Last week, Apple finally launched its long-awaited Mac Pro, providing professional Mac users with the high-end, modular Mac workstation for which they’ve long wished.
Juli Clover writes for MacRumors:
The Mac Pro is a heavy duty machine made from quality components, and that “cheese grater” design looks great in person. In reality, the lattice look is functional and meant to maximize airflow for quiet performance.
We have the base model Mac Pro, priced at $5,999, with an 8-core 3.5GHz Xeon W processor from Intel, 32GB RAM, a Radeon Pro 580X GPU, and 256GB of SSD storage. We didn’t opt for upgrades, but you can add everything from a 28-core processor to 1.5TB of RAM to 4TB of storage (soon to be 8TB), with a maxed out machine costing upwards of $52,000.
Luckily, this is a machine designed to be highly upgradeable, so most of the components can be swapped out later. iFixit gave the Mac Pro a repairability score of 9/10, and said it was a “masterclass in repairability,” which is definitely a first for an Apple product.
MacDailyNews Take: Absolutely gorgeous. A tour de force. Bravo, Apple!
Thank you Apple, for remembering us loyal pros that have stuck with you through thick and thin for decades.
Apple owner since my Lisa… 👍🏻
Sigh
“ “masterclass in repairability,” which is definitely a first for an Apple product. “
Either forgotten or never used the OLD cheese grater.
Even the processors in some models held by clips could be pulled out and changed. I’ve done it myself.
Not seen the new one so can’t compare but the old one was easy to repair.
Davewrite, if you watch the short summary video on iFixit’s website, they state the new Mac Pro is the most repairable machine they’ve seen since 2006. Yes they are sending mixed messages but to their credit they at least referred back to the older Cheese Graters in some fashion.
Daring Fireball nails the issue with the Mac Pro:
“Historically speaking, the pricing for the new Mac Pro is not outlandish. The problem isn’t with the $30,000–50,000 models. The people who can make good use of those machines will do so. I think what’s bothersome to many traditional Mac Pro users is the lack of a Mac Pro in the, say, $2,500–5,000 range. There are a lot of pro users who want a desktop system that’s less expensive than these new Mac Pros but more performant and expandable than a Mac Mini. Something, I think, roughly like an iMac Pro without the built-in display.
I get why Apple kept the “Mac Pro” name. But in theory it would have been nice to have a new Mac Pro similar in scope — and pricing! — to the old pre-2013 Mac Pros, and to have these new Mac Pros occupy a new “hypercar” slot above the Mac Pro in the lineup. “Mac Workstation” is not a catchy name, I know, but something to that effect.”
All Apple would need to do is make a Mac mini with the upgrade options of the iMac and user upgradability/serviceability of the Mac Pro.
Give us a Mac mini which has at least 2 HD bays with HD/SSD options, 4 – 8 RAM slots (64GB RAM), and multiple GPU options, at least on par with the iMac.
And Apple should either lose the $600 price tag on the 1TB SSD (doesn’t Apple have economies of scale with buying bulk SSDs?) or offer Fusion drives, just like they do on the iMac. Right now, I can buy a 1TB SSD on Amazon for less than $100. (Remember in the olden days, you could get a Mac mini with 2 HDs!)
Just like the new iPhones and the new MacBookPro, I would gladly accept a bigger enclosure in return for user upgradability, serviceability, and more upgrade options.
Apparently, Apple turns economies of scale directly into self-profits. Trillion-dollar companies don’t grow on trees.
https://www.macrumors.com/2019/12/17/mac-pro-geekbench-5-scores/