Really, Apple?!

[Seraph301083]

I remember 2 years ago, when they introduced the redesigned MacPro, they said "we care about our pro customers".

And since they released the trashcan.. nothing. No official news. No official timeframe. No update whatsoever.

I would very much like to stay on the macintosh side of workstations, but with that attitude.. not sure how long I can continue lying to myself.

All I hear is iPhone, iPad, iAnything.

iOS is getting faster, safer, stabler (really!?), more secure.
OSX is getting iOS like Split View and Live Photos Support for Messages..

They are sitting on a money pile that would scare the hell out of Scrooge McDuck and they won't spend even a tiny fraction of it to keep there pro customers happy.

what the **** is wrong with Apple?

 

[jjhny]

Apple has become a 'fashion' company. Tech fashion. The problem is that fashions can change. That is why they are attempting to lock people into an 'eco-system' via the cloud, etc.

Steve Jobs said it. In the tech world there are cars and trucks. The Mac Pro is a truck. But Apple has chosen to deal with 'cars' - trendy tech and fashion.

They would be smart to split the Pro (and I mean the real Pro products) into their own division. That way if the fashion side falters they still have the heavy duty truck side.

But why do the smart thing when you can be fashionable.

 

[VAGDesign]

I see trucks to be fashionable enough.
I see cars ugly enough to be avoided.

The whole ideal Apple had, died with Steve Jobs. Since then, it's all about economics. Hive and timing.

Timing isn't right, right now as it seems. Mistaken decisions have been made on the "Pro" line of products. There are no Pros for Apple now, only Prosumers. In all areas, for all companies who use it's technologies.

I expect a new line of Mac Pros late 2016 - early 2017 with a whole new design and expandability. If that won't happen, the only 2 paths for Pros are either Linux or Hackintosh, I'm talking about those who insist on platforms except Windows.

 

[Seraph301083]

Well it is downright frustrating.
It wouldn't take that much at all and the pros would be more than happy.
Like you said. Separate the pro grade Hardware from the rest and give them the much needed attention.
A pro workstation doesn't need to be as small as possible.
Don't get me wrong, the new mac pro was mostly a step in the right direction but it was a step. Nothing more. And while the iProducts are running in all kinds of directions, btw. to call an iPad pro just because of it's Size and the Pencil is ridiculous, the MacPro and even the MacbookPros are merely walking or just looking around.

And the secrecy, while awesome when it comes to iPhones and that stuff, is driving me crazy.
People depend on regular information about availability of certain products. Imagine intel having that kind of secrecy?!
"Maybe we'll build a next generation xeon, maybe not. You will see when it is time. Doubling down on secrecy here."

A long story short I am begging for change here.
I don't want secrecy when it comes to professional grade hardware or software for that matter.

 

[flat five]

Apple has become a 'fashion' company. Tech fashion. The problem is that fashions can change. That is why they are attempting to lock people into an 'eco-system' via the cloud, etc.

Steve Jobs said it. In the tech world there are cars and trucks. The Mac Pro is a truck. But Apple has chosen to deal with 'cars' - trendy tech and fashion.

They would be smart to split the Pro (and I mean the real Pro products) into their own division. That way if the fashion side falters they still have the heavy duty truck side.

But why do the smart thing when you can be fashionable.

are you sure you understand what s.jobs was saying when likening macPros to trucks?

fwiw, this is what was said:

"I'm trying to think of a good analogy. When we were an agrarian nation, all cars were trucks. But as people moved more towards urban centers, people started to get into cars. I think PCs are going to be like trucks. Less people will need them. And this transformation is going to make some people uneasy... because the PC has taken us a long way. They were amazing. But it changes. Vested interests are going to change. And, I think we've embarked on that change. Is it the iPad? Who knows? Will it be next year or five years? ... We like to talk about the post-PC era, but when it really starts to happen, it's uncomfortable."

 

[996085]

Any business which relies on the Mac Pro for their bread and butter should immediately begin investigating alternative solutions. It's been evident for at least half a decade Apple is no longer interested in the professional market. The cMP languished for years before the nMP was released. Today the nMP is following the same path. The uncertainty of Apples commitment to the professional market should have businesses planning a migration to another platform wherever possible.

 

[flat five]

Any business which relies on the Mac Pro for their bread and butter should immediately begin investigating alternative solutions. It's been evident for at least half a decade Apple is no longer interested in the professional market. The cMP languished for years before the nMP was released. Today the nMP is following the same path. The uncertainty of Apples commitment to the professional market should have businesses planning a migration to another platform wherever possible.

maybe a little too much gas on the doomsday speak.

reality is, if apple came out tomorrow and said mp is discontinued.. you could then buy a 6,1 and use it completely fine for the next 3-4 years.. in a professional setting.

within that time, it's possible imac will gain thunderbolt 3+ with osx support for external gpu.
and i'm saying, that setup would be about the best station for CAD and rendering ever created.. pro or not.

like, i get it.. you move to windows in this situation.. that's completely fine and i'm not in any way trying to tell you you've made bad choices or whatever..

but just because that's what you've done and the choices you've made feel right to you, does not make it a global truth.

there's no immediacy to the situation.. is what i'm trying to say.

