Replies to post #142389 on Apple Inc (AAPL)

[Investors3]

Apple officially discontinues the iMac Pro
Friday, March 19, 2021 4:55 pm

Apple’s iMac Pro has been officially discontinued as of Friday afternoon, with the “pro” all-in-one no longer available for purchase from the online Apple Store.

the Apple Online Store page for iMac Pro sprouted a “while supplies last” tagline and commentators figured that Apple was on the verge of discontinuing the machine.

Juli Clover for MacRumors:

The ?iMac Pro? went out of stock in the United States and other countries earlier today, and now, the ?iMac Pro? page has been removed entirely from Apple’s website.

With the ?iMac Pro? page eliminated, there is no longer an option to buy an ?iMac Pro? in the United States or in any other country, and the machine is no longer listed in the Apple Store app, nor does a search bring up ?iMac Pro? listings.

Apple has also changed the Mac compatibility filter for the ?iMac Pro? to say “2017” instead of “2017 and later,” making it clear that there will be no more ?iMac Pro? models in the future.

MacDailyNews Take: Considered by many to be a stopgap machine to assuage “pro” users while Apple scrambled to replace the Mac Pro after Apple’s lamentable “ignore the Mac professionals” period, for which the company eventually apologized, there is no longer a need for the iMac Pro. It’s emblematic of a mistake; a band-aid on a cancer. Sayonara.

Thankfully, Apple eventually woke up and we now have a real Mac Pro (can’t wait until models start dumping Intel for superior Apple Silicon)!

Apple discontinues 512GB and 1TB SSD configurations of 21.5-inch iMac
Saturday, March 20, 2021 12:11 pm

Shortly after officially discontinuing the iMac Pro, Apple has also discontinued the 512GB and 1TB SSD configurations of the 4K 21.5-inch iMac.

Sami Fathi for MacRumors:

Last month, both options became unavailable for purchase, although it was unclear at the time whether it was a temporary issue due to a component supply problem or if it was a permanent decision to no longer offer the options.

Apple has now removed both of the affected SSD options from the ?iMac?’s configuration page entirely, leaving a 256GB SSD and a 1TB Fusion Drive as the only options for customers.

MacDailyNews Take: With the 21.5-inch iMac configs being retired, new iMacs, expected to sport an iPad Pro-like design, seem imminent!

Last week, an unreleased iMac with an ARM processor has appeared via Xcode’s Crash Reporter feature when a developer’s application crashed while being used on an iMac powered by an ARM processor. Apple does not currently sell an iMac powered by an ARM processor, so this signals that the app was being used on an unreleased iMac with Apple Silicon processor.

https://macdailynews.com/2021/03/20/apple-discontinues-512gb-and-1tb-ssd-configurations-of-21-5-inch-imac/

[Investors3]

New MacBook Pros said to be revealed at WWDC next month
Monday, May 24, 2021 5:32 pm

On the heels of a Bloomberg News report last week that new Apple Silicon-powered MacBook Pros could come as soon as this summer, prolific leaker Jon Prosser has said that new MacBook Pros are coming at WWDC.

i can confirm macbook pro is coming https://t.co/p2Hzh5TVSm

— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) May 24, 2021

Chance Miller for 9to5Mac:

Apple’s next MacBook Pro update is expected to bring a new design, Apple Silicon inside, and perhaps upgraded mini-LED display technology. The new design is said to be flatter, similar to the iPad Pro, and will reportedly be available in 14-inch and 16-inch display sizes. The “MacBook Pro” logo beneath the display is also rumored to be removed, while ports such as HDMI and MagSafe are expected to return alongside an SD card slot.

The Apple Silicon chip inside is likely to be something similar to the “M1X,” with Bloomberg reporting that it will feature a 10-core design with eight high-performance cores and two high-efficiency cores. Apple will offer two variations of the chip, one with 16 GPU cores and another with 32 GPU cores.

MacDailyNews Take: These new MBP units will kick all other portable computers’ asses, not only in design and operating system, but now also in performance.

https://macdailynews.com/2021/05/24/new-macbook-pros-said-to-be-revealed-at-wwdc-next-month/

[Investors3]

Study: Apple Macs have lower Total Cost of Ownership than Windows PCs
Thursday, October 7, 2021 10:49 am

When employees were sent home en masse at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, IT teams were forced to quickly adapt to a dramatic increase in remote work. Now, many employees are advocating to stay remote or to move to a hybrid model when they are in the office part-time. A new study by Dimensional Research finds, yet again, that Apple Macs and other Apple devices have many advantages, including lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

Dimensional Research via Kandjii:

The hybrid workforce is expanding dramatically

• 94% have hybrid workers
• 70% more than doubled the number of remote or hybrid workers in past two years
• 87% say that the good of hybrid work outweighs the bad
• 97% agree the hybrid workforce is here to stay

Apple device adoption increases as the hybrid workforce grows

• 76% report increase in use of Apple devices in past two years
• 63% say use of Mac notebook computers increased in past two years
• 53% cite an increase in requests for Apple devices among employees
• Many more IT stakeholders reported an increase in requests for Apple devices than reported an increase in requests for other types of devices (42% vs. 11%)

Apple devices have advantages for remote management

• 95% face challenges managing remote devices
• 48% believe Apple devices have advantages over other types of devices for hybrid workers
• 54% of IT device management stakeholders and 56% of IT leadership have increased confidence in their ability to remotely manage Apple devices in the past two years
• 75% agree that Apple devices have lower overall Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

MacDailyNews Take: Of course Macs have lower TCO than crappy Windows PCs. This has been known and documented now for many years.

https://macdailynews.com/2021/10/07/study-apple-macs-have-lower-total-cost-of-ownership-than-windows-pcs/

See also:
• IBM now has over 290,000 Apple Macs and other devices deployed – November 12, 2019
• The debate is over: IBM confirms that Apple Macs are $535 less expensive than Windows PCs – October 20, 2016
• IBM realizes huge savings with largest-ever enterprise Mac deployment: 100,000 Macs by end of year – October 19, 2016
• Enterprise Desktop Alliance: Apple Macs cost a lot less than Windows PCs to manage – March 9, 2010
• IT survey finds Macs in the enterprise easier, cheaper to manage than Windows PCs – March 18, 2010
• Pfeiffer Consulting: Mac vs Windows: Total Cost of Ownership, Productivity and Return on Investment – March 30, 2006