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Widespread Availability of Hexacore Xeon Processors for Mac Pro Not Slated Until Late June?
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Changing the price would only lead to folks having expectations not matched when goes back up again when new model arrives. Apple is playing on the folks who don't know to wait a bit longer. They will end up selling approximately just as many. If folks sit and wait then will buy later then same money different time . If have a fire sale then some who would have bought later will buy now and Apple will make less profit.
The only thing they have to fear are folks dumping Mac OS X altogether and picking up an HP workstation. [ On the Dell site it mentions Xeon 5600 but in the configuration tool only get 5500's . Maybe premium customers get something different. ] Most of those folks are likely to do that anyway because can get less expensive options that way if willing to settle for smaller tower.
"Pros" never were Apple's "root customers". The non "pro" boxes were always outsold by the rest of the Mac line. The mainstream Mac market was always the "root customers" from day one till now.
Time for some real changes
You would say that the new Mac Pro's and Apple's extra time to upgrade these babies should result in;
- new bodykit
- lightpeak
- usb 3.0
?
You would say that the new Mac Pro's and Apple's extra time to upgrade these babies should result in;
- new bodykit
- lightpeak
- usb 3.0
?
A key blocker is Apple's mania about overlapping prices between closely overlapping products. The highest end iMac ( i7 quad) is priced at that exact same price point of the old 2.0 GHz Quad $2,199.
It seems Apple thinks that customers will be hopelessly confused when choosing between a $2,199 iMac and a $2,199 MacPro .
The MacPro would likely have a slower CPU (a 2.44 GHz 5620 or new 5507 2.26 GHz so probably would loose on benchmarks to iMac), but would be "expandable" . To save that $300 off you need to find a Xeon processor that is roughly $300 cheaper. There aren't any. The 3520 2.66 GHz was priced at $284. The 5507 is $266 and the 5620 is $387. Apple could cripple the amount of memory and the hard drive the price lower (e.g., a machine would still have 3GB memory and perhaps 500GB or smaller drive. ) That will only make the box pale even more when compared to the iMac specs.
The iMac is non "expandable", but likely has faster processor and a new screen. I don't think Apple believes that significant number of folks will value "expandability" that highly over performance. I think those folks exist, it is whether it is worthwhile for Apple to offer the subset of the market. I suspect the "no overlaps" policy is going to win out here as better sticking to corporate discipline. [ Never mind that Apple guarantee's yet another LCD panel sale with the iMac. ]
The $2199 base model in that case would attract folks who bought it and added to it. ( put more memory, better 3rd party video, and disk in ) All of that 3rd party add on money doesn't go into Apple's pocket. Don't think Apple finds selling something that is almost as barebones MacPro very attractive. They would sell lots more, but the profits aren't going to be as high.
Unlikely. How is the basic elements of the body not currently functional?
The insides have been tweaked numerous times with no huge impact on schedule, but what is significant to add to the outside?
So not ready for prime time. Intel is still in demo stages, not agreed upon widely adopted standards.
If they are lazy and reuse same motherboard (with perhaps small voltage tweaks for the CPU power. ) again unlikely. Apple makes more margin if they don't.
Appears likely Apple is going to sit around and wait for Intel to put USB 3.0 into the core chipset before they do anything. Super innovative... other folks do the work. Even if they did wouldn't be surprised if did something like dump Firewire for USB 3.0 [ which likely would cause a minor riot. ]
LOL... what? Think back to pre-1999 and pre-imac. Ohh, that's right you probably weren't using macs back then.
The did so something.....they added the 3.33 SP QC for a small fee, ~$1000!!
What a rip off.....
I will sure be looking forward to the new Mac Pro, especially if they have some REALLY high end graphics cards this time. It is a must to keep nVidia for me to continue to be a Mac user and I hope that means the 480X line of cards too.
The reason that no one talks much about is I use very high-end 3D rendering programs like: Vue, Modo, Max, etc. and those like nVidia more so than ATI because of CUDA code. I don't know how many use Mac Pros for 3D art with high-end programs like that, but for me it is a must have. If Apple were to ever go AMD CPU or drop nVidia I would not be an Apple customer any more.
For my main rendering computer I usually build or buy a rig around $4-6K range so the Mac Pro will be a good buy for me.
Sure hope it all works out in late June. I really like my Mac Pro but want to know it will have the right parts I need.
The reason that no one talks much about is I use very high-end 3D rendering programs like: Vue, Modo, Max, etc. and those like nVidia more so than ATI because of CUDA code. I don't know how many use Mac Pros for 3D art with high-end programs like that, but for me it is a must have. If Apple were to ever go AMD CPU or drop nVidia I would not be an Apple customer any more.
For my main rendering computer I usually build or buy a rig around $4-6K range so the Mac Pro will be a good buy for me.
Sure hope it all works out in late June. I really like my Mac Pro but want to know it will have the right parts I need.
I'd say the "pro" user (photographers, filmmakers, graphic artists, etc.) were the core users (mostly the ONLY users) of Macs up until later than 1999. I'd say more like 2004 or so was when the itoys started severely infiltrating the masses and turning Apple into a toy company. Up until that point, very very very few people used Macs. And those that did used them for professional reasons, for the most part.
