Apple to kill off Mac Pro; new Mac Mini based replacement

I got this from a developer. He's PO'd at Apple and has told me what is
coming this year.

Apple will cease shipping the Mac Pro at the end of June, 2012. A new
"Mac Pro" model will not replace it.

The new Mac Stack will be a Mac Mini footprint modular system which will
allow stacking of up to 14 components in a dual daisy chain of
Thunderbolt interfaced modules to form small and powerful to mighty
computers.

Mac Stack processors will come in dual and quad processor configurations
with processors ranging from quad core i7's (2.8 to 3.4 GHz) to
octo-core i7 processors (3.0 to 4.0 GHz). In the most powerful host
configuration, 32 cores (64 threads) will provide the ultimate Mac
experience in a Mac Mini sized footprint. The module is 4 inches (10.2)
cm) high.

Memory will be blazing fast DDZX 3000 MHz with 8 GB to 128 GB installed.

System disks will only be available in 320, 500, 640 GB and 1 TB SSD.

2 or 4 Graphics ATI Radeon Ultra HD Stunner 9000 cores (with 1 or 2 GB
of GDDR5Z memory per core) will provide for light speed graphics. Up to
12 displays can be connected (dual link DVI) or 6 displays using
Thunderbolt.

Interfaces: 2 Thunderbolt, 5 USB 2.0, 3 USB 3, 1 Firewire 800, 2
Firewire 400, Audio in/out, 1 Optical audio out, 1 HDMI 1.4, 2 Gigabit
Ethernet, SDXC card slot, Bluetooth, WiFi /n.

Stack modules:

Disk Stack Two: Slots for 2 2.5" SATA HD or SSD drives. May be
ordered with 1 or 2 drives with 500 GB to 1.5 TB capacity, each. Disks
may be hot swapped. RAID 0 and 1 capable.

Disk Stack Five: Slots for 5 2.5" SATA HD or SSD drives. May be
ordered with 1 to 5 drives as above. Disks may be hot swapped. RAID
0,1,2,3,4,5,6.

Mac Stack Too Distributed Processing Module. Each Mac Stack Too can
host up to 8 processor boards with 1 or 2 CPU's each. Communication
from/to the host processor is GCD/OpenCL/OpenGL over thunderbolt. Any
combination of CPU boards may be run in the system. Each processor is
loaded with an iOS/OS X/Linux/Windows configuration designated by the
host. (Windows may only be loaded on the intel processors).

CPU's available:
- Apple A6 Quad Core (2, 4 GB per processor)
- intel i5, i7, Xeon (4, 8, 16, 32 GB per processor)
- ATI Radeon Hyper Graphics Engine (4 GB).

SSD: 128 or 256 GB per processor on the CPU board.

Each CPU module will have host independent USB 2.0, USB 3, Firewire
800, Firewire 400, Gigabit ethernet and WiFi. The Graphics engine
will have HDMI, DVI and Thunderbolt outputs.

Mac Stack Too may also be run independent of a local host system.

A Mac Stack Too with 8 dual octo-core i7 processors can run 256 threads
simultaneously under the control of the host CPU using GCD. If the host
has four octo core i7's, then a total of 320 threads may be running on
the system. This is ideal for video processing and is aimed squarely at
the film making industry.

April Fools? :P


On 4/1/2012 7:50 AM PT, Alan Browne typed:

