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Mac Pro gets half-assed “update”

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Re: Mac Pro gets half-assed “update”

#221

Post by mitchty »

beedogs wrote: post #106
forrestthewoods wrote: post #29

Our sound guy is PISSED at the lack of update. Seriously, incredibly pissed. I've honestly never seen him this angry before. He'd been counting down the days till WWDC and a long overdue update. There are three major pieces of software he uses on his Mac that he swears by. It sounds like they have all just released or are about to release Windows versions. I'm beginning to wonder if this is a trend? Apple is clearly…

I say the future of desktop software is going to involve Linux, finally. Both Windows and OS X are becoming walled-garden tablet-centric shitfests.

I've heard variations of this since 1999 or so on slashdot. I'm somewhat reserved on Linux becoming a desktop platform.

Re: Mac Pro gets half-assed “update”

#222

Post by cageface »

reaganing wrote: post #192
astrodust wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Discounting home-made computers, which the big names are not interested in competing with, where you can you source a workstation that's more powerful than the 12-core Mac Pro? The Dell T7600 with 2x2.2GHz 6-core Xeon chips and only 8GB of memory and a 500GB drive comes out at $4,300. The Mac Pro with 2x2.4GHz 6-core, 12GB and a 1TB drive is only $3,800. Unless I'm missing something, the Mac Pro is still a better dea…

Except that Dell is now using the newer Sandy Bridge E5 Xeon processors while Apple's using models over 2 years old. One simply can't compare what Apple's now offering with other workstations.

Exactly. Plus, for the kind of people that really need a machine this powerful +/- $1000 isn't decisive.

And the cloud of uncertainty hovering over the Mac Pro has got to have a lot of people worried. It's bad enough that you can't get anything resembling a roadmap from Apple but it really looks like the Mac Pro is headed for extinction.

Re: Mac Pro gets half-assed “update”

#223

Post by achompas »

roguecoder wrote: post #212
achompas wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What you're arguing now is essentially the same theory back then: clones would benefit them by increasing the marketshare for their OS. That's not what OP is saying: If the Apple hardware ecosystem were open like that of Windows you'd have major companies all over the world evolving the platform in wonderful ways. Performance would go up and prices would come down. This isn't "moar market share," it's "the end user w…

That isn't what has happened with Windows machines, though, or Windows itself. It's also the opposite of what has happened with Android: you've ended up with a fractured market full of underpowered phones running obsolete and incompatible versions of the OS. All this Adam Smith idealism is great until we look at the real world, where the barriers to entry, integration costs, barriers to accurate consumer knowledge an…

I'll skip the Windows/Google comparisons, because Apple is not them and has never been like them, and get to my main point: I agree!

Apple prints money, and could afford to choose only the cream of the licensing crop (which, to be fair, will be pretty curdled). Here's where we violently agree:

All this Adam Smith idealism is great until we look at the real world where [stuff is] too high for competition to actually produce ideal outcomes.

In this hypothetical I'm not considering "competition." I don't know if this was obvious from my last post, but I'm wondering what would happen if Apple licensed OS X to a high-end desktop manufacturer that would make Mac Pros on its behalf.

Let me be clear: there is a 0% chance this happens. At the same time, it is clear Apple is not interested in the high-end desktop game. So it's fun and interesting to consider the possibility that Apple -- a company with negotiating power in spades -- could pick from any manufacturer on this planet and choose a licensing partner.

Re: Mac Pro gets half-assed “update”

#224

Post by vacri »

xiaoma wrote: post #185
vacri wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nonsense. Comparing a Lenovo X220 with equivalent specs, it comes out slightly cheaper on the Lenovo side. There are minor differences on both sides (eg thunderbolt versus replaceable battery) but going for SSD, same RAM, same CPU, similar screen size, the Lenovo comes out at $1216 and the Mac Air at $1349 (in Australia).

I don't think they're really equivalent specs, though. Notably, the 11" Levovo X220 weighs 2.9 lbs vs 2.38 lbs for the MacBook Air. That's more than a 20% difference on the defining characteristic of the MBAir line. Edit: Is this data wrong? Is it an inappropriate comment? I've been on HN for nearly 5 years and it seems like there's more downvoting by the month.

