Mac Pro

Apple’s next event is upon us, and it’s likely to be action-packed. As Apple says: it has “a lot to cover.” So besides the speculation that rings in from the word cover (new Smart Covers, anyone?), Apple has some new tablets, computers, and software to discuss. Read our full roundup of what to expect (and not expect) on Tuesday, October 22nd, from Apple:

Apple announces October 22nd iPad event: ‘We still have a lot to cover’

Mark Gurman Oct 15 2013 - 9:02 am PT

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Apple has announced that it will be holding its next media event on October 22nd, which is in line with expectations. The event will take place at 10 AM Pacific/1 PM Eastern Time at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California.

The event will likely showcase new versions of the iPad, including a redesigned full-sized model that looks like a larger iPad mini and a new iPad mini that boasts a Retina display.

Also in Apple’s pipeline are new iWork suites, a new version of the Apple TV, new MacBook Pros with faster chipsets, OS X Mavericks, and the new Mac Pro. It’s unclear which of the aforementioned products will actually get stage time this time around, but the new Mac Pro, MacBook Pros, and OS X Mavericks are the most likely to appear in addition to the tablets…

Flextronics could be prepping for new US made Mac Pro w/ hiring spree for “next generation desktop computer”

Jordan Kahn Oct 15 2013 - 7:59 am PT

After Apple announced earlier this year that it would soon begin assembling Made-in-the-USA Macs in Texas and later confirmed it would be the new Mac Pro, it looks like Apple’s manufacturing partner Flextronics is currently preparing for the device’s launch later this year. Austin American-Statesman (via MacRumors) reports that Flextronics recently presented plans to government officials in Austin that would see the company hire up to 1700 employees to manufacture a “next generation desktop computer.” While Apple wasn’t specifically mentioned in the report, the report speculates Apple is the likely client after confirming that Dell is no longer building PCs in the US:

In its presentation, Flextronics, which builds computers, smartphones and other products for a range of brands, specified only that the foreign trade zone designation would help it move production of a “next generation desktop computer” from China to Austin.

The presentation did little to identify an exact brand. A spokesman for Dell Inc., which at one time produced desktops and laptops in North Austin factories, said it no longer builds them in the U.S… However, Flextronics’ presentation did add fuel to the ongoing rumors that Apple Inc.’s new line of Macintosh desktop computers could be built in Austin. Apple CEO Tim Cook said in May that the company would spend about 100 million to move its Mac production to Texas, but he did not disclose a specific site.

That would put manufacturing of the new Mac Pro less than a mile away from Apple’s newly renovated Austin campus that houses mainly customer support and sales staff.

There’s no solid proof that Flextronics new hiring spree is for the Mac Pro, but it looks likely as Apple is expected to begin shipping the redesigned Mac later this year. Latest rumors have it that Apple will show off the new Mac Pro once again at its upcoming iPad event on October 22, while a report this morning claimed it could become available to customers as early as November 15.

Report: New MacBook Pros on sale Oct 24/25, iPads Oct 30/31, Mac Pro Nov 15

Ben Lovejoy Oct 15 2013 - 4:26 am PT

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Image: techbeat.com

French site MacG, which has an imperfect track-record, claims to have been given the dates on which the new MacBook Pros, iPads and Mac Pro will go on sale. The claimed dates are:

MacBook Pro on October 24th or 25th
iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 on October 30th or 31st
Mac Pro on November 15th

With Apple’s media event scheduled for 22nd October, this would put the MacBook Pros on sale very quickly indeed, just two or three days later.

However, the iPad and Mac Pro dates do not make as much sense. Apple has typically launched its new iPad models on Fridays (or Saturday for the original version), making it unlikely that the new tablets would hit store shelves on a Wednesday or Thursday (as the MacGeneration report claims).

As for the Mac Pro, that machine is a built-to-order computer, so perhaps it would be difficult to pinpoint an actual launch date for that product. MacG also happened to have claimed that Apple’s event would occur today, so that does not add much credibility to these new claims.

Below is what we’re expecting to see for each product …
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How-to: Mark up and caption images using Preview on OS X

Sarah Guarino Oct 12 2013 - 9:00 am PT

Preview is a built-in Mac application that has many features that doesn’t get a lot of press. One of them is the ability to place a caption inside the body of the image. Another is to mark up images to remove confidential information. If you double click on an image outside of a photo editor like iPhoto or Aperture, it opens in Preview and can be edited.

Apple will announce next generation iPads at October 22nd event

Zac Hall Oct 8 2013 - 1:50 pm PT

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According to a report from AllThingsD, Apple will debut the next generation of iPad hardware at a media event on October 22.