> I got this from a developer. He's PO'd at Apple and has told me what is
> coming this year.
>
> Apple will cease shipping the Mac Pro at the end of June, 2012. A new
> "Mac Pro" model will not replace it.
>
> The new Mac Stack will be a Mac Mini footprint modular system which will
> allow stacking of up to 14 components in a dual daisy chain of
> Thunderbolt interfaced modules to form small and powerful to mighty
> computers.
>
> Mac Stack processors will come in dual and quad processor configurations
> with processors ranging from quad core i7's (2.8 to 3.4 GHz) to
> octo-core i7 processors (3.0 to 4.0 GHz). In the most powerful host
> configuration, 32 cores (64 threads) will provide the ultimate Mac
> experience in a Mac Mini sized footprint. The module is 4 inches (10.2)
> cm) high.
>
> Memory will be blazing fast DDZX 3000 MHz with 8 GB to 128 GB installed.
>
> System disks will only be available in 320, 500, 640 GB and 1 TB SSD.
>
> 2 or 4 Graphics ATI Radeon Ultra HD Stunner 9000 cores (with 1 or 2 GB
> of GDDR5Z memory per core) will provide for light speed graphics. Up to
> 12 displays can be connected (dual link DVI) or 6 displays using
> Thunderbolt.
>
> Interfaces: 2 Thunderbolt, 5 USB 2.0, 3 USB 3, 1 Firewire 800, 2
> Firewire 400, Audio in/out, 1 Optical audio out, 1 HDMI 1.4, 2 Gigabit
> Ethernet, SDXC card slot, Bluetooth, WiFi /n.
>
> Stack modules:
>
> Disk Stack Two: Slots for 2 2.5" SATA HD or SSD drives. May be ordered
> with 1 or 2 drives with 500 GB to 1.5 TB capacity, each. Disks may be
> hot swapped. RAID 0 and 1 capable.
>
> Disk Stack Five: Slots for 5 2.5" SATA HD or SSD drives. May be ordered
> with 1 to 5 drives as above. Disks may be hot swapped. RAID 0,1,2,3,4,5,6.
>
> Mac Stack Too Distributed Processing Module. Each Mac Stack Too can host
> up to 8 processor boards with 1 or 2 CPU's each. Communication from/to
> the host processor is GCD/OpenCL/OpenGL over thunderbolt. Any
> combination of CPU boards may be run in the system. Each processor is
> loaded with an iOS/OS X/Linux/Windows configuration designated by the
> host. (Windows may only be loaded on the intel processors).
>
> CPU's available:
> - Apple A6 Quad Core (2, 4 GB per processor)
> - intel i5, i7, Xeon (4, 8, 16, 32 GB per processor)
> - ATI Radeon Hyper Graphics Engine (4 GB).
>
> SSD: 128 or 256 GB per processor on the CPU board.
>
> Each CPU module will have host independent USB 2.0, USB 3, Firewire
> 800, Firewire 400, Gigabit ethernet and WiFi. The Graphics engine
> will have HDMI, DVI and Thunderbolt outputs.
>
> Mac Stack Too may also be run independent of a local host system.
>
> A Mac Stack Too with 8 dual octo-core i7 processors can run 256 threads
> simultaneously under the control of the host CPU using GCD. If the host
> has four octo core i7's, then a total of 320 threads may be running on
> the system. This is ideal for video processing and is aimed squarely at
> the film making industry.
--
"Look at them, fighting like ants. The fate's waiting them." --Kane in
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
/\___/\ Ant(Dude) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
/ /\ /\ \ Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
| |o o| |
\ _ / If crediting, then use Ant nickname and AQFL URL/link.
( ) If e-mailing, then axe ANT from its address if needed.
Ant is currently not listening to any songs on this computer.

Yeah. Browne has way too much time on his paws...


On 4/1/12 10:00 AM, in article
, "Ant" <>
wrote:

