The train has long gone??? How so? Given that it's not been released yet nobody actually knows apart from those developing it. The device they've shown was just a mock up and could very well change. Let's face it they've had enough time to design it around 10 times over since it was announced!!! Any other company would have released this by now.
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Why is Apple so quiet about the iMac Pro?
- Thread starter HumpYourWayUp
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The train has long gone??? How so? Given that it's not been released yet nobody actually knows apart from those developing it. The device they've shown was just a mock up and could very well change. Let's face it they've had enough time to design it around 10 times over since it was announced!!! Any other company would have released this by now.
Yes, iOS device company. Walk into the Apple store and see like 10% of the space dedicated towards Mac OS hardware.
I think that's a generous assessment.
I'm just hoping they put in a dartboard with Angela's face on it, so I have something to do while waiting for the Geniuses to actually identify a Mac.
We’ll simply have to see, won’t we?
But I maintain that what Apple is doing with the iMac Pro isn’t particularly easy. The constraints of the iMac form factor are, of course, a corner they’ve put themselves in, but without changing that, I’m pretty confident that the RAM placement was a compromise they were forced into, not one they intentionally designed for. I’m also pretty sure it’s not easy to design it better without changing the chassis form factor. In other words they definitely haven’t had time to redesign it ten times over since WWDC, but they surely have started the research for the next model’s design.
I find it very likely that the iMac Pro was where they originally wanted to go after the nMP, before realizing that a lot of people need proper Mac Pros. My guess is that the iMac Pro will be a one-off series followed only by “regular” Mac Pros. They’ll probably let their lessons learned from this machine trickle down to the regular iMac lines, though. This means we might see iMacs with hungrier consumer GPUs yet no thermal throttling, down the line.
That's an interesting perspective and you may well be right.
I have to admit I saw it as more as a branching in the iMac line similar to what they've done to the iPad line:
The iPad Air 2 was discontinued and effectively what has replaced it is,
Based on this logic, the 2018 iMac could get "Mac mini'd", that is, inferior to the previous version:
Just a wild, hypothetical idea!
I have to admit I saw it as more as a branching in the iMac line similar to what they've done to the iPad line:
The iPad Air 2 was discontinued and effectively what has replaced it is,
iPad - actually inferior to the iPad Air 2 in many respects, non laminated screen, non-x processor, but cheaper
iPad Pro - all the whistles and bells, but expensive
iPad Pro - all the whistles and bells, but expensive
Based on this logic, the 2018 iMac could get "Mac mini'd", that is, inferior to the previous version:
iMac - integrated graphics, good enough CPU, fixed RAM, limited ports, cheaper price
iMac Pro - dedicated graphics, monster CPU options, high RAM options, plethora of ports, expensive
iMac Pro - dedicated graphics, monster CPU options, high RAM options, plethora of ports, expensive
Just a wild, hypothetical idea!
There’s one thing that speaks against this suggestion, though: The iMac already has multiple tiers under the same name, differentiated not by the Pro moniker but by screen size. The 21.5” is intentionally nerfed in some respects, to push customers who need performance toward the bigger model. Taking the Pro name, that in the Mac line still is strongly associated with workstation class components, and applying it to the higher end of regular home use machines, would probably not work in the interest of Apple.
My guess is that the iMac Pro was always intended to be Apple's answer to people clamouring for the Mac Pro. As in, Apple never had any plans to update the Mac Pro. The Mac Pro was likely decided at the last minute to placate the huge outburst over the 2016 MacBook Pro but by that time, the iMac Pro was already a done deal.
I think the iMac Pro belongs to the iMac line so the about 1 million iMac customers per quarter (correct me if I am wrong but desktops are about 20% of total mac sales) can get a stronger iMac if they need. Hence i do not think the iMac Pro belongs to the Mac Pro family.
Logically, the iMac line will carry on as usual as It is probably the only Apple desktop that sells in any quantity. We may see a slimmer iMac with max 65W CPU but the GPUs are still power hungry indicating weaker GPUs which is not good.
Personnally, I think they should use the same case as the iMac Pros for the iMac, make it “silver”, and fill it with powerful but not “pro” grade components.
Logically, the iMac line will carry on as usual as It is probably the only Apple desktop that sells in any quantity. We may see a slimmer iMac with max 65W CPU but the GPUs are still power hungry indicating weaker GPUs which is not good.
