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Mac Pro gets half-assed “update”

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Re: Mac Pro gets half-assed “update”

#261

Post by mjwalshe »

cageface wrote: post #222
reaganing wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Your right I recall a few years back that sound on sound (pro audio industry bible) Mac columnist was getting worried that Apple was going to abandon the creative industrys.

Looks like Apple is transitioning from a tech to a consumer company.

Re: Mac Pro gets half-assed “update”

#263

Post by jiggy2011 »

kamaal wrote: post #199
robomartin wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem with the early attempt Apple made at inviting the clone market is that they didn't give it time to evolve. The first wave or two of IBM clones were a mess. A disaster. Compatibility problems galore. People who buy crap don't continue to buy it and they sure as hell don't recommend it. The crap PC clones died a quick death. It didn't take long for the market to evolve and "grow up". Companies like Compaq s…

Apple isn't successful because of Macbooks, Mac minis or iMacs. Bulk of Apple's success is from their iDevices and its surrounding ecosystem. iPod, iPod touch, iPhone and iTunes app/music sharing infrastructure. So in many ways Apple isn't a computer company anymore. Its more like Sony nowadays. What you will see in the future might be computers dying a slow death in the Apple ecosystem. Expect things like TV, Stereo…

That is certainly where their money is, however they built a lot of their existing consumer business on the goodwill from people who were loyal Apple computer users. All of the original iPod users that I knew where loyal Mac computer users (partly because the software didn't run on anything else at the time).

I wonder what would happen if they decided to abandon their Laptop/Desktop business and go purely for consumer electronics? This would certainly piss off many of their loyal fans such as graphic designers/musicians who aren't exactly going to be looking to go back to Windows based PCs for their work and could damage their brand.

Perhaps they will launch some sort of "Post PC" device intended for serious work, for that I am thinking something along the lines of the chromebox.

Re: Mac Pro gets half-assed “update”

#265

Post by 7952 »

kamaal wrote: post #199
robomartin wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem with the early attempt Apple made at inviting the clone market is that they didn't give it time to evolve. The first wave or two of IBM clones were a mess. A disaster. Compatibility problems galore. People who buy crap don't continue to buy it and they sure as hell don't recommend it. The crap PC clones died a quick death. It didn't take long for the market to evolve and "grow up". Companies like Compaq s…

Apple isn't successful because of Macbooks, Mac minis or iMacs. Bulk of Apple's success is from their iDevices and its surrounding ecosystem. iPod, iPod touch, iPhone and iTunes app/music sharing infrastructure. So in many ways Apple isn't a computer company anymore. Its more like Sony nowadays. What you will see in the future might be computers dying a slow death in the Apple ecosystem. Expect things like TV, Stereo…

Maybe they should bundle Mac OS with their iDevices. Running as a VM stored on the device.

Re: Mac Pro gets half-assed “update”

#266

Post by carlob »

alaskamiller wrote: post #238
robomartin wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem with the early attempt Apple made at inviting the clone market is that they didn't give it time to evolve. The first wave or two of IBM clones were a mess. A disaster. Compatibility problems galore. People who buy crap don't continue to buy it and they sure as hell don't recommend it. The crap PC clones died a quick death. It didn't take long for the market to evolve and "grow up". Companies like Compaq s…

You're not remembering silicon history well. The 90's Apple clones didn't collapse itself because they were bad, Steve Jobs tried negotiating software licensing with manufacturers and Apple opted not to renew. You're also rehashing some old point about Apple missing the boat on low end devices. Why does that matter? Apple sells millions of computers every quarter year over year. They have excessive cash holdings. Wha…

He said IBM clones (eighties PCs) not Mac clones (nineties). If you read further he mentions Compaq which has never built a Mac clone.

