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Next Apple machine ?

MILESF

Member
I have a 2013 Mac Pro that works very well with Phase One IQ3100 and Sony A7Riii files. I also have a MBP13 which I use when travelling and a Mac Mini which works fine as a print server.

The new Mac Pro announced yesterday seems to be targeted at high end video and will cost $$$.

One day I will need to upgrade the current Mac Pro but that is TB2 and the world is moving on. I’m also not sure it makes sense to replace like with like. I won’t move from MacOs so Windows is not an option.

Am I the only person who thinks there is a gap emerging in the market for high end stills photographers ? I’m not in a hurry but I feel like we are entering something of a cup de sac.
 

Christopher

Active member
Honestly, the gap is there only if your fixed on Mac. There is no gap on windows. You can build or buy great workstations for 1k and 10k. Your as flexible as you need to be.

This will never happen with Apple. The new pro is amazing, but honestly you can get nearly 90% of its performance with a 1,5k windows pc...
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
I have a 2013 Mac Pro that works very well with Phase One IQ3100 and Sony A7Riii files. I also have a MBP13 which I use when travelling and a Mac Mini which works fine as a print server.

The new Mac Pro announced yesterday seems to be targeted at high end video and will cost $$$.

One day I will need to upgrade the current Mac Pro but that is TB2 and the world is moving on. I’m also not sure it makes sense to replace like with like. I won’t move from MacOs so Windows is not an option.

Am I the only person who thinks there is a gap emerging in the market for high end stills photographers ? I’m not in a hurry but I feel like we are entering something of a cup de sac.
I think for photography the base iMac makes a lot of sense but so does one of the new Mac Mini’s with an eGPU. There’s also the iMac Pro but I’d wait u til they update it to allow user installable RAM. I’m in your same position where I’d like a new Mac Pro but I don’t know that I can justify the price personally. Windows isn’t an option for me either... I use them at the day job but I hate using Windows personally... also I don’t use Adobe and can’t see myself ever going back to them.
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
The top of the line current Mac mini is more than enough for my needs. Six-core 3.2Ghz i7 cpu, USB-C, TB3, able to run multiple large monitors, 64G RAM, 1TB in it, etc etc, and about $3k or so.

A far cry faster and more capable than my current 2012 Mac mini, which is still soldiering along nicely if not particularly speedily by current standards. I plan to update this year.

G
 
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Who is going to buy the entry level MacPro with a 256GB SSD? So the $5999 price is disingenuous. I wonder if you have to use a special Apple SSD to upgrade with the T2 security chip. And with eight PCIe slots, are the cards going to be proprietary Apple cards?
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
Who is going to buy the entry level MacPro with a 256GB SSD? So the $5999 price is disingenuous.
Some might for the ability to upgrade down the line. I probably wouldn’t myself but I can see the appeal to some. You can always add internal drives or a RAID array since the computer would likely remain stationary.

No special slots needed and Apple mentions that companies can even make their own modules to be used in this computer. I believe a standard card and drive will work.
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
The top of the line current Mac mini is more than enough for my needs. Six-core 3.2Thz i7 cpu, USB-C, TB3, able to run multiple large monitors, 64G RAM, 1TB in it, etc etc, and about $3k or so.

A far cry faster and more capable than my current 2012 Mac mini, which is still soldiering along nicely if not particularly speedily by current standards. I plan to update this year.

G
This seems to target hardcore video creators and studio houses... maybe even high-end photographers too. Probably isn’t the system for the average user at home. The iMac with and i9 or the iMac Pro seem to be better choices for the average “one man band” system... or even the newer Mac Mini if you prefer the smaller size.
 

bab

Active member
Seems the world is waiting for the T4 chip for the macbook pro if your a photographer on the go the Macbook pro is going to be the ultimate ticket. Mac Pro might do photographer justice but at a huge cost. I really wish Apple didn't ignore the Macbook issues and hope that the company is going to surprise us with a solid platform.
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
This seems to target hardcore video creators and studio houses... maybe even high-end photographers too. Probably isn’t the system for the average user at home. The iMac with and i9 or the iMac Pro seem to be better choices for the average “one man band” system... or even the newer Mac Mini if you prefer the smaller size.
I don't know... My brother uses one for his recording studio business, my freelance photographer friend uses one for his assignment work, another friend uses one to browse the web, do email, and look at videos (just like the other two do as well). $3K for a fully stuffed Mac mini is not overly expensive for many/most people who want to upgrade to a higher end system and already have most of the peripherals/displays/etc that they would otherwise buy if they bought an iMac.

When I buy one, I'll get the cpu unit and all the adapters to connect my TB1/TB2, FW, and USB things to its USB-C ports, including my displays, wired keyboard and pointing devices, external storage, printers/scanners, and all that. Done, that's all I need.

G
 

DougDolde

Well-known member
The new Mac Pro is priced for 150 megapixel Phase One owners. If you can afford the camera, you can afford the new Mac Pro :D
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
+1 for the Mini. It's become a very powerful machine, and it's portable if needed.

