Re: Pretty amazing Thunderbolt demo.

[Craig Seeman] "Dropping a $2500 base system to $2000 is not half the price. I think a bit of nip tuck and case redesign can do it."

You specified a Xeon 6-core. Today's 6-core Mac starts at $3700.


[Walter Soyka] "You've eliminated a lot of the features (massive memory capacity"

[Craig Seeman] "I didn't mention that at all. That wouldn't change."

You need a pretty large motherboard (and ergo a large case) to fit two CPU sockets, 12 or more RAM slots, and cooling.

Dual-Xeon workstations are big because they have to be, and expensive because the parts don't come cheap. They are not expensive because they're big, or big because of poor industrial design.

Seriously shrinking a dual-Xeon workstation would require either new, custom-built parts from Intel (like the itty bitty processors in the original Air) or a Reality Distortion Field generator inside the case.

Making it cheaper would require a massive pricing concession from Intel.

This notion that Apple can violate the laws of physics and economics by releasing a serious SFF dual-Xeon workstation starting at $2,000 is quite a leap from the state of the art today, but I can't keep arguing this with you. You've worn me down. Undoubtedly, we will have smaller, more powerful computers in the future, but there are real physical and economic reasons encouraging the continued development of the tower form factor.

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog - What I'm thinking when my workstation's thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events