Comment by alkonaut | Hacker News Reader

Comment by alkonaut | Hacker News Reader

Impressive engineering to get that kilowatt-level power envelope into what looks literally like an envelope.

Then the next question: is the target audience really there?

The people who need 18 cores + a pro graphics card are the people who used to have mac pros (or still use them). These people care about expandable and replacable things, and most of all they want to use a screen with several computers because these pro screens cost a ton (Often more than the machine if you want a screen for e.g. video color grading or really serious photo work).

If the screen on this thing isn't up for the task ,then it's an expensive useless addition. If it is that good, then it's a waste to throw it out in 2 years when you replace the machine.

I mean I'm not saying this thing won't sell like hotcakes because it's an impressive machine and a not-very-price-sensitive customer group. But it just feels like they could have stuck these bits into the last mac pro tower, painted it black and had this product out sooner and cheaper than this?

>These people care about expandable and replacable things

Apple likely has data that says there are enough people that don't care about these things to justify their production of this computer. I work in an office full of designers, illustrators, animators and developers and there are very few of them that have much of a passion for messing around with the hardware and would far prefer to just upgrade every few years (we also don't really have much of an IT infrastructure). We buy Mac's and replace them when they are no longer working optimally for our team. That said, we've had some iMacs last 4-6 years with no complaints from their operators. I will caveat that and say that I did go through and replace all the HDD with SSD's on the oldest round of iMac's before you could get the Fusion or SSD upon order for a reasonable price.

I'm sure Apple have done their research, but it also feels a bit like a stopgap. Who would buy this over a MacPro tower at similar cost?

This is aimed at people with the Mac Pro, not those with iMac of MacBook (at least thats my impression)

What I was getting at is that the people that prefer the All-in-one are likely e.g. graphic Designers etc, meaning people who already have MacBooks or iMacs. Not the hard core machine learners, VR creators, color graders etc that today have old Mac Pros and $5k screens.

> Apple likely has data that says there are enough people that don't care about these things to justify their production of this computer.

I wouldn't bet on Apple having a finger on the pulse of the pro market ever since I witnessed the reception of Final Cut "Pro" X.

Maybe they determined that there was more money to be had and a lack of options in the prosumer space between iMovie and Final Cut. The influx of home-baked content producers on Youtube comes to mind.

I'm seriously considering an iMac these days. Currently I use a 2014-model 15" MacBook Pro, and it's heavy to carry to work every day. I also need a lot more disk space.

If Apple allow upgrading the iMac Pro with a 3.5" 12TB hard drive, I'd be interested.

The new MacBook Pros aren't suitable for my needs because they don't have ports. I need more storage, but can't upgrade my laptop. I don't want to go down to a 2012 MacBook Pro just to add a bigger hard drive in the optical bay. Also, I really like the Retina screen. So, how am I going to store the Big Data for machine learning on my office computer, while also having a nice screen?

The iMac seems like a more affordable option than a Mac Pro, and with cheaper, more suitable upgrades than the non-tower Pro.

If the iMac doesn't have a 3.5" disk slot though, then I take back all my compliments. The 4TB max SSD from Apple won't be enough for me.

> So, how am I going to store the Big Data for machine learning on my office computer, while also having a nice screen?

This would be the choice, but I'd hesitate to buy one with the new Mac Pro coming. I hate the idea of attaching a screen to the computer unless absolutely necesary, especially a nice screen.

When I got my iMac the biggest change for me was the lack of clutter in my office. It was amazing. Part of that was the small Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, but the rest was the box with all the cables trailing from it. It was a true breath of fresh air.

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