Apple-Event the 28th

Although I, too, doubt we'll see PowerMac replacements so soon, I _have_ to state that the MacBook Pro _is_ a machine aimed at professionals, and it quite clearly was released _before_ the pro apps. Apple's pro apps will be released in March, so that's _not_ so far away. Adobe/Macromedia apps can run just fine on faster intel hardware for a couple of months. You have to see it this way: If pros are going to buy a pro Mac now –*they probably _won't_ buy any dual-/quad-core PowerMacs (not many, anyway), because with the transition to intel, the hardware _already_ seems obsolete in _very_ short time. So Apple can either stay with the PPC G5 version (and not sell too many) or switch them to intel (and maybe not sell that many, either, because of the lack of native pro-software).
 
Well, Apple is predicting "fun, new hardware" (or something like that) -- "fun" usually isn't associated with their pro lineup, so I'm thinking something more along the lines of the iPod or iBook... most likely the iPod.

That "full-screen" iPod there, steven_lufc, looks tasty! Let's cross our fingers!
 
fryke said:
Although I, too, doubt we'll see PowerMac replacements so soon, I _have_ to state that the MacBook Pro _is_ a machine aimed at professionals, and it quite clearly was released _before_ the pro apps. Apple's pro apps will be released in March, so that's _not_ so far away. Adobe/Macromedia apps can run just fine on faster intel hardware for a couple of months. You have to see it this way: If pros are going to buy a pro Mac now –*they probably _won't_ buy any dual-/quad-core PowerMacs (not many, anyway), because with the transition to intel, the hardware _already_ seems obsolete in _very_ short time. So Apple can either stay with the PPC G5 version (and not sell too many) or switch them to intel (and maybe not sell that many, either, because of the lack of native pro-software).
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I disagree, fryke. I doubt there will be any replacement for the Power Mac G5 until the next WWDC. The MacBook Pro was introduced early this year because this year is the year of Duo Core (DC) for Intel's mobile processor platform. While latest Intel mobile can deliver good performance over the aging G4 mobile infrastructure, no current desktop product from Intel, "that money can buy," has been able to match the current Power Mac G5s.

I purchased my HD PowerBook G4 last November because I knew it was the last PowerBook, based on G4 anyway--but now we learned--that Apple was going to offer. Now with the Apple Pro apps not really for Intel-inside Macs and major big-times software companies taking their time to update their products, I believe a lot of pro apps users, me included, would rather still stick with G4s and G5s for the time being.

Remember, a 1.67GHz PowerBook G4 can still out perform a high-end MacBook Pro when it comes to running a software written for the PowerPC platform.

I was at the MacWorld San Francisco this year when I tested the new MacBook Pro, and I was NOT very impressed. The reason may be because with the same 2GB of RAM, the demo MacBook Pro didn't seem much faster than my PowerBook G4.

Would I get a MacBook Pro or a MacBook, the next iBook? You bet. But when should really be the question. 2 or 3 years from now should be the answer. For now, I'm sticking with my 2-hand Power Mac G5 with 8GB of RAM, HD PowerBook G4 with 2GB of RAM, iMac G5 with 1.5 GB of RAM, iBook G4 with 1.25GB of RAM and other older Mac portables and desktops.

Oh, I forgot to mention the software I use. They range from digital imaging to music and video software. For digital imaging, I think is where the new Intel Macs could shine. But when it comes to software that process in real-time, G4s and G5s should hold their grounds for a while.
 
A few of things...

1) I may not have been ENTIRELY serious about the PowerMac's going Intel next week (but I'd like 'em too). Fact is, Intel haven't formally announced the new chip that'll go in the new PowerMac (or whatever it'll be called) yet, so it's an almost certain no-no.

2)
...with the Apple Pro apps not really for Intel-inside Macs and major big-times software companies taking their time to update their products, I believe a lot of pro apps users, me included, would rather still stick with G4s and G5s for the time being.
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Logic Pro has just gone Universal, Final Cut Studio goes Universal next month. What Pro apps were you referring to exactly? As for RUNNING pro apps, my 1.8GHz G5 iMac happily edits uncompressed 10bit 4:2:2 in FCP, I imagine the Intel Core Duo iMac running a Universal FCP will do so even better - so I can't see how a Quad G5 would be ahead of a Quad Intel whatever when it's released.

