[geeks] Replacing a Mac Pro 2006

[Mark Benson]

On 3 Dec 2012, at 15:36, J. Alexander Jacocks wrote:

> I think that you are all failing to understand why Apple has never made a
> mid-tower "xMac", like many members of the community have asked.  The
> answer is that the market has moved on, and home computers are going to be
> laptops, tablets, and all-in-ones, whether or not geeks and enthusiasts
> like it or not.  Apple has its share of flaws, but failure to read the
> market correctly is not one of them.

Your argument may hold water in 2012, but I've been airing the same concerns
since they switched to Intel CPUs and back then the above was pie in the sky.
Of course, the Mac Pro only cost $1500 then as well, which is why I have one
:P

I know some people here have griped about the small PC with tons of
peripherals. I don't share that misgiving, I prefer unpluggable peripherals
because it makes data access easier across multiple machines. Also I am not
asking for a mid-size tower, my request id for a Mac Mini++, something with a
decent whip of a graphics system, NVIDIA 5xx or 6xx or whatever is flavour of
the month in the iMac.

While Apple can read the market all they want they've taken this blind
attiotude that everyone who wants a half0decent home computer wants an all in
one based on an overpriced LCD panel. No, it's bullshit. People want to buy a
$120 Samsung or LG LCD and plug that into a Mac because it's cheaper. They're
ignoring everyone or jsut forcing them to use a heeled comptuer.

While your assertion is probably true and we're probably just bitter old
curmudgeons, I can't see PCs as we know them evaporating over night. It's
going to be 5 years at least before the PC as we know it is as good as gone
from homes. Also, the PC as we know it is the only platform currently capable
of supporting the PC  gaming industry, which is unique in that it, in some
quarters at least, encourages modding and customising that is not possible
with the lock-in on consoles.

> I dislike this as much as you do, but nothing is going to change it.  It's
> the same reason for the iOS-ification of Mac OS X.

If OS X is ever going to be tablet friendly it's got a looooooong way to go.

> I have been a Mac enthusiast since 1985, and I have been preparing myself
> for the switch to Linux on my desktop, for a year, now, once I realized
> that the geeky enthusiast-driven Apple was dead and gone.

That's something I've also considered but no Linux = No professional-grade
photography workflow management software (Aperture or Lightroom, basically) so
I am resisting it. Also where are my Canon RAW drivers for Linux? Oh dear...



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Mark Benson

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