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The Mac Pro Lives

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Re: The Mac Pro Lives

#171

Post by protomyth »

Apple has “great” new iMacs in the pipeline, slated for release “this year”, including configurations specifically targeted at large segments of the pro market.

This just fills me with dread. It just seems like Apple continually doesn't get it and the "iMac is a pro computer" is the canary in the coal mine. We already switched to Adobe for all video editing after the Final Cut Pro fiasco, and if this crud keeps up I can see some serious pressure to just move to Windows boxes. I'll hate it, but I'll understand.

Re: The Mac Pro Lives

#172

Post by acdha »

mtgx wrote: post #46
TheRealDunkirk wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They wasted an entire hardware iteration on the Touch Bar that hardly anyone cares about. That's what put them in this position. If anything is un-Apple about it, it's that they so badly understood the desires of their customers.

In my opinion, Apple started losing its way when it started caring more about "fashion", which is not necessarily the same as (and it's often the opposite of) good design .

I don't think they had an issue with design so much as only having a single team as bottleneck for the entire product lineup. They really need the equivalent of Intel's tick-tock strategy where the designers can be going full speed on the cool new manufacturing techniques but a second team is just taking last year's industrial designs and shipping updates with current spec / capacity components so they stop drifting so far behind the market every time the design team isn't ready to ship a major change.

Re: The Mac Pro Lives

#173

Post by taude »

buserror wrote: post #13

Gave up on the mac pro years ago. I replaced my unkillable 2008 Mac pro with a lovely Fractal Design R5 case, a stonking 5930k overclocked at 4.5Gz on a 'posh' ASUS Mobo with 64GB of DDR. It's a 'hackintosh', sure enough, but it's fantastic. First time in 30 years I don't own a mac, that's telling. Their fault, too.

I ran a Hackintosh for about 1.5 years. I just recently went back to Windows 10 after the integrated Linux sub-system came out with the update. Most of the software/tools I use run in both OS X and Windows, so it wasn't a huge deal breaker for me.

One thing I didn't like about the Hackintosh was maintaining it during updates, having to wait for the right NVidia web drivers, and then remembering how to update all the stuff specifically.

What I did like was that I had a computer that I built for $1100 that scored about 16,000 on the Geekbench, without overclocking.

Note: I still use a Mac Book Air 11" because it's the best laptop I've owned. I think the trackpad and sleep/wake functionality that just works is the best ever, and makes it really convenient. Obviously, these two killer features for me matter a lot less on a desktop.

Second Note: I built mine with an aluminum Rosewill Legacy U3-S – Silver/Aluminum Case that was both compact, and really good-looking.

[Edit, updated type of computer cost from $110 -> $1100]

Re: The Mac Pro Lives

#174

Post by frogpelt »

jaimebuelta wrote: post #12

This is an incredibly weird thing... Inviting a bunch of bloggers into a room and saying that they're sorry, but they have great stuff down the line? It feels incredibly un-Apple.

It is incredibly un-Apple.

But its like when you're on the freeway and see billboard for your favorite restaurant 40 miles away. It gives you the motivation to not settle for something else.

It might work.

Re: The Mac Pro Lives

#175

Post by ZFH »

strombourg wrote: post #17
buserror wrote: post #13

Gave up on the mac pro years ago. I replaced my unkillable 2008 Mac pro with a lovely Fractal Design R5 case, a stonking 5930k overclocked at 4.5Gz on a 'posh' ASUS Mobo with 64GB of DDR. It's a 'hackintosh', sure enough, but it's fantastic. First time in 30 years I don't own a mac, that's telling. Their fault, too.

Had you built a hackintosh before? Any major negative experiences with compatibility / updates?

Been running hackintoshes since 2007 or so. Mostly smooth sailing. Off the top of my head:

- It's all about making it easy for yourself. In short, motherboard and GPU choice change the experience from 'almost effortless' to 'never gonna work'. Get a $20 USB external soundcard to get rid of any audio configuration quagmires. Get the most compatible, widely used motherboard and Nvidia GPU, so you can get support on Tonymac should you need it. Stick to wired Ethernet to avoid meddling with bluetooth and wi-fi if you can. Everything else (PSU, CPU, RAM, hard drives and case) isn't an issue.

