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Author Topic: Mac Pro Rumor  (Read 11188 times)

Kevin Gallagher

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Christopher Sanderson

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Re: Mac Pro Rumor
« Reply #1 on: March 30, 2013, 09:06:56 am »

Clearly speculative and wishful thinking - but a wish I am party to  ;D

I also wish they would get a bloody move on! FCP X approaches usability but is now seriously constrained by available hardware - IMO

Christopher Sanderson

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Re: Mac Pro Rumor
« Reply #2 on: March 30, 2013, 12:08:06 pm »

Further intriguing developments that suggest a Pro feature/machine/announcement is forthcoming: Apple just released an Update for their Pro video codecs

jjj

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Re: Mac Pro Rumor
« Reply #3 on: April 01, 2013, 12:26:55 pm »

To add to the rumour mill, here's today's post from the 'We Want A New Mac Pro' FB page, which has been getting some attention from other companies too. Dell lent page creator a workstation of theirs to test a while back.

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Well here is some news ... I finally received a response to the email I sent to the Big Fruit. They want to know if I am interested in being involved in a new "switcher" campaign that is going to be launched later this month. Looks like the PR campaign I speculated about has a few other components designed to bring us back into the mix.

The campaign is called "The Bounce Back Program" and its aimed at professionals who at one time switched to OSX from Windows and then switched back to a WinTel machine recently. Then they want me to blog about the switch back to OSX. I have to send in my serial numbers from the Windows OS that I have used over the years to prove that I am a "bounce back switcher."

Looks like they know people have left in droves.

I asked about new hardware and the conversation turned a bit cryptic. The program will be expanded later this summer to included a hardware "bounce back." I have to prove that I've invested in a WinTel PC by sending one of the processor chips from my current machine. In exchange for this 'ransom' (my word) I will be enrolled in a testing program with an upcoming new product. Sounds like a pretty decent idea if you like dealing in question marks. Remember the track record of the company we are talking about though. Secrecy is always the first concern.

I'm hoping to talk with them as the day progresses to get any more info. I'd be a fool not to partake though, right?

Could this be second component in a line of big marketing ideas to bring professionals back into the mix. Its definitely a different approach for them, but Dell is doing it with their hardware switching program. Maybe they feel the need to take drastic measures.

I'll keep you posted ...
Lou
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BJL

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Mac Pro Rumor: when and what, not if
« Reply #4 on: April 01, 2013, 02:01:01 pm »

Apple CEO Tim Cook said last year that there will be a new Mac Pro this year, so there is little reason to think otherwise, and what interests me more is when it will arrive, and what it will offers in terms of size, cost and performance.

One viable rumor is an option of 2TB SSD drives, perhaps related to Apple's acquisition in January 2012 of Anobit, a designer of flash memory controllers.

One fantasy is using the speed of Thunderbolt and its PCIe side, or better yet the faster next-generation optical version of it, to eliminate the need for a huge amount of internal space for additional drive bays and expansion slots. Instead, a smaller, lighter main unit could be designed to work with fast, low latency external drives and PCIe expansion slots in off-board boxes. I would also be happy to ditch built-in optical drives: for their now far less frequent use, an external one in the drawer is fine.
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Schewe

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Re: Mac Pro Rumor: when and what, not if
« Reply #5 on: April 01, 2013, 03:20:24 pm »

One fantasy is using the speed of Thunderbolt and its PCIe side, or better yet the faster next-generation optical version of it, to eliminate the need for a huge amount of internal space for additional drive bays and expansion slots. Instead, a smaller, lighter main unit could be designed to work with fast, low latency external drives and PCIe expansion slots in off-board boxes.

Actually, I think a rack-mount system seems like a good solution. The old tower design was nice at the time but Apple had to quit shipping those towers in the EU because of electronic issues.

This is a CNET story from last year including the Tim Cook quote.
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fredjeang2

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Re: Mac Pro Rumor
« Reply #6 on: April 01, 2013, 06:10:21 pm »

I'm really following this with the highest interest as I've expressed my concerns in the motion forum.

As I'm thinking upgrading the editorial studio, the question if going to Mac now is tough.  Autodesk Smoke users are handeling as much as they can the lack of power in Mac and now with FX, 4k and all the circus...it will son become a real prob if there isn't a response very soon.
Peecees aren't anymore the garbage they use to be, and much more power available as well as customization to date.
The thing is it doesn't seems clear if Mac is really still interested in a bunch of niche industries-users.

I don't think that today FCPx is targeting the big boys with big needs anymore (they losted a lot already) but more the web-video and it's probably a much more lucrative market for Apple, a fresh and Young market that will grow at the speed of light.

