I didn’t buy the 2013 new Mac Pro because it didn’t fit my needs, especially at that price point. It was not upgradable and I immediately thought it was the Cube 2.0,” Richard Taylor writes for FCPX.TV. “It looked cool but not easily upgradable as past Mac Pros were. I did buy several ‘cheesegrater’ aluminum Mac Pros over the years and they were my main production machine for editing in Final Cut Pro X and Logic Pro X. I now use a 5K iMac and a 2016 MacBook Pro.”
“Well in a surprise announcement, Apple has said they are rethinking the Mac Pro and are going back to the drawing board to create a new 2018 (or later) modular Mac Pro,” Taylor writes. “Apple did not say a new Mac Pro will be available in 2018, just that it won’t be available this year.”
“What? Apple admitting a ‘mis-step,’ pre-announcing a major product and talking on the record to professionals? Who has taken over at Apple?” Taylor writes. “I like this new Apple.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: In our experience, Apple only does this when they’re backed so far into a corner there is no other alternative (see: Maps, for example).
This isn’t a “new” Apple, just one that finally realizes they royally screwed the pooch here and therefore had no other choice but to come out and admit that the Mac Pro is not what the professional market wants and that the idea of ceasing Apple-branded displays was an exceedingly stupid idea. After abusing Mac desktop-using professionals for years with zero updates and total silence, Apple now realizes they need to try to keep what’s left of their professional computer users and their mindshare with the Macintosh.
The proof that nobody’s “taken over Apple” and Tim Cook is still CEO is that it’ll be 2018, at the earliest, before Apple can manage to get around to fixing what they should’ve fixed 2+ years ago.
If Steve Jobs were to walk back in the door today (if only!), heads would roll.
SEE ALSO:
Apple’s embarrassing Mac Pro mea culpa – April 4, 2017
Who’s going to buy a Mac Pro now? – April 4, 2017
Mac Pro: Why did it take Apple so long to wake up? – April 4, 2017
Apple sorry for what happened with the Mac Pro over the last 3+ years – namely, nothing – April 4, 2017
Apple to unveil ‘iMac Pro’ later this year; rethought, modular Mac Pro and Apple pro displays in the pipeline – April 4, 2017
Apple’s apparent antipathy towards the Mac prompts calls for macOS licensing – March 27, 2017
Why Apple’s new Mac Pro might never arrive – March 10, 2017
Dare we hold out hope for the Mac Pro? – March 1, 2017
Apple CEO Cook pledges support to pro users, says ‘we don’t like politics’ at Apple’s annual shareholders meeting – February 28, 2017
Yes, I just bought a ‘new’ Mac Pro (released on December 19, 2013 and never updated) – January 4, 2017
Attention, Tim Cook! Apple isn’t firing on all cylinders and you need to fix it – January 4, 2017
No, Apple, do not simplify, get better – December 23, 2016
Rare video shows Steve Jobs warning Apple to focus less on profits and more on great products – December 23, 2016
Marco Arment: Apple’s Mac Pro is ‘very likely dead’ – December 20, 2016
How Tim Cook’s Apple alienated Mac loyalists – December 20, 2016
Apple’s not very good, really quite poor 2016 – December 19, 2016
Apple’s software has been anything but ‘magical’ lately – December 19, 2016
Lazy Apple. It’s not hard to imagine Steve Jobs asking, ‘What have you been doing for the last four years?’ – December 9, 2016
Rush Limbaugh: Is Apple losing their edge? – December 9, 2016
AirPods: MIA for the holidays; delayed product damages Apple’s credibility, stokes customer frustration – December 9, 2016
Apple may have finally gotten too big for its unusual corporate structure – November 28, 2016
Apple has no idea what they’re doing in the TV space, and it’s embarrassing – November 3, 2016
Apple’s disgracefully outdated, utterly mismanaged Mac lineup is killing sales – October 13, 2016
Apple takes its eye off the ball: Why users are complaining about Apple’s software – February 9, 2016
Open letter to Tim Cook: Apple needs to do better – January 5, 2015
Who has taken over?
JohnnyComeLately.
Let’s hope he is JohnnySoonEnough.
But, in my experience, appointing an accountant as CEO is nearly always a disaster. The focus switches from the customers to the stockholders. The bottom line becomes all-Important and by the time the board recognises that there is a problem, the customers have gone elsewhere – usually for good.
A CEO should not be defined by their profession. There are plenty of good accountants who became CEO’s. Every profession has it’s limitation when addressing running a global company. Be it Engineers (No attention to customers, geeky R&D + product attributes, design be damned), Sales (lie, lie lie), Lawyers (bottom line only, customers and product be damned, limited R&D support).
