Apple comes clean on what’s going on with the Mac Pro, but Federico still isn’t buying one. Myke gets excited about new Samsung phones and I feel old when thinking about Twitter.
This is a fun one. WHO KNEW we’d be talking about a new Mac Pro today!?
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There’s no reason to write an intro to this outlining all the problems with the Late 2013 Mac Pro, so let’s get right to it: Apple is working to replace it with an all-new Mac Pro, based on a modular design, that will pair with a new, Apple-branded, built-for-pros external display. It’s not going to ship this year, but in the meantime, Apple plans on shipping configurations of the iMac better geared to the pro market.1
HOT DAMN.
Apple invited a small handful of writers to its Apple’s Product Realization Lab for the Mac in Cupertino for a meeting.
John Gruber recounts how Phil Schiller opened things:
With regards to the Mac Pro, we are in the process of what we call “completely rethinking the Mac Pro”. We’re working on it. We have a team working hard on it right now, and we want to architect it so that we can keep it fresh with regular improvements, and we’re committed to making it our highest-end, high-throughput desktop system, designed for our demanding pro customers.
For a while, I’ve been speculating on Connected that the “current” Mac Pro’s design has backed Apple into a corner. That seems to be the case, as Matthew Panzarino writes:
Federighi is careful to note that, while Apple set out do so something that was new and different with the Mac Pro, “we didn’t start with a shape and say, ‘well, here’s the fastest machine we can put in that box.’ We actually started with a target for performance and came up with what I think was a very clever design of that thermal core and thermal architecture to accommodate what we thought was the right power architecture.”
“What I think we didn’t appreciate completely at the time was how we had so tailor designed that specific vision at the time that in the future we would find ourselves a bit boxed in to a circular shape,” he says.
“We were boxed by a circle,” he jokes.
While all of the hardware talk is super exciting,2 the way Apple went about it is fascinating.
Apple has done small, hands-on meetings like this. Just think of the iPhone 4 or the Mountain Lion press events. What’s new, however, is the honesty. The company should have done this a while ago, but it’s better late than never.
We also learned some new numbers:
That last one is eye-opening. Is it so low because the Mac Pro sucks? Maybe, but I don’t see it eclipsing the iMac, no matter how good this new machine is. Apple’s Mac team is investing in a new Mac Pro because it wants to, not because a bean counter is making them.
The numbers also show just how much the iMac has taken on over the years. Federighi, via Daring Fireball:
That is a pretty incredible evolution that we’ve seen over the last decade. The original iMac, you never would’ve thought as remotely touching pro uses. And now you look at today’s 5K iMac, top configs, it’s incredibly powerful, and a huge fraction of what would’ve traditionally — whether it’s audio editing, video editing, graphics, arts and so forth — that would’ve previously absolutely required the Mac Pros of old, are being well-addressed by iMac. But there’s still even further we can take iMac as a high performance, pro system, and we think that form factor can address even more of the pro market.
All in all, I think Apple is doing the right thing. It took too long to get to this point, but the company has shown that it is listening to its customers and understands that they’ve been let down by the current Mac Pro. There’s still more waiting in the future, but at least there’s light at the end of the tunnel.
It feels a lot longer than that, honestly. Here’s some reading from back in the day:
Imagination Technologies, the British chip designer that provides PowerVR graphics processors for use in the iPhone and iPad, has said that Apple will no longer be licensing its technology in less than two years’ time. In a statement, Imagination says that Apple has notified the company that it’s “working on a separate, independent graphics design in order to control its products and will be reducing its future reliance on Imagination’s technology.”
Here’s a bit from that statement:
Apple has used Imagination’s technology and intellectual property for many years. It has formed the basis of Graphics Processor Units (“GPUs”) in Apple’s phones, tablets, iPods, TVs and watches. Apple has asserted that it has been working on a separate, independent graphics design in order to control its products and will be reducing its future reliance on Imagination’s technology.
Apple has not presented any evidence to substantiate its assertion that it will no longer require Imagination’s technology, without violating Imagination’s patents, intellectual property and confidential information. This evidence has been requested by Imagination but Apple has declined to provide it.
That’s some pretty strong language from Imagination Technologies, but I can understand why. According to Byford, its Apple contract makes up about half of the company’s revenue.