Re: Mac Pro gets half-assed “update”

#267

Post by carlob »

alaskamiller wrote: post #238
robomartin wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem with the early attempt Apple made at inviting the clone market is that they didn't give it time to evolve. The first wave or two of IBM clones were a mess. A disaster. Compatibility problems galore. People who buy crap don't continue to buy it and they sure as hell don't recommend it. The crap PC clones died a quick death. It didn't take long for the market to evolve and "grow up". Companies like Compaq s…

You're not remembering silicon history well. The 90's Apple clones didn't collapse itself because they were bad, Steve Jobs tried negotiating software licensing with manufacturers and Apple opted not to renew. You're also rehashing some old point about Apple missing the boat on low end devices. Why does that matter? Apple sells millions of computers every quarter year over year. They have excessive cash holdings. Wha…

He said IBM clones (eighties PCs) not Mac clones (nineties). If you read further he mentions Compaq which has never built a Mac clone.

Re: Mac Pro gets half-assed “update”

#268

Post by mathnode »

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…

Why is he pissed? I assume he has custom sound hardware anyway, what can't he do with the last gen Xeon he can with the latest gen Xeon? It's Xeons...in a box. Most editors (video/sound) would be provided with fibre storage links from an all-in-one vendor, whilst it might be nice to see thunderbolt on a mac pro, you can't put infiniband on an imac...

Re: Mac Pro gets half-assed “update”

#269

Post by jiggy2011 »

corwinstephen wrote: post #163
kbuck wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree. Apple is both a hardware and software company, and I would argue that most of the decision to buy a Mac lies in software, not hardware. People don't say "I need this computer because it has an aluminum case"; they say "I need a Mac because it's easier to use." Not charging for minor updates doesn't mean they're giving them away. It means they've already rolled the cost into the original sale price.

Let's be honest with ourselves here. True, it's not the aluminum case they're after. But it also isn't the ease of use; The ease of use paradigm is yet another clever Apple marketing tactic to give people something to talk about when trying to explain to their friends why they made the decision to buy. The real reasons people buy Macintosh (and I'm talking about the general public here, because admittedly, the person…

I'm not sure about jeans, I think they are quite practical as they are comfortable , warm , durable and provide basic protection if your leg touches something sharp etc.

One thing larger Apple computers have provided them is exposure, it's difficult to walk into a primarily Mac office and not notice the giant Apple logo staring at you from everywhere. I guess it also helps that people are able to use Apple products for basically everything, as somebody who has a MPB , an iMac as well as an iPad etc is good marketing to other people who may just be interested in buying an iPhone or whatever.

It's also very rare to see a computer used in a movie or TV show now that isn't a Macbook.

Re: Mac Pro gets half-assed “update”

#270

Post by robomartin »

alaskamiller wrote: post #238
robomartin wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem with the early attempt Apple made at inviting the clone market is that they didn't give it time to evolve. The first wave or two of IBM clones were a mess. A disaster. Compatibility problems galore. People who buy crap don't continue to buy it and they sure as hell don't recommend it. The crap PC clones died a quick death. It didn't take long for the market to evolve and "grow up". Companies like Compaq s…

You're not remembering silicon history well. The 90's Apple clones didn't collapse itself because they were bad, Steve Jobs tried negotiating software licensing with manufacturers and Apple opted not to renew. You're also rehashing some old point about Apple missing the boat on low end devices. Why does that matter? Apple sells millions of computers every quarter year over year. They have excessive cash holdings. Wha…

Where did I say that Apple clones where bad? All I said was that the model was not allowed to evolve and gave, as an example, the crap-to-good evolution of PC's.

There is nothing wrong with floppy disks, VGA ports and CD-ROMs. These and other technologies still have a place in the right context and they tend to die off in an organic manner as industry can justify transitions.

Progress? A quick Google search finds estimates that say that there will be about two billion PC's world-wide by 2015. That's progress, not coming up with a new port that nobody really cares for outside markets that can afford expensive new hardware on a regular diet. I think you are confusing progress with innovation. Testing new ideas is commendable. Apple has always been on the forefront of that in some ways.

Progress is a different story altogether. One measure, as I am suggesting above, might be just how accessible a technology is to the masses (not just wealthy countries). World-wide Macs only represent 5 to 10% of the installed base. By this measure Apple has failed to deliver progress.

If you look at smart phones, then, yes, Apple hit it out of the park.

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