awesome media player. And Blu-ray movie would look great on an iMac 27".

They should sell it as an option and let people decide if they would like to have it or not. Don't want it? Fine. Need one, order it as an extra option (probably for a ridiculous price). Everybody happy.

But it won't happen because Steve is hiding behind 'The bag of hurt' argument. It's just not true (anymore). All computer manufacturers have handled the licensing issue. Steve just don't want you to have it because it hurts his iTunes business. I can live with that if he was honest about it. Instead they just play dumb. Apple is as evil as Microsoft in its best days it seems.

I would consider it if it doesn't add 200+ to the price, but sloat loading drives are crap.

 

[Michael73]

FWIW, I feel like I've got incredible life out of my early 2008 MP. The only thing that bums me out is that in March of next year my 3-year Apple Care runs out. Probably I'll begin to think about a new machine then although the MP is such a beast it could easily last for years longer. At 8-cores, the technology is still going to be ahead of most mainstream consumer machines for several more years.

As for the whole BD thing, I have a 30" ACD and I still don't watch DVDs on my screen. I'd rather lay down on my couch in the living room and watch the DVDs on my home theater set up. Seriously, all the people griping about lack of BR support in a MP so they can watch on their computer screens, how many of those people have good sound systems i.e. 5.1 or 7.1 attached to their computers? I mean seriously, who wants to watch an awesome blu-ray movie with subpar sound?

 

[Lord Vader]

Most mac users can't download HD movies. Because of:
1) regional distribution only in few countries
2) lack of bandwidth
3) ISP caps

When that cheap hdd brakes down (everyone of them will at some point), you loose your data. When that bd-drive brakes down, you still have your data.

I still have 6.4 GB WD HDD from 1999 (not to mention 512 MB IBM HDD from the time Jesus walked the earth) , can't say the same about CD or DVD discs. No matter how you turn it HDD is better for backups and faster and cheaper.

 

[notabadname]

Will be the only "Top End" computer that offers videographers zero blu-Ray support. Ridiculous.

Get over blu-ray Steve. I can order read capability now in an Acer. Yes an Acer. This should pretty much negate the "cost to license" argument.

 

[Truffy]

I wouldn't watch a BluRay on my computer...but if I'm to watch a rip on my iPad (should I get one) how am I supposed to get the damned thing into iTunes? Buy a second DVD version? I don't think so.

Hey, Steve, add BD. Then we can rip, and we''l buy your iPads. Oh, that's right, you're having no problems shifting them anyway

 

[DaveN]

i still want a small box with a lot of horsepower. Something that contains the basics,

• Two high end processors each with multiple cores
• Fast graphics card
• Room for the same or half the ram of the big box
• Room for two hard drives

Something that doesn't take up a lot of space and I can move it off the floor and on to my desktop without being too obtrusive. I'm willing to pay the base big box price.

 

[Lord Vader]

Bluray playback

Maybe in 10.7.

 

[jjhny]

Wha-wha-what?

Did Mac Rumors just mention Mac Pros? Am I dreaming? I thought the only thing "Mac" were iPhones & iPads.

No, not that all the important work - the work that makes me money is done on MacPro workstations. And so rumors/news of MacPros actually has a financial impact on my life, about a 1000 times more important to my livelihood than a gadget.

When the MacPros are released i will buy 3 of them, so $7k x 3 or about $21k to Apple (that equals about 105 iPhones)

(disclosure: I own an iPhone4 and like it very much - but I am sick of only hearing about it at "MacRumors")

 

[Truffy]

Firewire...does any consumer still use that? Seriously. Maybe folks with video cameras

I use FW800 for RAW image transfer from CF cards. But any increase in port speed will require new hardware, so I'm a bit ambivalent as to two technologies with (roughly) equivalent data transfer rates. Actually, thinking about it, I'd rather have just one and twice as many ports!

 

[notabadname]

FWIW, I feel like I've got incredible life out of my early 2008 MP. The only thing that bums me out is that in March of next year my 3-year Apple Care runs out. Probably I'll begin to think about a new machine then although the MP is such a beast it could easily last for years longer. At 8-cores, the technology is still going to be ahead of most mainstream consumer machines for several more years.

As for the whole BD thing, I have a 30" ACD and I still don't watch DVDs on my screen. I'd rather lay down on my couch in the living room and watch the DVDs on my home theater set up. Seriously, all the people griping about lack of BR support in a MP so they can watch on their computer screens, how many of those people have good sound systems i.e. 5.1 or 7.1 attached to their computers? I mean seriously, who wants to watch an awesome blu-ray movie with subpar sound?

It's not uncommon to have 5.1 sound on a computer. Especially for those who like to game also. But more importantly, since I only purchase BD titles, I just want the ability to play them in my study on my computer too. I don't want to have to buy a DVD version or digital download also. I can buy a $99 BD player at Sams Club, and can play one on an Acer, but not on a $2,400 Quad-core Mac Pro or even a $4,900 8 core best-of-the-best Mac. Ridiculous, and far from industry leading.

 

[2005CTS]

I wouldn't watch a BluRay on my computer...but if I'm to watch a rip on my iPad (should I get one) how am I supposed to get the damned thing into iTunes? Buy a second DVD version? I don't think so.

Hey, Steve, add BD. Then we can rip, and we''l buy your iPads. Oh, that's right, you're having no problems shifting them anyway

Exactly!!! I have nearly 100 blu-ray movies and I will continue to buy the blu-ray discs rather than downloading them due to the lossless audio format that the discs support - which sound incredible on my home theater. I would love to rip the Blu-ray and put them on an iPad one day...but that won't happen since Mac doesn't support blu-ray.

But - remember it is because Steve Jobs has decided what we need. And we don't need Blu-ray. Why you ask? Well, he would rather us purchase the blu-ray disc for the home theater and then buy the movie again from iTunes to play on our Mac. More money for Steve...screw the sheeple.

 

[Rafterman]

I lol'ed. At 3:30AM, I lol'ed.



By being a graphics designer. Justified.

Seriously, not everyone LOVES BluRay. I don't, and don't care to.

It doesn't matter if you love blu-ray or not. Just like it doesn't matter whether you like flash or not. Its what is being used TODAY. Blu-ray won the HD war and flash is dominant now with HTML5 not being standard for a few years yet. I want products that work with what's out NOW, not what will be in a few years. I want blu-ray on a Mac and flash on an iPhone. Its simple really and its a disservice to customers for Steve Jobs to deny supporting standards so that he can force his "vision" on the rest of the industry.

 

[Lord Vader]

but that won't happen since Mac doesn't support blu-ray.

Your mac supports bluray just fine for data reading and writing, but not playback, because there are no playback software available. As far as i know Mac Pro supports at leats two internal optical drives and other Macs can us external drives (that's what i do).

 

[DoFoT9]

Great here we go again. Another thread on bluray playback!!

I'll just say, USB WONT be coming to the Mac Pro, therefore not to the iMac either. I believe apple will introduce it to the 'mothership' first then go down the line.

Bad playback will come when it's ready, and no HD movies are no a viable option for myself and 90% of Aussies and even most of the world due to data caps, costs and speed limitations. This is why I take a 2mins drive to the video store to hire it overnight for $3 and watch it.

I don't believe the next iMac will include upgraded USB or FireWire or BD as I said, but it should have the 5859M card inside it and hopefully the i7-870 chips.

Also, macs can burn authored BDs using toast titanium or DVD Studio pro. It's just that apple won't add compatibility on their end for playback of consumer BDs.

Anyway, let the onset of repetitiveness begin