Re: What if there actually IS a new Mac Pro?

Good questions, Walter. And I've been thinking quite a bit about them.

[Walter Soyka] "Will you buy one?"

Possibly/Probably. Though first, I WILL buy a new Macbook Pro that I'm on the fence about and would have bought a couple of months ago if I were more certain about things. But yes, a new Mac Pro that meets my expectations--from CPUs and GPUs to Thunderbolt and expansion slots--will be on my short list.

[Walter Soyka] "Will it indicate to you that Apple does care about providing solutions for your needs, other recent software and hardware EOLs notwithstanding?
"

Not at all. But it will meet my needs for the next few years.

[Walter Soyka] "Will you see it as evidence that Apple intends to continue development and production of powerful personal computers in the post-PC era, or will you see it as a stay of execution for the Mac Pro line, giving us one more generation before we wonder about its future with Intel's next major processor release?
"

The second.

[Walter Soyka] "What features would you want to see on the 2012 Mac Pro?"

TBolt, internal expansion slots, competitive gfx card, general workstation build.

[Walter Soyka] "What software would you run on your 2012 Mac Pro?
"

FCP 7, Media Composer, CS 6, and probably FCP X as a pet, though the pain I'm hearing about over the latest build is making me wonder if I care much anymore.

[Walter Soyka] "Does Thunderbolt let you consider an iMac or even a MacBook Pro instead of a Mac Pro for your work?
"

It lets me consider them as an addition, not as a replacement.


[Walter Soyka] "If the current trends of the Mac Pro's relatively limited internal expansion, limited processor choice, limited GPU choice (and poor GPU performance) continue, what would make you want to buy a Mac Pro over a PC workstation like the upcoming Z820? FCPX? Mac OS X? Fear or loathing of Windows?

In short, what's the 2012 Mac Pro's value proposition?
"

ProRes. That's actually what is holding me in place right now. I have major clients whose libraries and delivery systems are built around ProRes.