New Macs! + New OS 10.8 + New iOS 6

[dezzo]

I've been waiting for the new Macbook pro and it's finally here! Looking at taking the plunge.

Has anyone had experience of both the Flash Drive versus the standard RPM drive with Logic? I'm wondering whether it's worth throwing in an extra 1000 bucks, but I'll do it if it makes Logic run that bit faster I can't figure out if it just makes the opening of programs faster, or would it help for loading in new instruments and the in program running of Logic, etc?

Thanks!

[David]

And regarding Mac Pros, maybe, just maybe, all hope is not lost? Maybe it will look different? Who knows what this means: here's what David Pogue reports in the NY Times:

Many Apple observers also wonder if Apple thinks that desktop computers are dead, since not a word was said about the iMac and Mac Pro. An executive did assure me, however, that new models and new designs are under way, probably for release in 2013.

Source: An Explanation of the News From Apple

[darudevil]

I've been waiting for the new Macbook pro and it's finally here! Looking at taking the plunge.

Has anyone had experience of both the Flash Drive versus the standard RPM drive with Logic? I'm wondering whether it's worth throwing in an extra 1000 bucks, but I'll do it if it makes Logic run that bit faster I can't figure out if it just makes the opening of programs faster, or would it help for loading in new instruments and the in program running of Logic, etc?

Thanks!

I've had a 17" since last year with 512Gb SSD and 8Gb memory and Logic performance is awesome, though my laptop comparison is my earlier 5 years old 2nd gen Intel MBP. So far anything I've worked on my studio MP Octo 2,93GHz also runs fine on my MBP, granted I make measly electronic dance music so no complex string arrangements etc. HD speed has so far been enough for 40-70 mixed audio and intrument tracks with one shot samples here, longer recordings there. That said, I don't think I ever had any HD speed problems with my old one, either, just the CPU ran out pretty quick.

I don't consider SSD being only great for Logic, but the all-around performance and snappyness is just simply great, like booting Photoshop and other similar software still makes me smile, it takes a fraction of the time my earlier machine took. Copying stuff to and from an FW800 disk is fast, and obviously TB drives will be screaming compared to that (but still rather expensive, so I haven't gotten one yet). And booting the machine itself takes literally less than 20 seconds, depends on how fast I punch in my user passwd...

[Eriksimon]

The Mac Pro is still not updated.

The Mac Pro got a refresh. It now features the new Xeon E5 processors: http://www.apple.com/macpro/specs.html

I only see Xeon E processors on one (2.4 gHz) of the three 12 core (not-for-Logic) Mac Pros. The quad stil has the W3565 processor...? And o yeah and wow the top 12 core has gone from 2.93 to 3.06 kHz, from the X5670 to X5675? I wonder if benchmarks will show any improvement in speed... Not too much creative effort seems to have gone into this "upgrade".

pic 2012-06-12 at 09.51.47.PNG (36.43 KiB) Viewed 3136 times

[Eriksimon]

Just pulled this off of Mac Rumors website:

Update: A MacRumors reader writes in to share an email he received from Apple CEO Tim Cook after he asked about the future of the Mac Pro:
Our pro customers are really important to us...don't worry as we're working on something really great for later next year.

"A MacRumors reader writes in to share an email he received from Apple CEO Tim Cook after he asked about the future of the Mac Pro"

I actually called Obama and he rang me back to assure me that this is indeed correct. "They're working on something, quote, "Really Great" - that's what Tim told me, at least."

I'm sorry, but when "pulling something off a website" there is absolutely no reason not to support that by actually posting a link to that website, which you didn't, which is suspicious to say the least.

[Markisflippinsweet]

I personally found this year's WWDC to be a major let down. I was expecting the Mac line up to be more majorly upgraded to SSD's, and Retina Display's on all models including a display. I can't believe that the Retina Display MacBook Pro doesn't have a Super Drive!
With iOS, it all really just seemed like a slight add on of iOS 5, as though they could have just updated to a new version of 5 itself.
Oh well... This only means really big things for next year.

Mark

[furrytoes]

Did you upgrade from Snow Leopard? If so, consider going back to it.

+1 to that - which I did.
Do note, however, that a reasonable amount of software is already Lion only - and the list is growing. As of today, "Aperture" was added to that list.

[logic8mine]

Did you upgrade from Snow Leopard? If so, consider going back to it.

Thanks Ski, unfortunately, I think that's my next move.

worth exploring why that is...a lot of people are doing very well with lion and logic (me, for example).
some quirks here & there, but overall...more stable than i've ever had it. am really happy with this, just...anxious to see what's next (logic X..?)