You're probably being downmodded because half a pound of weight is not a major feature, but you're trying to shoehorn it into a trump card. For me, the trackpoint mouse is a major feature which leaves the Air dead in the water, but it's really a minor feature between the two.

Same as all the extras that the X220 has over the Air, like card slots, swappable batteries, and a perimeter that doesn't cut into your hand. And vice versa. These things are all minor differences. The Thinkpad laptops are also as tough as the Apple laptops, if not tougher - despite looking like a normal laptop, they survive more military tests than 'hardened' brand laptops.

The short version is simply that the Lenovo X-series and the Apple Airs are equivalent laptops at the same price point - the Air is not 'better' for 'less' than the 'inferior' product.

Re: Mac Pro gets half-assed “update”

#225

Post by vacri »

AncientPC wrote: post #121
vacri wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's funny that Apple markets itself as simplifying and reducing wires and reducing clutter... but boy, they like adaptors!

It's improving the base model look and size for the majority at the cost of adapters for the outliers. Apple has always been consistently designing for mass market appeal for the past decade. If you are an outlier, Macs are not for you.

I also think it's funny that Apple marketing switched so strongly from "Think Different, personalise your stuff" to "You will all be the same, abandon choice"

Re: Mac Pro gets half-assed “update”

#226

Post by intractable »

quanticle wrote: post #201
w1ntermute wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I really like gedit more than Notepad++ gedit is available on Windows too. If you really want to harness the power of Linux, run Vim. You'll see at least an order of magnitude in productiviy improvement.

Well, to be fair, it depends on whether you're willing to spend a week or so getting the hang of it. That level of investment isn't necessarily for everyone (even developers).

Not to mention VIM has been available on Windows for many years, so the gp has probably already eliminated it as an option.

Re: Mac Pro gets half-assed “update”

#227

Post by [deleted] »

xiaoma wrote: post #185
vacri wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nonsense. Comparing a Lenovo X220 with equivalent specs, it comes out slightly cheaper on the Lenovo side. There are minor differences on both sides (eg thunderbolt versus replaceable battery) but going for SSD, same RAM, same CPU, similar screen size, the Lenovo comes out at $1216 and the Mac Air at $1349 (in Australia).

I don't think they're really equivalent specs, though. Notably, the 11" Levovo X220 weighs 2.9 lbs vs 2.38 lbs for the MacBook Air. That's more than a 20% difference on the defining characteristic of the MBAir line. Edit: Is this data wrong? Is it an inappropriate comment? I've been on HN for nearly 5 years and it seems like there's more downvoting by the month.

[deleted]

Re: Mac Pro gets half-assed “update”

#228

Post by hrktb »

sedev wrote: post #108
vacri wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's funny that Apple markets itself as simplifying and reducing wires and reducing clutter... but boy, they like adaptors!

A wire is a commitment, an adapter is a training wheel. The intent is for you to grow out of needing it. Apple's guesses about what you'll eventually stop needing have been pretty good so far (e.g. ditching floppy drives, going to USB-primary early).

In general this is true, but there's at least one thing you never grow out of needing: more storage. And until now the mac pro is the only one with expandable internal storage. On top of that most apple software[1] don't deal well with network storage, so it's twice as bad for some users.

[1]especially time machine and aperture but a lot of others as well

Re: Mac Pro gets half-assed “update”

#229

Post by flomo »

AncientPC wrote: post #121
vacri wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's funny that Apple markets itself as simplifying and reducing wires and reducing clutter... but boy, they like adaptors!

It's improving the base model look and size for the majority at the cost of adapters for the outliers. Apple has always been consistently designing for mass market appeal for the past decade. If you are an outlier, Macs are not for you.

Maybe it's because I'm used to seeing Macs in businesses, but I've never known a MBP user who didn't carry along a VGA dongle.

Re: Mac Pro gets half-assed “update”

#230

Post by cheatercheater »

forrestthewoods wrote: post #29

Our sound guy is PISSED at the lack of update. Seriously, incredibly pissed. I've honestly never seen him this angry before. He'd been counting down the days till WWDC and a long overdue update. There are three major pieces of software he uses on his Mac that he swears by. It sounds like they have all just released or are about to release Windows versions. I'm beginning to wonder if this is a trend? Apple is clearly…

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4092880

> Is the future of professionals going to be Windows?

No.

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