Another Prediction

[Mactrunk]

Just saw this.
Nothing new, but kind of interesting.
http://www.ear.net/products/new-apple-mac-pro/

 

[goMac]

I like how we've gone from "the Mac Pro is dead!" to "the Mac Pro is getting a major redesign!" in the course of two days.

Not that I don't think a redesign is off the table, I just find it amusing.

 

[minifridge1138]

Just saw this.
Nothing new, but kind of interesting.
http://www.ear.net/products/new-apple-mac-pro/

Their model/render looks just like the XServer.

I can't imagine Apple would kill 1 product due to lack of sales, then redesign an existing one to look exactly like the one they killed.

 

[hollyhillbilly]

Too Loud

As a previous owner of the xserve, all I can say about this is, this better run quiet. I loved my xserve, but I am glad it was in the IT room. I can not image having the previous xserve on set with sound rolling anywhere close, or clients in an edit bay, maybe they have solved the loud fan noise that kicks in.

 

[Prince134]

I don't think that's gonna happen. xserve was axed by Steve Jobs 2 years ago.
One of his response to an inquiry about continuing xserve was : Hardly anyone buy it! - a short response directly from Steve Jobs. Current (or similar but smaller) form factor should be more close to reality, should a new MacPro come true.

 

[Rustus Maximus]

...Thunderbolt technology already used in the newer Mac Book Pro models and USB 3 can easily replace the need for slots and the extra cooling they required...

Simply not true.

 

[tony3d]

Where the hell would one put such a design other than a rack. I don't have a rack. I have a desk.

 

[theluggage]

Simply not true.

A better way of putting it is that Thunderbolt - essentially external PCIe - can potentially satisfy many of the needs of customers who have previously bought Mac Pros because they wanted to fit internal hard drives and PCIe cards.

Meanwhile, processor speeds/core counts are rising and power consumption is falling, so fewer and fewer people actually need the high-end chips.

As for servers - even Apple didn't kit out their data center with their own kit. Apples USP is ease of use and industrial design - not important for professional servers.

Finally, long gone are the days when only Apple and Commodore had platforms that were technically capable of high-end video editing or 3D graphics. Whatever Apple does, more and more of such users will be switching to commodity PC hardware.

At some point, the number of customers who want/need Mac Pros will be too low for Apple to bother with, and they'll be gone.