I checked everything I can apart from doing the clean erase and install. The problem with that is, I will lose many of my Pro Tools plug-ins. They have exceeeded their maximum authorizations. Anyway, I've narrowed my problem down to Logic & Kontakt 5. It's latency, triples or quadruples that of Logic's software instruments. Even with the buffer size set to 32, it does not improve...

The mbp was taken to apple for a repair back in February because I was experiencing a great deal of choppy playback and sample rate errors. They originally said the Logic board needed to be replaced and then balked and said a clean erase and install was needed instead. I cloned the drive and reinstalled after upgrading to Lion. Anyway, after much troubleshooting, I discovered my audio issues were related to Kontakts memory server. Turning it off elimanted them. But the latency was even greater than before...

[David]

Just pulled this off of Mac Rumors website:

Update: A MacRumors reader writes in to share an email he received from Apple CEO Tim Cook after he asked about the future of the Mac Pro:
Our pro customers are really important to us...don't worry as we're working on something really great for later next year.

(...) I'm sorry, but when "pulling something off a website" there is absolutely no reason not to support that by actually posting a link to that website, which you didn't, which is suspicious to say the least.

See: New Mac Pros coming up - CONFIRMED

[lookatthisguy]

Already I've seen comments online; people decrying the new MacBook Pro with Retina Display (an ungodly name, if you ask me) not an actual "pro" computer anymore, but a souped-up version of the Air because of the loss of built-in ethernet/FireWire/optical drive, which, okay, that's their opinion, but knowing how Apple is, that sentiment seems a bit troglodytic to me.

But then, I came across this article on TUAW, referencing the initial iFixit teardown and the revelation that this laptop cannot be aftermarket upgraded. Proprietary SSD type apparently, and RAM is soldered to the motherboard.

Of course, I think I'd be okay for a few years longer with a 768 GB drive and 16 GB RAM were I to go that route, but there's still that egregious Apple premium ($500 to upgrade the drive, $200 to double the RAM), and that's the sticking point that gets me.

[dezzo]

Thanks for putting that up, look at this guy. Didn't realise you couldn't add your own RAM, that's a big deal breaker, plus no ethernet. Rethinking now. Might just look into upgrading my memory and add a new SSD to my existing laptop, while I wait for them to re-release the "classic" macbook pro, once the complaints roll in

[David]

Here's a review of the new retina display MacBook Pro:

http://www.cnet.com/laptops/apple-macbo ... uselMain.0

[petsounds]

Already I've seen comments online; people decrying the new MacBook Pro with Retina Display (an ungodly name, if you ask me) not an actual "pro" computer anymore, but a souped-up version of the Air because of the loss of built-in ethernet/FireWire/optical drive, which, okay, that's their opinion, but knowing how Apple is, that sentiment seems a bit troglodytic to me.

I'm quite sure 3rd parties will figure out how to duplicate the SSD connector, but it won't be an easy upgrade. Apple's product page says that a Firewire-to-Thunderbolt adapter is coming soon; I'm not sure if there will be any performance degradations from this -- since I use the Ensemble, Firewire is of great importance to me and I think it's premature of Apple to get rid of all Firewire ports for a 'pro' machine. The product page also says an Ethernet-to-Thunderbolt adapter is coming. These are fine and all, but each extra adapter you take means less portability and more likelihood of forgetting something.

[Ahmad]

That is the biggest sticking point for me. Just because an adapter makes fw devices compatible with the thunderbolt port, doesnt mean it will necessarily work as well as a regular firewire port. I dont see why it wouldnt, but you never know... If not a speed issue, there is still the question of bus power, daisy chains, etc..

[lookatthisguy]

I'm not as knowledgeable about the minutiae of how the hardware operates, but I can't imagine that the data being adapted into a much faster protocol would take such a hit in performance that we'd be put out by it, unless there's something really screwy with that adaption process.(?) Aside from high-priced, locked-in upgrades, my primary concern is the replacement of storage or RAM should something go wrong. I mean, a RAM failure would require an entire motherboard replacement, and what would that cost after AppleCare expires (assuming you bought it)? I agree with the assessment that pro computers need a little flexibility/pliability to them, and this ain't it.

[michaelhuisman]

Good luck with the joke that's Windows 8

Maybe, you're missing the point. Right now, I'm having no luck with OS X Lion and Logic Pro 9.

Did you upgrade from Snow Leopard? If so, consider going back to it.

