Has Apple finally given up on the MP?

[robeddie]

No - but I chose the handle so that if someone Yahoo!'d for my screen name they might learn something new....

I joke about porn, unlike the large number of people who pretend that it's never popped up on their systems and can't explain where all those big files came from.... (I wonder how many of the people complaining about the tiny SSDs on Apple gear have filled them with work files, or with NSFW files...).

Porn drives consumer electronics, and I hope that you don't think that the VR stuff is aimed at people remodeling their kitchens....

Well, either way, I loved your reaponse to flat five when he asked what you use your computer for. Next time a dingus asks me that, hope you domt mind if I steal that one.

 

[AidenShaw]

Well, either way, I loved your reaponse to flat five when he asked what you use your computer for. Next time a dingus asks me that, hope you domt mind if I steal that one.

Feel free. Porn (even more than gaming) is pushing the industry forward. It's stupid to pretend otherwise.

 

[SDAVE]

I stopped caring and built a Hackintosh, even though I hate PCs and will definitely hide this case behind the cabinets somewhere as I hate their sight.

The point is, if I'm going to keep upgrading cMPs or nMPs, why not just build a damn PC where I can easily upgrade the motherboard/CPU/GPU in the future if needed? (depending, of course, if Apple supports specific hardware).

I just couldn't hold myself and buy a nMP for the insane amounts of money it's going for right now OR wait to see IF Apple releases anything in the fall or next year.

Clearly they don't care and they haven't even bumped the specs for the nMP for almost 3 years.

I've been a diehard Apple user ever since I was in my teens (mostly out of necessity as they're productive machines for me), and I remember the Keynotes by Steve and also his care for the pro-community. The casual spec bumps every year or so was a norm. I held off buying a desktop after I got rid of my 2010 Mac Pro (maxed out and upgraded by myself). But I am literally sick and tired of Apple pulling this off every damn time.

I will keep all my mobile devices including Retina MacBook Pros, etc all Apple, but my desktop will be a Hackintosh.

Mind you I'm not doing this to "save money" but merely do NOT want to support Apple in an area where they lack. I can't bring myself to pay $4,000+Tax on 3-4 year old hardware and help them move another unit and make 60% in profits on aging hardware. It's just unethical to me. And no I don't want to buy someone's smoke-filled used nMP.

Thanks a lot, Tim, for finally putting the nail in the coffin for Pro Apple users. Your delusions and support for the lowest common denominator hurt us all. After all, you think it's all about money and numbers. Steve had a bigger vision and he is truly missed.

 

[iBug2]

Has it occurred to you the reason people feel that way is because Apple continues to service the needs of fewer and fewer people?

Yet somehow they end up selling more and more Macs?

 

[antonis]

Yet somehow they end up selling more and more Macs?

Except they don't as stated in MR site and other sites. But whatever, I guess...

 

[deconstruct60]

Except they don't as stated in MR site and other sites. But whatever, I guess...

Those are sales.... which isn't the correct number. Mac User base has been growing and as of late has beenn more accurately settling closer to steady state as opposed to falling. Futhermore, Year-over-year quarter sales ( the MR link ) where one year has a major product refreshed and another doesn't statistically say all that much insightful. Additionally have ti factor in the overall classic PC market which also going into a mature, steady state. (i.e., overall buying habits by customers are changing across the board. )

The drop the last couple of quarters has significantly more to do with people slowing on buying new laptops than anything to do with the Mac Pro design change in 2013. Thinking otherwise is just massive, narcissistic delusion. There is no quantitative data to back the Mac Pro being anything other than a round off error in overall Mac numbers before or after the 2013 design change.

If look at overall personal computer ( not myopic locked to classic form factor), Apple is at billion users now. Again to claim that Apple is services the needs of fewer people now is quite disconnected from reality.
There are subclasses that are "out", but they don't make for fewer people overall.

 

[Ethosik]

Honestly, what are people expecting? Other than USB3, my 2010 Mac Pro 6-core system is still a beast in 2016. Video rendering is a little bit slower than what I want, but I can always queue those up at night or something. I had an 8.5 hour video in Final Cut Pro that took about 12 hours. Granted, using my 2016 system with Premiere Pro took an extremely long time too.

My 2010 system should last for a few more years without feeling the need to upgrade. No USB3 is a bummer, but I can easily get around that by using my 2016 system and transferring the files over the network (only 1Gbps, but still better than slow USB2).

 

[ActionableMango]

No USB3 is a bummer, but I can easily get around that by using my 2016 system and transferring the files over the network

USB3 is quite easy and inexpensive to add (see link in my signature).

You do have to use one of those weird useless PCIe slots that nobody in their right mind could possibly ever want or need.

 

[Ethosik]

I think it's fairly clear that Apple is phasing itself out of the computer business altogether. iPads and iPhones are their go to devices for computing at this point. I wouldn't expect a new Mac OS after Sierra. It was a good run though from 1997-2011.

I disagree. iPhones and iPads are soon going to run into the same issue. All smart phones lately have reached a limit. Those markets are now mature.
[doublepost=1467825929][/doublepost]

USB3 is quite easy and inexpensive to add (see link in my signature).

