8 ms·

Tim Cook confirms updated Mac Pro coming in 2013

18 points by mattjaynes 14y ago

rhizome 14y ago
I'm gonna be cynical-guy and ask if there's any indication that this is anything other than CYA, since "later next year" tells me work is only just beginning. Were there any leaks or rumblings before the backlash? Regardless, this would seem to be a very uncharacteristic stumble for Apple in the expectations-management department.
- cdcarter 14y ago
  Does it matter if it's CYA if they follow through?
  - rhizome 14y ago
    It's the difference between the word "confirms" and "announces."
- dasil003 14y ago
  No, there were rumors circulating for a while about secret teams and major upgrades in the work. If there redesigning the whole thing then it could be a big job and maybe they are waiting for certain components to get to where they want them to be. The remarkable thing about this email is that Apple never pre-announces things. And just the other day they said something about doubling down on secrecy. I think what happened here was a tremendous swelling negative rumor mill that Cook figured would cost Apple more in terms of pro defections than they would lose from current buyers waiting. For Microsoft that's just another day at the office, but for Apple it's extremely rare.
  - rhizome 14y ago
    The remarkable thing about this email is that Apple never pre-announces things. Exactly.
jsprinkles 14y ago
Does anybody else think secretive companies annoy customers more than open ones? A lot of bad feelings could have been avoided yesterday were this public information, without Tim having to e-mail someone to break it. There was a genuine rash of anger, obviously (from the HN coverage), and just taking a few moments to say what's in the pipeline, while very not Steve, would have made this situation a lot better. It's not just Apple I've noticed this with. Maybe it's time we rethink secrecy from a product development standpoint? Does it really give your competitors an advantage to know what you're working on in the days of the Internet? Is this something that business types have put thought into, since secrecy seems to be the status quo? I can understand new products entirely, but a simple update to their Mac Pro is something they could just say, publicly, with little recourse, to reassure its small (and dedicated) fan base.
- dasil003 14y ago
  I think Apple annoys people more than other companies. It's something of a lightning rod. Should they be more open about product roadmaps? Past performance would seem to indicate know. It doesn't matter if people are annoyed if they're selling out everything like hotcakes.
  - maximilianburke 14y ago
    The people I know who buy Mac Pros keep themselves quite up to date with technological developments. They know when Intel releases a new processor family, they know when nVidia and AMD release a new generation of GPU. They know that when these items are on the market they could easily call up Dell or HP and have a workstation with these components, but they don't want a Dell or HP, they want an Apple. As a result they are annoyed when Apple continues ignoring their flagship product, a product that now is now two generations behind in both CPU and GPU. They're also typically the type of people that are irked that Apple's geometry shaders run on the CPU and not the GPU.
    - gte910h 14y ago
      The MacPro hasn't been the flagship product for years
fiatmoney 14y ago
I don't understand why you would trust a company whose product roadmap consists of a single cryptic email, with the tools you use to maintain your livelihood.
- mikek 14y ago
  Are there other computer manufacturers that publish a public product roadmap? I'd be curious to see one of these.
  - Intermernet 14y ago
    http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/public-roadmap-article.html http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/public-roa...
droithomme 14y ago
This is big news because it means the machine will be nearly 4 years between updates. The current machine, its huge physical size, yet its weak configuration, and its absurd pricing, are insulting to professional users. Apple is either clueless or is having serious problems maintaining competent hardware engineers despite them being the second wealthiest corporation in human history and sitting on a massive war chest. Instead of hiring the talent they need, obscene bonuses are delivered to executives since Jobs died. The question is, why are they having trouble finding designers? I have heard various accounts from people, as well as rumors, that their pay is below industry standards. Also, certain jobs are not stable with Apple hiring people for consultant like specialized positions at employee wages, tying them to insidious contracts, and then dismissing them when their niche skills are no longer needed. It is also reported to be an abusive place to work where employees are belittled and insulted and their contributions not acknowledged.
- jonhendry 14y ago
  Perhaps they don't want to just rehash the same old tower form factor.
- jsprinkles 14y ago
  Apple being as wealthy as it is implies, to the contrary, that it is not clueless.
  - phaus 14y ago
    Your statement sounds sensible, yet I can't seem to reconcile it with the fact that Justin Beiber is one of the wealthiest musicians of his time.
    - jsprinkles 14y ago
      Even if Justin Beiber himself is clueless (and I don't think he is), the people around him are experts at creating a product that appeal to their target demographic. The most successful stars that, to you, seem to create shitty music are those that actually have the most clever people handling them.
ghshephard 14y ago
I'm wondering who this news really impacts. Do Pro Users actually update their desktop systems more than once every four years? My Dell Precision 650 (Circa January, 2004, cost $4300 back then - top of the line workstation at the time) - is precisely as productive today, as it was when I was using it 8 years ago. The apps all run just as fast, I get the same amount of work done, I don't really have any need to upgrade to something newer. With the exception of operating system patches, it's mostly the same software. Now - I _want_ a newer system, but, if you asked me whether, at the end of the day, my work output would be any different, or whether I would just be happier, I would have to answer the latter. Instead of HN commentators feedback about how old the Apple platform is, I'm wondering whether they could comment on how the USB 3.0 + Thunderbolt + Retina Display upgrades they wanted will make a very real difference to their productivity. That would make for some useful reading, if it's the case. It's not my sense with Pro Users that it is - and their tools will continue to work just as well for now. I think the Pro market is just different from the "upgrade every year or two" consumer market. Also interesting, would be feedback from Pro Users who have decided that Apple not upgrading more frequently, will result in them changing platforms, and, what platforms they will change to - and why.
- tibbon 14y ago
  I myself couldn't afford (and didn't need) a Mac Pro several years ago. However, I could really use one now. I'd buy one of the existing ones, but man... I really feel like a sucker paying so much for a system that's clearly lacking in a lot of spots, to know that I'll be upgrading in a year. And the current pricing feels absurd (although normally I feel Apple pricing is fine, right now the Mac Pro isn't a great deal). It could be argued that a real "pro" would make their money on it either way, but I myself am sitting more in the "prosumer" market. I make videos for Youtube, but I don't really make much money on them... but I really enjoy doing it. The workflow on my Macbook Pro right now with 1080p is just painful.
  - ghshephard 14y ago
    Right - I can't imagine spending any of their _own_ money on a Mac Pro. If you are a gamer, you go build one of your own systems, or have someone like JNCS (who built my gaming PC). If you are Joe Average consumer, you buy an iMac for the home. Hard to see anyone but a Pro User (for whom dropping $5K on a machine that just gets the job done, and sits their for five years doing it, is the goal) buying the MacPro. It left the sweet spot for personal purchases of Macs (if it was ever there) a couple years ago.
Intermernet 14y ago
Why is this news? Surely Apple release updated versions of their hardware and software pretty consistently. A hardware refresh happening in more than 6 months sounds like marketing hype to me. I'd guess that Intel and nVidia also have new products coming out in 2013. I don't think we need anyone to confirm that.

