Re: Working Over the weekend... NOW: Back to Mac Pro speculation

[Walter Soyka] "I don't disagree with you, Jeremy. Maybe I'm just more impatient. I needed to see some signs from Apple that they were still really committed to this market."

Like what? Release a MacPro with a 6Gb/sec Sata/USB3 connected mac that is going to have even further outdated processors in 6 months? Not Apple's style, and in my opinion, a smart supply chain move. If you are going to refresh an already limited hardware machine (which I still contend Apple has done this for good reasons, system stability/ease of use being right up there, not to mention spare part inventory) then let's really refresh it. Yes, they refresh their machines slower, but people tend to use those machines for a very long time. If they were cheaper, perhaps they would upgrade more frequently. Craig Seeman has great points on all of that.



[Walter Soyka] "Ironic that a company known for innovation sells old technology in its high-performance system, no?

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Likewise, it's not a performance-oriented customer's style to buy a year-and-a-half old system."

This goes back to my points about macs not being the most blazing fast machines out there. They have never been. Even if they are at the day of release, they aren't in 4 months as the motherboards of MacPros aren't upgradable, or you will soon run out of PCIe slots to add the latest/great port and keep the older ports. To me, this is not a new philosophy from Apple, it has been their philosophy/M.O. all along, and look at the profits.

[Walter Soyka] "I couldn't get away with telling my clients that they couldn't have something they wanted because it would be inconvenient for me to produce. Rather than taking our money for added value, Apple just tells us we don't really want these things -- and we seem to accept it."

Yes. Perhaps our perspectives in the game are changing and what I have ineloquently saying all along. From what we have talking about around here, Windows 7 sounds like it's a true competitor. Who is going to ultimately benefit from this competition?

[Walter Soyka] "Thunderbolt launched sometime in February. That's between 9 and 10 months on the calendar, so that's five and a half years in computer industry time, right?"

9-10 months sounds just like a product testing phase, and that's if everything goes perfectly. What is perfect? Who knows how accessible the parts are to get intel Thunderbolt controllers? What's the application process? Thunderbolt cables are only available from Apple at this time (to consumers). There's still a lot to be worked out even though Thunderbolt is officially on the market. It follows what is becoming conventional wisdom with electronics these days. Get the box out to market, and firmware update the changes or in the case of Apple computers, let the supply chain catch up gradually. Red is the ultimate example of this, but it is apparent in other aspects of the business as well. I don't see 9-10 months being a big issue or indicator of anything, except things take time even in today's fast moving world. Delays still happen in real time. The desktop Sandy Bridge delay is the biggest tangible asset in my little mind. Apple had first dibs and brought the first Thunderbolt computers to market, it doesn't necessarily mean the rest of the market was quite ready for Thunderbolt.