Marco Arment’s reaction to Apple’s Mac Pro spec bump today:
The message is clear: Apple doesn’t give a shit about the Mac Pro.
All of my scientific work is completed on Mac Pros, one from 2008 and one from 2009. The machines are beasts, but in need of a refresh. Unfortunately, today’s update only saw modest CPU speed improvements of the same out-dated architecture, no USB3 or Thunderbolt support, and old graphics cards. I’ll admit, my first reaction was probably even more profane than Arment’s.
It has been rumored that the Mac Pro would be phased out in the near future. Today’s update seemed to confirm those rumors. I was left a little depressed. Alas, David Pogue came to the rescue with some hope:
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.
MacRumors followed up with a reader’s purported email from Tim Cook:
Our pro customers are really important to us…don’t worry as we’re working on something really great for later next year.
I feel a little better now and look forward to 2013. The longer I can avoid a Linux machine, the better1.
-
Cue the sound of my colleagues shouting adorations for Linux and “open” systems. Fuck that. Linux is ugly as hell. I’ll take a carefully manicured garden that integrates with my house over caring for my own plot of land any day. ↩︎