- The tradeoff is time invested into initially understanding how it all fits vs. money saved and increased knowledge of how MacOS ticks (a good thing regardless, if you're a power user). How much time depends on how much of a PC tinkerer you are already. If you already built PCs and tried getting Linux distros going it's gonna be second nature.

- You'll still need to check out Tonymac when a point update comes out for tips and warnings. The easiest solution is to install the fully up to date next-to-last MacOS version (install El Capitan 10.11.6 now that we are in the Sierra cycle, for example) and keep it going until you're forced to upgrade. Staying a generation behind, both in hardware and software, is the safest strategy. Hackintosh and being on the bleeding edge don't really mix.

Re: The Mac Pro Lives

#176

Post by JustSomeNobody »

> What struck me about this is that Apple was framing a discussion in which the big news — the whole point, really — was their pre-announcing a “completely rethought” next-generation Mac Pro by emphasizing that most of their pro users use MacBooks and most of the rest use iMacs — and that they have big plans in store for the pro segment of both of those product lines. It’s exactly what I would have expected Apple to say if they were breaking the news that the Mac Pro was going away: We’re dropping the Mac Pro because its time has come and gone — all but a small percentage of our pro users have their needs met by MacBook Pros and high-end iMacs.

It is also exactly what you would think Apple would say if they know this is going to be an extremely expensive device. Much more so than the current Mac Pro.

Re: The Mac Pro Lives

#177

Post by strictnein »

evilduck wrote: post #129
intoverflow2 wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well not sure the air inlets taking the dust and fluff in off the floor is a great idea for it.

That's pretty much true for any computer, no?

Yes, but a lot of cases these days have easily removable and cleanable filters so that most of that dust doesn't make it inside the case.

Re: The Mac Pro Lives

#178

Post by csomar »

Am I the only one that sees OS X as the biggest reason to switch to Mac? I mean Windows is good, but nowhere good as OS X. And please, don't tell me Ubuntu or other linux flavors. They look good (and are good if you are programming on them) but the UX is still lacking a lot. (Never mind the confusion of the different flavors, packaging systems, and configurations). Also god forbid you have a problem (especially a hardware problem) and then try to debug it. Good luck searching online for a resolution.

I never had success with Linux. My Macbook pro has had its shares of problems (Wifi issues that later resolved with a system update) but it's nowhere my experience trying to install Linux and battling the drivers issue.

Anyone figuring out the Linux/Laptop problem is re-inventing the Macbook Pro/OS X.

Here are things that I'd pay $1,000 on top of the current Macbook Pro model:

- Thiner/Lighter

- Longer Battery Life (5+ hours)

- 32/64GB RAM

For OS X:

- Less cluttering (ie: remove all Apps and let the user decide what to install, like Siri and crap).

- Native Package Manager

That's about it. I'd be buying the new Macbook Pro in a month. But if Apple releases something like the above, I'm more than happy to drop 5-8k usd into it.

Re: The Mac Pro Lives

#179

Post by eeeeeeeeeeeee »

simonbarker87 wrote: post #79
ynniv wrote: post #65

a pro machine that demanded placement on your desk, not under your desk ... and that's how Apple lost the professionals. The desk is a clean space for a huge monitor / keyboard / mouse, and MY work. It's good to make a workstation that looks nice, but it's ten times as good to make one that's flexible and powerful. The only people who want that workstation on the desktop are the designers at Apple, and stroking your…

I wouldn't take that too literally, firstly those are Gruber's words and secondly, there isn't anything stopping you putting the Mac Pro on the floor so long as the cables reach.

Apple themselves admitted as much. They focused too much on making something beautiful and small. Neither of those things matter to a pro, especially for a desktop.

And not only that, even Apple with its vast resources cannot keep the machine up to date because the components are so tied to the case design.

Re: The Mac Pro Lives

#180

Post by eeeeeeeeeeeee »

jaimebuelta wrote: post #12

This is an incredibly weird thing... Inviting a bunch of bloggers into a room and saying that they're sorry, but they have great stuff down the line? It feels incredibly un-Apple.

Definitely an odd showing of desperation from Apple. But it's a good sign and maybe they realize they were about to screw something big up.
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