Personnally, I think they should use the same case as the iMac Pros for the iMac, make it “silver”, and fill it with powerful but not “pro” grade components.
Yes because mac pro is gone ,mac mini also. With them here would take around 25% space with upcoming mac pro mac mini and apple displays
I think that's partly right, but I doubt it had anything directly to do with the 2016 MacBook Pro - they made it pretty clear that the problem was their inability to update the nMP cylinder. Lots of businesses buy or lease their IT equipment on a 3/4 year cycle and would be starting to consider replacing their 2014 mMPs. Meanwhile, for those who do hang on to old equipment, the last proper Mac Pro - the Mid 2010 cheesegrater - was approaching obsolescence. Sounds to me like they got a load of pushback from some big pro customers and third-party pro equipment makers.
Agree that the iMac Pro would have been in the pipeline before then, though.
...but it gets the job done in applications where size and weight are not the prime considerations (so what if the power supply connections are a bit old-fashioned?).
Here's Apple's problem: there probably isn't a vast market for the Mac Pro - but it is a strategically important market if Apple want MacOS to remain a serious computing platform, because some important jobs just need a pickup truck and not a sports saloon. Microsoft can concentrate their hardware efforts on their "Surface" range for the deep-pocketed consumer, safe in the knowledge that anybody that doesn't fit that profile can still go out and get a big box'o'slots tailored exactly to their needs and run Windows on it. That option isn't open to pro MacOS users (hackintoshes rely on ignoring Apple's software license terms, are totally unsupported and could be rendered useless overnight should Apple decide to clamp down).
The simple solution to that is to produce a fairly conventional "tower" system requiring the minimum of expensive R&D that would provide a bespoke "plan B" for any important customer for who's needs weren't served by the iMac or MBP. Now, a few years ago, that might have decimated the market for high-end laptops and all-in-one's, but today the majority want laptops, so I'd say that the only people who want towers are the people who need them. It doesn't have to be ATX per se - cutting some of the legacy cruft from an ATX-like design would still be easier, quicker and cheaper than starting completely from scratch. The real mistake was made years ago when they let the Cheesegrater wither on the vine.
What Apple seem intent on doing, however, is producing something completely new, revolutionary, out-of-the-box (and, probably, with complete proprietary lock-in when it comes to GPUs, at least) that will cost a fortune to design and build, will look great in the next edition of the coffee-table book and quite possibly repeat the real mistake of the nMP cylinder: designer lust.
All these comments here make my head hurt!!!
You know - I do not give a damn if Apple is an iOS company or if the Mac section in Apple Stores is smal (which I personally can not confirm).
Neither do I give a crap how fascinating and challenging the thermal design of the iMac Pro is...
Apple must give an update on the release of the machine.
They said December, now its December the 10th and they are silent af!
I am especially disappointed because Apple artificially holds back the release of the new Final Cut Pro update because of the iMac Pro
You know - I do not give a damn if Apple is an iOS company or if the Mac section in Apple Stores is smal (which I personally can not confirm).
Neither do I give a crap how fascinating and challenging the thermal design of the iMac Pro is...
Apple must give an update on the release of the machine.
They said December, now its December the 10th and they are silent af!
I am especially disappointed because Apple artificially holds back the release of the new Final Cut Pro update because of the iMac Pro
A rumour pegs the iMac pro release date at December 18.
https://wccftech.com/imac-pro-december-18-launch/
I agree with you 100%. That's probably what is preventing Apple from releasing an updated tower variant of the Mac Pro - their pride. It's like asking a French restaurant to serve cheeseburgers. It may be a simply dish to prepare from a technical perspective, but maybe the chef considers it an affront to his culinary skills. Or maybe because they are seen as an upmarket establishment, the chef is expected to add his own twist to the cheeseburger to make it seem like it's worth its premium, even when none is needed in the first place. He cannot just serve the same burger as the other fast food restaurants, even if that's what the customer wants.
That's a great point. And if one chooses to go out and try to quote an "as close to a base iMac Pro" spec Dell 5820, you come up with something around $4500, no monitor included. Check it out here: https://www.dell.com/en-us/work/car...ac39-4b776902f28a&ref=emcartitems&stp=1&cs=04
Dell Precision line "wins" the upgradability battle. But it also proves that the iMac Pro isn't seriously overpriced at all.
True... but he was comparing it the iMac Pro... which also has just one GPU.
Anyway... read his comment again. He's saying the iMac Pro isn't overpriced when compared to other OEMs' workstations.