 

[996085]

maybe a little to much gas on the doomsday speak.

reality is, if apple came out tomorrow and said mp is discontinued.. you could then buy a 6,1 and use it completely fine for the next 3-4 years.. in a professional setting.

within that time, it's possible imac will gain thunderbolt 3+ with osx support for external gpu.
and i'm saying, that setup would be about the best station for CAD and rendering ever created.. pro or not.

like, i get it.. you move to windows in this situation.. that's completely fine and i'm not in any way trying to tell you you've made bad choices or whatever..

but just because that's what you've done and the choices you've made feel right to you, does not make it a global truth.

there's no immediacy to the situation.. is what i'm trying to say.

The word immediately is not doomsday speak.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

reality is, if apple came out tomorrow and said mp is discontinued.. you could then buy a 6,1 and use it completely fine for the next 3-4 years.. in a professional setting.

Wow, a machine that is 3 years old, hugely overpriced for it's current age, is good in a professional setting for another 3-4 years. Good to know. /sarcasm

 

[flat five]

well, it is.

there are 5,1s.. as configured at time of purchase.. that will be used just fine in pro settings for another 3-4 years..
is that agreeable?

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

well, it is.

there are 5,1s.. as configured at time of purchase.. that will be used just fine in pro settings for another 3-4 years..
is that agreeable?

Not really. I cannot go by my own uses, where it would be. I would think for many professionals, if they would want two things that neither the cMP or nMP offer. 1) a current model considering the expense. 2) Some evidence of at least remedial support. So even if by way of horsepower, the machine might be more than fine, the context around it, I think, would keep quite a lot of pros away.

But if you're making the point of the machine having enough might to get most pro jobs done for a while (setting aside the VR gaping hole), then, yes, it probably does. But I couldnt see spending nMP money on a machine that old, even if it does have enough HP, as it's just such old tech. If they cut the price by half, like they really should have by now, I would feel differently about it.

As always, YMMV.

 

[MacVidCards]

reality is, if apple came out tomorrow and said mp is discontinued.. you could then buy a 6,1 and use it completely fine for the next 3-4 years.. in a professional setting.



there's no immediacy to the situation.. is what i'm trying to say.

I finally got the gist of all your posts and arguments for last 2+ years.

"Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes (and brain) ?"

 

[flat five]

I finally got the gist of all your posts and arguments for last 2+ years.

"Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes (and brain) ?"

that's putting it a bit harsh but yeah, pretty much.

 

[MacVidCards]

that's putting it a bit harsh but yeah, pretty much.

Then I think that you fail to understand the true meaning of those words.

 

[flat five]

Then I think that you fail to understand the true meaning of those words.

i understand them just fine.
and like i said, i think your analysis is a bit harsh but it is true.

much of it boils down to me thinking many here place far too much emphasis on specs and benchmarks and analysis along those lines.

reality is, you drop a mp in most pro's laps, they're going to be completely fine using it to run their software.

that you all focus so much on specs, very(!) little on usage, even littler yet on your own exact usage, as well as find outer edge cases of the professional user pool (maybe 5%.. maybe) and completely focus on those cases ... then..

yes, i think your eyes/brain are lying to you.

.

 

[MacVidCards]

Yes, you fail to understand how those words are typically used.

(Have a look at the movie "Chicago", you may wish to revise your testimony after that.)

 

[richmlow]

Yes, I am also waiting (and waiting) for an update to the 2013 Mac Pro! I really am hoping for an updated model in 2016. =P


richmlow

I remember 2 years ago, when they introduced the redesigned MacPro, they said "we care about our pro customers".

And since they released the trashcan.. nothing. No official news. No official timeframe. No update whatsoever.

I would very much like to stay on the macintosh side of workstations, but with that attitude.. not sure how long I can continue lying to myself.

All I hear is iPhone, iPad, iAnything.

iOS is getting faster, safer, stabler (really!?), more secure.
OSX is getting iOS like Split View and Live Photos Support for Messages..

They are sitting on a money pile that would scare the hell out of Scrooge McDuck and they won't spend even a tiny fraction of it to keep there pro customers happy.

what the F*** is wrong with Apple?

 

[flat five]

Yes, you fail to understand how those words are typically used.

(Have a look at the movie "Chicago", you may wish to revise your testimony after that.)

it doesn't matter.
my 'testimony' is what i've written above.

if you want to be smug with the line in an effort to dodge the points raised then so be it.. i've said that taboo word again. 'usage'

 

[linuxcooldude]

Apple rarely gives timelines on anything. Biggest reason...competitors. Can you imagine if they gave a release date on anything or hint on what new features would be released any and all competitors would jump on the bandwagon coming out before Apple. Considering on how closely all tech companies follows Apple.

