This week’s Apple World Wide Developers Conference delivered one likely Hollywood blockbuster amid more than two hours of announcements about new features, privacy initiatives, operating systems and more. That blockbuster was the long-awaited update to its highest-end computer, the Mac Pro, said Grant Petty, founder and CEO of Blackmagic Design, which makes video and audio hardware and publishes do-everything production software DaVinci Resolve.
“They’ve basically done everything (the high-end users) wanted, and possibly more,” Petty said. “Movies look like (they do) because (creators) keep adding effects until the machines max out. So, when you get more power, you can do more stuff.”
Based on that, Hollywood should be able to do a lot more “stuff.” Top-end specifications on the new machine are eye-popping, and so is the all-in price, around $35,000. The base machine will cost $5,999, though it’s a good bet that few in its target market will settle for that configuration unless they plan to load a machine up with all the add-ons they already have.
These high-end customers must edit gigantic files of ultra-high-resolution video, perform processor-intensive visual effects and color correction, or edit audio or musical compositions with dozens or even hundreds of tracks. Creators of virtual reality and immersive entertainment experiences also must wrestle with giant files, and need machines that can move that information around in liquid enough fashion to keep up with their creativity.
Those high-end users have been griping for years about Apple’s inability to update its last Mac Pro design, which debuted in 2013 at a base price of $8,100. Though stylish, compact and decidedly different looking, the last Mac Pro couldn’t accommodate heat-generating newer upgrades, an important consideration for high-end users who routinely swap in more powerful graphics cards, faster memory or bigger storage.
Read more at Forbes.com