That Dell is $4,500 without a monitor.
But you will be able to get similarly-spec'd iMac Pro with a 5K monitor for $5,000
That can be a thorn as well, I mean there are 10,000 uses for a workstation, and not many of them have to do with needing or even having any kind of monitor... The iMac Pro is made for design professionals for sure, when historically, designers are only a very, very small percentage of workstations buyers. Even if you do consider designers, everything from audio production to CAD architects, most will be running 3, 4, 5 screens anyway where having the inbuilt screen would be a serious detraction when you consider mounting such things
Bring on the actual Mac Pro
Bring on the actual Mac Pro
Yep, he is right ma man. And the imac pro can run macos windows 10 and linux
Like you said... there are thousands of uses for a powerful workstation.
Design, and especially video production, will be great on an iMac Pro.
I didn't mean to suggest that the iMac Pro is the answer to ALL workstation needs.
You're right... not everyone will want an in-built monitor.
Yep... it'll be nice when Apple completes its professional line of desktop computers. Let's hope Apple doesn't muck it up.
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If you want a cheeseburger, don't go to a French restaurant. I'm still working on my 6-Core MP but when the nMP was released I really thought my next working station was going to be a Windows machine.
I totally agree with what you're both saying. Apple is trying to reinvent 'the truck', which is a great thing. The old MacPro was great but had room for improvement. Where Apple totally missed the mark is that they focussed too much on the engineering and design part. But they seemed to totally forgot the 'truck drivers'.
The new MacPro didn't feel like it was designed with the pro users in mind, like most Apple products lately are lacking in that sense. Apple no longer delivers smart solutions. New solutions that I didn't know I was missing/waiting for. They force users into a way of working and future that isn't here yet. Partial that's a good thing because we want to move forward but partially it's kinda annoying, especially if you have to pay extra to work in the now with your (pro) machine. #donglelife #spendmoremoneyforlessproblems
I really miss smart innovations and solutions lately. Things like the 'breathing' LED indicator on the iMacs and MacBook series that shows your HHD is still active or your machine is asleep. The glowing Apple logo on the back of the MacBooks, light sensors that auto enabled the backlights of the keyboard, the Magsafe which prevents your MacBook from flying around. The aluminium casing, no cables and great expandability of the Mac Pro's etc. I understand why most of these things are no longer around, but they gave soul to the products and extra joy to work with them. I still remember product posters of the inside of a PowerPC G5 aluminium tower that was as sexy as a poster of a sportscar. Nowadays they turn more and more into well designed but boring space grey boxes.
This is the most frustrating thing. The R&D involved in producing a utilitarian Mac Pro would be extremely low. It would be like child's play compared to the R&D that goes into an iPhone. Now obviously the iPhones generates much more money than any Mac Pro so it makes sense that they spend the money on iPhones but none the less they refuse to do anything but produce revolutionary designs across all of their hardware lines which is what you wrote in bold. Thats where all of these issues tend to come from. This wouldn't be an issue for pros if Apple was focusing all of their R&D into those products. Apple refuses to break from this mold and you end up with Professional applications that are treated as an Apple side project "Oh we'll get to that at a later date". Not to mention they've scrapped a lot of pro applications and released some like Final Cut X which was a bit crippled at launch. You're dealing with a gigantic mobile device company that does professional apps and hardware on the side at this point.
The only thing you can hope for is that they wise up and consider the professional product line as a halo product and put more effort into it even if it doesn't make sense economically. It's just wise to keep the Apple name in the pro field if you can.
I just want the full size black keyboard. I also wouldn't mind a black Magic Mouse and black trackpad.
One thing that might help is if they gave the Mac business more independence within Apple, with a dedicated Mac management team, so that the Mac business could be seen as what it is - one of the most successful personal computer lines in the business that gives Dell, HP, Lenovo etc. a run for their money in marketshare - rather than risk being treated as the iPhone's poor cousin.
For workstation-level stuff you pay the extra cost to get data integrity, reliability and ability to be used hard and fairly continuously. This is a business tool that makes money only when used. If it thermal throttles at all in normal office environments it would be a massive design failure on Apple's part so I don't expect that will happen. Running continually at max temperatures without throttling will be a major hit on reliability so I do expect a good cooling design. Move enough air over your hot parts and you can pretty much cool anything. What I do worry about is the noise that goes with moving that air. I'll wait for the reviews.
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