-
OT: Apple to drop Mac Pro?
-
[Steve Connor] ”
Well I’m assuming that iOS will mature considerably before it replaces OSX in the next few years.”That is actually what Microsoft is trying to do with Windows 8 – a merged desktop and mobile OS.
My personal vision is an iMac-style computer with an iPad-style touch screen. Driven by some variation of iOS/OSX. I could see FCP X as totally designed with this in mind.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
[Oliver Peters] “My personal vision is an iMac-style computer with an iPad-style touch screen. Driven by some variation of iOS/OSX. I could see FCP X as totally designed with this in mind.”
But that kind of “upright” touch screen is awkward. I believe Jobs said as much. That’s why the trackpad is the alternate tool of choice for non iPad/iPhone.
Possibly a track pad like the Wacom Cintiq would work.
-
[Craig Seeman] “Possibly a track pad like the Wacom Cintiq would work”
Correct. That’s really more the ergonomics I was thinking about. Tilt the iMac farther back. OTOH a 27″ screen might be too much. But, a track pad would also work.
– Oliver
Oliver Peters Post Production Services, LLC
Orlando, FL
http://www.oliverpeters.com -
[Oliver Peters] ” But, a track pad would also work.”
We’re actually not that far away from that. I’ve seen people work with iPad as a mirrored desktop and you now have a touch screen to hold in your hand while you watch the bigger version on the monitor.
Most interesting example was someone who did this while using Telestream Wirecast for a live switched stream. They had built the shots on desktop but controlled the live switch from the iPad. Given it was wireless, they could even walk away for a short distance and still monitor and control the switching from the iPad.
One might almost think about Apple bumping up the size of the iPad to 13″ or 15″ and stripping out things that wouldn’t be important for this use such as the cameras, and have a visual track pad for a fairly reasonable price.
I could easily see controlling FCPX from this. I think FCPX would need to have some more accessibility improves ranging from gesture commands to more onscreen buttons.
-
“I’d be curious to learn what on earth Apple has to do to get on the bad side of some of these people.”
Frank, that’s what I’ve been saying. First Apple neglects the MacPro and then they drop the FCP Suite then they drop their pro audio application, and this rumour about the MacPro getting dropped is floated around – most likely the by Apple itself.
To me, it’s obvious. As I have said many times to guys like Craig, Apple has decided to move more towards a consumer electronics company than the company we all have relied upon for software and a computer that allows us to edit.
Yes, Craig, you believe the Mac Mini is the future of video production. Good luck with that.
I have moved to Win7, Nvidia and Adobe. I like the integration of the software, and the multi layers I get in real time.
17 years ago, I spent the better part of $20K to get a VideoMachine DPR system. It gave me 2 layers in real time on a DX4-100 using 2 GB SCSI drives. Then, a Matrox system, 3 layers, then Reality card, same 3 layers and I have been waiting to get back to real time since the death of the Matrox RTMac card in the early part of this millennium.
RealTime feels great!
Craig, as I said before good luck with your Mac Mini and Thunderbolt.
Do us all a favour Craig. How about you answer the quote I started this post with.
-
Frank,
Fiction?
As I noted elsewhere here it’s nothing more or less than a modern reflection of precisely what happened in the electronics industry in music playback through the 60s 70’s and 80s.
Big consoles were the form factor originally.
Then “components” took over. You selected your speakers, your reciever, etc. At the low end pre-configured “systems” dominated – at the high end the consumers with more specialized needs, budgets or just tastes assembled their “stereos” by mix and match.That’s all I’m envisioning here, and it can’t be a mere “fantasy” if it’s already happened in a very similar industry in reality.
“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor
-
Of course it is fiction because, contrary to your example, you are throwing technology into the mix that simply doesn’t exist yet and nobody knows if it ever will. I cannot get any external cpu or gpu boxes, there are hardly any raid enclosures let alone networking, fibre etc.
So, we are talking about Apple possibly discontinuing the only machine that currently can handle highend workflows both with regards to performance and ability to integrate into an existing infrastructure. -
[Darren Kelly] “As I have said many times to guys like Craig, Apple has decided to move more towards a consumer electronics company “
Thunderbolt Video I/O and RAID are just what consumer are clamoring for.
[Darren Kelly] “Craig, you believe the Mac Mini is the future of video production. Good luck with that.”
Do people really need hearing aids when they read? Sorry but outlandish misstatements are beyond the kind of responses I’d expect on this forum. Thunderbolt is available for the entire Mac line but right now you don’t seem to be able to read this because if written it before as well and it didn’t land in your sight the first time.
[Darren Kelly] “”I’d be curious to learn what on earth Apple has to do to get on the bad side of some of these people.””
Make products I can’t use professionally. I use everything professionally including business calls on the iPhone. Presenting video demos and rough cuts to clients on my iPad, to editing on my MacPro and MacBookPro in the field. Thunderbolt increases my mobility many fold. Thunderbolt I/O will allow me to do live streaming on location with any current portable Mac or current Mac a client might have on location. I, like others on this forum, have already used FCPX for client delivery on jobs that would have taken longer on FCP7. If/When Apple comes out with a Thunderbolt based MacPro replacement it will be high on my needs list.
-
It was interesting. I don’t think I will need to use that for my business, but it would make a cool way of demoing, or changing things with a client in the field.
Would it not work with any NLE software on any platform?
-
Yes, I recognize TB is available on all Macs released in the past few months. No one has disputed it’s existence Craig.
It is a new IO. It is not the Holy Grail, simply another pipe to move data over. It does not change the reduced feature set of FCPX. It does not somehow make it OK that Apple have been slowly discontinuing their “Pro” Applications. That’s Apples words, not mine – Pro Applications.
I also didn’t create the term MacPro. Once again, Apple created that term. It doesn’t mean you can run the world on a Mac Mini.
If you can’t see that Apple is shifting away from computers and software for their reduced “Pro Applications” I can’t help you.
I’m not the one in the minority here.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up