18 points by mattjaynes 14y ago

I'm gonna be cynical-guy and ask if there's any indication that this is anything other than CYA, since "later next year" tells me work is only just beginning. Were there any leaks or rumblings before the backlash? Regardless, this would seem to be a very uncharacteristic stumble for Apple in the expectations-management department.

cdcarter 14y ago
Does it matter if it's CYA if they follow through?
- rhizome 14y ago
  It's the difference between the word "confirms" and "announces."
dasil003 14y ago
No, there were rumors circulating for a while about secret teams and major upgrades in the work. If there redesigning the whole thing then it could be a big job and maybe they are waiting for certain components to get to where they want them to be. The remarkable thing about this email is that Apple never pre-announces things. And just the other day they said something about doubling down on secrecy. I think what happened here was a tremendous swelling negative rumor mill that Cook figured would cost Apple more in terms of pro defections than they would lose from current buyers waiting. For Microsoft that's just another day at the office, but for Apple it's extremely rare.
- rhizome 14y ago
  The remarkable thing about this email is that Apple never pre-announces things. Exactly.

jsprinkles 14y ago

Does anybody else think secretive companies annoy customers more than open ones? A lot of bad feelings could have been avoided yesterday were this public information, without Tim having to e-mail someone to break it. There was a genuine rash of anger, obviously (from the HN coverage), and just taking a few moments to say what's in the pipeline, while very not Steve, would have made this situation a lot better. It's not just Apple I've noticed this with. Maybe it's time we rethink secrecy from a product development standpoint? Does it really give your competitors an advantage to know what you're working on in the days of the Internet? Is this something that business types have put thought into, since secrecy seems to be the status quo? I can understand new products entirely, but a simple update to their Mac Pro is something they could just say, publicly, with little recourse, to reassure its small (and dedicated) fan base.

