“If you are hoping for Santa to spring a new Mac Pro under the tree to act as your new 4K power-house editing machine, fugheddaboudit,” Mark Reschke reports for T-GAAP.
“It appears Apple’s elves won’t be delivering the Mac Pro to market until after the clatter of hoofs and milk and cookies are long gone,” Reschke reports, without citing a source. “Or, at least until Monday, December 30.”
Reschke writes, “Here’s to hoping Santa leaves us all a few grand in our stockings, for a New Year’s powerhouse.”
Full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]
Does the MacPro really need Christmas?
Not Christmas but yes for end of the Fiscal Year tax right off. I guess Tim didn’t really learn from last year’s iMac delays. The Mac Pro was shown in the summer at the WWDC meeting. Not sure what the issue is yet. It was to be made in Texas in the USA.
Oh well. The Pro hasn’t been sold for a while and it isn’t like last years numbers are there for this. If Apple showed it off in June they should have been shipping just a few months or weeks later. I thought this was shipping already. Bad form Timmy. Steve would not have let this happen this way and neither should anyone at Apple. Vapor products are a Microsoft and PC box makers stile. Not Apple’s!
Not really. Good things happen to those who are patient.
Not in the computer industry, chips are upgraded fairly frequently and when you announce a product with the latest chips in it and don’t deliver till they are half way through the cycle till the next upgrade people feel let down.
No, but as every day passes it makes the probability of another Tim Cook fiasco even more real and embarrassing. Gawd, did Tim actually fail to learn the lesson of his iMac failure?
Leave it to Apple to deliver a much sought after upgrade at the last possible day and still be truthful about releasing “sometime in December.” It really stinks for people needing the write-off for THIS year. Ah well.
And December 30 is not THIS year? 😛
The end of the calendar year is only the tax year for individuals. So yes, I guess it stinks for the prosumer/hobbyists. (although a purchase that large would likely be distributed over several years for a prosumer/home business anyway)
That said, I would think most buying ~$10K workstations (Mac pro + a $3-$5K “4K” monitor + some raid solution or SAN adaptor) would at lest be incorporated. (in which case they pick their end of fiscal year)
Many of us incorporated as LLCs still have a tax year that’s the same as a calendar year. So we’re very likely to miss any tax writeoff–especially if we want something that’s not one of the two models shown in the Apple Store. Apple won’t charge until the product ships and who knows what the build time will be for special orders.
A number of small llc’s and S-corps do use the individual tax year end as their fiscal year end because they take all of the profits of the corporation as personal income (makes it less complicated not to have to carry forward)
However, again you weren’t going to take that in a single year anyway (no matter whether you expense it or take it as capitol depreciation you are going to spread it over 3 or 4 years) so if you start the distribution this year or next is not -that- substantial.
Actually, no. A lot of small businesses take the 179 allowance to effectively expense a capital item rather than depreciate it. As someone who has run several small businesses (as well as a few very large ones) and is very close friends with one of the leading CPAs in the city, I can state unequivocally that many, many small businesses take every tax advantage they can as quickly as they can. For them, money delayed is not money they can use. For very large businesses it is a completely different story.
And, straight line depreciation of they type medium to large businesses would use for computer equipment is 5 years, not 3-4, if I remember correctly. AND, people almost always buy new software with the new computer. That is expensed under the new rules in the past decade or so. Why buy software in December 2013 so you can expense it in 2013 and have it sit on the shelf eating up your free cash when you can’t use it?
Additionally, even the LLCs, S-Corps, Sole Proprietorships, LLPs, etc. that do their finances on an accrual basis and not a cash basis can take advantage of a large capital purchase within the current fiscal year. And, yes, many, many, many use the calendar year as their fiscal year. They don’t have to be on a cash basis or take profits directly (personally) in order for this to make sense. All you need is a single contingent liability account in order to have it make sense to go to an accrual basis.
So far a small business, being able to purchase a Mac Pro (and be able to claim the deduction) in December 2013 rather than January or February 2014 is a huge difference.
No no and no, I hope anyone would check with thier accountant before trying virtually any of the nonsense you spouted.
No, you can’t expense something like a computer in a single year. (without triggering audit flags) and no you don’t have to use a 5 year deprivation for things like a computer (you can take accelerated depreciation)
Personally held (like s-corps and others) corps must take their income as personal income, by the definition of the corporation.
Most of the rest of what you wrote is either nonsense or just flat out bull but I don’t really care to go line by line.
ABSOLUTELY you can take a 179 deduction and take the cost of a compute in a single year. I’ve done it and gotten audited and it passed the audit. (The computer was not what triggered the audit. It was a completely different issue, and the audit was very painfully detailed going through each and every record I had. And, I came out on top with the IRS paying me back even more money at the end.)