I have done something that I didn't expect myself to do: I've bought a MacBook 12". My 5 year old MacBook Pro is litterally falling apart, so needed replacing. For travel, I only do light photo editing and no video editing, and it's powerful enough for that, and much lighter/smaller than any Pro. Since a new Pro needs dongels and adapters anyway, I found that a single 9-port adapter for the 12" will do the job just fine, so now I have a tiny computer with USB 3, HDMI, VGA, gigabit LAN, SD reader and Micro SD reader. I bought it factory refurbished with original Apple seals all over from MacSales, $899 with 512GB SSD, i5 1.3 GHz and 8 GB RAM.

If you can't beat them... :ROTFL:
 

algrove

Well-known member
The new Mac Pro is priced for 150 megapixel Phase One owners. If you can afford the camera, you can afford the new Mac Pro :D
so far I still use my 2013 Mac Pro 8 core with OWC 2TB Aura and 64GB RAM which can now go up to 128GB RAM if needed. No beach balls with IQ4150 files and plenty of PS/C1 giving 4+GB file sizes pre-flattening.
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
I don't know... My brother uses one for his recording studio business, my freelance photographer friend uses one for his assignment work, another friend uses one to browse the web, do email, and look at videos (just like the other two do as well). $3K for a fully stuffed Mac mini is not overly expensive for many/most people who want to upgrade to a higher end system and already have most of the peripherals/displays/etc that they would otherwise buy if they bought an iMac.

When I buy one, I'll get the cpu unit and all the adapters to connect my TB1/TB2, FW, and USB things to its USB-C ports, including my displays, wired keyboard and pointing devices, external storage, printers/scanners, and all that. Done, that's all I need.

G
I don't doubt it works for everyone you mentioned. Personally, I don’t swap computers often and I lean towards the option of future proofing. I don’t prefer all-in-one solutions but it’s hard to argue against the newest iMac with the i9 in it that slightly outperforms the mid level iMac Pro in many tests until you get into heavily graphic reliant video applications/RAW video. The Mac Mini is a option I’ve considered but it’s not what I really want for my needs.

I don’t wonder if it would be smart for Apple to consider having a lower priced modular desktop option between the Mac Mini and Mac Pro maybe based on the AMD chipsets since they seem to have fewer issues than many of the newest Intel developed chipsets. Also the Ryzen 3 and Navi based chipsets are very competitively priced which could give Apple a non-Pro Mac in the $1500-3000 base price range. Even if they maxed out to around 512GB of RAM (instead of 1.5TB) and only allowed dual GPU’s (versus 4 GPU’s), Dual internal HDD expansion (versus 4 HDD), plus the option for the Apple Afterburner... that would be an excellent option for the small business or average content creator with no desire for a Windows machine. Hell while we’re at it we could use an updated 26” Pro XDR display limited to 4K resolution for around $2,000-2,500 with the stands included.

Just thinking out aloud.
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
It's always fun to consider what could be useful. But I've found over time that Apple generally makes the right decisions that give me good options for my needs, and I'd rather be thinking creatively about the photography than about what kind of system I might consider to do it.

Apple's managed to make a successful business and a decent amount of profit with their offerings, so who am I to think my ideas might do better? :D

G
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
It's always fun to consider what could be useful. But I've found over time that Apple generally makes the right decisions that give me good options for my needs, and I'd rather be thinking creatively about the photography than about what kind of system I might consider to do it.

Apple's managed to make a successful business and a decent amount of profit with their offerings, so who am I to think my ideas might do better? :D

G
Who are you to think you can decide what’s best for you? I’d assume an informed consumer... you probably know what’s best for you better than Apple, Microsoft, etc.

That’s different from saying that any of them can provide a suitable solution but even a suitable solution can be a compromise - even though it may work for you. I do believe there are plenty of smart people on here that can effectively speak to their desires. That was the point of my “wish list.”

The other elephant in the room is the development of iPad OS further differentiating itself from iOS. In some ways this was a bigger announcement than the Mac Pro announcements asi could see Apple using this as a true bridge in eliminating the MacBook and MacBook Air lines while maintaining the MacBook Pro line for working on more intensive applications on the go. Apple opening up the file system to iPad OS, creating a bridge with MacOS apps, and opening up native external storage solutions without fancy workarounds is a huge thing IMO. I’ll probably forego purchasing another MacBook Pro this year for mobile computing, add the newest iPad Pro later this year, and add a desktop solution for heavy editing. I’ll keep my same old MacBook Pro for my school work (yes back in school again for me) but iPad will take over mobile and desktop will be relied upon for heavy lifting... once I decide which way to go.
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
iPads? No thanks I hate them
...and that’s fine.

Everyone has different needs/desires. The app ecosystem is growing and maturing in iOS/iPad OS. Apps like Lumafusion, Affinity Photo/Designer, and the Adobe apps are desktop class apps for mobile computing. They work well and will get even better.
 
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