MP All Models My AS Mac Pro Prediction

[enc0re]

Let’s be real. M1 is based on A14 cores (iPhone 12) using the same N5 (5nm) process. M2 is based on A15 (iPhone 13) using the same N5P process.

The biggest advantage of a process shrink is in power efficiency. I would be surprised if we saw N3B in a Mac before an iPhone.

 

[sirio76]

Traditionally the Mac has largely been a no-show in 3D, has it not?

That’s simply a lie.

 

[sirio76]

I’ll add to that, before listening to people that write on forums about how bad 3D is on MacOS, always ask to see some of their 3D artworks, 99% of the time they are just clueless users, gamers, or best case scenario hobbyist that like to repeat nonsense over the web. Not saying that MacOS is the best platform for 3D, but beside some specific user case Macs are plenty capable machines, as a matter of facts today computers are so fast that user knowledge and talent are much more important than hardware speed.

 

[th0masp]

Yeah I agree, we could do that. But who would want to out themselves like that in a hardware-centric forum that has nothing to do with their career in 3D. Comparing worthiness of opinions by portfolio links, Artstation likes, IMDB entry or Linkedin profile seems like it would lead down some other path.

Of course the talent and software expertise is what matters, that has always been the case. Doesn't mean that a Mac is a common sight in 3D. If it helps - I'm not a gamer and when I got into this business everybody with a real budget was just transitioning over from SGI machines.

 

[Pakaku]

Something in the Mac Pro for the shops that use and for developers building games on the mobile platform makes sense to me.

Pretty sure Mobile gaming doesn't need that much development power if phone hardware can't handle it, especially not raytracing. There's a better case for it with actual Mac/PC/Console development, but since Windows is still the biggest target vs. Mac, it probably doesn't make as much sense as just running an equivalent Windows workstation, unless the M-series Mac Pro turns out to be a very strong contender in performance vs cost.

As far as I know, Macs are popular for producing other media like movies and TV, ray-tracing hardware might still be useful there if CGI is heavily involved. As for uses that are very CPU-dependent (Silicon's biggest obstacle to pass in a Mac Pro), ray-tracing potential probably won't help much there unless they tap into GPU power for processing.

 

[Serqetry]

Perhaps because its not all that big a selling point? Rebooting to switch between different OSes feels so ... 1990s to me. As would be having to carefully select hardware so its usable by or at least tolerated and trouble-free within both systems.
I'd rather have a proper sidekick machine with the other operating system on the desk. Could be a laptop or a mini-PC if performance is not the main priority and the expectation is that it won't get used all that often.

Seriously. I have no idea why anyone would factor being able to reboot into Windows into their purchase choice of a Mac. The reason I have Macs is so I don't have to use Windows. If Windows is so important to you that you can't live without it, it's probably a lot easier to have a Windows PC instead of a Mac Pro. And in the case of gaming, it's probably better just to put together a dedicated gaming PC or get a PS5 or Xbox.

 

[avro707]

The "future" would be using cloud computing for those instances when you need a separate platform temporarily. Microsoft is already offering Windows 365, streaming a "rented" Windows session.

I’ve used these cloud systems, including a major enterprise one and it’s definitely no replacement for something running locally for what I need. Internet is also not that great here.

I’m glad I don’t have a traditional PC, the Mac being able to run windows natively covers of that need perfectly. Obviously my use case is not common for most Mac users. It’s hard not to notice the Intel Mac crowd appear to be seen as the enemy these days.

The above reply is making out that we are some sort of idiots for how we are using our machines.

 

[ian87w]

I’ve used these cloud systems, including a major enterprise one and it’s definitely no replacement for something running locally for what I need. Internet is also not that great here.

I’m glad I don’t have a traditional PC, the Mac being able to run windows natively covers of that need perfectly. Obviously my use case is not common for most Mac users. It’s hard not to notice the Intel Mac crowd appear to be seen as the enemy these days.

The above reply is making out that we are some sort of idiots for how we are using our machines.

Sure, cloud computing is not perfect, and I'm sure there will always be a specific scenario where it wouldn't work.

The intel macs are definitely very interesting and versatile era, like you said, being able to easily boot macOS and Windows natively on one machine.

However, that era is sunsetting. And I don't see any progress between Apple and Microsoft in regards to Windows on ARM support. The closest thing is to rely on the likes of Parallels. On the bright side, thanks to the proliferation of intel macs on the market, software support on mac is getting better than ever. Web apps also are getting more common that the OS is less and less relevant.

I had one app that was Windows only, and now the developer finally made an iOS/Android version of the app. Now I can literally be Windows-free.