You do have to use one of those weird useless PCIe slots that nobody in their right mind could possibly ever want or need.

Thanks for the link! You might want to update the pricing on the Allegro one. I can find it on Amazon for a much lower price.

Also, I still find transferring over the network much better. I record footage on my 2016 system, and transfer it to my mac. That cuts the time in half. I do not need to transfer it to my external drive, than transfer it to my mac.

 

[winston1236]

What's all this talk on here about Apple ending production on Mac Pro?

This is actually nothing but a Rumor based upon "Apple Speak" but Macbook, Macbook Pro, and iMacs are the only ones looking to survive. Yes Apple needs to sell computers. Just their own list of what people need or they want to build. They Just killed off their ONLY external Display (Thunderbolt). They will also discontinue anything requiring that external screen (Mac mini and Mac Pro). They also don't need 47 levels of notebooks so ... Macbook Air isn't needed either. Giving us ..

Macbook and Macbook Pro.
Imac and iMac Pro.

Macbook Pro already exist but, the iMac Pro will be a New Creature designed to fill gap where Mac Pro used to exist (Xeon Processors and ECC Ram). It will have a Higher end GPU than plain iMac but will depend upon 3rd Party Thunderbolt 3 Extender Boxes to allow for the return of using PCI based 3rd party cards for extra Specialized Processing as the whole computer industry is moving back to these. Look no further than nVidea's Tesla or Intel's Phi "CO-Processors". The same way PCI Extender boxes from Cubix" used to allow for up to 5 Titan cards to help push CUDA, the next "Big Loads" will have the ability to be processed under or beside the your desk or maybe even in another room. Need 4 Red Rockets for your 10k Raw Red Camera video to crunch it down to 8k for comercial sale. Need to purchase some old PCI Audio cards for your new Recording Studio. Thunderbolt 3 will bring it to your Macbook Pro or your iMac Pro just the same. Need Multi-screen Setups, look to your 3rd Party again. Remember Radius back in the old days?

Anyway ... this will allow Apple to Slim down the MAC line and focus on "Shaking their Money Makers" iPad and iPhone. Don't be sad though ... As soon as we have OLED Flexible screens we should see a Super powerful 17 or 19" iPAD PRO.
AGAIN .. this is just a my guess as to where Apple is taking us next.

As far as a Hackintosh or Dell Windows Workstation, If you just can't wait any longer you would be 10 times better off buying the current Mac Pro Refurbed for around $2300 and upgrading when parts (Video and CPU) gets cheaper or go on and get the current 27" 5k imac. As the the old Apple saying goes ... "Think Different". Think of what it is that you really want to do. Then Wait as long as you absolutly can to see who's predictions come true and choose the best Apple solution based upon your true needs (Example - Single Threaded nVidea Cuda Enabled App).

As an ex-owner of the nMP, I can assure you it is anything but quiet under load. Just put both gpus in crossfire and run a demanding game or benchmark that utilizes it. All the hot air disposal is done from the top opening and sounds almost like a turbine. You don't just hear a fan going crazy. You actually hear the hot air blowing from the top.

Oh, and while this is happening, don't think of touching its surface if you value your hands.

To be fair: when not stressed, it is entirely silent, or near it. But under load, it is louder than the custom PC I have now (probably a good/quality PC case absorbs a considerable amount of noise).

PC cases also have more open space so the air has less computer surface area to create contact noise with. The nMP has a radial slotted thing on top that the air has to pass through.

 

[iBug2]

As an ex-owner of the nMP, I can assure you it is anything but quiet under load. Just put both gpus in crossfire and run a demanding game or benchmark that utilizes it. All the hot air disposal is done from the top opening and sounds almost like a turbine. You don't just hear a fan going crazy. You actually hear the hot air blowing from the top.

Under heavy load I start to hear my nMP. Otherwise it's completely silent, at least to my ears from a 1 meter distance on my desk. My old Mac Pro was the noisiest machine I ever owned, both the 2006 and the 2008 models. Those were noisy even under light loads, and forget about gaming. It even cut through my music and movies. So, nMP's noise under heavy load isn't even comparable to the old one.

 

[ITguy2016]

Under heavy load I start to hear my nMP. Otherwise it's completely silent, at least to my ears from a 1 meter distance on my desk. My old Mac Pro was the noisiest machine I ever owned, both the 2006 and the 2008 models. Those were noisy even under light loads, and forget about gaming. It even cut through my music and movies. So, nMP's noise under heavy load isn't even comparable to the old one.

Perhaps something was wrong with it. The cMP was universally praised for how quiet it was.

 

[fuchsdh]

Perhaps something was wrong with it. The cMP was universally praised for how quiet it was.

Quiet is relative. The nMP is far quieter than the Mac Pro it replaced, because it's a much more tightly-integrated system with relatively low-wattage parts. The cMP were for their time (and to a degree still are) nicely designed towers, but they are certainly louder. As I type this, for instance, my Pro is audible from thee feet away and fans spinning 600-900 RPM, with nothing but browser windows and email open. Gets far louder playing games than my nMP at work.