3)
The MacBook Pro was introduced early this year because this year is the year of Duo Core (DC) for Intel's mobile processor platform.
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Er, no. This is the year that ALL Macs will convert to Intel processors. Core Duo was merely the first processor that Intel released this year.

4)
I doubt there will be any replacement for the Power Mac G5 until the next WWDC.
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You're probably right, but that's only 4 months away. My original post was a cheeky guess at how Apple could "surprise" us, the way they like too!
 
Quietly said:
Logic Pro has just gone Universal, Final Cut Studio goes Universal next month. What Pro apps were you referring to exactly? As for RUNNING pro apps, my 1.8GHz G5 iMac happily edits uncompressed 10bit 4:2:2 in FCP, I imagine the Intel Core Duo iMac running a Universal FCP will do so even better - so I can't see how a Quad G5 would be ahead of a Quad Intel whatever when it's released.
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not apple's "in an ideal world" Pro apps, but the real ones. Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Quark, After Effects, Flash, Dreamweaver, Director, AVID, Premier, GoLive, all of these are still very much in the development stage, because, for most of them, they were bodged into Carbon when they were converted across from OS9.

by bodged, i mean the developers never bothered with Xcode, so the process of conversion to Universal (which requires it to be Xcode compatible, and preferably Cocoa written) will be a long one for them. the macromedia apps, for example, are clearly cross-platform, as none of them seem to really work natively. a full set of pro-apps all written from the ground up in Cocoa would be really nice: fully native apps not only running fast, but running fully compatible, not something we've really seen on the mac for many, many years (68k days, if you think about it, being as most of the early PPC days were sort-of emulated)
 
Ah, it was the phrase "Apple's Pro Apps" that deceived me!

I did notice that the new version of AE wasn't Universal and had wondered why that was - you've enlightened me on that one! Um, but they don't make Premiere for the Mac anymore y'know - and I wouldn't exactly describe it as a "pro" app anyway (sorry Adobe).
 
he he he i added premier as an attempt to pad my point out.... as was golive... i may as well have added CorelDraw!...
 
Quietly said:
Logic Pro has just gone Universal, Final Cut Studio goes Universal next month. What Pro apps were you referring to exactly? As for RUNNING pro apps, my 1.8GHz G5 iMac happily edits uncompressed 10bit 4:2:2 in FCP, I imagine the Intel Core Duo iMac running a Universal FCP will do so even better - so I can't see how a Quad G5 would be ahead of a Quad Intel whatever when it's released.
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Good that you asked.

I'm referring to the software that have larger user-based, such as Pro Tool and Adobe products.

Yes, the rest of the "Apple Pro apps" in the Final Cut Studio will not be ready until next Month.

So technically, I'm right.
:p

For the professional users who cannot wait, get a Power Mac G5 now.

For those who can wait--WAIT!
 
Of course, if Apple are really on the ball they could be about to release a raft of new software products to cash-in on the fact that some of the bigger developers seem a bit slow. Motion Pro as a rival to AE? That could be quite neat.
 
Quietly said:
Of course, if Apple are really on the ball they could be about to release a raft of new software products to cash-in on the fact that some of the bigger developers seem a bit slow. Motion Pro as a rival to AE? That could be quite neat.
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Wouldn't Motion Pro = Shake?
 
Lt Major Burns said:
actually, yeah, what is the difference?
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Shake is the ultimate compositing and special effects development environment, whereas Motion is merly intended for relatively quick and cheap projects. Shake is also ten times the price of Motion.

I personally think Motion is about as «Pro» as it can get before it becomes a Shake-style compositing app. But I can imagine Shake 5 implementing some of the technologies in Motion, e.g. Quartz for real-time previewing on Mac OS X.
 
Shake's compositing software, Motion is really motion-graphics software. Motion is also an Apple designed product, whereas Shake is one they bought and have since modified. When I said "Motion-Pro" I was thinking of something that would be Apple's answer to AE with bells & whistles, rather than something as "Pro" as Shake.
 
I'd love Shake with live preview rendering (that actually works) and a Cocoa-based interface in an Aqua Pro version of Quartz Composer. But that's a bit off-topic, I guess :)

For today's event? Endless bragging about iTunes and iPod sales of course. And perhaps some iPod accessories, a new Mac mini and some fancy software.
 
Just a thought, but possible additions to the Macbook Pro range as well (such as a 17" for example). Not as the "main event", but maybe an aside.
 
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