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What will the Mac Pro 'November Surprise' be?

  • New Mini Tower form factor with easy expansion, whipping Mac enthusiasts into a frenzy of delight

    Votes: 19 9.2%
  • Designating some sort of high powered iMac as the new 'Mac Pro', discontinuing cylinder

    Votes: 20 9.7%
  • Spinning off PC operations into separate company, owned by Mac executives

    Votes: 2 1.0%
  • Selling PC operations to some Lenovo type company

    Votes: 4 1.9%
  • Declaring an end to PC operations and donating OSX to some sort of open source project

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Upgrade the Cylinder to the latest technology

    Votes: 46 22.2%
  • Selling OSX as stand alone software supporting designated 'Hackintosh' configurations

    Votes: 2 1.0%
  • No November surprise, fog and uncertainty

    Votes: 110 53.1%
  • Other (specify in notes)

    Votes: 2 1.0%
  • Doesn't matter, Anything Tim does will be the Best of All Possible Worlds as far as I am concerned

    Votes: 2 1.0%

  • Total voters
    207

rotorblade69

macrumors regular
Jul 1, 2006
158
14
North West Georgia
2016 is a 9 year a year of completion rest and forgiveness. That is what I have been doing. Late last year I bought the wife the new retina Macbook and iPad Mini for her book writing.
This year I have been cleaning out and up everything in our lives. Sold the old truck, cleaned out the safe and garage. Reduced down to 3 calibers (9mm, 556, and 22LR.) I need to stock ammunition for. Soon I will bring that down to just 2 with the sale of the last Ruger 10/22. Now these last 3 months (Oct, Nov. Dec.) are for getting ready to find a new place to rent next year and move and get ready to buy land and build a house.

2017 is the line for me. 2017 is the year of beginning, the year to start express your uniqueness.

NO new nothing no hints now new "Rumors" not even a piss off or kiss my ass from apple and I am done. I may just get a Chrome base AIO for the regular every day stuff and be done. All the older apple stuff will be sold and the wife will keep her MB and iPad everything else Apple will go. If they are done with PCI slots and want everything to be hooked via a cable **** them. If they are really dumping the Headphone jack and making everyone pay their stupid Apple tax and then Lightening port licensing then **** them.

**** EM!!!!
 

iMcLovin

macrumors 68000
Feb 11, 2009
1,963
898
Too ****ing late, i'm already done with these mother ****ers.

Switching to PC as soon as 7700k Kaby Lake hits the market.

Just get the Broadwell-E 4, 6 or the crazy 10 core. More powerful Prosumer cpus, pretty new (june 2016)...-and you can finally end the waiting game and make the switch :)

My freshly built PC with a nicely customized Windows 10 that has all the tools I need and want makes me question why I stuck with Apple computers for so long. There are tools and possibilities with this new machine I haven't had the pleasure of enjoying for far too long...And I'm still wondering what I could possibly miss from OS X...all I can think of is the ability to send SMS from my machine.
 

jeff7117

macrumors regular
Jul 22, 2009
174
456
I think it's too ****ing late. As soon as Apple stopped giving us choices on hardware, especially GFX cards, they drew a line in the sand. Pro users need flexibility, and the current Pro machine sucks when it comes to keeping it up-to-date. The only Surprise this November will be the number of Pro users switching to Windows.

Unless we get a new form factor Mac Pro and soon (doubtful) it's gonna be a mass exodus for most of us, especially those in Post Production.
 

kennyisalive

macrumors regular
Feb 29, 2016
117
352
Just get the Broadwell-E 4, 6 or the crazy 10 core. More powerful Prosumer cpus, pretty new (june 2016)...-and you can finally end the waiting game and make the switch :)

My freshly built PC with a nicely customized Windows 10 that has all the tools I need and want makes me question why I stuck with Apple computers for so long. There are tools and possibilities with this new machine I haven't had the pleasure of enjoying for far too long...And I'm still wondering what I could possibly miss from OS X...all I can think of is the ability to send SMS from my machine.
Broadwell-E single core speeds aren't as fast as the upcoming 7700k (4.2 Ghz + 4.6 Turbo Quad core). Single core is what I desire since I will need raw single core power for Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and some occasional Premiere + Cinema4D (even though I know C4D would benefit for more cores).

Don't mind waiting for Kaby Lake since it's right around the corner (launching Q1 2017). At least I KNOW what hardware I want instead of waiting for an unknown specimen to fall from the sky...

