Gentlemen, we are now in a state of necessity, and necessity knows no law - Reich Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg
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Apple releases Mac Pro and Imac hardware refresh
CREATOR OF FASHIONABLE GADGETS Apple has graced its fanbois with an update to its range of desktop computers and the release of a pointing device.
Earlier today the firm shuttered its online store to prepare for the update, which had been rumoured for some time. Many of the rumours dreamt up by over-eager fanbois were incorrect, however Apple did announce that its Imac range will feature Intel's Core i3 processors. There is also a quad-core Core i5 model for those not happy about spending a grand on a desktop machine that has a chip intended for bargain basement tin boxes.
The overpriced Mac Pro, often the butt of Apple jokes, received major surgery with hexa-core Intel Xeon chips mated with an AMD Radeon HD 5770 graphics card as standard. Take a moment to realise that a £2,000 machine that is pitched as a workstation doesn't even have a workstation graphics card, nor is the 'consumer grade' Radeon HD 5770 graphics card the top of AMD's graphics card range.
Apple has saved that as an optional extra, with the Radeon HD 5870 available at added cost. Still, at least it's an option. Nvidia Fermi based GTX 4XX graphics cards are nowhere to be found on the Mac Pros.
For those feeling particularly flush, Apple announced the availability of a 512GB solid state drive (SSD) with the option of specifying up to four in a single Mac Pro. The firm claims that the SSDs provide up to "Two times faster than the average performance of a standard disk drive." That's absolutely great, if you happen to have your own gold mine.
Finally, Apple released the Magic Trackpad, a stand-alone trackpad control device. Akin to a laptop's trackpad, the device will bring multi-touch interaction to desktop users. Clearly the firm realised it could not milk any more money out of redesigning its minimalist single button mouse over and over again. The slab of metal allows the firm to peddle it's own battery charger, which no doubt will be snapped up by eager fanbois who want the toymaker's label on every single object they own.
Those thinking of buying Apple's latest products might want to hold off for a little while, as its online store hasn't been updated yet to reflect all of the changes in its product line. µ
Tags: Apple
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Did you bother to look up prices for a typical Xeon multiprocessor workstation before deciding to slate the Mac Pro for being too expensive? If you had you might have discovered that 5 grand for 12 cores is pretty reasonable for typical workstation pricing. They don't build workstations out of "commodity components".
As for the iMac, are you forgetting you get a large IPS monitor as part of the package? If you're buying a midrange desktop you'll see pictures of it with a monitor, but you'll also quite often see the words "monitor not included" in the small print. Besides, Apple doesn't take bribes from Intel to slather their machines with logos, or from third party software makers to preload the machine with a ton of crapware, which is where most of the tin shifters make their profits. If you want to get rid of the crapware you'll have to wipe the machine and reformat it, and reinstall Windows from scratch. As computers never come with a Windows install disc anymore, you'll have to buy one, adding around a ton to the cost.
There's a world of difference between "too expensive" and "I can't afford one". Get a better paying job
Actually, since one of the major uses of a mac is content creation,i.e - photoshop / premiere, with the advent of the Mercury engine, having a high end nvidia card makes perfect sense.
No one's talking about MacBook Pro. The article is about Mac Pro, which is a desktop.
I think the negative comments about MacBook Pro is simple envy. When I originally bought mine (I got it refurbished)it was the fastest Windows laptop available for the price. Yes I said Windows laptop! After my Mac Book Pro which had a Nvidia graphic card failure 3 times ...that's 3 times! Apple gave me a Mac Book pro unibody for free. Hooray for Apple! However, my new MacBook Pro has 2 Nvidia graphic cards! Needless to say I bought the extended three year warranty. So if or more likely when one of the Nvidia graphics fail, I hope they replace it with the ATI 5870!
It's incredible the low level of value you get from buying a Mac Pro. Even the more zealous Macolyte can't justify the poor value of a Mac Pro and its commodity components at outrageous prices.
And why does Apple STILL show their "super drive" (i.e. $20 DVD-RW drive for $100) as one of the main features of the rig? Nobody cares about optical drives.
This hardware refresh will offer the same level of failure, as well as reaffirming that fools and their money are soon parted.
"Take a moment to realise that a £2,000 machine that is pitched as a workstation doesn't even have a workstation graphics card, nor is the 'consumer grade' Radeon HD 5770 graphics card the top of AMD's graphics card range."
If Apple Mac Pro users actually used CAD software, I could see the benefit of including a workstation graphics card, and if high-demanding video games were actually made for the Mac OS, I could see the need for a higher end ATI video card.
But neither of the above actually happen , so I believe that the HD 5770 isn't too bad of a choice. Personally, I'm more concerned with the lack of video card driver updates from Apple rather than the choice of the cards they use.
You can build your own that's twice as fast for half as much and buy a Apple OS X dvd online. Does anyone care it might not be legal? Only Job's and investors. I used to have an Imac and liked OS X.
The truth is I prefer Linux and the hardware I want.