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Is the Mac Pro Dead?
Just reading the Videoguys blog, who say the word on the street at NAB was that the Mac Pro line is dead and there won’t be any update. Did anyone else at NAB get this feeling talking to Apple people or suppliers? I was planning to buy the biggest, baddest Mac Pro when the update came out, but this is looking very iffy.
It would a shame to let the form factor of the big MP die, but if it is going to happen, I must start looking elswhere for our FCP/PPro machines. If it wasn’t for the fact we get so much video graphics and fonts in Mac format from the agencies, we would probably switch to PC.
The Post PC era
Tim Cook, the new head of Apple, now refers to the current technology trend as the “post PC era.” I happen to agree with him when he talks about the people who use technology to view, watch and participate in media. But, when it comes to actually creating, managing and working with media, we still need the strongest most powerful machines.
The buzz around NAB was that the Mac Pro is dead. I heard speculation about this at almost every booth I visited. Based on all the intel (pun intended) I could gather, I’m going to give it to you straight – We will not see new Mac Pro updates. I hope I’m wrong, just like I was a year ago with FCPX. But my gut tells me that it’s a done deal. Sure, Apple could change their mind in a heartbeat, but I don’t see it happening. What I could see, and what I would LOVE to see happen is for Apple to license Mac OS to HP and allow us to run OSX on one of the new HP workstations, especially my dream machine, the all-in-one HP Z1 workstation.
https://www.webvideoguys.com/nab2012-1.htmlPeter Corbett
Powerhouse Productions
http://www.php.com.au -
38 Replies
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I was an optimist about this, now I’m more a pessimist.
Steve Connor
“FCPX Professional”
Adrenalin Television -
To me it was clear that it was dead when there was no mention of it in Apple’s FCP In Action section of their site. Also the bare Red Rocket card, which is listed, has not link (since one would not get the bare card but the card in expansion chassis to use).
That does not mean workstation caliber update isn’t going to happen (Xeon). Given that HP now has a Xeon in an all in one (albeit only 4 core). I wouldn’t be surprised to see an iMacPro or a machine with a new form factor (“pizza box” of sorts). Tower is gone. That does not mean Power is gone. Thunderbolt will replace 4xPCIe but 16xPCIe will still be there (I hope) although I’m not sure whether it’s one or two.
Current MacPros are still in stock online and the Apple store I went to yesterday still has one on display.
I think they’re keeping the channel open for a purpose. They will end when new machines come out otherwise they could have killed it already.
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Adobe showed of CS 6 on PCs…and iMacs. Autodesk had Smoke running on an iMac in their booth, and in the AJA booth. AJA, Matrox, Blackmagic, MOTU…all have thunderbolt solutions. Touting them over other offerings.
The clues are everywhere. The MacPro is DOA.
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
How about buying the new HP Z1 and running it as a Hackintosh?
Peter Corbett
Powerhouse Productions
http://www.php.com.au -
[Peter Corbett] “If it wasn’t for the fact we get so much video graphics and fonts in Mac format from the agencies, we would probably switch to PC.”
MacDrive works really well if that is all that is holding you back.
Best,
Andy -
[Andrew Richards] ”
MacDrive works really well if that is all that is holding you back.
“That’s cool, Andy. Thanks!
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[Shane Ross] “The clues are everywhere. The MacPro is DOA.”
Dead Mac walking!
Best,
Andy -
[Shane Ross] “The clues are everywhere. The MacPro is DOA.”
Yup. This is moving into the land of “no sh!t, Sherlock.” I’m hearing my brand new 17″ Macbook Pro is possibly last of breed, too. I guess that’s probably why I bought it.
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[Peter Corbett] “How about buying the new HP Z1 and running it as a Hackintosh?”
Why the Z1? Isn’t the Z820 the badass?
Best,
Andy -
[Andrew Richards] “acDrive works really well if that is all that is holding you back.”
It’s more that they supply us with Mac-generated Photoshop PSD’s with custom OSX fonts that we drop into the Premiere Pro or FCP timeline. I don’t want to have to convert every graphic to a PC font if I’m going to switch to a HP Z1.
Peter Corbett
Powerhouse Productions
http://www.php.com.au
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