Mac Pro product manager Douglas Brooks (Douglas Brooks) when chatting with a friend a few months ago in the "leaked" some insider, although specifications not mentioned, but his tone makes for new Mac Pro full of hope.
The friend put the post in the forum, said: "I told him, I am most looking forward to the new features is the ability to support additional graphics cards and memory expansion. His answer was simple: 'Then you'll be glad that we are doing quite In particular, when you see them, you will feel very excited. "
After the analysis of these rumors, technology editor of The Next Web media that the upcoming Mac Pro may use completely different from the previous design, which will give us a huge impact. Here is his analysis:
I think the future of Mac Pro has been for some time now, I think the situation is very clear: we will see a completely redesigned, powerful Apple computers.
The use of peripheral
In 2011 Apple Developers Conference shortly after the end, I talked about in an article in the Mac's future: "on the external drive and GPU, I think Apple will use the Thunderbolt standard, through peripherals to enhance the ability of iMac. strong support Thunderbolt external GPU, meet creative people on the need for more pixels, while the Thunderbolt external drive has shown the potential of speed, maybe someday, video editors will be seen as an internal drive is an optional program rather than a necessity. Until then, usually buy the Mac Pro users will turn to buy iMac. they put iMac as a core of the system, and then use high-speed peripherals to enhance it. "
I think the iMac's screen is very critical, it will bring a real difference. If you remove an iMac's screen, it converted into a compact system size between the iMac and Mac Mini, and then with 1-2 Thunderbolt peripherals (such as drives, graphics, etc.) connection, complemented by wireless technologies (such as WiFi direct and Bluetooth LE), you can be able to assemble it into a real Mac Pro systems, and has unprecedented flexibility.
Of course, this will break the traditional PCI-e expansion mode. PCI-e is a deep-rooted extended mode, the whole industry to support it. But Thunderbolt (Light Peak) is an industry standard, although its popularity is not very busy. Some of the core system external PCI-e box in such a way to add graphics, audio professional input devices, as well as photographer or a musician might need something else, is not difficult to imagine.
Another problem is this: if Apple reduced the size of the housing, what would happen? They will abandon Xeon architecture do?
I look to this question is that this is a good time, so that Apple can own for a custom one processor Mac models. Mac Pro is a lower shipments of equipment, compared with the iMac, which can help Apple to implement this idea more moderate. Apple conducted a series of acquisitions, as well as other indications, have shown it to customize its own CPU very interested.
The biggest problem
However, this system is the biggest question is: Using the Mac Pro professional users, such as developing software for Mac and iOS developer, editing video users, etc., they can use this system to continue to carry out professional activities? I think this system needs to support at least part of professional activities, otherwise it has no hope of survival.
So now the question is whether Apple feels that he has got a solution that can cover 30-50% of the use cases (programming, editing video, etc.), and in the future may improve coverage; Or feel that this solution can cover 80% use cases, do not have to manage in the future. Apple's acting style from the previous point of view, it is willing to adopt such a solution, but if Apple maintain its current design, upgrade the processor (eg upgrade to Haswell), it is also possible to be successful.
I think that this year's Mac Pro is likely to be Apple's next iPod mini. Yes, it's still very good sales situation, the redesigned shape will undoubtedly make many users happy.However, if Apple thinks, to abandon internal expansion, moving in the direction toward the external expansion, more beneficial for this platform, then Apple will not hesitate to stop it, to make way for the new system.
A peer asked: "abandon Xeon architecture, and compatibility with PCI-e slot, will give users an apple or Pro, what benefits, so that they feel that this is worth it to give up?"
This is the real problem lies. For this problem, I have no answer.
Extended iPad 's ability to
And now you might be thinking, is this any connection with the iPad has anything to do?
Steve Jobs said some very famous words:
"When the United States was an agricultural country, when all the cars are trucks, but as people began to migrate to urban centers, they began driving cars up and I think PC is like trucks will be more people who need them less This situation makes some people feel restless. "
Currently, iPad exactly like a car, although most companies are beginning to draw to a tablet PC category. But if there is a scalable system, so you can put a more powerful GPU, more storage space and a large size of the Retina display is connected to the iPad, this sounds great, which is equivalent to the general car into a sports car.
I want to ask the question, broadly speaking is: iPad can become an in between the iMac and MacBook computers? In terms of computing power, it can not compare Macbook. But if its capabilities and use could be extended, you can imagine that a person as long as there is an iPad and a display screen (may be a built-in GPU) is almost enough.