My plan is to use Kaby Lake as a temporary stopgap... hopefully switch my mobo+cpu to the LGA 2066 socket once Skylake X and Kaby Lake X hit the market. There are rumors that there will be some 4Ghz+ 6 core options.

But yea, I agree with you. Apple's options are extremely pathetic and sad. They should stop making "pro" computers since it's wasting everyone's time, including Apple's. Their pro options are the laughing stock of the computer world and I DOUBT they'll turn things around with a new offering.
 
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iMcLovin

macrumors 68000
Feb 11, 2009
1,963
898
Broadwell-E single core speeds aren't as fast as the upcoming 7700k (4.2 Ghz + 4.6 Turbo Quad core). Single core is what I desire since I will need raw single core power for Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, and some occasional Premiere + Cinema4D (even though I know C4D would benefit for more cores).

Don't mind waiting for Kaby Lake since it's right around the corner (launching Q1 2017). At least I KNOW what hardware I want instead of waiting for an unknown specimen to fall from the sky...

My plan is to use Kaby Lake as a temporary stopgap... hopefully switch my mobo+cpu to the LGA 2066 socket once Skylake X and Kaby Lake X hit the market. There are rumors that there will be some 4Ghz+ 6 core options.

But yea, I agree with you. Apple's options are extremely pathetic and sad. They should stop making "pro" computers since it's wasting everyone's time, including Apple's. Their pro options are the laughing stock of the computer world and I DOUBT they'll turn things around with a new offering.

Yeah I agree. Btw with proper cooling the broadwell E are very acceptive to overclocking. With my Asus x99 rog motherboard there were even overclocking presets for the CPU ready to choose out of the box. Myself I have overclocked mine to 4.4ghz. So now I have 6 cores of 4.4 ghz. My main tools are after effects, photoshop and various 3D programs... which is why I thought the prosumer cards were the perfect inbetweener. Since high clock speed is best for adobe programs and more cores are best in 3D rendering and video rendering, neither Xeon cpus or skylake CPUs seemed like an optimal solution when working in both kind of tools. The fact that adobe doesn't utilize more than a single core in most cases though is a tragedy, but that's a discussion for a different day :D

Anyway Kaby lake will be great especially if/when they will offer 6 cores,... just sharing my assessment :)
 
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pat500000

Suspended
Jun 3, 2015
8,523
7,515
If they do, then that iMac will have to be more powerful than anything in the current Mac Pro lineup, from the standpoint of both CPU and GPU. The FCPX team held a NDA-bound sneak preview of the future of that platform months ago for users. As a professional user of FCPX, it makes NO sense for Apple to continue to develop FCPX while simultaneously eliminating the computers that run it best.

I have a cylinder and I continually push it to the limit using FCPX. I know people are down on Apple (me too), but again, it makes no sense to have aggressive plans for the future of your editing platform while getting rid of the desktop machines that run it best. As currently configured, an iMac doesn't come close to replacing a Mac Pro in terms of durability and consistent, non-throttled encoding, rendering, and use.

If Apple gets rid of the Mac Pro and fails to replace it with something more powerful and capable, then FCPX would be on the chopping block too. And given that it is widely believed to be the most-installed editing platform in the world, I find that unlikely.

I find it more likely that Apple would actually re-introduce an expandable tower than eliminate the line altogether. And I'm not holding my breath on that. I think they'd partner with HP and produce a Z-series with OS X before completely eliminating the option.
Well....they got MBP to support FCPX.
 

jwpoof

macrumors member
Jan 11, 2006
96
114
Well....they got MBP to support FCPX.

That's not going to cut it. It's fine for straight cutting on the road and making due in mobile situations, but the experience is generally terrible compared to the Mac Pro. Again, it doesn't make sense, unless their vision for the future is a laptop connected to external GPUs, which still doesn't solve the lack of cores unless there is some sort of external CPU product in the works.
 

pat500000

Suspended
Jun 3, 2015
8,523
7,515
That's not going to cut it. It's fine for straight cutting on the road and making due in mobile situations, but the experience is generally terrible compared to the Mac Pro. Again, it doesn't make sense, unless their vision for the future is a laptop connected to external GPUs, which still doesn't solve the lack of cores unless there is some sort of external CPU product in the works.
It's mbp or the highway is their motto.

EDIT: Actually, if Apple wants to continue with FCPX, it would be their best interest in producing Mac Pro; however, it appears that the rumors of Augmented Reality exist and i'm not sure if it has any impact on mac pro.
 