People familiar with Apple’s plans tell AllThingsD that the company will hold its next invitation-only event on Tuesday October 22. The focal point of the gathering will the latest updates to the company’s iPad line, but new Mac Pro and OS X Mavericks will likely get some stage time as well, I’m told.

We’ve been seeing more and more leaks allegedly showing the slimmer, iPad mini-like design of the next-generation iPad 5 that we first posted images of back in January, and it’s likely Apple will debut the product alongside the much rumored second gen iPad mini later this month. The new iPad 5 is rumored to get the refreshed design and improved internals, while the second generation iPad mini is rumored to include a Retina display. The latest reliable reports claimed the two new iPads will also be receiving an upgraded 8 megapixel camera system.

AllThingsD reports that the event will include announcements regarding OS X Mavericks and the recently announced all-new Mac Pro in addition to new iPads. We first reported that Mavericks would launch in late October. CE: The Magazine previously pegged the fall Apple event for October 22nd.

There have been unconfirmed leaks showing the new iPads in similar colors to the new iPhone 5s, and even whispers of a TouchID fingerprint sensor for the larger of the two new products, but it’s unclear if those features will make it into the next generation iPads.

A7-powered iPad 5 will accelerate the switch from PCs to tablets by two points – analyst

Ben Lovejoy Oct 8 2013 - 4:29 am PT

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The A7-powered iPad 5 expected to be announced next week will accelerate the trend of people using tablets instead of PCs, argues an investment note from Deutsche Bank Equity Research.

We…expect growing [desktop] virtualization and iPad deployments in the enterprise to pressure corporate PC sales through 2014-15…We expect AAPL’s [Apple’s] iPad refresh to include 64 bit architecture, which should enable a greater array of enterprise App development and facilitate greater enterprise penetration over time.

Deutsche Bank had previously forecast that PC shipments would decline by 8 percent in 2013 and 6 percent in 2014, but has now lopped two points of each to predict -10 and -8 percent.

Apple is expected to unveil the new iPad 5 and iPad Mini 2 at a media event on October 15th. With the iPads, OS X Mavericks, the Mac Pro, Haswell-powered MacBook Pros, Haswell Mac Minis and more, the event could be a crowded one.

Via CNET

Apple to hold fiscal Q4 earnings conference call on Monday, October 28th

Benjamin Mayo Oct 7 2013 - 2:56 pm PT

Update: Live webcast will be at www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/earningsq413

Apple will hold its quarterly earnings call to announce results on October 28th, as noted on Apple’s investor website. Typically, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook and CFO Peter Oppenheimer will read prepared statements about the company’s performance, before opening the call to a question and answer session for analysts. The call will begin at 2PM Pacific / 5PM Eastern time. Apple will publish a press release reporting their results about half an hour before the call is due to begin.

Major update to VLC for Mac adds 4K support, improved MKV support, interface improvements and more

Benjamin Mayo Sep 26 2013 - 5:57 am PT

8 Comments

VideoLAN has released version 2.1 of its popular open source video player, VLC. The update — codenamed “Ricewind” — brings new audio processing to the app, to improve both processing performance and audio fidelity. There is full support for surround sound outputs in addition to new effects and many new supported metadata formats for audio.

On the video side, the app has ported the OpenGL output to OpenGL ES, making ports to iOS and Android much easier. Notably, VideoLAN says that VLC is now ready for Ultra-HD content (otherwise known as 4K). The app update has also focused heavily on improving MKV compatibility, including better seek performance and subtitle metadata support.

Pixelmator pushes 2.2.1 update, modernizes file format for significant performance gains

Benjamin Mayo Sep 24 2013 - 8:01 am PT

3 Comments

Pixelmator has pushed a point update to the Mac App Store. Despite its minor bump in version number, the update brings a lot of helpful changes. The timing is ‘intriguing’, as it coincides with Adobe’s announcement of a new version of Photoshop Elements from this morning.

Pixelmator quotes a 2x performance improvement when saving documents, as a result of a move to a new file format. For instance, when saving to iCloud, Pixelmator can now push small deltas of what has changed between saves, rather than saving the entire image every time. This speed up is noticeable in use, with projects saving nearly instantaneously on a Retina Macbook Pro.

Belkin announces YourType Wireless Keypad to extend your Mac’s keyboard

Jordan Kahn Sep 23 2013 - 1:12 pm PT

Belkin has just introduced a new YourType Wireless Keypad made to match your Mac that adds 28 keys to your setup and connects over Bluetooth. There are other options around, like turning your iPhone into a numpad using an app or using Mobee’s $23 overlay for Apple Magic Pad. But for physical keys and a design clearly made to look a lot like Apple’s own Magic Trackpad and fit in with your aluminum Mac, you can pick up the YourType Wireless Keypad for Mac from Belkin’s website now for $59.