You must enter somewhere, CEO’s generally have a well rounded view of the world and have picked up key extra skills in their professional experience. A CEO should be judged on what he does.
Without endorsing the tenure of Tim Cook as CEO, which has not been smooth, I think labeling hm an “accountant” is shorting his skills. An Operations manager for a company as large as Apple demands capabilities far beyond those of an accountant. And Tim was recognized as the best in the business. It may simply be the Peter Principle playing out. Or it may be that there is not another Steve Jobs currently in the job market to take over. I agree, however, that Apple is stumbling under its own weight, and competitors are being more… uh… competitive. It’s hard staying at The Top.
you’re right, accountant is too good for him…SJW beancounter is more apt.
Nothing against accountants, I was married to one, but they do have a tendency to value accurate reports about the building they work in burning down over trying to put out the fire.
Except he is not an accountant..
he has a degree in industrial engineering and MBA..
None of which make him an accountant ..neither do any of the positions he has held.
It would be nice to get some facts straight.
Maybe the ghost of Steve Jobs has done some ass kicking. One can only hope.
HAH! That was the laff of the day. Thanks MacRaven.
I’m sure somewhere Steve Jobs ectoplasm has been trying hard to kick the ample derriere’s of daft executives at Apple in a major ‘tude correction. I think that comes to each of them when they periodically remind themselves of Steve’s tolerance for such incompetent & negligent shenanigans. I realize not having the Steve filter to run things by now is a real disadvantage. What was obvious to Steve others were often blind to.
I imagine that after Steve Jos was dead and gone, a blanket of relief settled over all the executives and staffers vulnerable to his vituperation. Ever since, their job security under less scrutiny, the attitude has relaxed into “whatever, man (shrug)”. That attitude is not sustainable.
We do not want an Object d’Art that has a rat’s nest of cables, wall warts and external boxes attached to it. What we needed in 2013-17 is a modern version of the Cheesegrater Workstation, updated with current wired and wireless capability.
I buy a new iPhone every 2 years and I tend to buy a new iPad every 2 years, but I do not want to spend 3-4 Thousand Dollars on a throwaway computer that cannot be repaired, upgraded or whatever. In headless Macs the accessories can be as- if not more- expensive than the tower and one Jony Ive update can take away connectivity that end-of-life’s perfectly good equipment that did not need to go away- especially in the name of fashion.
My 2010 generation Mac Pro needed a new Power Supply last year, but otherwise is fully capable of outrunning the current Trashcan. It has been updated to USB 3, eSATA, SSDs and via a wired Airport Express the Wireless Dual Band N. If I want to add HDMI all I need is a drop in card.
5 internal HDs 4 bays and one in the 2nd optical Bay all on one power supply and no fucking cables. I use an external Blu-Ray, but you can easily drop an internal one in in minutes without a trip to the genius bar.
My Mac Pro is supposedly obsolete, but it runs rings around anything Apple currently sells. I’m guessing they thought they could get high end users on the treadmill of trading computers every 2 years with the trashcan.
Somebody tell Jony Apple need not re-invent the Wheel- just drag out the old design and update it for 2017. Call FoxCon and tell them to prepare for production. If Apple wanted to we could have something better then great before WWDC.
Tell Tim to call Jon Rubenstein, he just became available and knows how to do it- he headed the G5 Power Mac and Intel Mac Pro Hardware Engineering Team.
Amen DavGreg but i think Apple needs the year’s time to think of new ways to confound the pros and make new assbackwards functionality that will once again make us all go “WTF?!!”
In the meantime I’m finally buying a PC Workstation as threatened, *sigh*. I just can’t wait another year and I ain’t buying this old stillborn overpriced model.
Tim Cook: This comment should be required reading and distributed on internal Apple communications …
here again is the infamous pix of Jony Ive’s studio (end of 2015) with the Cheese Graters under the tables. Even Jony’s designers are using them (probably for the upgraded GPUs), don’t see Cylinders or iPads. (and no, I don’ t think they are using 2010 model computers to ‘save money’, they gave Ahrendts over 60 million the first year (mostly as sign up bonus) and spent billions on the new campus BUILDING, so saving money ain’t it… )
I’m typing this on a upgraded Cheese Grater . We need proper tools for pros.
Jonathan Ive.
I hope this marks a return to fewer soldered in components in iMacs and MacBooks.