So wait, what, Apple is somehow a horrible, evil company for discovering a new, far more viable business model in 1998 (which was when iMacs were introduced, FYI): split lines of professional-grade and home user products? And then implementing it? Turning them from a company barely hanging on to one whose market capitalization is within spitting distance of Microsoft's (they topped Microsoft briefly last week and lead them outright in float-adjusted market capitalization) and dominates every other computer company out there, including even Sony? Hell, they're bigger than Walmart.
And technically, I fit into your 'pro' and 'core user' categories, but do you know how I was introduced to them? My brother is disabled and in high school, was forced to acquire a laptop and digital camera to keep taking notes with when he could no longer hold a pen or pencil. He talked the parents into buying an iBook G3. Before that, I'd been quite happily poking along on Windows systems, despite fitting the profile of a 'core' Apple user.
I have a Mac Plus in storage ( the series with the signatures inscribed on the inside). I've used mac since had to do the floppy shuffle between OS floppy and application one.
The SE outsold the Mac II. Quadra/Performa/Centris all outsold the top tier models ( at least when not cannibalizing each other in the early/mid 90's). Apple never made the majority of its money off of the Mac II / Power Mac / Mac Pro line. The top tier machines are profitable but there were by no means primarily responsible for the core health of the platform. Those top tier machines never sold in enough volume for the overall platform to be cost effective or competitive solely based on their sales.
The notion that filmakers / photographics / graphics pre-press users were the bulk of the Mac user community pre-1999 is goofy and completely myopic. Apple had what percentage of the K-12 market back in the day? [ Hint it was over 3-4x the percentage of Mac now] ( you think that was 5-6K a pop Mac II's on those kids labs? ) . there were tons of folks who used a wide range of applications ( write , statistics , scientific graphics , programmed , etc. ) on macs were were not the "elite artists" .
Is this for reals??
ARE YOU GUYS SERIOUS??!! I just bought a baseline 13 inch MBP for $1050 flat.
How much do you guys this will be if it's ever true?
I wish I waited. gaaah.. If it will be in the 13 inch, then it's great. But they didn't do much for the 13 inch at all this year. i wouldn't mind pay more if it's a 13 inch.
I still think 15 inch is a little bit too big for a laptop.
ARE YOU GUYS SERIOUS??!! I just bought a baseline 13 inch MBP for $1050 flat.
How much do you guys this will be if it's ever true?
I wish I waited. gaaah.. If it will be in the 13 inch, then it's great. But they didn't do much for the 13 inch at all this year. i wouldn't mind pay more if it's a 13 inch.
I still think 15 inch is a little bit too big for a laptop.
I'm really busy on a new album with my 2009 MP and I just had to laugh @ all these pros sitting here whining about a box hehe... You "pros" are pretty busy I see by your post counts hehe. When they get here the"ll get here...
Be careful on the exaggerations, an iMac 27 inch i7 beats the low end Mac Pro, Sometimes. However, it's not even close after that. Even the low end Mac Pro has room for 4 Hard disk, you get one in a iMac plus the fact it's using a notebook size graphics card and Memory. You can also open and replace things in the old Mac Pro easily. I replaced one hard disk in my old iMac and I was so afraid I was going to mess up something, it took me just short of 1 hour to do it. In my Mac Pro I can change a hard disk in less than one minute. The Mac Pro is like working on a car and the iMac is like working inside a model (1/10th size.) of a car. Having said that, the i7 iMac looks great outside, heaven forbid you should ever have to open up one.
This thread is about the Mac Pro - Apple's (non-laptop, non-iMac) tower machines with Xeon Processors, multiple drive bays, and PCI slots.
You are thinking of the MacBook Pro, the laptops which were just updated.
I could almost cry...
...with relief. After all those iPadPhone rumours, at last a Mac rumour on MacRumors! And the Mac Pro to boot! This will be my new machine.
...with relief. After all those iPadPhone rumours, at last a Mac rumour on MacRumors! And the Mac Pro to boot! This will be my new machine.
This thread is about the Mac Pro - Apple's (non-laptop, non-iMac) tower machines with Xeon Processors, multiple drive bays, and PCI slots.
You are thinking of the MacBook Pro, the laptops which were just updated.
oo hahahaha.... oopsss. totally misread. phew.. i'm soo relieved now. what a shame. LOL
(going to dig a hole myself and hide in it)I was, and those loyal pros were the ones who left en masse for the Wintel platform. How do yo think Apple got into trouble in the first place?
yet another rumor
so now we can all start hoping for June and with a bit of bad luck we'll all be hoping for August in July
While those with G5s join the obsolete and unrepairable with no option but to purchase 'old' technology - cheers Apple!
- new bodykit - Maybe, but I really expect minor if any.
- lightpeak - not a chance yet
- usb 3.0 - 99% doubtful till Intel has this on it's chipset next year.
yet another rumor
so now we can all start hoping for June and with a bit of bad luck we'll all be hoping for August in July
There is no rumor. Intel just said simply end of 2nd quarter before larger availability on the 6 core xeon parts. Nothing more.