Wireless keypad connects to iMac, Mac Pro, or MacBook via Bluetooth
Adds 28 keys, including function and document navigation controls
Aluminum enclosure matches Apple Wireless Keyboard
Low-profile, island-style keys
Includes two AA batteries

New Apple TV in development, could arrive as soon as next month

Mark Gurman Sep 11 2013 - 1:16 pm PT

17 Comments

Apple is working on a new version of the Apple TV, and according to MG Siegler, it could arrive as soon as next month. We have independently heard that a new version of the Apple TV is in development, but our sources have not provided a clear picture in terms of a launch timeframe.

Siegler says that the launch could occur in October, which is the month that we’re expecting new versions of the iPad arrive. It would make sense for Apple to launch the new Apple TV and iPads in tandem as this is a launch combination that it has done in the past (iPad 3 + Apple TV 3 in 2012)…

Glui review: Screenshotting for OS X made a delight, not a chore

Benjamin Mayo Aug 30 2013 - 9:36 am PT

6 Comments

Put plainly, Glui is a screenshot and annotation tool; a utilitarian application. It does not evoke charm, but it doesn’t really need to. What Glui does need to offer is a functional yet efficient workflow and, on this front, it delivers. In use, I never feel like the app is getting in my way.

The activation shortcuts are bound to Shift+Cmd+5 and Shift+Cmd+6 by default to match OS X’s native screenshot shortcuts. These actions select either a rectangular screen region or one window, respectively. With the region mode, the screen cursor changes to a crosshair (which shows x,y pixel coordinates) and the region is chosen by dragging your mouse to create a rectangle. With the window mode, the cursor changes to a camera icon and you simply click on the window you wish to capture.

Although the process is very similar to how OS X’s built-in screenshot features work, it is not identical. For instance, in Glui, window screen grabs do not include the accompanying drop shadow as they do in OS X’s implementation.

Fasten your seatbelts, Mac Pro CPU cracks 30,000 in updated Geekbench tests

Ben Lovejoy Aug 15 2013 - 4:15 am PT

4 Comments

There was much disappointment back in June when the new Mac Pro‘s CPU – the 12-core Xeon E5-2697 – delivered a surprisingly low Geekbench score of 23,901. It had been widely expected to break 30,000.

Some cautioned then that the score, based on a 32-bit build of Geekbench running on an early pre-release version of the CPU with a beta version of Mavericks, might not tell the whole story, and new tests by Tom’s Hardware on V2 of the chip appear to confirm this …
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Will the new Mac Pro’s performance disappoint? The jury’s still out …

Ben Lovejoy Jun 21 2013 - 4:01 am PT

What appears to be a very disappointing Geekbench result for a pre-release version of the new Mac Pro may not tell the whole story, according to a blog entry by Primate Lab’s John Poole.

It had been widely expected that the new Mac Pro would generate a Geekbench score of over 30,000 rather than the 23,901 score posted. Poole suggests that the figure might not be representative of the true performance of the model that will go on sale later this year …
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MacStadium announces plans for Mac Pro hosting and colocation while Macminicolo also plans to be ready at launch

Zac Hall Jun 18 2013 - 9:28 am PT

MacStadium announces plans for Mac Pro hosting and colocation

Less than a week since being teased at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, the Mac Pro is already finding its way into new and useful places. MacStadium, which currently utlizes the Mac mini for dedicated hosting and colocation, has announced plans to offer Mac Pro hosting later this year.

MacStadium has already developed custom racks for the new Mac Pro (via Macworld/TUAW), which features a brand-new design that is much smaller than the previous model, and can store 270 Mac Pros in each Mac Pro POD. That’s fifteen rows, nine columns, and two Mac Pros per slot.
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Apple confirms new version of Final Cut Pro X coming alongside new Mac Pro later this year

Jordan Kahn Jun 11 2013 - 9:37 am PT

Yesterday’s unveiling of the all-new Mac Pro at Apple’s WWDC keynote certainly made up for the fact that we didn’t see any updates to Apple’s pro apps like we we’re hoping. However, you might have missed Phil Schiller’s rather quick confirmation that a new version of Final Cut Pro X is indeed coming later this year:
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First look at Apple’s US manufactured Mac Pro with 4K video and many new features

Michael Steeber Jun 10 2013 - 12:20 pm PT

Immediately following WWDC, Apple has setup Mac Pro demo machines in Moscone West, enclosed in glass cases. This first (blurry) look gives you a little idea what the machine might be like, and how much smaller it really is than the previous generation.

We’ll update this post with additional photos and video if we can grab them.

Apple has also updated its Mac Pro page, adding additional images.

Apple announces next generation Mac Pro

Michael Steeber Jun 10 2013 - 11:04 am PT

Apple has just unveiled a completely redesigned Mac Pro at WWDC. The new machine features a brand new thermal core, with state of the art Intel Xeon chips.

