Back to Mobile View

Skip to Content

You're the Pundit: What's up with the Mac Pro?

by Erica Sadun Oct 23rd 2011 at 8:00PM

When it comes to forecasting the next big thing, we turn to our secret weapon: the TUAW braintrust. We put the question to you and let you have your go at it. Today's topic is the Mac Pro.

The powerhouse of the Mac universe, the Mac Pro is a hard-working mainstay for video editors, graphics shops, and other professional use. With Apple turning almost overwhelmingly towards producing consumer products, and with the higher end iMacs providing screaming power and great peripheral support, does the Mac Pro have a future?

You tell us. Place your vote in this poll and then join in the comments with all your predictions.

Does the Mac Pro have a future?
The tower is dead, baby. Long live the high-end iMac.565 (12.2%)
So long as there\'s a market, Apple will keep churning these out.2205 (47.5%)
The Mac Pro isn\'t dead, but it has to evolve to fit into Apple\'s consumer-oriented lineup.1519 (32.7%)
Apple makes a Mac Pro? Are you sure you don\'t mean MacBook Pro?213 (4.6%)
Something else. I\'ll tell you in the comments.144 (3.1%)



View Tags

Related Stories

Categories

Apple

When it comes to forecasting the next big thing, we turn to our secret weapon: the TUAW braintrust. We put the question to you and let...
 

Add a Comment

Sign in »
*0 / 3000 Character Maximum Comment Moderation Enabled. Your comment will appear after it is cleared by an editor.

50 Comments

Filter by:
Matt

I do a lot of high-end Photoshop, and rely on my Mac Pro, and Apple 23" Cinema Display to get the work done. Without a Mac Pro, I'm left with a "high-end iMac"??? With a glossy screen??? Sorry, I'd have to find another option. I've already decided that I will never buy an Apple product with a glossy screen, and if Apple discontinued the Mac Pro, I'm not sure what I'd do for hardware.

November 01 2011 at 7:01 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Jeff Handy

With the Ivy Bridge chip slated for release March 2012, it makes sense that the Mac Pro would be the first major hardware update to include it.

October 25 2011 at 10:49 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
peaksutah

Mac Pros are still very important to Apple and to Customers. If Apple would refresh the MacPro more often they'd sell quite a few more towers. My office has a bunch of 1,1 & 4,1 towers and we're all holding out for an update.

October 24 2011 at 6:02 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
flyingburger

The Mac Pro requires less engineering on the part of Apple. It's a version of the standard Intel BTX workstation design, compare it to the high-end Dell Precision, and you'll see the chassis design is fundamentally the same.

October 24 2011 at 4:30 PM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
uzombie

WHERE is the MacPro refresh??
With Raid 5 SSD, Quattro w/Thunderbolt, USB 3.0, BT 4.0, ... bye bye ODD..

October 24 2011 at 3:55 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Derek Anderson

in my opinion they really need something between the mini and the pro. It would be nice if they made the mac mini server available with the nicer graphics card and the true quad core i7 and maybe offered an even further stripped down Pro... the Prosumer to bridge the $1000 gap between the lines.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/13/mac-mini-pro-mod-is-almost-the-midrange-tower-mac-youve-always/

October 24 2011 at 3:29 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Derek Anderson's comment
fetchtennisball

iMac? but if you're talking about something without a monitor I guess that would be a nice new product, say if you want the iMac's power but not the monitor. but personally i love the iMac's monitor.

November 06 2011 at 8:07 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
imagladry@me.com

The new Mac Pro will be a combination the the Mac Pro and the Mac Server. They started this design process when they aced the Server. They are now waiting mainly for the proper CPU. probably this spring.

That's my guess.

October 24 2011 at 12:49 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
David

I work for a clothing company and boy we have sooo many mac pros all over the building:

Graphic designers
Email designers
Clothes designers
Marketing material designers
Copy writers
Clothing print designers
Web content management
Photoshoot teams

Also the people that use these machines are die hard Mac pro users, they don't want / wont switch to Windows.

The only macs that aren't pros are minis used by web site testers.

It really depends on where you work but I think any place creative is still filled with pros and will be for a while.

October 24 2011 at 10:58 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to David's comment
uzombie

I've seen alot of designers now move to the 27" iMac and not complain. Either they save to server or have an external FW array for TM backups. They are quiet, fast and good enough. The 27" iMac likely hurt any MacPro sales...
As for Xserve replacement with the Mini... I think Apple p'od ALOT of Unix guys that liked the machines for their Mac groups...the machines are now dying with ??? as a replacement.

October 24 2011 at 3:58 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
dorjesyber

I neared this on one of the many podcasts I listen to... cant remember which now.

It was suggested that Apple could just introduce a line of "Pro Boxes" which are just Thunderbolt enclosures with various bits and pieces. Need more graphics power, hook up the Video Box. Need secondary processor, hook up a data crunch box. The list goes on. Having that direct and large pipe to the motherboard through Thunderbolt could really change "Pro" computing.

"Build your own PC" takes on totally different meaning. If you look at it the Thunderbolt Display is the first "Pro Box" with screen and port add-ons.

October 24 2011 at 10:47 AM Report abuse -2 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to dorjesyber's comment
dorjesyber

Oops, forgot to add. Under this model they could create a "core" unit that is a lower cost Hard Drive(SSD) and on board low graphics card, but supped up processor and RAM allotments. This would let "users" swap out the "core" whenever Apple does an update.

October 24 2011 at 10:51 AM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
Eric LaRue

I think the Mac Pro will be the computer for the highest end pro market niche, just because you can pack all sorts of peripherals internally into the thing, and that's why it will still exist. I don't think it will ever be the best selling Mac, but it will never go away, either.

October 24 2011 at 10:30 AM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
Buy an ad here

Tweets

© 2012 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.