I have little doubt that Apple is working toward building its own GPUs for iOS devices. Like the A series of CPUs, Apple would be able to fine-tune its own silicon for its own needs and see drastic results.
Avery Hartmans and Julie Bort:
When Verizon merges Yahoo with AOL after its acquisition of Yahoo closes, the newly created division will get a new name.
That new name is Oath, sources tell Business Insider.
Yeah, I’m sure this will go well.
Your Apple Watch measures your heart rate every 4 minutes during the day. With CardioBot, you can easily understand the data captured by the Apple Watch so you can improve your lifestyle and discover notable patterns.
CardioBot is an iPhone app that reads heart rate data stored by the Apple Watch in HealthKit. The app separates readings in low, resting, high resting, and elevated heart rate through different colors and charts, allowing you to see averages at a glance.
CardioBot also supports viewing data captured during workouts, and it can also provide sleep analysis information for a complete dashboard of your heart rate. All of this is done with a minimal and elegant interface that makes it easy to view statistics for individual days, browse detailed timelines, and compare day-to-day changes.
Glenn and Shannon Dellimore own at least two original Apple I computers built in 1976 by Steve Wozniak, Dan Kottke, and Steve Jobs. The couple recently purchased one of the computers at auction for $365,000 and then lent it to London’s Victoria and Albert Museum for an exhibition. The hand-built machine is in such good condition that they were able to boot it up and run a simple program.
I’m sure this will fix all of the service’s problems.
To celebrate Autism Acceptance month, the iOS App Store team has put together a new collection:
Now more than ever, autistic people can share their voices with the world. With the help of amazing apps, they can learn, play, and communicate. Through the power of books and podcasts, they can tell their stories. During Autism Acceptance Month, we celebrate how their unique experiences enrich us all.
This is great. Not only will it be a helpful resource for those in this community, but for us outside of it as well to learn more about it. I love seeing Apple do stuff like this.
via Steven Aquino
Today, SpaceX launched one of its Falcon 9 rockets to put a customer satellite (dubbed SES-10) in orbit.
The trick? It’s a rocket that’s been to space already.
Today’s Falcon 9 vehicle was the first one the company successfully recovered at sea. That mission took place back in April 2016. Since then, SpaceX has been inspecting every nook and cranny and testing it to prepare it for today’s mission, when it became the first orbital-class rocket to be used for more than one flight.
They even landed it on the droneship again.
It’s important to note that the whole rocket isn’t reused, just the 14-story lower stage. It houses the nine engines required to lift the vehicle and its payload from the pad and provides the brunt of the horsepower of the Falcon 9.
SpaceX’s vision of taking humanity to low-Earth orbit and beyond with lower and lower costs overtime. Reusing a rocket multiple times is a huge step toward that goal. It’s
a big deal if getting to Mars is ever going to be remotely affordable.
Update: SpaceX also landed the Falcon 9’s fairing for the first time, according to the press event after the launch. The fairing is basically the nose cone of the ship and protects the payload during launch and its trip through the thick atmosphere.
You should read this article by Federico Viticci:
Workflow as an app is an incredibly good acquisition for Apple, but there’s a deeper subtext here. Workflow represents a movement from a large number of users who enjoy working from iOS devices so much, they want to optimize the experience as much as possible. Workflow’s goal wasn’t to merely provide a capable alternative to the Mac’s AppleScript and Automator; Workflow wanted to eclipse legacy scripting environments and usher iOS users into a new era of mobile automation. There’s the Workflow app and team – technically impressive and absolutely talented – and there’s the bigger theme behind Workflow.
But what has Apple acquired, exactly? Under Apple’s control, can Workflow continue on its mission to make automation accessible for everyone? If Apple sees a future in iOS automation powered by Workflow, what else can be done with a virtually infinite budget and stronger ties to the platform? And what does this acquisition mean for Apple’s commitment to pro users on iOS?
I’ve been mulling over these questions for the past week.
This time around, the changes are focused on how the stores interact with business customers:
Apple is planning another shakeup within its retail stores, according to a source who shared the company’s plans with MacRumors. At the end of April, Apple plans to eliminate certain retail positions, including Business Manager, Business Events Lead, Events Coordinator, and Events Lead.
Apple Store Leaders began informing affected employees about the change earlier this week, and many were caught off guard by the sudden sunsetting of specialized positions that have long existed at retail stores.
Ouch.