The new Mac Pro should be stackable Mac Mini's

[filmak]

Take the design of the new Mac Mini.... sell different versions for different CPU's as bases.

ie: Choose your base: Core i7, Core i9, Xeon W (8, 10, 14, or 18 Core), etc... and then how much RAM you want.

Then, in the same size case, sell a high powered eGPU..... and then let people daisy chain (stack) as many together as they want.... just drop another one on top and it all syncs together perfectly.

So the maxed out version would be like an 18 Core CPU base..... with 4 GPU's stacked on top..... kind of like a PC that has 4 GTX 1080's linked together with SLI.

Then you have a "modular" design..... and in the future, they could sell updated version of components to swap out on your stack.

Please not. Never.

 

[shaunp]

back in the day, apple made a series of very generic low end machines, with a "personality" card - which would have a variety of IO options, perhaps a hardware video digitiser etc, in addition to normal expansion slots. Perfectly serviceable idea to have "standard" IO on a replaceable card.

View attachment 804290 A mac pro that's a volkswagen transporter / ford transit / mercedes sprinter commercial van - the most "pro" vehicles there are, completely bare inside so that their "pro" owners can fit them out however they wish for their own workflows.

Still has a steering wheel, stalks on the column and dashboard no? Sure you can add options, but there are something which just need to come as standard.

 

[Admiral]

I think the stackable mini concept is a slick looking but bad idea. For one, it makes changes very expensive.

That is a feature, not a bug, for today's Apple — "very expensive" is their entry-level price point.

 

[mattspace]

Still has a steering wheel, stalks on the column and dashboard no? Sure you can add options, but there are something which just need to come as standard.

in common with the non-pro touring motorhomes, or ultra-soccermom buses built in the same body, yes.

but what makes them pro is how much space they come with for you to configure post-purchase, not how many or what kind of features the factory fits to them.

 

[Joe The Dragon]

Take the design of the new Mac Mini.... sell different versions for different CPU's as bases.

ie: Choose your base: Core i7, Core i9, Xeon W (8, 10, 14, or 18 Core), etc... and then how much RAM you want.

Then, in the same size case, sell a high powered eGPU..... and then let people daisy chain (stack) as many together as they want.... just drop another one on top and it all syncs together perfectly.

So the maxed out version would be like an 18 Core CPU base..... with 4 GPU's stacked on top..... kind of like a PC that has 4 GTX 1080's linked together with SLI.

Then you have a "modular" design..... and in the future, they could sell updated version of components to swap out on your stack.

4 video cards even pci-e X4 each will suck even more so with only 2 buses. Even more so if it is 2 buses stacked off the PCH

 

[shaunp]

in common with the non-pro touring motorhomes, or ultra-soccermom buses built in the same body, yes.

but what makes them pro is how much space they come with for you to configure post-purchase, not how many or what kind of features the factory fits to them.

There still needs to be some base options, rather than no base options because it's 'pro'.

 

[mattspace]

There still needs to be some base options, rather than no base options because it's 'pro'.

sure - a processor socket(s), ram sockets, empty pci slots, and a (choice of) power supply. Everything aside from that, can just as easily go on standardised removable cards.

 

[shaunp]

sure - a processor socket(s), ram sockets, empty pci slots, and a (choice of) power supply. Everything aside from that, can just as easily go on standardised removable cards.

Of course it can....