dasil003 14y ago
I think Apple annoys people more than other companies. It's something of a lightning rod. Should they be more open about product roadmaps? Past performance would seem to indicate know. It doesn't matter if people are annoyed if they're selling out everything like hotcakes.
- maximilianburke 14y ago
  The people I know who buy Mac Pros keep themselves quite up to date with technological developments. They know when Intel releases a new processor family, they know when nVidia and AMD release a new generation of GPU. They know that when these items are on the market they could easily call up Dell or HP and have a workstation with these components, but they don't want a Dell or HP, they want an Apple. As a result they are annoyed when Apple continues ignoring their flagship product, a product that now is now two generations behind in both CPU and GPU. They're also typically the type of people that are irked that Apple's geometry shaders run on the CPU and not the GPU.
  - gte910h 14y ago
    The MacPro hasn't been the flagship product for years

fiatmoney 14y ago

I don't understand why you would trust a company whose product roadmap consists of a single cryptic email, with the tools you use to maintain your livelihood.

mikek 14y ago
Are there other computer manufacturers that publish a public product roadmap? I'd be curious to see one of these.
- Intermernet 14y ago
  http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/public-roadmap-article.html http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/processors/public-roa...

droithomme 14y ago

This is big news because it means the machine will be nearly 4 years between updates. The current machine, its huge physical size, yet its weak configuration, and its absurd pricing, are insulting to professional users. Apple is either clueless or is having serious problems maintaining competent hardware engineers despite them being the second wealthiest corporation in human history and sitting on a massive war chest. Instead of hiring the talent they need, obscene bonuses are delivered to executives since Jobs died. The question is, why are they having trouble finding designers? I have heard various accounts from people, as well as rumors, that their pay is below industry standards. Also, certain jobs are not stable with Apple hiring people for consultant like specialized positions at employee wages, tying them to insidious contracts, and then dismissing them when their niche skills are no longer needed. It is also reported to be an abusive place to work where employees are belittled and insulted and their contributions not acknowledged.

jonhendry 14y ago
Perhaps they don't want to just rehash the same old tower form factor.
jsprinkles 14y ago
Apple being as wealthy as it is implies, to the contrary, that it is not clueless.
- phaus 14y ago
  Your statement sounds sensible, yet I can't seem to reconcile it with the fact that Justin Beiber is one of the wealthiest musicians of his time.
  - jsprinkles 14y ago
    Even if Justin Beiber himself is clueless (and I don't think he is), the people around him are experts at creating a product that appeal to their target demographic. The most successful stars that, to you, seem to create shitty music are those that actually have the most clever people handling them.

ghshephard 14y ago

I'm wondering who this news really impacts. Do Pro Users actually update their desktop systems more than once every four years? My Dell Precision 650 (Circa January, 2004, cost $4300 back then - top of the line workstation at the time) - is precisely as productive today, as it was when I was using it 8 years ago. The apps all run just as fast, I get the same amount of work done, I don't really have any need to upgrade to something newer. With the exception of operating system patches, it's mostly the same software. Now - I _want_ a newer system, but, if you asked me whether, at the end of the day, my work output would be any different, or whether I would just be happier, I would have to answer the latter. Instead of HN commentators feedback about how old the Apple platform is, I'm wondering whether they could comment on how the USB 3.0 + Thunderbolt + Retina Display upgrades they wanted will make a very real difference to their productivity. That would make for some useful reading, if it's the case. It's not my sense with Pro Users that it is - and their tools will continue to work just as well for now. I think the Pro market is just different from the "upgrade every year or two" consumer market. Also interesting, would be feedback from Pro Users who have decided that Apple not upgrading more frequently, will result in them changing platforms, and, what platforms they will change to - and why.

tibbon 14y ago
I myself couldn't afford (and didn't need) a Mac Pro several years ago. However, I could really use one now. I'd buy one of the existing ones, but man... I really feel like a sucker paying so much for a system that's clearly lacking in a lot of spots, to know that I'll be upgrading in a year. And the current pricing feels absurd (although normally I feel Apple pricing is fine, right now the Mac Pro isn't a great deal). It could be argued that a real "pro" would make their money on it either way, but I myself am sitting more in the "prosumer" market. I make videos for Youtube, but I don't really make much money on them... but I really enjoy doing it. The workflow on my Macbook Pro right now with 1080p is just painful.
- ghshephard 14y ago
  Right - I can't imagine spending any of their _own_ money on a Mac Pro. If you are a gamer, you go build one of your own systems, or have someone like JNCS (who built my gaming PC). If you are Joe Average consumer, you buy an iMac for the home. Hard to see anyone but a Pro User (for whom dropping $5K on a machine that just gets the job done, and sits their for five years doing it, is the goal) buying the MacPro. It left the sweet spot for personal purchases of Macs (if it was ever there) a couple years ago.

Intermernet 14y ago

Why is this news? Surely Apple release updated versions of their hardware and software pretty consistently. A hardware refresh happening in more than 6 months sounds like marketing hype to me. I'd guess that Intel and nVidia also have new products coming out in 2013. I don't think we need anyone to confirm that.