I don’t think Apple will ever go back to multiple sockets.
You have to kindly ask 😅😛
I don’t think Apple will ever go back to multiple sockets.
- might negatively impact modern PCIe speeds and comparability (the newest standards are touchy);
- would increase the cost and complexity of a machine that already costs too much.
But every connector and cm of distance you add, it becomes more and more difficult to make fast.Daughterboards can use proprietary connections not PCIe so they can be as fast as they need to be, but no more.
They are now a CPU provider. The economic incentive has changed. Like Intel and AMD they can make more money by selling CPU upgrades more frequently than system upgrades. If you can have up to two daughtercards that’s even more profitable and at the same time a metric **** ton of power for users.
It's aimed at corporate buyers, it's a tool, and the cost of the machine is a rounding error in the total cost of employment of the people using it. *And* it can be written off on corporate taxes as a capital expense.The Mac Pro has become such an unbelievable dumb product. There is literally no reason to get it except to turn your nose up at the peasants and evil laugh about how much money you have... And speaking of money, anyone that thinks Apple is going to lower their prices is kidding themselves. They are squeezing every last nickel they can out of everything.
Semiconductor manufacturing equipment. These are 'darkfield' scan tools. They fire lasers across the surface of the wafer and identify defects based on how the light scatters on the far side. They can tell precisely (within 10 nanometers) where the defect is, the size in both x and y directions, and other characteristics.what kind of work do you do that you have a tool running on 18 Mac pros?!?
I'm mostly just surprised anything like that would be running on arm macOS
semiconductor manufacturingWhat industry are you in ?
Semiconductor manufacturing equipment. These are 'darkfield' scan tools. They fire lasers across the surface of the wafer and identify defects based on how the light scatters on the far side. They can tell precisely (within 10 nanometers) where the defect is, the size in both x and y directions, and other characteristics.
Then, the tools process rules on these defects (is it too small, too big, too A, too B, too C, only seen by the left laser, only seen by the right laser and so on) to provide additional information on each defect found.
The scan fairly quickly, and are processing a ton of information on every wafer.
These have two ‘columns’ of Mac pros in them, there are also a couple of Windows PCs for a total of like 20 computers.And these run on ARM macOS?
These have two ‘columns’ of Mac pros in them, there are also a couple of Windows PCs for a total of like 20 computers.
These aren’t ARM Macs (I don’t believe I ever said they were, but merely and example of something needing PCIE slots).I'm curious about the software
what is ARM macOS doing exactly?
I would expect stuff like this to be linux or maybe even windows these days...
They are not a cpu provider
They are an appliance company that happens to design their own custom cpus for said appliances
Making a CPU of any kind in this day and age is a serious undertaking.So they are a CPU provider for their own appliances. Got it!
That used to be the case more you know, with manufacturers using in house designs - DEC had alpha, Sun had SPARC, IBM's had a dozen archs, Motorola had 68k, Acorn (with Apple and VLSI) had ARM, older purpose driven machines like the Cray-1 had their own specific proc types, etcSo they are a CPU provider for their own appliances. Got it!
That used to be the case more you know, with manufacturers using in house designs - DEC had alpha, Sun had SPARC, IBM's had a dozen archs, Motorola had 68k, Acorn (with Apple and VLSI) had ARM, older purpose driven machines like the Cray-1 had their own specific proc types, etc
Hey, the last Commodore Amigas were NINETIES machines. I know kids today think every year that starts with a 1 happened at the same time, but it was a different decade.Some folks are still making CPU upgrades for ancient systems. The Amiga not only still getting FPGA based upgrades but still getting new system roms too. It must be the oldest system still being updated by fans. It can now playback videos and mp3s and use some USB peripherals even though it is an 80s machine. Crazy ****.
So they are a CPU provider for their own appliances. Got it!
Like Intel and AMD they can make more money by selling CPU upgrades more frequently than system upgrades.
I'm sure Apple won't do it... but it would be interesting if Apple could sell SoCs and reference motherboard designs into the Linux server space.That's not their business model. So they aren't a CPU provider in the sense that you are saying. They design appliances, the cpu is part of the design. It is not a separate part that they are a provider of.
Not quite right. Legally they can't sell Apple Silicon because the design really does come from Apple. TSMC has the fab plants to actually make the chips. They sell chips with other ARM designs, but some other client has to provide a design that the client legally owns.Really TSMC is the CPU provider here, and they certainly aren't going to sell you any apple silicon.
I've give you that Apple is not going to license out their CPUs for anybody else to use, so they're not a CPU provider, but a system provider, with custom Arm-based CPUs.That's not their business model. So they aren't a CPU provider in the sense that you are saying. They design appliances, the cpu is part of the design. It is not a separate part that they are a provider of.
(Really TSMC is the CPU provider here, and they certainly aren't going to sell you any apple silicon.)
...but saying TSMC is the CPU provider is the biggest twisting of truth I've heard in a while. By that logic AMD doesn't provide CPUs or GPUs either, as those parts also come from TSMC. And I guess Foxconn is the Playstation provider, as well as the Xbox provider, AND the Switch provider too.
Not quite right. Legally they can't sell Apple Silicon because the design really does come from Apple. TSMC has the fab plants to actually make the chips. They sell chips with other ARM designs, but some other client has to provide a design that the client legally owns.
what part is not quite right?
It will be interesting to see down the road if Right to Repair will force Apple to sell SoC's.I'm sure Apple won't do it... but it would be interesting if Apple could sell SoCs and reference motherboard designs into the Linux server space.
Apple currently rides the line:It will be interesting to see down the road if Right to Repair will force Apple to sell SoC's.