 

[ITguy2016]

Quiet is relative. The nMP is far quieter than the Mac Pro it replaced, because it's a much more tightly-integrated system with relatively low-wattage parts. The cMP were for their time (and to a degree still are) nicely designed towers, but they are certainly louder. As I type this, for instance, my Pro is audible from thee feet away and fans spinning 600-900 RPM, with nothing but browser windows and email open. Gets far louder playing games than my nMP at work.

Of course it's relative. However the post I responded to said:

My old Mac Pro was the noisiest machine I ever owned​

That makes it sounds as if the noise level approached that of a jet engine and not that of a whisper.

 

[ActionableMango]

Comparing with a "cMP" is missing some critically important information. At full load, there are quiet cMPs and loud cMPs.

For example, the cMP has been bundled with some loud GPUs and some quiet GPUs. So the GPU alone can make a HUGE difference.

Not to mention the difference for CPU fans trying to cool 4 cores vs 12 cores at full load.

 

[nigelbb]

The cMP has the potential to be VERY noisy if all fans are running at maximum speed but in normal use this should never happen. Even under heavy load the heat shouldn't rise enough that the fans need to run at maximum.

 

[Larry-K]

Honestly, what are people expecting? Other than USB3, my 2010 Mac Pro 6-core system is still a beast in 2016. Video rendering is a little bit slower than what I want, but I can always queue those up at night or something. I had an 8.5 hour video in Final Cut Pro that took about 12 hours. Granted, using my 2016 system with Premiere Pro took an extremely long time too.

My 2010 system should last for a few more years without feeling the need to upgrade. No USB3 is a bummer, but I can easily get around that by using my 2016 system and transferring the files over the network (only 1Gbps, but still better than slow USB2).

Put a card in, works great.

 

[lowendlinux]

The cMP isn' quiet by any standard even idle..

The ball bearings and the blade design are probably the main culprits. There's been a lot of advancements in fans in the the last 8 years or so they were just never updated on it.

 

[iBug2]

Of course it's relative. However the post I responded to said:

My old Mac Pro was the noisiest machine I ever owned​

That makes it sounds as if the noise level approached that of a jet engine and not that of a whisper.

By machine I meant computer obviously. My vacuum cleaner is noisier.

 

[nigelbb]

By machine I meant computer obviously. My vacuum cleaner is noisier.

The noisiest computer that I ever saw was a prototype Itanium system with about a dozen fans that howled like a banshee. It was housed in the computer room but could still be clearly heard above the A/C & dozens of big servers both Intel & Alpha.

 

[antonis]

The drop the last couple of quarters has significantly more to do with people slowing on buying new laptops than anything to do with the Mac Pro design change in 2013. Thinking otherwise is just massive, narcissistic delusion.

Would you seriously bet that Mac Pro's sales are on a rise in 2016 ? Cause that would indeed be a massive, narcissistic delusion.

There are always two perspectives to look at these things. From a user's perspective, or from a shareholder's perspective. Both standpoints are valid, of course, but let's agree that they don't always coincide. If Mac Pro's sales are stagnated it would be surely because of the non-announcement after 3 years of silence from apple.

I won't deny that apple is - in general - a very successful company. And rich. But, alas, I'm not an apple shareholder. So I care only for the usability of their machines regarding my needs, and if the specific platform will be able to satisfy my needs in the near future. I couldn't care less about how much money they make or how big their sales decline is (e.g. the decline shown when comparing Q1-2015 vs Q1-2016).

Apple's target groups seem to shift a bit. If that's profitable, that's fine - for them. I'm also sure that Britney Spears has sold more than Bob Dylan in the last few years. However, I still prefer the latter.

 

[OllyW]

That makes it sounds as if the noise level approached that of a jet engine...

That would have been the PowerMac G4 MDD.

 

[iBug2]

The noisiest computer that I ever saw was a prototype Itanium system with about a dozen fans that howled like a banshee. It was housed in the computer room but could still be clearly heard above the A/C & dozens of big servers both Intel & Alpha.

My G4 tower in 2002 was not noisy but I still could hear it running.
My G5 tower in 2004 was even less noisy.
My G5 in 2005 had liquid cooling but the GPU had a noisy fan, so in the total, more noisy.
My Mac Pro 2006 had a really noisy GPU fan, XT1900. At some point I removed the fan and purchased a passive cooling for the GPU just because I was sick of the noise. But of course it didn't work, the GPU was getting too hot every time I played a game.
My Mac Pro 2008 was noisy from the start. 8800GT was noisy, but each new GPU I bought after that was no different. GTX 280 was noisy, HD5870 was noisy. And even the computer fans were noisy.

nMP, finally, dead quiet under most circumstances.

 

[DPUser]

I have a machine room. I just hear music (sometimes closer to noisic) in my studio.

 

[George Dawes]

That would have been the PowerMac G4 MDD.

I recall an entire forum dedicated to that thing alone , lol , I was a member.. the noise that thing made and the things people went though to attempt to make it quieter...