I took the opportunity to do some research and deep thinking on the
future of the Mac Pro, and Apple's reasons for delaying the release of
a new model. I think you'll appreciate the thoughts and ideas that
resulted.
What research?
The Xeon E5 processors are already out, not 2013...... so how does that contribute to a delay????? They've been released for over a year and in volume since before the last June's relatively weak speed bump update.
SATA Express is not the follow on to SATA III anymore than mSATA is.
Thunderbolt 2.0. The title of the article you link to is "The First Thunderbolt Speed Bump: Likely in 2014 ... " . What kind of arm flapping has it arriving in 2013? Here is direct quote from the article ( article dated January 2012 )
" ....As a result, Intel told me that we won't see any increase in Thunderbolt speeds for the next two years. ... "
Let's see January 2012 + 2 ==> 2014. Analysis?? How about arithmetic? Remember how Fiber TB was going to arrive "real soon" but didn't until almost the very end of 2012 (
http://global-sei.com/news/press/12/prs105_s.html). Or how numerous TB devices previewed at 2012 CES actually didn't ship until 2013 CES show? Thunderbolt 1.0 has not particularly been a roaring success.... what would a more expensive ( or just as expensive as 1-1.5 years ago) update do? Apple is waiting on that to jump start a Mac Pro?
The Mac Pro doesn't even have a PCI-e expansion or mutiple video out problem. Let alone waiting for a 2.0 update to that solution in search of a problem.
Retina Displays delaying Mac Pro? It doesn't have a display. Nevermind at a nominal 21-24" from user the
current 27" displays are
already technically Retina resolution.
At some future point there may be "Retina" displays at the 21.5" size but at 27" is a "solution" in search of a problem.
Redesigned Mac Pro ...
"... and in today’s world, there just isn’t any need for it to be quite so large and heavy anymore. ..."
This hand waving isn't motivated or substantiated. What need of what?
Substantially lower CPU TDP ??? ... Er. not present. There have been hand waving claims that Ivy Bridge Xeon E5 were going to be dramatically lower TDP, not. While Apple wouldn't likely use the -E models ( as opposed to Xeon E5 i.e., '-EP' ) all the current indicators put to not
http://www.cpu-world.com/news_2013/...idge-E_extreme_CPUs_to_launch_in_Q3_2013.html
They run just as high TDP as the current ones ( not coming in 2013) ones do. Waiting longer buys exactly nothing in this replace.
Substantially lower GPU card TDP ... in fact over last 5-6 years it has gone
UP not down for the typical class of GPUs that make sense going into a Mac Pro.
If you wanted to build a new smaller Mac Pro that was just as fast as the top end Mac Pro's from 5-8 years ago then sure... it could be smaller. What is not motivated here at all is that the vast majority of Mac Pro users' workload has completely stagnated over the last 5-6 years ? If so yeah that stagnation move makes some sense. But then if so it is difficult to see how the 2013 Mac Mini and iMac aren't also going to highly overlap with that level of performance.
" .. Great design takes time – ... "
Great design and function go together. What is completely missing is where the "Function" driver is here that is pushing "More modular" or "smaller because Apple gotta deliver that xMac ".
Tim Cooks quote
" ... It’s unclear from the language of that email whether he was referring to an update to the Mac Pro ... "
Yeah that would be significant if it hadn't been clarified numerous times.
" ... Apple PR has reached out and clarified that only the Mac Pro is expected to be next updated in 2013. ... "
https://www.macrumors.com/2012/06/1...c-pro-and-imac-designs-likely-coming-in-2013/
Or during EU Markt withdraw crisis amusingly completely absent from this " comprehensive" analysis.
" ... Apple declined to give any further information about a potential Mac Pro replacement except to reiterate that it was "working on a pro product for later this year." .. "
http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/01/apple-to-stop-shipping-mac-pro-in-europe-on-march-1/
Knowing that they were going to have to pull there product from the EU markets in early 2013 Apple set up to compose a new Mac Pro that couldn't come out until very late in 2013. Brilliant. Spectacularly brilliant plan. *cough*.
Frankly this smells alot like that other dubious analysis PCWorld (??) or someone else floated a couple months back .... Not particularly grounded in the facts. Reads more like Apple's "The dog ate my homework" excuse list for being late.
It makes absolutely no sense to me but it (probably) doesn't hurt anyone so let them have at I guess. It's just a colossal waste of time IMO. I do kinda wish there weren't so many of these. There must be 10 or 15 threads IDENTICAL to this one every month since that CEO butt said the word "wonderful" in an interview. 
