New Macpro teased at Mac Conference

[cayenne]

Wow...this is certainly something DIFFERENT!!

http://www.apple.com/mac-pro/

Seems powerful enough, and they're going to have you add functionality by using the 6x Thunderbolt2 connectors, but wow...interesting tube shaped computer!!!

Thoughts?

cayenne

[Mt Spokane Photography]

My Impression was $$,$$$
Sounds impressive though.  The tube shape might be optimal for cooling.

[Dianoda]

Interesting design, but it's a workstation - and if there was ever a use-application where the size of the box was not a primary concern, it's workstations.  All those custom parts means you can pretty much forget expandability.  No displayport or DVI, so you are pretty much limited to thunderbolt displays (or HDMI).  Performance sounds pretty great for the size.  Built-in bluetooth 4.0 and ac wifi is nice.  What'll it cost?  I assume unreasonable amounts of money.

[mws]

Looks cool. Looks expensive, but cool.

[xps]

Interesting design, but it's a workstation - and if there was ever a use-application where the size of the box was not a primary concern, it's workstations.  All those custom parts means you can pretty much forget expandability.  No displayport or DVI, so you are pretty much limited to thunderbolt displays (or HDMI).  Performance sounds pretty great for the size.  Built-in bluetooth 4.0 and ac wifi is nice.  What'll it cost?  I assume unreasonable amounts of money.

Extraordinary. indeed. Not only the design and the performance. Maybe the price too.
And: Apple products are not built to get upgraded part by part. They are upgraded by a new model.
I´m no Apple fan. But they create extraordinary products. .

[Click]

Looks cool. Looks expensive, but cool.

+1

[Niki]

I want one

[RLPhoto]

The whole point of the Mac pro was expansion and customization. This looks every time you need to upgrade, bam! Back to apple to charge you more $$$$.

[neuroanatomist]

Yeah, that's nice and all.  WHERE IS MY &$%#+*^ NEW 17" MACBOOK PRO?!?   

[enraginangel]

Interesting design, but it's a workstation - and if there was ever a use-application where the size of the box was not a primary concern, it's workstations.  All those custom parts means you can pretty much forget expandability.  No displayport or DVI, so you are pretty much limited to thunderbolt displays (or HDMI).  Performance sounds pretty great for the size.  Built-in bluetooth 4.0 and ac wifi is nice.  What'll it cost?  I assume unreasonable amounts of money.

They have usb3 and thunderbolt for expansion.

You can connect (mini) displayport through the thunderbolt ports. You can also convert thunderbolt to dvi, vga, hdmi, firewire 400/800, ethernet, usb2/3 etc. with a $29 dongle. You can also daisy chain thunderbolt devices. As far as expandability goes, everything will be external. You'll just need to plunk down $10,000 or whatever the hell it will cost to max out everything from the getgo.

[gkaefer]

My Impression was $$,$$$
Sounds impressive though.  The tube shape might be optimal for cooling.

rather €€,€€€ 

[TAF]

My Impression was $$,$$$
Sounds impressive though.  The tube shape might be optimal for cooling.

No, just $,$$$ :-)

If they are consistent, it will be between $3,000 and $4,000.

I wonder if this is the first product that will be made in Foxconn's new Detroit factory?

[privatebydesign]

As I don't do video or gaming my thoughts are I will get a current Mac Pro, use the current expansion card system when needed and keep buying cameras with sub 30MP resolution. Which all works fine and dandy and plenty fast enough for me.

The strongest selling point for me for the current form factor is that customisation and upgrading are very cheap, that won't be true of the new models with graphics capabilities I will never use for years.

[papa-razzi]

They have usb3 and thunderbolt for expansion.

You can connect (mini) displayport through the thunderbolt ports. You can also convert thunderbolt to dvi, vga, hdmi, firewire 400/800, ethernet, usb2/3 etc. with a $29 dongle. You can also daisy chain thunderbolt devices. As far as expandability goes, everything will be external. You'll just need to plunk down $10,000 or whatever the hell it will cost to max out everything from the getgo.

Very cool design.  Design is what Apple is good at.  They make nice products, and everything works and plays well together - as long as it is all from Apple.

They have optimized the design for their product, which will look cool in product photos and in the show room - but the expansion is, as you mention above, all through connectors.  This means cables everywhere, connected to a bunch of devices (external HD's, DVD readers/burners, etc), many will have to be plugged into their own power.  If you expand this thing much, I envision a spyder web of cords and cables and a handful of devices cluttering the workspace.  So, in the end, is a cool looking and small CPU with a bunch of cables and external devices sitting around the workspace better or worse than the current big and clunky MacPro with everything self-contained within for the most part.

Meh

[neuroanatomist]

A cylinder that's 6.6" in diameter and 10" tall!!!  That's pretty damn small - definitely an amazing design, a desktop computer with ample power, that's the size of two Kleenex boxes stacked up.  Wow.

I sill want a new 17" MBP, though...  I expect that at some point soon, LCD panel makers will come up with a 17" retina display, then Apple will bring the big boy back to the lineup.