So you ABSOLUTELY can take a computer in a single year IF (and ONLY IF) you do it according to the rules.
And five years is the Modified Accelerated Cost Recover timeline for a computer.
You clearly have absolutely no idea about what you are talking, absolutely no idea.
Again nonsense.
If it were legal don’t you think every accountant would reccoment it? (for their clients?) (of course you are smarter than all the CPA’s out there as well)
However, interesting enough the Mac Pro will be available on Dec 19th (before year end) which renders your entire argument (and rail against apple) moot.
Will you be getting one?
Doubtful, more likely you are yet another idiot apple hater who haunts apple news forums and “builds” all your pee cee’s (because it’s sooooo much cheaper)
Well… all I can say is, I hope you enjoy the path you have taken.
The original statement at WWDC was “this fall”. That means before 17:11 on 21 December 2013 (or December 21, 2013, at 11:11 AM PST). They’ve had several months to make that date and time. There is absolutely no excuse to not ship the new Mac Pros on or before that time.
I bet they miss December altogether. This is what Steve Jobs once referred to as “premature specification”. Which tells my that dumb schlub with the project RED Mac Pro has a bug prone machine.
They were using mac pros at the wwdc and they were not bug prone. Several Pros have had machines for months now testing them for Apple with no issues either. All this speculation is just a load of waffle.
The article is predicated on silence rather than actual information, but it still chaps my hide.
This makes for an unwelcome crunch if product is not available until after Christmas. If they can’t ship, It would be very helpful if Apple could make the Pro available for preorder. Some of us have year-end funds that evaporate the second the ball falls in Times Square.
Here’s to hoping this isn’t the iMac debacle all over again!
You said it in your comment. There is no actual information in this so called article. Basically its just some stupid morons opinion and nothing else. Apple said December they did not say what day. So we can expect it in December.
I think you are right. If ordering starts on the 30th I’ll have to beg one of our purchasers to come in and execute the order. If Apple misses December, then we’ll have to endure all those Tim Cook = grinch comments.
Fresh reports of some businesses receiving quotes yesterday so it sounds like the Pro is go. At least that’s the rumor about the rumor from MacRumors, who posted a pic of a purported quotation.
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1684272
Will Santa be able to deliver all presents without the calculating power of a MacPro? That might be the bigger question. Luckily I already got iPhone 5s, iPad Air and iPad mini retina this year.
Why, when I was a kid, Santa was all analog.
And he had to deliver presents in the snow. And it was uphill both ways!
And that’s the way the reindeer liked it!
Santa bought the red one.
If you need a write off that badly, donate to a charity of your choice and help make the world a better place instead of blaming Apple for your problems. If you need a suggestion, try The Wounded Warrior Project.
I was thinking the same thing the other day. Where the hell is the new Mac Pro? Hey Tim, if you say your product will be ready in December, delivering it on December 31st doesn’t count. I agree, I don’t think we’ll see it before Xmas. Though, the new Pro isn’t exactly a Xmas kind of gift say the way an iPhone or iPad are. Though there probably is a lot of businesses that would have liked to have them this year so the could have wrote off the depreciation on them on this years taxes. Nobody is a bigger Apple fan than I am, but I must say, I’m a bit disappointed Apple failed with a more timely roll out.
Whenever the headline ends with a question mark, the answer is always “No.” I forgot who’s law that is but it has some name 🙂
“Betteridge’s law of headlines is an adage that states: ‘Any headline which ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no.’ ” — Wikipedia
Hannah to the rescue, as usual!
The early announcement was made for two reasons: the return of manufacturing to the US, and to calm the concerns and rising frustration of Pro users. We would all rather Apple get it right, than release early even if we would prefer both. IT is complex, so give the guys a break. You don’t think they are doin their best? And they are the best people after all…
Totally agree. Hard to be patient. Can’t wait to set one up for a client. I have several waiting to get one. Though I won’t be getting one, at least I get to play when setting them up for clients. Man I love my job.
DDR4 Ram will hit the streets before the new Mac Pro with it’s outdated DDR3… not really sure i want to invest in the past with a machine i’m likely to hold onto for 3 or 4 years
According to this recent article, DDR4 RAM won’t achieve significant commercial distribution for some time. Perhaps it will be in rev 2 of the tubeMac.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9244215/DDR4_memory_may_not_find_way_into_PCs_tablets_until_2015
This is THE issue I have with the new Mac Pro.
People think that the problem with the new Mac Pro is that it is not expandable. Nope. That’s not the problem. With multiple USB 3.0 ports and TB 2 ports it may be the most expandable Mac Pro ever.
The problem for me is that it will ship with last generation’s technology — and layered on top of that it will not be upgradeable.