> April Fools? :P
>
>
> On 4/1/2012 7:50 AM PT, Alan Browne typed:
>
>> I got this from a developer. He's PO'd at Apple and has told me what is
>> coming this year.
>>
>> Apple will cease shipping the Mac Pro at the end of June, 2012. A new
>> "Mac Pro" model will not replace it.
>>
>> The new Mac Stack will be a Mac Mini footprint modular system which will
>> allow stacking of up to 14 components in a dual daisy chain of
>> Thunderbolt interfaced modules to form small and powerful to mighty
>> computers.
>>
>> Mac Stack processors will come in dual and quad processor configurations
>> with processors ranging from quad core i7's (2.8 to 3.4 GHz) to
>> octo-core i7 processors (3.0 to 4.0 GHz). In the most powerful host
>> configuration, 32 cores (64 threads) will provide the ultimate Mac
>> experience in a Mac Mini sized footprint. The module is 4 inches (10.2)
>> cm) high.
>>
>> Memory will be blazing fast DDZX 3000 MHz with 8 GB to 128 GB installed.
>>
>> System disks will only be available in 320, 500, 640 GB and 1 TB SSD.
>>
>> 2 or 4 Graphics ATI Radeon Ultra HD Stunner 9000 cores (with 1 or 2 GB
>> of GDDR5Z memory per core) will provide for light speed graphics. Up to
>> 12 displays can be connected (dual link DVI) or 6 displays using
>> Thunderbolt.
>>
>> Interfaces: 2 Thunderbolt, 5 USB 2.0, 3 USB 3, 1 Firewire 800, 2
>> Firewire 400, Audio in/out, 1 Optical audio out, 1 HDMI 1.4, 2 Gigabit
>> Ethernet, SDXC card slot, Bluetooth, WiFi /n.
>>
>> Stack modules:
>>
>> Disk Stack Two: Slots for 2 2.5" SATA HD or SSD drives. May be ordered
>> with 1 or 2 drives with 500 GB to 1.5 TB capacity, each. Disks may be
>> hot swapped. RAID 0 and 1 capable.
>>
>> Disk Stack Five: Slots for 5 2.5" SATA HD or SSD drives. May be ordered
>> with 1 to 5 drives as above. Disks may be hot swapped. RAID 0,1,2,3,4,5,6.
>>
>> Mac Stack Too Distributed Processing Module. Each Mac Stack Too can host
>> up to 8 processor boards with 1 or 2 CPU's each. Communication from/to
>> the host processor is GCD/OpenCL/OpenGL over thunderbolt. Any
>> combination of CPU boards may be run in the system. Each processor is
>> loaded with an iOS/OS X/Linux/Windows configuration designated by the
>> host. (Windows may only be loaded on the intel processors).
>>
>> CPU's available:
>> - Apple A6 Quad Core (2, 4 GB per processor)
>> - intel i5, i7, Xeon (4, 8, 16, 32 GB per processor)
>> - ATI Radeon Hyper Graphics Engine (4 GB).
>>
>> SSD: 128 or 256 GB per processor on the CPU board.
>>
>> Each CPU module will have host independent USB 2.0, USB 3, Firewire
>> 800, Firewire 400, Gigabit ethernet and WiFi. The Graphics engine
>> will have HDMI, DVI and Thunderbolt outputs.
>>
>> Mac Stack Too may also be run independent of a local host system.
>>
>> A Mac Stack Too with 8 dual octo-core i7 processors can run 256 threads
>> simultaneously under the control of the host CPU using GCD. If the host
>> has four octo core i7's, then a total of 320 threads may be running on
>> the system. This is ideal for video processing and is aimed squarely at
>> the film making industry.

On 2012-04-01 11:10 , China Blue Water Navy wrote:
>> The new Mac Stack will be a Mac Mini footprint modular system which will
>> allow stacking of up to 14 components in a dual daisy chain of
>> Thunderbolt interfaced modules to form small and powerful to mighty
>> computers.
>
> A few decades Brooks warned of the Attack of the Killer Micros: a network of
> smaller processors could exceed the performance for less cost of one big
> computer. (Although in the years since 'big' has become smaller.)

Pretty much all of today's fastest computers are massively parallel
microprocessor based. The current #1 "K" has 88,128 octo-core SPARC64
processors. That's 705,024 cores running. Might even balance your
chequebook.

The lowly Atom is being used in some servers farms with dozens of Atoms
per processor board. (One server, for example, has 512 cores in the unit).

--
"I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did.
I said I didn't know."
-Samuel Clemens.

On 4/1/2012 8:09 AM PT, George Kerby typed:

> Yeah. Browne has way too much time on his paws...