I remember a blurb in the Steve Jobs biography book about how he solved the problem of the TV UI interface. Then we had a rash of smart TV's and the like. Then we had MSI's plastic bucket PC. Same thing here.

So its not about caring about pro's, but not give competitors the edge that would be used against them.

 

[tuxon86]

Apple rarely gives timelines on anything. Biggest reason...competitors. Can you imagine if they gave a release date on anything or hint on what new features would be released any and all competitors would jump on the bandwagon coming out before Apple. Considering on how closely all tech companies follows Apple.

I remember a blurb in the Steve Jobs biography book about how he solved the problem of the TV UI interface. Then we had a rash of smart TV's and the like. Then we had MSI's plastic bucket PC. Same thing here.

So its not about caring about pro's, but not give competitors the edge that would be used against them.

What competitors???
They are the only source of OSX running computers. They've zero competition in their market.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

Apple rarely gives timelines on anything. Biggest reason...competitors. Can you imagine if they gave a release date on anything or hint on what new features would be released any and all competitors would jump on the bandwagon coming out before Apple. Considering on how closely all tech companies follows Apple.

I remember a blurb in the Steve Jobs biography book about how he solved the problem of the TV UI interface. Then we had a rash of smart TV's and the like. Then we had MSI's plastic bucket PC. Same thing here.

So its not about caring about pro's, but not give competitors the edge that would be used against them.

This seems more excuse than reason.

I can imagine a world where they have a regular annual product release cycle. When they care enough. It happens. iPhone. MacBook Pro.

And when they dont, we get the Mac Pro.

 

[AidenShaw]

This seems more excuse than reason.

I can imagine a world where they have a regular annual product release cycle. When they care enough. It happens. iPhone. MacBook Pro.

And when they dont, we get the Mac Pro.

Remember when Apple cared about performance?

Or, at least cared enough to run interesting (albeit inaccurate) commercials.

 

[phrehdd]

I remember 2 years ago, when they introduced the redesigned MacPro, they said "we care about our pro customers".

And since they released the trashcan.. nothing. No official news. No official timeframe. No update whatsoever.

I would very much like to stay on the macintosh side of workstations, but with that attitude.. not sure how long I can continue lying to myself.

All I hear is iPhone, iPad, iAnything.

iOS is getting faster, safer, stabler (really!?), more secure.
OSX is getting iOS like Split View and Live Photos Support for Messages..

They are sitting on a money pile that would scare the hell out of Scrooge McDuck and they won't spend even a tiny fraction of it to keep there pro customers happy.

what the F*** is wrong with Apple?

Nothing is wrong with Apple. In fact, the are doing everything they can to get the biggest slice of the easiest market - the ignorant, the unassuming and fanboys. It has paid off well for them.

As for serious computer users, yeah - we don't count anymore if high end specs are required and internal flexibility. The new Mac Pro aka - Mac Mini Pro is proof that Apple can take PC wind tunnel set ups and build an entire computer to do the same thing and call it something new and an advance. I call B.S. here. No matter. The reality is that Apple seems to just be going through the motions knowing that Pro shops just get the next model no matter what and that those shops that know computers would be like yourself, myself and many others in finding huge disappointments. The machines themselves are quite nice but some people don't need 2 vid cards and one storage card...maybe they want one vid and two storage cards or like the old Mac Pro, option to custom with 2 cards, 4 drives add music cards, or a RAID card or...

Apple tells us what they offer and we have the choice to buy or not. I wont be buying a Mac Mini Pro, not impressed on how thin they can make an iMac (especially since it is not a mobile device) and find blending OSX with IOS to be pathetic.
Fortunately, Linux is still around as is Windows 7 (for now) and Micro$oft is getting the message to stop making fluffy screens and bloating the OS. There is hope.

Micro$oft - OS holds the hardware hostage
Apple - hardware hold the OS hostage
take your pick

 

[linuxcooldude]

This seems more excuse than reason.

I can imagine a world where they have a regular annual product release cycle. When they care enough. It happens. iPhone. MacBook Pro.

And when they dont, we get the Mac Pro.

A lot of data to suggest other companies change their plans according to what Apple does. Making excuses about excuses does not make it so.

What competitors???
They are the only source of OSX running computers. They've zero competition in their market.

Just because PC's can't run OSX, does not mean they don't compete on the same level as apple. ( Surface Pro - iPad / Surface Book - MacBook Pro / MSI Plastic Bucket - Mac Pro )

Heck, even Microsofts Surface Pro is meant to replace the laptop ( Ironic as they they came out with a SurfaceBook ) and in an advertisement pit it against a MacBook Air. So apparently Microsoft thinks so.

 

[ZombiePhysicist]

A lot of data to suggest other companies change their plans according to what Apple does. Making excuses about excuses does not make it so.

Way to avoid the point. Point is, they have utterly failed to show any consistency in providing professional products (yanking Aperture. Final Cut Pro debacle. Failing to update the cMP for years. Failing to update nMP for years). You're apologizing for that. Congrats.