12-core Apple Mac Pro orders are go
By Thomas Ricker 
posted August 9th 2010 4:51AM
posted August 9th 2010 4:51AM
[Thanks, Nathan]
posted August 9th 2010 4:51AM
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@lywell OMG 12 CORES AND SHINY! DO WANT DO WANT! BAWWW
FIGGGGGGGGHHTTTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!
Even with Apple's move to make higher end PCs it still cannont compete with really anything due to the "Apple Tax" it keeps adding to everything
Look at this machine from Alienware....sure its 90Lbs but it spots better specs and its MUCH cheaper
http://www.dell.com/us/en/home/desktops/alienware-area-51-alx/pd.aspx?refid=alienware-area-51-alx&s=dhs&cs=19&~ck=mn
it even lets $1,000 upgrade room before reaching the Apple machine
@23542354
That AlienWare looks like a nice rig, but it doesn't have an Apple logo, so what's the point.
@23542354 I was only able to customize a single 6 core processor and the rest specced with the Mac Pro and it came out to $4809.00 Wonder what it would have cost with a second 6 core processor? Or am I missing something?
Why is the most commented thing of the day the one thing most of us can never afford/will never buy?
I think the whole "Anyone in the design industry uses a Mac" thing seems like a self-perpetuating concept. The components and specs of a Mac can easily be replicated or surpassed by someone purchasing or building a PC, and the differences in the operating systems are negligible, save for the obvious differences in user interface.
So, for that mentality to bear any validity, it has to come down to software, no? And if Macs have better software for editing and design, it's because designers have typically been using Macs, creating a better market for editing and design software.
It's not because there's any difference between the two products. It's just the status quo dictates that we should believe that the Mac is better at design, rather than the software being developed for it.
@scrumtrelescent7
Tell that to the kid crawling out of a Design School with a BFA and $150K in student loans, looking at jobs under 30K or better yet, "intern" and wondering how in hell he's going to swing another 5K on a Mac Pro system and 2K for Adobe Creative Suite...
The design industry is seeing a LOT of Windows defections since Steve kicked up to the curb.
Late comment. probably wont be seen. But I will be getting a 4 or 6 core new Mac Pro. And here's why...
1. The pro audio software I use (and have invested considerable $ into) is not available for Windows. Changing to new software is not worth the time and effort needed to cross-grade and learn different operating methods.
2. My first generation G5 (that I am using right now) has been used every day since I bought it in 2003. Only time I've had to open the case was to upgrade ram and install a second internal hard drive (no screwdriver required).
@BourbonBoy
I think you've concluded it well. It's like buying a SONY WEGA and hopelessly wait for it to die to upgrade. Mine just can't die after 10 years, and its color and its everything else still look and work fine
@BourbonBoy Wow NO SCREWDRIVER! i bet there isnt any pc case with that! /sarcasm
There are tons of professional audio software for windows and linux, your excuse is just lame.
Windows 7 has equalized the two OS's and PC's are still significantly less expensive. Mac Pro's aren't for professionals, their for unexperienced computer buyers how happen to edit video who buy into the hype and say "oh a super mac".
I lol'd when i saw the pirce, i can buy a pc 4 times better than that on every aspect in any hardware retailer.
I can build a cheaper one. Why so expensive?
Our company had lots of PROs in it's history and we all loved them until few generations ago when Apple decided that they want to turn the workstation into something a 14 year old would assemble for gaming (speaking of components and usability outside of the rendering sector). And we just couldn't justify the pricing anymore.
Company switched to Cray CX1 modulars a year ago and truth be told, not a single person is looking back, was the best decision for the guys on top.
@FMinus Kinda hard to believe that Pixar (also owned by Steve Jobs) does some of the most advanced rendering on the planet with RenderMan and your company is having issues with Mac Pros. Unless you're NASA or not related to any visual medium it just doesn't seem to add up.
Ouch there goes my 17,000!!!!! Talk about one huge tax write off!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvsboPUjrGc
OK.. going to toss of my grumpy comments.
First of, the disclaimers, I am a design pro, not an IT person, gamer or semi-pro geek. So most if this is OPINION, not hyper scrutinized lists of facts. Bear with it. I am not going to dis down anybody's personal choice of hardware or OS preferences. Or debate fanboyism at any level. Been done already.
As a designer, I've been a Mac user for many years. And I'll say that in the day, the Mac OS offered clear advantages. And also in the day Apple hardware also offered some unique qualities unavailable in the WinTel world. But that day is PASSED. The only reason anyone should chose Mac hardware or the Mac OS is personal preference.
When Apple was releasing G4 and G5 Towers, they were cutting edge machines at the top end, and provided performance that was just not available at the desktop level elsewhere. But that is clearly no longer the case. Not that Macs and PCs are essentially the same under the hood, there are far less differentiating qualities. For the Mac Pro, while they may be shiny, spiffy, and fairly stout machines, they are NOT the ultimate computing machines Apple would have us believe. There are comparable workstation class machines available from HP, Levono, Acer, and even *gasp* ... Dell at better price points. Yes, I looked. The current lineup just manages bare parity with Windows machines out there, and offers downright mediocre graphics cards, which have become much more important components in modern computing.
And more powerful configurations can of course be assembled off the shelf if that's your thing. Some of us like to tinker in the garage. Some of us just want to say, "give me the keys, I'd rather drive." Your mileage may vary.
Are the Mac Pros overpriced for the tech level offered? I may be a bit of an apple loyalist and I have to say, OH HELL YES. I will offer that the overall reliability, build quality and case design is superior, even if the components are fairly standard. And yes, while Apple has evolved the case internals, it's still a seven year old design. It could absolutely use a refresh.
The galling point for us Design Pros, and I am talking about Publishing, Graphics and Web Design, is that Apple has tossed us to the curd YEARS ago to the tender mercies of Adobe. Go into an apple store and good luck finding any pro gear, or even a 11 x 17" printer or press quality scanner. Not for the likes of us. And we've been crying for a mid-range mac for ages. We'd probably be quite comfortable with the performance range of the 27" i7 iMac in a tower configuration. The price gap between the i7 iMac and the Base Mac Pro and Display is enough to buy a decent laptop and the Adobe CS5 upgrade. Which is non trivial. The fact that Apple has done away with all non-glossy screens except for the BTO MacBookPro, shows their disdain for Design pros over "oooohhh shiny" which does look spiffier in the Apple Store lighting.
But with Apples current relentless pursuit of the "consuming" computer user... hence iPods, iPhones, iPads and the like. I feel that the Mac Pro resists in the lineup merely to say that they have a high end machine for the very needful (climate modeling and 3d rendering anyone?) and quite affluent users.
Since the current Adobe CS5 version requires an Intel core duo minimum, this will retire a LOT of still working G5 machines. I expect we'll see a lot of "downgrade upgrades" to iMac, laptops and Windows machines.
And Steve won't miss us. We complain.