Christian Schumacher
Forum Replies Created
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[Andrew Richards] “The 32-bit Compressor.app is just the GUI. When you submit a job, multiple 64-bit parallel qmaster processes kick off in the background and carry out the real work.”
Sweet! That’s way better than I thought it was. Thanks for the clarification, Andrew. I wonder how all this will progress overtime re: the handling of 64bit (and 32bit) quicktime codecs with the new AV foundation, as we advance on OS X. A major overhaul is still warranted on the workflow issue, I think. Apple can do better in the Pro Apps department, namely FCP X, Motion, Compressor, Aperture and Logic all working together in tandem. In other words, to improve integration amongst them should be top priority.
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What’s up with the Pro Apps package as whole? It is disjointed, even awkward. Despite FCPX being fast updated, there seems to be a widening gap developing there, specially when compared to Adobe’s efforts. I know it is priced/targeted differently, but come on, Apple! You should be offering better things than an old 32 bit Compressor plus no A/V round tripping within their own set of apps. FCPX alone won’t cut it. Stop talking the talk already.
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[Craig Seeman] “The only reason why the iMac isn’t amongst that crop was because Apple couldn’t make them fast enough as per Cook’s comments during Apple’s report. iMacs do sell well as all in ones go.”
I wasn’t talking specifically about this report. Apple Desktops are shrinking, and they will continue to do so. All of this obsolescence was carefully planned. This is the trend that I’m talking about, and if you think that iMacs Pros or Macmini Pros are coming to change this picture, you might want to reconsider it. They could come in the form of gorgeous pieces of gear, sure! Eventually they could become desktop flagships for a little while, and this could be good for Apple Pro Apps too. But how long is it going to last? Or how successful is it going to be? You seem to imply that desktops do have the potential to expand Apple’s business, but I just can’t see that. According to Apple’s strategies they simply won’t need them anymore. In other words, even if they allow us to use -God forbid- PCI cards, that thing will not last long enough to have, let’s say, three revisions. It’s a 2014 model and later on one in 2015. Then what? Finito. It’s just one big transitional phase for all the power users that still are on board. Some will stay on the mobiles, others will leave. That’s the story of Apple becoming a very distinct tighten niche.
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[Joseph W. Bourke] ” Personally, I’m watching for the Apple shaped star in the east…”
I for one welcome our new overlords;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?&v=CD74iHFd-jE
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[Bill Davis] “In our field, the use and manipulation of graphics and video aren’t exactly diminishing as a human practices. They’re just moving away from being a niche practice toward being a pretty general one.
I for one hope Apple really is “re-inventing” what a modern powerful computing box should be. I hope it’s less a “box” and more a “system” with scalable modules.”
Here you go, I just found this today:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1W0I8U74DM
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[Craig Seeman] “When Thunderbolt supports 100Gbits for 16x PCIe GPU and equivalent cards that might happen.
Even in the “content consumer” market there are tablet gammers and there are the hardcore desktop gamers who demand crazy powerful GPUs with high frame rate 3D model rendering. Until the technology gets there, across the board, … it hasn’t.”
That’s a good defensive point there, but I’m afraid that Apple may be in a position where they have to jump the shark a bit, and that could mean they would become an even tighter niche company than in the past. I guess they may have jumped that sharkie alreay, but what do I know…
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[Craig Seeman] “Yet Apple seems to be shrinking a lot less than the rest of the PC market”
That’s because they’re prioritizing a successful mobile ecosystem. All their recent growth in “computers”came from MacBooksPros and MacBookAirs, and that’s shooting up to the moon for the last ten years. They are offering excellent products there indeed, with different options and prices for a variety of needs. Come to read this thread on the Cow and go up to see a screen grab I posted before. Right into the iCloud’s ecosystem images of their marketing we can see how they portray the “Mac” -an Air! No Mini, no iMac. No desktops. That’s where they’re going. Not in 2013 or 2014, but it’s near.
[Craig Seeman] “the current MBPr or top iMac might feel like a slug compared to a MacPro which may allow you to at least upgrade the GPU as the demands increase.”
Yes, that’s why I said also that they will release a desktop product. Wait until technology cathes up and we’re going to get a laptop only line soon.
[Craig Seeman] “Consider the recent release of several new GPUs for the Mac which currently only serve the MacPro market.”
I wouldn’t bet the farm yet. Both nvidia based cards released are PCIE 2.0 which means they were meant for the current MacPro. Since Apple in fact has had the MacPro “updated”in 2012, what’s the surprise here really?
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[Craig Seeman] “Using your reasoning Apple would only make iPhones since even iPads don’t even come close to the iPhone revenue.”
No, I said Apple is now working and growing in personal services and appliances. The iPad conceptually is the perfect example of this. All the required expansion you mentioned earlier has to materialize in offerings of said appliances/services. That is what makes sense in my reasoning. On the other hand, I’m not disputing “professional” use, this is not the gist of what I said. Merely that Apple has already positioned itself as a prime mobile company of which selling desktops is fast shrinking business and couldn’t possibly account for anything more than a little more time before it dies in the future. Of course, there’s plenty of high businesses married to Apple already and the majority of them don’t need desktops in any shape or form. Hope this clarifies.
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[Marcus Moore] “Well, we’ve already seen the response when Apple neglects even the narrowest percentage of it’s Mac lineup [the MacPro]”
Do you expect the same if the Macmini goes the way of the dodo? REALLY? Or iMac for that matter? If they offer a 4K display along with a 2,000 dollar computer everybody will be “happy”and that’s it! Don’t have the money? Buy an Air, you’ll be fine with that. You can even connect to the new panel when you grow up.
[Marcus Moore] “25% of Mac buyers are consciously choosing a desktop option.”
A bit of a problem with the Apple desktop is that both we here and people in Apple know that in a very near future that percentage will drop to 20, then 15, 10, you get the idea…If they manage to offer a powerful yet simple desktop computer they might outlive its demise and make a quick buck out of their audience. The real money is in the consumer market anyway, so throw them a bone and they’ll shut up.
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[Craig Seeman] ” Yes because the smartphone and tablet market is volatile. Apple diversifies and they will likely diversify further.”
Sorry, that’s just plain wrong! Their diversification wars will be fought in the consumer space, not content provider space. (despite the “macpro”future update) They will be striving for consumer orientated products (and services!) and there you’ll find your expansion. That is where most “diversification” has been gained until now and that is where it will come from in the future as well. iCloud, iTunes, iWatch, iTV, home and personal appliances and so on…
[Craig Seeman] “In fact I was a bit surprised that Apple now has 13″ MacBook Air, 13″ MacBookPro, 13″ MacBookPro Retina. This is certainly not consolidation.”
Now you’re pushing it. Do you really think they won’t kill the non-retina one? The only reason they keep them is that retina is still a novelty.
[Craig Seeman] “On desktop MacMini (headless and weak GPU), iMac (Monitor and GPU range), MacPro (we’ll find out) all serve different markets.”
Right. One thing apple desktops have in common though is that they don’t sell as well as theirs laptoppies counterparts, and I’m willing to bet many people are very aware of that, including you. Oh, c’mon, MacPro and Macmini should be a freaking disaster, compared to their mobiles of course. And then there’s the iMac, sure it still has some of its original mojo, and it should perform well if they manage to keep it. But that’s where the 4K panel comes in, should Apple eventually release one, that thing would kill the need for the iMac altogether, bringing this new technology to the entire line. In this scenario several options could still be ordered as BTOs and different sizes, etc.
