Judging from what Apple's done so far, if they really wanted to turn the Mac into an iPad, they would just quit selling Macs and try selling more iPads.
Does it actually affect you that Apple isn't selling XServe anymore? It made some sense when Macs had PPC chips and PPC had a performance advantage, but nowadays I can't think of a good use for a rack-mounted Mac. Likewise, I'm going to miss the Mac Pro too, but have you gone to spec one out? It used to be you actually needed a Power Mac to run Photoshop fast enough, or to compile. Now they're just overpowered and overpriced, and Thunderbolt obviates the need for slots.
Yes, Apple is consciously conceding the server and raw CPU markets, probably to Linux. I myself would choose Linux over Mac for those applications, too. But when I want to SSH into that server, or Skype with my girlfriend when I'm away from home, or write some code, it turns out my MacBook works just fine for that.
Thunderbolt doesn't "obviate" the need for slots. Do you have 10k plus invested in pro audio or video gear that requires pci-e? All those guys are going to switch to Windows...
>If you are a PCIe adapter manufacturer and want to make your product compatible with Express Box 3T, please contact Marketing(at)Magma.com to join our Partner Program or Join our Interest List and let us know that you're a developer.
And how many PCIe card makers have patched their drivers to work with this thing?
So it's a software problem rather than a hardware problem. Fine, maybe it's not a finished solution yet--but Apple hasn't stopped selling Mac Pros yet, either.
Does it actually affect you that Apple isn't selling XServe anymore? It made some sense when Macs had PPC chips and PPC had a performance advantage, but nowadays I can't think of a good use for a rack-mounted Mac. Likewise, I'm going to miss the Mac Pro too, but have you gone to spec one out? It used to be you actually needed a Power Mac to run Photoshop fast enough, or to compile. Now they're just overpowered and overpriced, and Thunderbolt obviates the need for slots.
Yes, Apple is consciously conceding the server and raw CPU markets, probably to Linux. I myself would choose Linux over Mac for those applications, too. But when I want to SSH into that server, or Skype with my girlfriend when I'm away from home, or write some code, it turns out my MacBook works just fine for that.