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star-affinity

macrumors 68000
Nov 14, 2007
1,999
1,335
My freshly built PC with a nicely customized Windows 10 that has all the tools I need and want makes me question why I stuck with Apple computers for so long. There are tools and possibilities with this new machine I haven't had the pleasure of enjoying for far too long...And I'm still wondering what I could possibly miss from OS X...all I can think of is the ability to send SMS from my machine.

I also think Windows 10 i pretty nice, but I still prefer OS X/macOS when it comes to the overall usability (for example: an app switcher only showing all running apps and not all open windows helps navigating quicker when one has many apps open) and how apps are more coherent (for example: press "cmd ," to open the preference pane in most apps).

But once inside and working with many applications that exists for both operating systems (for example Photoshop) the experience is pretty similar, but it's the operating system ”around” the apps that still makes me prefer how macOS behaves (overall).
 
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iMcLovin

macrumors 68000
Feb 11, 2009
1,963
898
I also think Windows 10 i pretty nice, but I still prefer OS X/macOS when it comes to the overall usability (for example: an app switcher only showing all running apps and not all open windows helps navigating quicker when one has many apps open) and how apps are more coherent (for example: press "cmd ," to open the preference pane in most apps).

But once inside and working with many applications that exists for both operating systems (for example Photoshop) the experience is pretty similar, but it's the operating system ”around” the apps that still makes me prefer how macOS behaves (overall).

I agree there are small subtle things like that which are nice in Mac OS, but you can find workarounds to make Windows behave closer to Mac OS in a lot of places, like quick view that actually works (since apple killed the ability to have video installed codecs working in quick view), thumbnail images for all kinds of files, etc etc...This is things that mattered to me....But I guess you can find some tool to install for pretty much every thing you like in Mac OS :) . And apart from that, theres a LOT windows have that Mac OS doesn't have, particularly in programs and plugins only available for WIndows.....
Personally these minor Mac OS things are less missed than I would have expected, and there's things in Windows 10 Ive also missed while being on Mac OS...all in all this is trivial compared to lack of hardware and updates from Apple - I need to know what and when I can invest in new hardware for my office.
 

Philocetes

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 23, 2016
106
36
The thing that pushed me from windows back to the mac was windows complete vulnerability to viruses. So you buy windows--maybe $130 and then need to spend another $50 on a program who's sole purpose is to make best efforts to plug the security holes in the windows product. My son buys a brand new laptop running windows 7 a few years ago, and I set it up with the built-in microsoft 'defender'. He comes over a couple of weeks later and there is all sorts of malware running on it. There is no excuse for a computer design where simply browsing the web can enable a web-based program to install a rook kit on the underlying os. Son got a macbook and never a problem since.

So, is windows 10 safer? Why take a chance? Now I could work with win 10 if need be, but at this point, osx is working for me and I have nice cMPs to run it on. If those things give up the ghost, there is always a hack as an option.

My important apps are logic and final cut--both a bargain in the marketplace in terms of functionality. Again, I can go win 10 and buy similar functionality for more money, but not seeing the need at this point.

I note that in the poll, no product announcement is the most voted option right now. I can't disagree, though it wasn't my vote.

So, I'm not disagreeing with other folks' reasons for an os preference, just saying what meets my personal needs. One thing I see in windows is the continuous cycle of the wintel duopoly where each new version of windows has more bloatware and less user autonomy over the interface, and is a bigger ***** resource pig so one needs to upgrade the hardware to the latest intel chips to run it at the same UI speed as the previous release and cpu. Now diminishing user autonomy over the user interface is an osx thing as well, as companies seek to convert portions of our desktops into advertising platform and links to other technologies to sell on an 'ecosystem' approach.

To address this tendency in osx, my plan is to stick to el capitan (I wish I had stopped upgrading a few animals/mountains prior).

PS. I note the cuss-word filter has a large number of variations programmed into it as I didn't actually say a cuss word, I just implied it with a single letter. ;)
 
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iMcLovin

macrumors 68000
Feb 11, 2009
1,963
898
The thing that pushed me from windows back to the mac was windows complete vulnerability to viruses. So you buy windows--maybe $130 and then need to spend another $50 on a program who's sole purpose is to make best efforts to plug the security holes in the windows product. My son buys a brand new laptop running windows 7 a few years ago, and I set it up with the built-in microsoft 'defender'. He comes over a couple of weeks later and there is all sorts of malware running on it. There is no excuse for a computer design where simply browsing the web can enable a web-based program to install a rook kit on the underlying os. Son got a macbook and never a problem since.

