Apple Teases Upcoming Space Gray iMac Pro, "the most powerful Mac ever" • Hacker News Board

Re: Apple Teases Upcoming Space Gray iMac Pro, "the most powerful Mac ever"

#221

Post by saurik » Mon, Jun 05, 2017, 9:02 PM UTC

andreasley wrote: post #144

mysterydip wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then why release anything now? Who is this for, if pros will wait for the "real" one and consumers already have one? Will the "stopgap" model be around/supported in two years?

It's for people like me. I need something with more power than my current "classic" Mac Pro, preferably with fewer cables and more energy efficient. 2 SSD slots are sufficient for my internal storage needs, especially considering the Nbase-T Ethernet port. Vega-based graphics should be able to properly run the 5K display for the next few years. I've swapped out a lot of parts in my old Mac Pro, but at this point, I'd…

The thing I can't wrap my head around though is that that display is a very real amount of the cost of that device and will almost certainly still be a great display in five years or even longer, while the "pro" computer is going to be horribly out of date. The idea of purchasing a monitor attached to a computer seems like throwing money into the trash.

Re: Apple Teases Upcoming Space Gray iMac Pro, "the most powerful Mac ever"

#222

Post by floatboth » Mon, Jun 05, 2017, 9:05 PM UTC

dom0 wrote: post #35

BenzinNZ wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe that OSX is optimized for Intel's brand of x86 - might have been too much effort to switch vendors when it comes to future kernel support.

macOS does not seem like an OS that has been optimized much at all in regards to the CPU. Also, Apple dragged macOS from PPC to x86; switching x86 implementations is no big deal for the rest of the world, it surely should not be a challenge for Apple.

Yeah. People have done AMD Hackintoshes. It's more likely that they have some agreement with Intel that prevents them from going AMD for the CPU.

Re: Apple Teases Upcoming Space Gray iMac Pro, "the most powerful Mac ever"

#223

Post by floatboth » Mon, Jun 05, 2017, 9:06 PM UTC

dbg31415 wrote: post #176

Wait wait wait... the last thing I want as a "Pro" is a single monitor. Feels like Apple is just repeatedly telling me to go somewhere else.

They showed TWO external 5K displays, so up to three 5K monitors total

Re: Apple Teases Upcoming Space Gray iMac Pro, "the most powerful Mac ever"

#224

Post by saurik » Mon, Jun 05, 2017, 9:06 PM UTC

floatboth wrote: post #211

astrodust wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a different part and it has different features. Not having ECC memory support is a big deal for some people, so it's misleading to suggest they're basically the same. They bin things for a reason. If you're happy using a less expensive part with fewer features, great, you can save money. If you're making a top-tier "Pro" product you'll want to avoid cutting corners like that.

It's a different "part" in the stores, but it starts off as the same "chip" in the factory.

I don't understand your point. People are comparing prices. The process of binning chips is essentially "some of these are broken, but can be salvaged for other less taxing uses by running them slower or disabling features". You just can't compare the prices of the different lines. I just don't understand what you are trying or argue here or why :/.

Re: Apple Teases Upcoming Space Gray iMac Pro, "the most powerful Mac ever"

#225

Post by floatboth » Mon, Jun 05, 2017, 9:08 PM UTC

microcolonel wrote: post #158

I think this is the first time Apple has advertised the specific GPU vendor and product line in their product since... the powerbook maybe? I might have missed out on a few examples. Vega must be really something.

They always listed the GPU for everything, down to "Intel Iris Pro whatever". But yeah, Vega hype train!

Re: Apple Teases Upcoming Space Gray iMac Pro, "the most powerful Mac ever"

#226

Post by tqkxzugoaupvwqr » Mon, Jun 05, 2017, 9:08 PM UTC

Shivetya wrote: post #206

tomduncalf wrote: post #32

Gonna leave this here from the official press release as it seems quite a few people have missed this point: "In addition to the new iMac Pro, Apple is working on a completely redesigned, next-generation Mac Pro architected for pro customers who need the highest-end, high-throughput system in a modular design, as well as a new high-end pro display." https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2017/06/imac-pro-most-powerfu... Also…

oddly the only issue I am disappointed with the new iMacs is that you cannot get the space gray on the standard line

I think this is devilish clever by Apple. If you see a space gray iMac you know this guy shelled out a lot of money and means business. Apple made the iMac Pro an even greater status symbol than the iMac already is.

