Will desktop Mac hardware be supported long term?

This is likely a dumb question to ask, as nobody will actually know the answer and would have to speculate, but even that would be interesting. I'm an "Apple device user" at the moment, owning an iPod, iPhone, and iPad (3). I prefer to use my iPad for anything where I need portability and convenience, and then have a meaty workstation at home for all the serious work. Rather than use a laptop, I prefer to sit at a desk with a full workstation and a couple of larger sized monitors. Currently that is a pc. I would really like to switch over to a 27" iMac with all the possible upgrades. I had even pondered a Mac Pro, as that would work well to run my digital recording studio.

However, I keep hearing comments that kind of scare me. When I was thinking Mac Pro, one of my friends told me not to spend a bunch of money on one of those, as Apple isn't making any money on them and will likely discontinue the Mac Pro altogether. To a certain degree, there were similar rumors about the iMac, with all the quotes about Apple focusing all their attention on the "devices", as that's their big seller, and possibly not putting any effort into the desktop side any more.

I had been under the impression that machines like the iMac were actually getting more and more popular, particularly since they are Intel based, now, and coming out with new technologies like Thunderbolt. Does anyone want to speculate on what the life expectancy of the iMac line might be? I don't care if they've only got 10% of the market share and all that hype, as they're a different market than the cheap pc market, but it would suck if they disappeared altogether... particularly after I cough up over $4,000 for one. Assuming there is a new 2012 iMac, it will be interesting to see what direction it takes.

Bottomline: no one outside Apple (and they're not talking) really knows about the Mac Pro. FWIW I'm waiting to see if they upgrade soon to buy a Mac Pro myself.
I expect the iMac line to be alive and healthy for years to come (but that's just my speculation).

Have to agree there Razor on all counts. I don't see the iMac line going away for the foreseeable future. I hope there are new Mac Pros for those of us who like to tinker a bit but it would not surprise me if they were dropped.

It's not just iMacs and Mac Pros. Desktops across all platforms are not selling as much as they used to. People are opting for notebooks and these "post PC devices" nowadays. However, there is still a very real need for powerful desktop workstations such as your scenario with it hosting a DAW. I doubt Apple will completely discontinue their entire desktop line and give Windows machines a virtual monopoly on that market. If any Apple desktops get discontinued, I would bet the Mac Pro's will probably be the first to go. I don't really expect iMacs to go away anytime soon.

WWDC 2012 is a little over a month away so we will see what's on the horizon then.

No one wants to speculate about the Mini??

toMACsh said:

No one wants to speculate about the Mini??

Click to expand...

Okay, I'll bite . . .

Apple is working on a new Mini Pro, these will come with an upgraded Thunderbolt port that will allow the Mini Pros to be linked like banks in a super computer, that along with an external GPU module will replace the Mac Pro line. . . . ..