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What to Expect From Apple This Spring: New Macs and More
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i really want a 14”/15” MBA! hope that’s on the roadmap
I agree, but we did pay a boatload for those towers back in the day. But yeah, the $400 wheels and $1000 display stand thing is a big turn off.Because the past two redesigns/rollouts were? A trashcan with nowhere to go, thermally, and then an over-designed Ive tower with the whole "premium wheels" and $1,000 display stand silliness. I'm so thankful those models aren't where I live and breathe, and have never needed for my modest vector-based illustration/design work. I'd be inconsolable!"I gotta buy what? For how much?!"
At one time, Apple didn't try to get cute with their workhorse, professional-targeted towers. They were still attractive, for whatever that might've counted for, but they were what they were: large enough boxes with a boatload of ports/slots and an entire side that came off to allow people to cram in whatever they wanted: RAM, specialty cards, a can of corn, etc. They sat on floors or on tables in non-boutique production environments where Stuff Got Done. That they kinda vanished into the environment, vs. perpetually lunging for design awards, was one of their best features, even if we didn't realize it at the time.
Then somebody decided they should be works of art, and here we are. Sometimes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" even applies to outfits like Apple.
I speculate we could see future Mac Pros that are modular that incorporate SoC's on CCA's with their own bank of memory/storage. Adding additional storage or addition SoC's could scale per buyers needs.Because the past two redesigns/rollouts were? A trashcan with nowhere to go, thermally, and then an over-designed Ive tower with the whole "premium wheels" and $1,000 display stand silliness. I'm so thankful those models aren't where I live and breathe, and have never needed for my modest vector-based illustration/design work. I'd be inconsolable!
At one time, Apple didn't try to get cute with their workhorse, professional-targeted towers. They were still attractive, for whatever that might've counted for, but they were what they were: large enough boxes with a boatload of ports/slots and an entire side that came off to allow people to cram in whatever they wanted: RAM, specialty cards, a can of corn, etc. They sat on floors or on tables in non-boutique production environments where Stuff Got Done. That they kinda vanished into the environment, vs. perpetually lunging for design awards, was one of their best features, even if we didn't realize it at the time.
Then somebody decided they should be works of art, and here we are. Sometimes "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" even applies to outfits like Apple.
While below is a rather unattractive example it does point that Apple could do a lot better if they change from PC towers to modular design.
Other than it being a flagship for bragging, I don't see the point of a new Mac Pro. Without full expandability it'll just be a marginally faster Mac that will quickly evolve into a doorstop when the next generations of Mini Pro ( or Studio or MacBook Pro...) are released. Honestly, we are basically at the point in history when a $15,000+ computer is a foolish investment. Apple knows this and they're still trying to save face since they promised a new Mac Pro but the wisest thing they could do is continue to improve the Studio and discontinue the Mac Pro...it's the brick-sized cell phone of computers.
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️
Suspended
Not sure why it's not on the roadmap here. It was slated to release in the Spring of 2023. It would be nice if Apple releases it in the upcoming Apple event in March/April.
15.5-Inch MacBook Air Expected to Launch in Spring 2023
Apple is developing a 15.5-inch MacBook Air that could launch in the spring of 2023, according to display analyst Ross Young. In a tweet shared with...
www.macrumors.com
Seriously, it’s not like they have one engineer who moves from one computer to the next. They can afford more engineers. The MBA, MBP 13, Mini and iMac are also essentially the same computer. All the heavy lifting has already been done with the MacBooks and Mini. All the iMac people have to do is add some different bells and whistles.
Because that's what almost everyone here says anytime Apple is about to release a product? It's a reflexive feel-good response that everyone can nod to. And it helps establish forum cred among the group.
If they don't do an M2 Ultimate (dual M2 Ultras) for the Pro, I'll be disappoint.
I'm finding myself torn. Reading rumours I can't understand if/where the Mac Pro will fit anymore. Given its entire conception is to be "expandable" truthfully even the 2019 MP is only expandable with limited peripherals. IE you can only put in a GPU Apple approve which frankly is a pretty small list. So they already micro manage what we can "exand" but if they are to cut our knees off and stop us also upgrading RAM - I find myself asking what's the point in it. Sure a super powerful M2 but wait - is it that powerful. Workstation CPU's are never quite the same as laptop grade. Are we honestly going to pay SO much money for the same chip available in a MBP.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still hugely using my MP2019 but have the M1 Max MBP and honestly it flies. I've been throwing some massive Photoshop files at it and it's so snappy. The entire adobe cc runs so fast, loads incredibly quickly and actually nice to have something super responsive. I then move to the desktop and AE takes a while to open, as well as the other apps. So I find the speed going back and forth frustrating. That being said the M1/M2 do come with huge issues. There are bits of software, plugins etc which just do not work on apple silicone yet. That's a killer for the moment. It'd be awesome if they sold an upgrade kit for the 2019 MP to swap the CPU/motherboard out. The machine is a beauty. Seems kinda silly to upgrade the entire thing, only for an internal change.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still hugely using my MP2019 but have the M1 Max MBP and honestly it flies. I've been throwing some massive Photoshop files at it and it's so snappy. The entire adobe cc runs so fast, loads incredibly quickly and actually nice to have something super responsive. I then move to the desktop and AE takes a while to open, as well as the other apps. So I find the speed going back and forth frustrating. That being said the M1/M2 do come with huge issues. There are bits of software, plugins etc which just do not work on apple silicone yet. That's a killer for the moment. It'd be awesome if they sold an upgrade kit for the 2019 MP to swap the CPU/motherboard out. The machine is a beauty. Seems kinda silly to upgrade the entire thing, only for an internal change.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Is CPU all that separates Pro and Studio now?
