MacPro price speculation …

[Charlie Austin]

[Jamie Franklin] “I don’t believe Apple has redefined it, I think we have. I do think Randy’s vision though distorted Apple’s culture of what defines a “pro” user. “If my grandma can do it, the pros will love it!!” mentality”

I agree that we’ve redefined it, although I guess I disagree about Apples vision of what a pro is. I think, and this goes for FCP classic back in the day too, that they try to make tools that are really powerful but get out of the way. The complexity is there if you want it, but you have to look for it, rather than wade through it. And I’ll agree that they’ve thrown some babies out with the bathwater along the way, and I can see how that’s left a bad taste for a lot of people.

[Jamie Franklin] “Both are huge disappointments for me. Although I still give FCX the edge. The Mac Pro would make a great tool. I don’t believe FCX is, but neither work for me in a shared environment that can be incorporated in my existing eco-system.”

I can understand that. When I first opened X I was horrified. I got trials of Pr (which I hadn’t used much) and MC(which I had used a lot before FCP appeared) and ot back up to speed. I’m actually glad I did that. I own ’em both now. Well… I’m renting one. lol

But then I heard they had fixed some stuff in X, and tried it again. Really dug in. And damned if I didn’t end up liking it. A lot. It’s… immature in a lot of ways, but I see what Apple is trying to do, and I think ultimately it’s the right thing. Stuff needs improvement, and it’s not going to suit everyones workflow, but it’s no slouch.

As to the Mac Pro… I’m guessing Pr and MC are gonna be pretty awesome on it, as well as X. Of course, YMMV. 🙂

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~”It is a poor craftsman who blames his tools.”~
~”The function you just attempted is not yet implemented”~

[Rick Lang]

[Andrew Richards] “I think it will be in line with today’s Mac Pro single CPU configurations’ prices, probably something like $2,999 and up.”

I’d like to think that too, but those dual GPUs will be in every configuration, perhaps not with 6GB of video memory for the entry-level. But if you work in 4D as I expect (originating from the Blackmagic Design BMPC4K camera for $4K including full Resolve 10), i think the 6GB will be needed. I’m hoping Tim Cook, the shrewd supply manager, can bring his best negotiation skills and keep the major components at a lower cost even though it would appear Apple’s boards may be all custom design implementations. Trouble is Peter Oppenheimer rarely gives ground on the Apple ‘tax’ and I fear Apple’s high margins. Again, they need to be very shrewd with this first-generation machine and keep it priced relatively low regardless of the intended professional market.

And let’s not forget a lot of editors and VFX artists will be in the market for a 10bit quality 4K screen at a reasonable cost even if delivering HD. Deliverables in HD will persist for many years (look at the life of SD), but capturing and processing 4K digital film will soon be very affordable and grow that market at which Apple is pointing the Mac Pro Tube.

Rick Lang

iMac 27” 2.8GHz i7 16GB