David Pogue for the New York Times:
Many Apple observers also wonder if Apple thinks that desktop computers are dead, since not a word was said about the iMac and Mac Pro. An executive did assure me, however, that new models and new designs are under way, probably for release in 2013.
Some users were frustrated by Monday’s announcement and the absence of changes to the iMac and the anemic bump given to the Mac Pro. If Pogue’s intel is good, it sounds like it’s just going to be a matter of patience.
Apple understands keenly that its mobile users are driving its business, however. This is not a new trend. And that’s why you’re seeing so much emphasis on the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro this week.
I’m confused. Is Pogue suggesting an enclosure redesign in 2013 with a spec bump later this year, or that the iMac line won’t even get a spec bump until 2013?
Quite the prediction that is. New stuff is underway sometime in the future…
I think one point of frustration is the knee jerk reactions that some people have – especially when it conforms to their biases. I have seen a lot of people that reacted immediately with pronouncements that Apple no longer cares about the pro market at all period and the old statement about how they saved Apple over 20 years ago and they are stabbing them in the back etc.
This is a trend that should have been obvious, While Apple isn’t going to kill off these products, they aren’t going to be putting a high degree of effort on hardware that doesn’t sell in those numbers. Mac pros have to be a small number of their business right? That means that Apple isn’t going to be in any rush to do much with them. I suppose it doesn’t help when people are so alarmist too.
If it’s that or discontinuing the MacPro line entirely, it’s important to know that new stuff actually is underway.
Jeebus
We’re not asking Apple to solve M Theory. It pretty simple.
Place Ivy Bridge motherboard into case. Connect everything. Ship new model.
Every other computing vendor not named Apple can ship computers on time.
Read the article and infer for yourself.
I did. It’s not at all clear what he means.
I don’t think he’s been told.
except
MacPro uses server chips that Intel has just introduced
the Sandy Bridge version in March. So things like USB3 wouldn’t be possible. newer Thunderbolt chips were only introduced in May.
Intel is also having issue with volume shipment of certain Ivy Bridge chips. I am sure iMac version of Ivy Bridge will be coming next month or so. but Apple is probably taking about retina display iMac being next year.
I’ve been reading about this all over the web and it seems like there’s a lot of confusion about what server-grade Xeon chips would actually support USB3 and Thunderbolt. Some people say they’re available, and some people say they’re not without including extra chipsets that Apple typically doesn’t support. Essentially, the same reason Apple hasn’t had USB3 in the laptops until this week. If it’s not included on the motherboard, it’s not going to be included.
I can’t get a straight answer anywhere. AnandTech should jump on this.
Even Apple aren’t saying it’s an update anymore. The NEW tag has been removed from it on the store.
Asus makes a board that supports dual Xeon E5 chips and USB 3.0. Maybe Apple can’t get them in quantity. But we’ve been selling them for a while now, and we are small custom PC builder. I suspect Apple, if they were really serious about the high-end workstation market, would have released an update yesterday, or at least telegraphed their intentions to these customers. That they did neither, makes me wonder if they decided to put their engineering and marketing muscle behind the more exciting and faster growing iPad and iPhone market? Either way, moving to Ivy Bridge isn’t the solution.