Paws? He's not a human?
--
"When the people look like ants -- PULL. When the ants look like people
-- PRAY." --A skydiving quote
/\___/\ Ant(Dude) @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
/ /\ /\ \ Ant's Quality Foraged Links: http://aqfl.net
| |o o| |
\ _ / If crediting, then use Ant nickname and AQFL URL/link.
( ) If e-mailing, then axe ANT from its address if needed.
Ant is currently not listening to any songs on this computer.

Alan Browne wrote:

> Apple will cease shipping the Mac Pro at the end of June, 2012. A new
> "Mac Pro" model will not replace it.

Because this is a credible rumour, Apple would not make an April Fools
joke about this.

I shoudl note that I was blasted left and right when I suggested not
long ago that there were rumours Apple was quitting the MacPro.

On 2012-04-01 15:13 , JF Mezei wrote:
> Alan Browne wrote:
>
>> Apple will cease shipping the Mac Pro at the end of June, 2012. A new
>> "Mac Pro" model will not replace it.
>
> Because this is a credible rumour, Apple would not make an April Fools
> joke about this.

Who said it was Apple making an April Fools joke with this?

>
> I shoudl note that I was blasted left and right when I suggested not
> long ago that there were rumours Apple was quitting the MacPro.

I think the Mac Pro platform is an anachronistic attachment to tower
form computers. If the the "Mac Pro" survives as a tower, it should at
least lose some bulk and weight.

If it comes out as a "cube" with the same footprint as the Mac Mini I
wouldn't be surprised...


--
"I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did.
I said I didn't know."
-Samuel Clemens.

Alan Browne wrote:

> If it comes out as a "cube" with the same footprint as the Mac Mini I
> wouldn't be surprised...


The whole point is to be able to insert full sized PCI express cards in
it as well as having 4 disks.

Can't fit that in a cube. And cubes have terrible ventilation, not not
suited to long periods of heavy CPU usage (such as when rendering a
movie or using handbrake)

On 2012-04-01 15:22 , JF Mezei wrote:
> Alan Browne wrote:
>
>> If it comes out as a "cube" with the same footprint as the Mac Mini I
>> wouldn't be surprised...
>
>
> The whole point is to be able to insert full sized PCI express cards in
> it as well as having 4 disks.

Nothing says Mac Pros must take PCI express cards. I/O is going fully
serial (or WiFi or BlueTooth). Thunderbolt is the new fast lane for
disks, video and other applications.

> Can't fit that in a cube. And cubes have terrible ventilation, not not
> suited to long periods of heavy CPU usage (such as when rendering a
> movie or using handbrake)

There are many ways to manage heat removal.

But the real point is that the tower form is dead and the next Mac Pro
may reflect that.

--
"I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did.
I said I didn't know."
-Samuel Clemens.

In article <jollyroger->, Jolly
Roger <> wrote:

> In article <YvmdndodguNcL-XSnZ2dnUVZ_r->,
> Alan Browne <> wrote:
>
> > On 2012-04-01 15:22 , JF Mezei wrote:
> > > Alan Browne wrote:
> > >
> > >> If it comes out as a "cube" with the same footprint as the Mac Mini I
> > >> wouldn't be surprised...
> > >
> > > The whole point is to be able to insert full sized PCI express cards in
> > > it as well as having 4 disks.
> >
> > Nothing says Mac Pros must take PCI express cards. I/O is going fully
> > serial (or WiFi or BlueTooth). Thunderbolt is the new fast lane for
> > disks, video and other applications.
> >
> > > Can't fit that in a cube. And cubes have terrible ventilation, not not
> > > suited to long periods of heavy CPU usage (such as when rendering a
> > > movie or using handbrake)
> >
> > There are many ways to manage heat removal.
> >
> > But the real point is that the tower form is dead and the next Mac Pro
> > may reflect that.
>
> I really don't care about the form factor.
> I simply want a very powerful workstation that allows me to:
>
> * throw in a faster video card if needed
> * add tons of RAM
> * increase HD/SSD space by adding additional internal drives
> * possibly upgrade the CPUs

It's called a Mac Pro. ;o)

Helpful Harry )