Unfortunately, after 1000 days I'm guessing this is true. Given all the arguing on MR about the 6,1 "trash can", one would have to guess that the same arguments have been going on inside Apple for 3+ years now.
In any case, I the blame the MP failure (again, at 1000 days it is) on Jony Ive. He seems to have such a purest uncompromising arrogant attitude to design 'purity', he would never admit the trash can design was a failure ("F**King Intel keeps turning up the heat on Xeon" - kinda misses the point of the Xeon). Ive would rather shelf the "genius" of the trash can design until someone makes components to work within it, instead of designing something that work with Xeon CPUs - something he would view as an ugly compromise.
It's been said that he was "set up to be untouchable" within Apple by Jobs before Job's departure - it's only that type of political power that can bring such deadlock and ultimately demise to a product line. The timing of the trash can's appearance and "retirement" of Bob Mansfield also correlates to Ive's design power grab after Job's departure.
[doublepost=1473483062][/doublepost]Everyone has to face the facts, the cMP (tower) was always seen a compromise, but it was a compromise that Jobs knew the company needed. When jobs departed, Ive's arrogant uncompromising and untouchable attitude prevailed.
