2012 Mac Pro or Should we say Apple Pro!

Aside from last year's FCP X demo, and that was not an announcement, it was a demo, Apple doesn't do announcements or have presence at NAB, not for a few years now.

At least an update to Logic Pro 9 that reads FCPXML would be fantastic.

Apple won't announce hardware until its close to shipping, and they have a lot of ramping up to do if Sandy Bridge server class CPU's JUST start shipping this week.

But, at noon CST, I'll be tuned in and watching to see what happens.

Here's an interesting article from Macworld on the future of the Mac Pro:

www.macworld.com/article/165716/2012/03/...o.html#lsrc.rss_main

RonPriest wrote: Here's an interesting article from Macworld on the future of the Mac Pro:

www.macworld.com/article/165716/2012/03/...o.html#lsrc.rss_main

While I do think it is an interesting article, I think it too much discounts how Apple feels about their high end professional market. I for one would probably not have come to Mac if it weren't for the fact that the Avid Media Composer only ran on Macs back in the day.

They love creativity and I think they would feel wounded if the creative community began to leave or worse turn to Windows to channel their ideas through.

And while it may have little effect on their bottom line initially I think many would see it as Apple "selling out" which would lower their "most loved and trusted company" status in many's eyes. (mine included) and eventually have a negative effect on their sales.

Again. If I were forced by Apple abandoning pro machines to adopt a Windows box, I would be much less inclined to buy an iPhone, an iPad or to recommend Apple products to both friends and family. (Of which I have converted many to Apple products.)

I think Apple know this. At least I hope they do.

BenB wrote:
Actually no it won't be a bottleneck, since both are PCI and support PCI speeds. There's no difference there.

I don't know:
16 lane slot (each direction):

• v1.x: 4 GB/s (40 GT/s)
• v2.x: 8 GB/s (80 GT/s)
• v3.0: 16 GB/s (128 GT/s)

Apple Thunderbolt

• 10 Gbps

I agree completely Seanus. After the PR disaster that was the FCPX launch Apple has explicitly said that FCPX is a Pro application. If they choose not to launch a new Mac Pro they would be only making this situation worse and show that they have forgotten who they are. This could and properly would be a slippery slop. Over the last ten years I have switched everyone I know onto Apple products - I'm sure we all have. If they loss me and the people like me (their core audience) the company is in danger of losing its footing - but who knows.

I'm still hopefully that Apple understand the value of being closely associated with the creative end of the creative industries. My understanding of FCPX shows that they want it to be scalable to eventually work in some form on whatever device you have in front of you at the time - whether that be an iPad 4 or an Apple Pro or whatever.

I guess we will know really soon. I really don't want to head back to windows thats for sure.

I totally agree!

Just bear in mind, according to an old and dear friend at Apple, that the overwhelming majority of FCP users are not using Mac Pros.

As for things being "professional" or not, there's no longer any such thing as "professional", nor "industry standards".

You can take the Professional and industry standard (which does exist) out of the equation.
But you can't argue speed.
From talking to a Apple representative and Sales manager.
In "Pro" (who is paid to undertake a specialized set) environment there are Mac Pro and Macbook Pro.
Hey the guys at Apple could be wrong right? But what I do know for 100% all facilities I have been only seen Mac Pro for workstations. In the contract I am in right now there are 200 FCP licenses on Mac Pros and 8 on Macbook Pros.

BenB wrote: Just bear in mind, according to an old and dear friend at Apple, that the overwhelming majority of FCP users are not using Mac Pros.

As for things being "professional" or not, there's no longer any such thing as "professional", nor "industry standards".

Agree to a certain extent, and my next machine may well be an iMac.

But if I was an animator using After Effects or something similar I would definitely switch to a machine that would run rings around an iMac if that is the best Apple offer.
Time is money. To Apple I would be lost as well as my circle of influence.

Anyway I'm sure we'll hear soon, and I bet it's good news for us so called "professionals".

There's no industry standard software, as so many packages do so much, and lower end apps are doing the bulk of the work now. There's no industry standard codec, as every time a new camera comes out, there's a new codec flavor de jour with it. There's no industry standard for anything, apps, codecs, workflows, it's all over the map now. Broadcast and film editors are a drop in the bucket of the "industry" and don't set standards any longer.
"Nothing Is Professional & Industry Standards No Longer Exist"

I've been doing consulting across the USA for many, many years now. Overwhelmingly the workstations have been going iMac and MBP more and more and more. Apple even acknowledges this in it's sales numbers. I work with many Apple sales reps and sales engineers on all of these accounts. I personally think it is vital for Apple to continue a high end Mac Pro tower. BUT, the sales numbers will dictate that.

The XServe was dropped because not enough units were being sold to justify the cost and resources of building them.

I'm just saying, the hard, cold reality is the sales numbers, and the Mac Pro sales numbers are the lowest ever right now.

I sure want a new tower out now, but I'm not holding my breath.

IF we were to see an 17", 8 core, 16GB RAM MacBook Pro, I'd personally abandon the tower for good. Money drives everything.

Cross our fingers. Only 4 more hours.

There's an interesting article in the NYTimes this morning tilted:

" As New iPad Debut Nears, Some See Decline of PC's "

we aren't going to get one today, but Apple need to tell us one way or the other very soon.

it's pretty obvious the tower is selling low numbers presently is because its such old, neglected tech. even people that really need one right now (like me) are either waiting or thinking I could save a bundle and buy an iMac and a Promise Raid. or maybe thinking apple isn't for me anymore i'm buying avid/creative suite and a PC.

However with something as superficial as a case redesign and a thunderbolt port - sales would go right back to wherever they were in 2010 and perhaps then some.

Apple Stores are gearing up for some in-store event on I think the 13th. We will see. 1 more hour...

Yes, it's for the new Mac Pro! :whistle:

From Appleinsider just before the iPad Event

"Tim Cook is on stage. Talking about the PC revolution. PC is no longer the center of our digital worlds."

I had to go to the bathroom during the presentation. Did I miss the part about the new Mac Pro?

Industry standards do exist. Because something new comes along doesn't mean there such thing as industry standards... from media to cameras...

So Ben you have seen ever production facility across USA? Yeah about that... let you know you have any idea how many Mac Pros are floating around the government, I do and it remarkable high.

The XServe was not dropped because not enough units were being sold to because they where not making enough money. Which was quoted by the man.

You are right the Mac Pro are at the lowest, nobody buying a 2 years old workstation.
Don't get me wrong but you don't have to be expert to understand this.

Reality is if the Mac Pro gets dropped then they are dropping the high end market from science to any form of media where are talking about high end not your wedding guy.
Maybe Final Cut Pro has the same faith as Shake, Color and Co.
Apple software sales hardware.

Still need PC/workstations to create content for the digital world.

Scrubelicious wrote: Reality is if the Mac Pro gets dropped then they are dropping the high end market from science to any form of media where are talking about high end not your wedding guy.

Hey, we need some love too! We're professionals too you know... well kind of like!

I do a lot of government contracts, most of what I've seen are iMacs. I never said I saw every studio in the country, just that over the past many years I've seen a hell of a lot of them, lots of iMacs.

"Not making enough money" IS not selling enough of them, same thing.

I stated I'd love to see a new Mac Pro line, but I'm not holding my breath.

And there are so many industry standards now, there is no standard.