Return-Path: Received: from spike.lmi.net ([66.117.140.17] verified) by media-motion.tv (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 4.2.10) with ESMTP id 5105457 for AE-List@media-motion.tv; Wed, 12 Jun 2013 21:05:43 +0200 Received: from [10.0.1.32] (c-71-198-249-239.hsd1.ca.comcast.net [71.198.249.239]) by spike.lmi.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6464515400F for ; Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:15:37 -0700 (PDT) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Mime-Version: 1.0 (Apple Message framework v1085) Subject: Re: [AE] New MacPro From: Brendan Bolles In-Reply-To: Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 12:15:36 -0700 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Message-Id: <0BCE5F4D-0748-4AE5-A377-CBF3BF6DD2CD@fnordware.com> References: To: "After Effects Mail List" X-Mailer: Apple Mail (2.1085) One thing I find interesting about Apple's strategy is that all their = computers now come with exactly the same ports. MacBook Air, MacBook = Pro, Mac Mini, iMac, and soon Mac Pro will all be expandable using USB 3 = and Thunderbolt. Once you've bought into that ecosystem, you will be = able to swap computers in and out easily, letting you determine which = combination of price/performance/portability is right for you at any = given time. They are doing a similar thing on the software side. Once you buy into = the Apple ecosystem, you get all your media, iWork documents, photos, = and apps synched across your computer, phone, iPad, and Apple TV. Each = device is just one appliance you can use to access the ecosystem. You = can have multiple devices and jump between them easily. Talk about = ease-of-use. Of course, the problem is that maybe you find something about the Apple = ecosystem too limiting. Apple is always going to have limitations, = because they are targeting the mass market and because having a limited = number of configurations has always been a key to keeping their platform = cohesive and reliable. 64 GB of RAM and two GPUs would have been heaven not too long ago, and I = seem to remember people doing some pretty quality work even before it = was possible to equip a computer in that fashion. If what you're doing = puts you in the rarified group of people who must have more, then by all = means, jump ship. Apple is doing what they're doing for a reason. If you don't like it, = don't use it. All the apps we talk about here are virtually identical = across platforms anyway and now the licenses are platform-agnostic as = well. What's the fuss? Brendan