What's the recommendation for folks needing iCloud services (email, calendaring) or an app such as Aperture?

I'm actually considering removing any of this kind of stuff from my main machine, and leaving that kind of stuff to a separate machine or iPad... have had a quick look at Mountain Lion DP4 on another machine, and... I'm just not sure all of these "bells and whistles" should be running on a machine hosting a DAW... (although - I haven't followed my own advice on this so far!!!)

[jordito]

Check out ifixit's disassembly guide for the Retina Macbook Pro....shocking!

Case in (negative) point(s):

-Proprietary pentalobe screws prevent you from gaining access to anything inside.

-As in the MacBook Air, the RAM is soldered to the logic board. Max out at 16GB now, or forever hold your peace—you can't upgrade.

-The proprietary SSD isn't upgradeable either (yet), as it is similar but not identical to the one in the Air. It is a separate daughtercard, and we’re hopeful we can offer an upgrade in the near future.

-The lithium-polymer battery is glued rather than screwed into the case, which increases the chances that it'll break during disassembly. The battery also covers the trackpad cable, which tremendously increases the chance that the user will shear the cable in the battery removal process.

-The display assembly is completely fused, and there’s no glass protecting it. If anything ever fails inside the display, you will need to replace the entire extremely expensive assembly.

MacBook Pro with Retina Display Teardown

J.

[emirium]

Already I've seen comments online; people decrying the new MacBook Pro with Retina Display (an ungodly name, if you ask me) not an actual "pro" computer anymore, but a souped-up version of the Air because of the loss of built-in ethernet/FireWire/optical drive, which, okay, that's their opinion, but knowing how Apple is, that sentiment seems a bit troglodytic to me.

But then, I came across this article on TUAW, referencing the initial iFixit teardown and the revelation that this laptop cannot be aftermarket upgraded. Proprietary SSD type apparently, and RAM is soldered to the motherboard.

Of course, I think I'd be okay for a few years longer with a 768 GB drive and 16 GB RAM were I to go that route, but there's still that egregious Apple premium ($500 to upgrade the drive, $200 to double the RAM), and that's the sticking point that gets me.

Wow, this may be the end of my Apple days. I don't like this at all, I've smashed my MacBook Pro screen(s) a couple of times over the years and repaired them, I've swapped out failed Logic Boards on MacBooks and PowerBooks, and I regularly upgrade my HDs (in both my MacBooks and iMacs)...moving from one SSD to the next; I've never bought factory installed SSDs because they are a) sub-par performance and b) excessively over-priced...same with their RAM, though to a lesser extent. Also, I've always ran 2 HDs in my laptops for the last 4 years (sometimes one SSD and one HDD); why? Because a) external drives don't play well with macs, and b) internal drives are faster, and c) less hassle...

I'm good with an iron & meter, but de-soldering off a board worth 2.5k would not be my ideal Sunday afternoon.

It's not a pro computer, nothing troglodytic about that sentiment AT ALL. Think lunchbox®, modular synths, Max/Msp, even rack format etc. etc., for the professional it's all about being able to tailor a configuration to suit their needs.

There's a great talk by Eben Moglen about why this kind of propriety lock-down technology is bad for creativity and the human race in-general:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2VHf5vpBy8

If UAD or Scope go Linux, I'm ditching my mac-dongles forever (and there's more Mac Dongles in this room than my signature can fit).

[emirium]

I'm not as knowledgeable about the minutiae of how the hardware operates, but I can't imagine that the data being adapted into a much faster protocol would take such a hit in performance that we'd be put out by it, unless there's something really screwy with that adaption process.(?) Aside from high-priced, locked-in upgrades, my primary concern is the replacement of storage or RAM should something go wrong. I mean, a RAM failure would require an entire motherboard replacement, and what would that cost after AppleCare expires (assuming you bought it)? I agree with the assessment that pro computers need a little flexibility/pliability to them, and this ain't it.

Exactly, I've had RAM and HD failures bring my (and some friends I do favours for) Macs to a halt...easy fixes, up until now. Besides the cost of sending something back to Apple, there's also the hassle of data-security and turnaround.

[michaelhuisman]

with regard to the retina MBP... I don't quite understand the uproar here (unless we're mourning the end of the 17" line).

The fastest 15"-er according to GeekBench is not the retina version, but the "regular one", the one with user-upgradeable parts, and... the ability to put a SSD in the optical drive bay slot, which for us musicians, is the killer setup anyway (IMHO, and this is the direction that I'm going to go).

just saying'...