The USB ports are purported to be 5 Gbps, not the cutting edge 10 Gbps version.
The Graphics cards, while powerful, are based upon the Tahiti version of the chips and not the current Hawaii versions that are much faster and more power efficient — and have been shipping for a few months.
The CPUs are based upon Ivy Bridge and not Haswell — while that’s predominantly Intel’s fault, Apple could have worked with Intel to get the Mac Pro to be the first machine to actually ship with Haswell Xeons. Apple did 64 bit chips long before anyone else in the cell phones and tablets, why can’t they spend a bit of a premium to get Intel to break loose Haswell Xeons early for Apple.
You’ve already mentioned the RAM issue. The spec has been available for some time. Apple could have designed the system to the spec and people could have added RAM as it became cost effective.
The HDMI interface is version 1.4 which supports UHDTV (improperly referred to as “4K”) at only 30 frames per second. HDMI 2.0 is already out. It can support UHDTV at 60 frames per second in an expanded color space expanded sound space — important things for Apple’s core customers for the Mac Pro.
Why only 64 GB of RAM. You can install, and use, 96 GB in the current Mac Pro using any of the three latest versions of Mac OS X. You can put 128 GH in the old Mac Pro — and use it if you’re running 64-bit Windows in Boot Camp.
As I said it above this is all topped off by the fact that it will be very difficult to upgrade.
Today you can buy a USB card for the “old” Mac Pro that supports 5 Gbps USB 3.0. Next year you’ll be able to buy one for your “old” Mac Pro that supports the 10 Gbps rate. Will you be able to upgrade to the next version of USB with the new Mac Pro when that 20 Gbps or 40 Gbps USB starts shipping in two to three years? NO.
Today you an buy the leading graphics cards and put a pair in the “old” Mac Pro, actually making it faster than the top of the line new Mac Pro. Since the new Mac Pro takes custom designed and custom form factor graphics cards (they’re NOT standard PCIe cards), what’s the chance that in two or three years you’ll be able to upgrade this new Mac Pro to the then current graphics chips? Virtually zero chance at all.
And with solid state drives? Who cares if the new Mac Pro has a PCIe based SSD. I can buy one of those today and get the same size (almost 1 TB) and same throughput that Apple is touting for the new Mac Pro.
And as an aside, why did Apple stick with PCIe 3.0? The PCIe 4.0 spec has been out for over two years! If you’re going to go with custom designs for your graphics cards and solid state drives why go with the PCIe 3.0 spec that came out in 2010. True, there are very, very few PCIe 4.0 devices out there, but if you’re going to go custom, why customize on the older spec? Is Apple INTENTIONALLY going with old tech to keep people from every upgrading the system?
Additionally, you could, if you wanted to, put a current version HDMI port into the current, “old” Mac Pro. Such boards are not readily available now, but you can expect them to be so in 2014. So HDMI 2.0 in the “old” Mac Pro and you’re stuck with HDMI 1.4 in the new Mac Pro. And when HDMI 3.0 or whatever is next comes out? You still stuck with HDMI 1.4 in that new Mac Pro machine.
Unfortunately, this is the way Apple has been with the Mac Pro line for a few years. Now they’ve taken it one step further. It used to be that if you really wanted an “Apple Workstation” you bought it knowing its limitations then upgraded the segments as you needed. Now, you buy an “Apple Workstation” and you’re stuck with what you get at that time. Old, Previous Generation Hardware.
Probably the best overview of problems facing the new MacPro I’ve seen on the interweb, and when combined sufficient reason to wait until the first refresh of the device which will hopefully be around mid next year
But, but Santa Cook promised!
You’re a mean one Mr. Cook.
My disappointment isn’t that they may or may not miss a December ship date, but that mid December and there is still no announcement Of a ship date. Some communication could really help me plan my purchases.
You can be certain you’ll get no communication directly from Apple. You’ll have to hear from it by way of unnamed sources who claim to know everything about Apple’s plans.
It looks as though pros who are expecting the Mac Pro will end up with coal in their stockings this Christmas. It appears Tim Cook will not likely deliver on his promise.
Here it is on Amazon Japan
Oh I’m sorry, that is a designer trashcan in black.
The article states the obvious: Cook and Co blew it again. If Mac Pros aren’t at retailers now, then the xmas shopping season has been missed.
It is disingenuous, or self-delusional, to claim that pro products don’t need to be available for xmas. There are positive tax implications for upgrading one’s hardware late in the 4th quarter — as well as taking the slow holiday season to make the hardware transmission so one can hit the new year running.
As Laughing Boy notes above, the worst part about it is Apple’s horrid communication. Why again are you people impressed with Mr. “it’s in the pipeline” Cook? Because he is well practiced at pocketing income from Steve Job’s iTunes and app store money-printing machines???