So, is windows 10 safer? Why take a chance? Now I could work with win 10 if need be, but at this point, osx is working for me and I have nice cMPs to run it on. If those things give up the ghost, there is always a hack as an option.

My important apps are logic and final cut--both a bargain in the marketplace in terms of functionality. Again, I can go win 10 and buy similar functionality for more money, but not seeing the need at this point.

I note that in the poll, no product announcement is the most voted option right now. I can't disagree, though it wasn't my vote.

So, I'm not disagreeing with other folks' reasons for an os preference, just saying what meets my personal needs. One thing I see in windows is the continuous cycle of the wintel duopoly where each new version of windows has more bloatware and less user autonomy over the interface, and is a bigger ***** resource pig so one needs to upgrade the hardware to the latest intel chips to run it at the same UI speed as the previous release and cpu. Now diminishing user autonomy over the user interface is an osx thing as well, as companies seek to convert portions of our desktops into advertising platform and links to other technologies to sell on an 'ecosystem' approach.

To address this tendency in osx, my plan is to stick to el capitan (I wish I had stopped upgrading a few animals/mountains prior).

PS. I note the cuss-word filter has a large number of variations programmed into it as I didn't actually say a cuss word, I just implied it with a single letter. ;)

I never had much problems with viruses or malware to be honest. Windows defender lets me know if something actually is bad for the computer, but a lot of malware isnt considered bad, but its still crap you choose to add. My sons have a tendency of course to accept a lot of crap to be installed on their computer. But an adult that knows a thing or two about a computer shouldnt have any problems saying no thank you to the bing bar or whatever that you choose to download. Nothing appears by itself anyway.
 
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ITguy2016

Suspended
May 25, 2016
736
581
I also think Windows 10 i pretty nice, but I still prefer OS X/macOS when it comes to the overall usability (for example: an app switcher only showing all running apps and not all open windows helps navigating quicker when one has many apps open) and how apps are more coherent (for example: press "cmd ," to open the preference pane in most apps).

But once inside and working with many applications that exists for both operating systems (for example Photoshop) the experience is pretty similar, but it's the operating system ”around” the apps that still makes me prefer how macOS behaves (overall).
Which app switcher are you referring to on each platform? On Windows I have two applications listed on the task bar: Firefox and putty. Firefox has a single entry on the task bar despite multiple windows being opened. I will see multiple entries for putty if I open multiple sessions. On OS X, at least Mavericks, VirtualBox has multiple dock entries...one per running guest OS. Therefore I would suggest multiple / single entries are a function of the specific application being run and not the OS itself.

On OS X one thing I dislike about the Dock is how it shifts open programs around as they're brought to the foreground and then minimized. I much prefer the Windows way of leaving everything static.
 

Blair Paulsen

macrumors regular
Jun 22, 2016
211
157
San Diego, CA USA
Best guess: Kaby Lake based MP 7,1 released in 2017, hopefully Q2. Likely to retain the same form factor to leverage their existing manufacturing systems. Improved cooling and a slightly larger PSU if we're lucky.

I can see the argument that Apple is not that interested in the "pro" desktop market anymore. That said, I do expect at least one more iteration of the cylinder before they bail. First, they already built the factory. Second, process shrunk components capable of making FCP-X fly in a laptop form factor/TDP envelope are just now hitting the market. In a couple of years we might see performance to power/cooling/size ratios move enough to obsolete the desktop form factor altogether with the 7,1 as a bridge to that day.
 

Derpage

Suspended
Mar 7, 2012
451
194
I'm surprised their are people still using these machines or consider using these antiquated machines this November. I remember when people used to say "because this stuff just works...no fiddling around." Now this forum is all about life support and necromancers living in the past.
 

Blair Paulsen

macrumors regular
Jun 22, 2016
211
157
San Diego, CA USA

AidenShaw

macrumors P6
Feb 8, 2003
18,667
4,677
The Peninsula
You got me, they didn't build it - though it exists because of Apple.
And you can be sure that Flextronics got enough money from Apple upfront at the outset to make a profit regardless of how badly the trash can flopped.

And obviously that calculation was weighted heavily by what Flextronics could do with the factory space when Apple bailed.

IAC, my point is that IF Apple is focused on exiting the space, they're less likely to make the effort to re-design - leading them back to the same factory.
But that factory makes the failed device that they are exiting.
 
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