Is the Mac Pro Dead?

[Peter Corbett]

It’s more complicated for us. We get literally hundread of lower thirds and captions from the agency’s graphic department which we which often have to ammend with small changes. Hence we can’t rasterise. I need to directly edit the supplied Mac PSD’s from tiem-to-time, so that’s what I’m looking for in a PC solution.

Peter Corbett
Powerhouse Productions
http://www.php.com.au

[David Gagne]

In terms of hardware, I don’t really care for the iMac-esque HP model. If indeed the Mac Pro is dead, I’d look at custom built workstations from Acme Micro based on Super Micro boards.

Great gear at near-shelf pricing, no assembly required.

Build it as beefy as you need it.

I configured a Dual Xeon E5 system with 64GB ram and it’s only about $4K.

https://www.acmemicro.com/ShowProduct.aspx?pid=10414

[Andrew Richards]

I see so many folks gushing about how easy it is to install hardware into the HP Z800, but how often are you really doing that? Sure it is nice for an integrator who is constantly in the guts of machine after machine, but for an end user, are you really opening up your tower that often?

Best,
Andy

[Ben Holmes]

There can be little doubt that the Mac Pro is DOA. The only question is whether there is a new product coming to satisfy the needs of professionals, former Xserve users etc – a new form factor, maybe rack-mountable?

Who knows? One thing that’s for sure, the software and hardware vendors at NAB will have NO CLUE it’s coming, if it is. In the meantime, the iMacs are simply the best products to demonstrate on (they have thunderbolt which the Mac Pros don’t) and are now powerful enough for a lot of pro use. Whether or not there are new ‘power’ machines coming, I’ll certainly be using iMacs as edit stations in 2012.

My point is that it’s easy to read too much into the prevalence of iMacs at NAB – and I’m firmly in the ‘not sure I believe a replacement’ is coming camp. All I cling onto now is Apple’s continued march into the enterprise space – and maybe that they have a point to prove to pro users to stick with the platform. Hell – maybe the furore around FCPX makes the iMacRack Pro more likely….*

Ben

*wild and hopeful conjecture

Edit Out Ltd
—————————-
FCP Editor/Trainer/System Consultant
EVS/VT Supervisor for live broadcast
RED camera transfer/post
Independent Director/Producer

https://www.blackmagic-design.com/community/communitydetails/?UserStoryId=8757

[Ben Holmes]

There can be little doubt that the Mac Pro is DOA. The only question is whether there is a new product coming to satisfy the needs of professionals, former Xserve users etc – a new form factor, maybe rack-mountable?

Who knows? One thing that’s for sure, the software and hardware vendors at NAB will have NO CLUE it’s coming, if it is. In the meantime, the iMacs are simply the best products to demonstrate on (they have thunderbolt which the Mac Pros don’t) and are now powerful enough for a lot of pro use. Whether or not there are new ‘power’ machines coming, I’ll certainly be using iMacs as edit stations in 2012.

My point is that it’s easy to read too much into the prevalence of iMacs at NAB – and I’m firmly in the ‘not sure I believe a replacement’ is coming camp. All I cling onto now is Apple’s continued march into the enterprise space – and maybe that they have a point to prove to pro users to stick with the platform. Hell – maybe the furore around FCPX makes the iRack Pro more likely….*

Ben

*wild and hopeful conjecture

Edit Out Ltd
—————————-
FCP Editor/Trainer/System Consultant
EVS/VT Supervisor for live broadcast
RED camera transfer/post
Independent Director/Producer

https://www.blackmagic-design.com/community/communitydetails/?UserStoryId=8757

[Eric Santiago]

So true Andrew. Not sure where everyone’s head space is but I’m too old to be sticking my hands in my BOXX/DELL at work.
I don’t mind doing it to our Mac Pro’s (since they are so easy to deal with), but I’m done with hot-rodding for Maya/Max :p
The way I see it, I buy a Windows box loaded and done.
If it breaks, its probably dated so a new comes along 🙂

[Michael Gissing]

Maybe I am unusual but I have reused my rack mount cases for the past decade. Every so often I upgrade power supplies, usually overspecing and getting at least two mobos per power supply changes.

I then buy mobos, processors and RAM and build and install. Monitors, mice & keyboards also get recycled. I am doing a rebuild of my Fairlight PCs at the moment and doing my own Win 7 install as well. It is much cheaper and I get exactly the config that best suits the software.

With my MacPro I have done almost nothing except install Kona/ Decklink cards and an internal RAID. I have a G5 and it seems a pity to have such wastage when in PC land, I just change some of the guts.

[Gary Slickman]

Apple is so innovative and unpredictable. Countless times they have introduced amazing designs that have jolted, redefined and transformed the industry. New categories have been their mainstay since inception. The Mac Pro has been around for eons by most computer design standards- certainly Apple’s.

With the explosion in app development and content creation how could they turn their back and have developers use PC’s to codify and create Apple apps? Their biggest tech and marketing event has transitioned into the developer’s conference.

Something on the lines of an iMac Pro- an all-in-one configuration or hybrid of the iMac and Mac Pro could be possible…Once again I believe they will raise the Genius Bar.

[Eric Santiago]

We stocked up on Mac Pro’s at work so we are good for 5 years.
If they go with something like an iMac Pro, that too me would mean a HBA option for a CUBIX or an Apple made one ;
Plus the video power for the older 30s.
They killed off the Apple 30s so Im hanging on to the ones we have till they burn out.

[Craig Seeman]

[Gary Slickman] “The Mac Pro has been around for eons by most computer design standards- certainly Apple’s.”

While the internals have changed, radically in some cases, the external case design was introduced WWDC in June 2003 I believe.

In the debate over whether the MacPro (as a tower case design) is dead, any thought that it’s NOT dead would be a long shot IMHO. Personally, we can speculate about what may come but that Tower is very likely dead.

Hmm, we haven’t seen any major external design changes in Apple products for some time (even the iPhone 4S looks like the 4 and the iPad didn’t change all that much). I wonder what Sir Jonathan Ive has been up to?