Re: Apple Teases Upcoming Space Gray iMac Pro, "the most powerful Mac ever"

#227

Post by seanp2k2 » Mon, Jun 05, 2017, 9:08 PM UTC

saulrh wrote: post #155

ktta wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you want a keyboard that looks similar and has good quality but not for macOS, I've heard good things about Surface Keyboard https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/store/d/surface-keyboard/8r3...

I'm using Surface Ergonomic keyboards at home and at work, can confirm good build quality. I won't weigh in on quality of typing experience. Everybody I know says that I type like I'm trying to beat my keyboard to death, so while I like typing on them quite a lot, I don't know if that'd transfer to someone else. Only hiccup I've found is that you need Bluetooth 4.0 for the new low-power state, so you'll probably have…

One caveat with the MS wireless keyboards (with the dongle, since Bluetooth and I don't get along): the ergo MS keyboard I have had random connection issues with the normal Apple USB -> USB-C adapter which is required to plug it into my 15" tbMBP. I finally guessed that this is due to it being a USB2 devices plugged into a USB3 port. https://support.apple.com/kb/PH19094?locale=en_US mentions this specifically, but briefly enough that it's easy to miss: """If the device is connected to a USB hub: Make sure the device and the hub are the same speed. Connect USB 3.0 SuperSpeed devices to a USB 3.0 SuperSpeed HUB, USB 2.0 Hi-Speed devices to a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed hub, and so on."""

I bought a cheap-ish Mac-specific (not that it should matter) powered USB 2.0 hub off Amazon. Plugged the kbd, mouse, and my HiFiMeDIY DAC into it. All now work well without nearly as many issues.

Re: Apple Teases Upcoming Space Gray iMac Pro, "the most powerful Mac ever"

#228

Post by seanp2k2 » Mon, Jun 05, 2017, 9:13 PM UTC

gigatexal wrote: post #135

Joeri wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, if I had that kind of money stuffed between my couch, I'd totally buy it. I don't care that it's a ridiculous machine and that single thread performance with that 18-core monster won't be anything to write home about. I still want it, because it is awesome.

I agree. I think the sweet spot for my workload (not encoding much video just compiling stuff) the 8-core model with higher clocks makes more sense for me.

"Finally, you can `npm install` in mere minutes!"

Re: Apple Teases Upcoming Space Gray iMac Pro, "the most powerful Mac ever"

#229

Post by genericpseudo » Mon, Jun 05, 2017, 9:14 PM UTC

dbg31415 wrote: post #176

Wait wait wait... the last thing I want as a "Pro" is a single monitor. Feels like Apple is just repeatedly telling me to go somewhere else.

Has Thunderbolt ports. The existing iMacs can drive external displays in addition to their internal one.

Re: Apple Teases Upcoming Space Gray iMac Pro, "the most powerful Mac ever"

#230

Post by CleanCut » Mon, Jun 05, 2017, 9:14 PM UTC

greedo wrote: post #199

slg wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The biggest problem is that the effective lifespan of a good display is much longer than a high performance computer. Even ignoring the compromises made to the computer to allow for the two to be merged, you are simply wasting money upgrading the monitor every time the computer needs to be upgraded. By attaching the two together this machine is even less practical to upgrade than the old trashcan Mac Pro.

Yup. I bought the 30" ACD in 2006. It's still running fine now, though a bit of image retention is creeping in.

I bought my 30" ACD's in 2008, 2009 and 2011. Two have died. My last one is starting to wig out. The new 5k LG monitor is brighter and sharper, but it's only about 3/4 the physical screen space. Funny how some things go backwards and other things go forwards.

My 3 monitors have been used for 4 generations of Macs, though. Definitely agree that monitors live longer than the underlying computer.