If evidence surfaces that management ineptness, arrogance, miscalculation, or neglect delayed the Mac Pro beyond the promised December TOA, hand me the revolver and I’ll shoot the horse myself.
I’m steaming at the wait, but when It arrives we can dismiss the assassins and get down to business, and leave off the recriminations. I always assume manufacturers have their reasons for such like and are loath to expand on them; got that, who wouldn’t?
Somehow I don’t believe you’ll follow through on your promise. The local Cook fan club simply wouldn’t allow it.
I’m not a fan of Tim Cook, don’t be so insulting. I’m a fan of the Apple business model as articulated and emplanted by Steve Jobs, trying to realise excellence in the sense of the I Ching. I’ve abandoned the unworthy before, and I shall again, as life is too brief. I follow no mere man, but an idea.
Come on now … there are plenty of high-performance lightning disk subsystems and 4K monitors that you can blow this year’s budget on, then just add the CPU unit out of next year’s budget. Problem solved!
This is the result of manufacturing in the US. If it had been made in China it would have been on sale already.
Not so fast there!
The rollout may also be hooked to the availability of Thunderbolt 2 peripherals.
Promise just released the new Pegasus boxes, and perhaps a few other items are waiting in the wings. That being said, I don’t expect to see many TB2 items until NAB or MacWorld, since the technology seems to be on the slow track. We also don’t know much about real-world performance of TB2.
Excellent point, Zuno
Thunderbolt 1.0 is a key spec. Thunderbot 2.0, with double the throughput is too much an opportunity to pass up for a later version when they are close already. The spec is complex on so many levels, and not to mention all the licensing that has to be unkinked. And, every Mtn Lion and Mavericks update has had to be thoroughly tested with the new TB.
It’s already been said at this forum enough, Apple will get it right, and that takes great patience, as Steve would have prioritized. The tax advantages and the initial announcements have to take a back seat.
This jet pack will quite an accomplishment!
“Thunderbot 2.0, with double the throughput…”
This is a common misconception. TB 1.0 systems’ most common implementation has two 10 Gbps links in the same connector/cable. You could bond the two together to get 20 Gbps actual throughput, but you had to do the work. It wasn’t automatic. (Yes, there were single channel 10 Gbps links out there, most notably in laptops. But, we’re talking desktop/workstation class here in this thread.)
All that TB 2.0 does, as far as gross throughput goes, is automatically bond the two 10 Gbps channels together. The total throughput out of the connector or through the cable is no greater than TB 1.0.
When I heard the announcement of TB 2.0, I initially had great hopes of two 20 Gbps channels. When bonded together that would give an aggregate of 40 Gbps. That speed would support some interesting connections! Forget Infiniband or 40 Gbps Ethernet connections or other very expensive implementations. TB 2.0 would be the way to go for it all. But alas, it’s just two 10 Gbps channels natively bonded together. So in reality, on a per connector basis, it’s really not all that much better than TB 1.0.
BUT, people saying that the new Mac Pro might be delayed because of availability restrictions on proper TB 2.0 connections might have a point. In Intel’s initial announcement of TB 2.0, if I recall correctly, Intel stated that initial availability would be “late 2013” with “full production in 2014”. So the TB 2.0 interfaces might indeed be one of the things holding the new Mac Pro back.
As far as the wild idea that Apple is holding back the Mac Pro because there are very few TB 2.0 peripherals goes…. That’s nuts. The new Mac Pro will work fine with all the TB 1.0 peripherals out there. And we will NOT get lots of new TB 2.0 peripherals shipping until after the new Mac Pro ships. You might see it as a “chicken and egg” situation. It’s not. The new Mac Pro must lead the pack. That’s really all there is to it.
Um, there are 31 days of December, so why settle on saying the Mac Pro may not be available until Dec 30th? And what if Apple actually was thinking 2014 when they said Coming in December? I’m as frustrated as anyone else, I have a first generation Mac Pro I’d like to upgrade from that is on it’s way out and I was looking forward as most everyone else to the new Mac Pros being available on a date in December that made sense, like December the 1st, 2013. I’m still miffed with Apple for not making a better tablet PC like the Wacom Companion PC or the ModBook Pro guys. More mac users have considered switching to PCs over these failings by Apple to consider more carefully their most loyal user base, the creative community. At this pace, I will likely transition some of my work to a PC and not because I want to. Apple is just proving to us who they really care about in the big scheme of things, iphone and ipad users.
I just ordered mine. After tax and the warranty it cost just under $11,000. Haha. But, it said they will ship in February. I am sick of windows 8 and was looking forward to using Mac. Guess I will just have to wait.