I get the want for another level of M-chip but another way to imagine the two...
Mac Pro M2 Ultra
Slots for flexible hardware expansion
Tower Case
vs.
Mac Studio M2 Ultra
No Slots (as is)
Cube Case (as is)
If that was all, differentiation would be very visible (cases) and very tangible (slots). That seems plenty to me.
Take it another step...
Studio Ultra has a SECOND slot for SSD storage now, but we can't use it. What if Pro makes that an option... up to 16TB perhaps as RAID 0 for much faster SSD speed than can be realized now?
Another step...
What if Mac Pro starts with basically TWO M2 Ultras on board... with macOS evolution to most effectively use the combo together? Right now, one could own two Studio Ultras and have each engaged in various tasks. Mac Pro could have the room for what would be like two Studios INSIDE the case. If macOS had a "grand central"-like evolution for Mac Pro to effectively use both, this Mac would not only have far more multitasking power than Studio Ultra, but also up to double the Apple RAM, SSD storage and graphics horses.
Another Step...
What if THAT is the starter Mac Pro and Apple builds in room for upwards of TWO more boards with ULTRA on each... equivalent of FOUR Mac Studios in one case with 4X the RAM, SSD and graphics horses?
These 3 latter concepts seem pretty doable without some kind of hardware engineering leap. Apple already has experience with Grand Central concepts built into macOS... and wasn't the old PowerPC Macs able to link up to share tasks across PowerPC processors? Apple could revive that concept HERE with up to the equivalent of 4 Studios INSIDE one case.
Whether it's just slots + tower case or up to 4 Ultra boards working together, Mac Pro with "the same CPU" as the loaded Studio is easily differentiated in very tangible ways: how it looks, hardware flexibility, 2X power, 3X power, 4X power, special macOS functionality to use multiple M2 Ultras together and of course PRICE.
Would an upgrade kit for the 2019 Mac Pro to swap the CPU/motherboard out even be possible? I'm not sure that is possible?
After the January announcements. I'm less confident that Apple will hold a spring event. As the two products mentioned in this article are more suited to announcements made at WWDC.
I quit Apple if there are no new Apple Watch band colors.
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️
Suspended
Bold comment! New Apple Watch band colors will be there. You should be saying; I quit Apple if there are no new Apple Polishing Cloth colors this year.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Perhaps. Modern Apple likes its profits. Any of those Pro concepts would be Apple Bean Counters dream come true.
Another key differentiator of Mac Pro (now) is price. You have to thoroughly load Studio to get into the realm of the "starting at" for a relatively old platform Mac Pro.
So if an "all new" Mac Pro only has the same Ultra, it's "starting at" price will easily be ABOVE loaded Studio. If you then pile in some of those other concepts, you pile up Apple pricing (and profitability)... which is exactly what happens now with existing Mac Pro when it is loaded up with extras also not available in Studio Ultra now.
If I was trying to guess the pricing for a 4X Pro, I might:
- work from base Studio Ultra and multiply that price by 4
- add in some, probably-hefty premium for slots, case etc.
- add in some premium for macOS exclusives for Pro, and then... imagining Apple beancounters involved...
- juice that math even more because "we really want to maximize profits on this one."
Then add additional RAM, SSD, etc at Apple very lucrative pricing. If we use existing pricing for that we might rough up a maxed out 4X Ultra Pro: $7999 times 4 + $2200 * 4 (for 4 more 8TB Apple SSDs) + $3000 (slots) + $1000 (macOS) times 1.5 = $67,194... so the Maxed 4-Ultra Mac Pro might be about $67K based on current Apple pricing and some estimates.
Let's sanity check $67K. How much is a purchased-from-Apple "loaded" Mac Pro now? It looks like it is about $54K. Seems plausible to me the way modern Apple is hunting for profits in every possible thing. Maybe they don't do that last multiplier quite so much? Take it out completely and the tally is about $45K. So maybe they target the same $54K or so ("same great price") and spin how much more power this new Mac Pro has vs. the former one in a series of attractive graphics carefully chosen to strongly imply it is superior in every way by far. That seems easy to envision too.
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Very much hoping that it will see the light of day.