I will go with you on the iMac. The best reasons for soldered components is space, weight, and durability. Those are very important for laptops. These are not that important for a desktop. One of the great things about an iMac was you could easily upgrade the RAM. Getting to the HHD was not that hard with a little skill. Then they fucked that up. I hope they have learned their lesson on the iMac. The iMac is great that it is easy to move and takes up less space than other desktops. However it is still a desktop and needs to be upgradable. I know a lot of people complain that they want the 17″ MBP back. However the 17″ was always more of a desktop replacement. I have a friend who has a 17″ and loves to take it to Starbucks. I watch her lugg it around and take up a lot of space on the small tables. I just want to say “Bitch why do you have a dick extension”. My 15″ is much better outside my house. The iMac needs to get back to what it used to be.
The fact that 2012 cheesegrator Power Macs are still so expensive in the resale market should have been Apple’s first clue. They are still so high that a bunch of less than savory types are upgrading older models and trying to sell them as 2012’s. Hopefully this will help with that … eventually.
As to who has taken over Apple….
Well i believe the announcement yesterday was response to those of us who cried foul for the last few years and never let up.. ..
In a way Apple acknowledged our voice !
Apple compiled a database of feedback. There are probably fat file folders labelled yojimbo007, peterblood71, and Davewrite. There may be one labelled botvinnik with a single sheet in it. I doubt I’m in it because I sent talking dolls. The secretaries probably took them home to their kids.
:)…. wow… And u include me with such great company … thanks! :). Very flattering 🙂
wouldn’t that have been nice…! If it was really true.. ……🤔
✌️😊🤗
Smart. Gotta keep an eye on seducing comments … 😊
Sincerity of your flattering post aside, Shadowself is right up there in the Pro Mac discussion alongside Peter and Jimbo. I doubt there are folders, but could be wrong. Spreadsheets, remote possibly …
Scott Forstall — the one that Apple needs the most.
Except that these problems have been practically yelled at Apple since day one and it took 3+ years of this constant din of disappointment and nagging for them to hear? They need better hearing aids. Surely they also have people keeping tabs on customer satisfaction, especially on a newly redesigned computer just out the gate. It was like “Here it is, see yah in 3-4 years!” Then crickets.
There’s a substantial bit of money that’s been left on the table by mis-designing the Mac Pro into a form probably most pros don’t want, and they’re not going to be quiet about it. Nor will they maintain steadfast loyalty of Apple products if something that doesn’t work for them (or me). They just move on. Don’t take anything for granted Cupertino! “Oops we’re sorry” doesn’t cut it when problems is immediately apparent. Next time run the concepts by the people you are trying to serve, under an NDA of course.
2018 for a new Mac Pro. Really, it beggars belief!
It’s not as if Apple needs to reinvent the wheel for heavens sake. Just resurrect the cheese grater or better yet, an updated stylish Power Mac enclosure, a design which was the pinnacle of both aesthetics and function.
There’s something seriously wrong at Apple if it will take another 12 months to design a damn bog standard box!
Steve Jobs knew that thinking something is great and having something truly great are completely different. For this reason he had the balls to let his new-fangled ideas (The Cube) compete and live or die alongside the old product line. Clamshell iBooks could be bought alongside a “Wallstreet” and desktop Performa’s were still available when the bubble iMac was released. He never shoved it down your throat. He let the people decide. The crew at Apple today doesn’t get this. They think customers should like it or lump it and refuse to let their new ideas legitimately compete by taking away older options. The Pro crowd will be disappointed once again with the upcoming Mac Pros. I can say this because anybody knows it doesn’t take a years to place the latest technology in a big box and get a work-truck to market. It’s taking forever because these morons think everything they do is supposed to change the paradigm of how we do things, meaning the design will once again skirt usability in some inane way. To put it aptly, they are “Cooking” up dumb ideas again. Will it be better than the “TrashCan”? Maybe. But that’s faint praise indeed.
Man, MDN really hates Tim Cook. Look, as a past (and future) MacPro user, I wish they had not dropped the ball on this one either… but they have admitted their error — and no, it’s not the same thing as the Maps problem — yet MDN refuses to give Cook any credit. Oh… unless it’s the stock price going up.
Because Cook has bungled most of what Apple’s done since he took over. MDN has a loooong list of these things. Frankly it’s appalling the amount of product launches that have been crap since Pipeline Timmy took over. Sorry. I wanted to like the guy and held out hope that he’d improve but he just hasn’t…
Even Steve Jobs didn’t rebuild Apple (and the Mac) in a day.
At least Jobs was committed to Apple’s the whole consumer base. Cook is beholden to his niche community.
Yah – it’s called Wall Street/Goldman Sachs – can’t look there for product and consumer inspirations.
Never got the impression from Jobs that the “money folks” come FIRST over the Apple customer base.
Niffy
Apple has become less innovative and less consumer driven. It’s very sad, frustrating, and disappointing. I used to watch every streamed Apple event, now I don’t care. It’s too painful to see how far Apple has fallen.