There was a great discution on the Cow with serious users on that (unfortunatly can't find the link anymore) and it's not tomorrow that Avid will be kicked-out of the big editorials houses. The question will more likely to be if they will cut on Mac or on peecees.

What would be their "pro" features hardware? What will happen to the dudes currently in Smoke or Avid or even what could be really the Nagazaki bomb: the onces that stayed FCP7 ? You know what? something smells the Tsar Bomb. Hope I'm wrong, but I smell that explosive powder from miles away and until I don't see what Apple will do, I do not upgrade the studio for the moment.

A rack-mount system would be superb.
« Last Edit: April 01, 2013, 07:10:20 pm by fredjeang2 »
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jjj

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Re: Mac Pro Rumor
« Reply #7 on: April 01, 2013, 10:44:51 pm »

A friend of mine who is quite smart on techy things posited an interesting idea based on some developments in OSX. His thought - a completely modular MP where you expand by adding complete computers. i.e you expand it by adding more Mac Minis or more suitable equivalent so you can up the no. of CPUs and the OS could utilise as much power as you add to the computer.
Now that would be cool.
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BJL

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Re: Mac Pro Rumor: when and what, not if
« Reply #8 on: April 02, 2013, 09:18:14 am »

Actually, I think a rack-mount system seems like a good solution. ... Apple had to quit shipping those towers in the EU because of electronic issues.
Discontinuation of the current MacPro in the EU is due to new regulations on fan enclosures and such, which can surely be fixed in a new model: it is not as if all tower units are now banned in the EU. In fact, that discontinuation, which Apple surely knew was coming well in advance, is an argument that the replacement model should be coming soon. By the way, Apple used to have a rack system too: the XServe.

I can see a rack system suiting some users well, like video production teams, but I suspect that a lot of high-end Mac users are in ”SOHO" environments with no equipment rack and no desire to get one, and who would prefer a box on or by the desk. Maybe eliminating the quadruple internal drive bays and dual optical drive bays could allow downsizing to the good old horizontal form factor that could be packaged in either a desktop or rack mountable format. In fact, with no optical drive, flipping between horizontal (desk-top, rack) or vertical (desk-side tower) would be viable.

Another fantasy: the option of adding something like a Xeon Phi coprocessor, because I and some of my colleagues would love to have a Teraflop of parallel processing power on our desktops. The base model will cost only about $2000 to the computer maker, so within high-end MacPro pricing.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2013, 09:23:22 am by BJL »
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jjj

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Re: Mac Pro Rumor
« Reply #9 on: April 02, 2013, 03:14:13 pm »

To add to the rumour mill, here's today's post from the 'We Want A New Mac Pro' FB page, which has been getting some attention from other companies too. Dell lent page creator a workstation of theirs to test a while back.

Ah, apparently this was a April's fool. Caught out by the time zone difference as it wasn't April 1st when post turned up on my page.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2013, 03:18:09 pm by jjj »
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jjj

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Re: Mac Pro Rumor
« Reply #10 on: April 02, 2013, 03:21:48 pm »

I can see a rack system suiting some users well, like video production teams, but I suspect that a lot of high-end Mac users are in ”SOHO" environments with no equipment rack and no desire to get one, and who would prefer a box on or by the desk. Maybe eliminating the quadruple internal drive bays and dual optical drive bays could allow downsizing to the good old horizontal form factor that could be packaged in either a desktop or rack mountable format. In fact, with no optical drive, flipping between horizontal (desk-top, rack) or vertical (desk-side tower) would be viable.
Eliminating the internal bays negates the point of a MacPro for many of us. I have 6 drives in mine, some people have 8 and even then I have a loads of ext HDs in various enclosures with all the attendant and messy power+connector cables and the clutter than makes for.
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John.Murray

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Re: Mac Pro Rumor
« Reply #11 on: April 02, 2013, 03:51:34 pm »

Having built several Intel 2600 Servers now, I'm well suprised at how quiet and cool running these are:

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/server-systems/server-system-sr2600ur.html

I'd love to see something similar, possibly with fewer available drives, lessening the overall depth.  An optional Thunderbolt expansion chassis could increase expandability, while keeping inital costs down for those who don't need it.....
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BJL

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more modular Mac Pro vs iMac
« Reply #12 on: April 02, 2013, 04:55:54 pm »

Eliminating the internal bays negates the point of a MacPro for many of us. ... I have a loads of ext HDs in various enclosures with all the attendant and messy power+connector cables and the clutter than makes for.
That suggestion went with my previous idea that the extra drives could now be external, and that hope that the combination of a smart stackable design and the use of Thunderbolt could minimize that clutter. One idea I have read is a compact main unit with something like the Mac mini footprint, and matching stackable modules for additional drives and such. Another of course is the return of the rack-mountable approach of the XServe and XServe RAID modules, which I would like but I doubt it will happen.