Unlike the previous generation Mac Pro, who’s design remained largely unchanged for years, the new Mac Pro is a cylinder, which is 1/8 the volume of the previous model. According to Phil Schiller, the entire top of the machine is a handle.

Also interesting to note is that the Mac Pro is now built in the USA.

Some surprises we might see at WWDC 2013 next week

Jordan Kahn Jun 7 2013 - 3:45 pm PT

(Preparations for Apple’s 2013 WWDC developer conference / Image via Nick)

There’s a lot we already know about what we’ll be seeing next week at WWDC– we’ve already brought you exclusive details on iOS 7, OS X 10.9, a MacBook refresh, Apple’s new Radio service, and much more. What else might we see Apple show off next week? Below are a couple of our best predictions based on what we think Apple is most likely to show off as well as few things we’ve been hearing:
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Sharp’s bringing ‘highest pixel density’ IGZO displays yet, could end up in next round of Retina MacBooks

Jordan Kahn May 16 2013 - 9:38 am PT

Sharp, one of Apple’s display suppliers that is rumored to have just begun production on next-gen iPhone displays, this week announced it will soon begin producing notebook displays with the highest pixel density in the biz. With displays ranging from 11.6 inches to 15.6 inches, it’s entirely a possibility that one could end up in a next generation MacBook with Retina display.

IGZO technology enables smaller thin-film transistors and increased light transmittance. As a result, fine text can be rendered crisply and clearly, and images can be displayed with impressive realism. For example, the 14-inch panel boasts a pixel density of 262 ppi, which represents 1.67 times the number of pixels of full high definition*3. Increased light transmittance also means lower rates of energy consumption, with IGZO technology reducing the amount of power required to drive liquid crystals during the display of still images. These factors lead to greater energy efficiency and longer battery life on notebook PCs. IGZO technology is also compatible with stylus-input touchscreen functionality.

Sharp will start producing the displays, which boast a resolution up to 3,200 x 1,800 and pixel density of 262 ppi, in June and already has a 13.3-inch model being mass produced.
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OS X 10.8.4 code confirms new Macs incoming with super-fast 802.11ac Gigabit wireless support

Mark Gurman Apr 9 2013 - 7:41 pm PT

Apple is preparing to soon release new Mac computers that support super-fast 802.11ac Gigabit wireless, according to code-findings inside of Apple’s latest OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.4 beta seed to developers. The code was located by a tipster inside of the operating system’s WiFi-frameworks folder. As you can see in the image directly below, the 802.11ac code is not found in OS X 10.8.3, which is the latest public release of Apple’s Mac operating system.

Previous reports have claimed that Apple is working with wireless chipmaker Broadcom to produce 802.11ac chips for future Macs. Now, it appears, Apple’s software is ready to support the new wireless technology as well. More details below…

Intel announces 2014 Thunderbolt update with 4K support; opens door for Retina iMacs?

Mark Gurman Apr 8 2013 - 12:53 pm PT

Retina iMac mockup via <a href="http://macspoilers.com/665/a-slimmed-down-retina-imac-rumored-to-launch-with-the-ipad-min/"><em>MacSpoilers</em></a>

Today, Intel announced a new version of its Thunderbolt technology that will ship with devices in 2014. The new Thunderbolt technology supports up to 20Gbps throughput, which is up from the 10 Gbps supported by the current version of Thunderbolt.

Notably, the new technology supports 4K resolutions, which could open the door for even higher-resolution Mac displays. Perhaps, this is the technology that Apple needs to work with in order to begin a Retina display rollout for its all-in-one desktop computer, the iMac, or even Mac Pro compatible Thunderbolt displays.

Rumor claims Mac Pro update coming this month

Mark Gurman Apr 8 2013 - 12:37 pm PT

According to an unverified rumor from MacDailyNews, Apple will announce the next generation of its Mac Pro line sometime this month.

Apple will announce its replacement for the company’s Mac Pro lineup this month, a source who has been correct about Apple product matters in the past has just informed us. We cannot independently corroborate this information, so this item has been categorized as a rumor.

MacDailyNews says its source for this information has provided accurate information in the past, but the site still classifies the information as a “rumor” because it could not corroborate the details. The site previously reported accurate information regarding iCloud pricing and the iOS name.

The site is not sure if this will be a revamp to the existing Mac Pro or a new computer that will be deemed as a Mac Pro replacement.

Earlier this year, we reported that new regulatory standards forced Apple to discontinue its current model of Mac Pros. The computer has since been removed from multiple European online stores.

Apple CEO Tim Cook previously told an Apple customer that Apple is working on something “really great” in the Pro space for “later” in 2013.