Removing the additional drives from the main box to another box still leaves many advantages over the iMac for high end users, like more and faster processors, not being tied to the integrated display, and being able to add multiple displays. And having a big bunch of Thunderbolt and USB3 ports.
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jjj

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Re: Mac Pro Rumor
« Reply #13 on: April 02, 2013, 07:43:03 pm »

That suggestion went with my previous idea that the extra drives could now be external, and that hope that the combination of a smart stackable design and the use of Thunderbolt could minimize that clutter. One idea I have read is a compact main unit with something like the Mac mini footprint, and matching stackable modules for additional drives and such.
at extortionate Apple prices to boot I'd imagine. Not impressed by current MacBookPros that are not exactly upgradeable other than by Apple. I spent over £2k on my MBP, upgraded the stock rubbish HD to something useful for next to nothing and a bit later I upgraded, memory, HD and added a second HD again for very little, compared to paying Apple. Now I'd have to pay nearly 50% more to get something that is less usable for my  purposes than my current MBP. Albeit a bit faster maybe.

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Removing the additional drives from the main box to another box still leaves many advantages over the iMac for high end users, like more and faster processors, not being tied to the integrated display, and being able to add multiple displays. And having a big bunch of Thunderbolt and USB3 ports.
Still a lot of potential clutter though if there's extra 5-7 HDs on/under desk. May as well have an iMac and use Thunderbolt to add HDs and get a free mirror, I mean screen thrown in too.
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kers

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Re: Mac Pro Rumor
« Reply #14 on: April 02, 2013, 08:01:04 pm »

I believe the new Xeons are coming starting at quarter 3- so it could be just a bit too early.
(http://www.cpu-world.com/news_2013/2013040201_Some_details_of_upcoming_Intel_Xeon_E5_v2_and_E7_v2_CPUs.html)

On the other hand - how can they try to push final cut pro x without any backup of proper hardware?
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jjj

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Re: Mac Pro Rumor
« Reply #15 on: April 02, 2013, 08:45:07 pm »

I believe the new Xeons are coming starting at quarter 3- so it could be just a bit too early.
On the other hand - how can they try to push final cut pro x without any backup of proper hardware?
Because they've lost their way......
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BJL

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Re: Mac Pro Rumor
« Reply #16 on: April 02, 2013, 09:16:16 pm »

Still a lot of potential clutter though if there's extra 5-7 HDs on/under desk. May as well have an iMac and use Thunderbolt to add HDs and get a free mirror, I mean screen thrown in too.
I suspect from your irrelevant tangent on prices and MacBooks that this discussion is not getting anywhere, but in a last attempt discuss the technical issues and options for MacPro vs iMac:
- my proposal is about extra HD's that could be in a single external unit (the Xserve RAID held up to about a dozen, and likewise there are Thundebolt RAID enclosures that hold multiple drives); no need for 5-7 extra boxes.
- that iMac option will not get you near to the processor options of a MacPro, a difference I mentioned in my previous post.
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jjj

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Re: Mac Pro Rumor
« Reply #17 on: April 02, 2013, 09:33:30 pm »

If Apple are going modular [and neat] then it may well be numerous stylish boxes, as opposed to using an enclosure you then fill up. Not to mention it's hardly a step forward, I already have quite a few enclosures [+cables+ power supplies] and would in fact prefer less of them.

The reason laptops were mentioned is it illustrates how Apple have changed how they like to sell things, even items supposedly aimed at pros,in that using third party options for basic things like memory and HDs has been got rid of. Thus making an Apple purchase far more expensive than it used to be and increasing their already enormous profit margins.
The iMac has been made even harder to upgrade because it's been made a fraction thinner - an invisible and fairly pointless benefit when actually using it.
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BernardLanguillier

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Re: Mac Pro Rumor
« Reply #18 on: April 02, 2013, 10:30:53 pm »

On the other hand - how can they try to push final cut pro x without any backup of proper hardware?

That's indeed a puzzling question.

Cheers,
Bernard

kers

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Re: Mac Pro Rumor
« Reply #19 on: April 03, 2013, 09:07:22 am »

over time Apples Hard ware has become Soft ware :)
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