The PC workstation manufacturer BOXX has come out with a humorous video commercial focused on debunking Apple’s new Mac Pro workstation. While the aim isn’t to deprive Apple of attaching the “workstation” badge onto an otherwise qualified professional computer, the ad (which you can see below on YouTube) does poke fun of the many limitations inherent in the new Mac Pro–limitations that have not been lost on many users.
A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Apple Store
BOXX’s special webpage devoted to this comparison pulls no punches. It states:
“Once upon a time, a number of Hollywood blockbusters were edited using a Mac Pro with Final Cut. But in recent years, Apple seems to have shifted their focus away from the professional media and entertainment market in order to widen their consumer appeal with products like the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Although this strategy has paid off handsomely for Apple, it has, unfortunately, left creative professionals in the lurch.”
The page continues with a side by side comparison that list what is missing from the new Mac Pro. Notable items missing include (with commentary):
- CUDA Cores — (there is no Nvidia GPU option and CUDA is an Nvidia technology)
- Nvidia GPU option — (nope, not now but perhaps after Apple gets enough heat…)
- 10 GB Ethernet
- FibreChannel HBA
- iray — (this is relatively new technology but requires Nvidia again)
To BOXX’s credit it notes that Apple’s focus on the professional market and its troubles with demonstrating attention and commitment to pros all started with the release of Final Cut Pro X. Credit is fair because this accurately reflects their attention to what has been happening in Apple’s pro community. Labeled a “regressive release” Final Cut Pro X has been steadily improved but the fallout initially was quite damaging.
While this BOXX YouTube commercial is humorous it is also striking a chord with many professional creatives who have, for years, relied on Apple hardware because they love OS X.
To be fair there are several items mentioned in the video that really shouldn’t be there at all. Only a small percentage of high end pros truly want an over-clocked system. Dell, HP, Lenovo, and the like, rarely if ever produce over-clocked systems. Their mainstay workstations are clocked normally. The same comment would apply to liquid cooling and other such hot-rod trickery.
There is also a comment about “limited Autodesk support” on their web page. Having platform parity with Windows for all of Autodesk’s DCC apps should not be a requirement for judging the new Mac Pro’s worthiness as a true workstation. There are dozens of rivals to Autodesk software that are tried and true pro software tools in DCC, engineering, film, science, architecture and other creative fields–all native on OS X!
To see the BOXX webpage on this go here.
[Corrections: The article has been fixed to address several auto-typos not caught at the time of publication – 4:30 PM, 23 April 2013]
Reader Comments
Stefan Boeykens liked this on Facebook.
http://t.co/TAgx8GrHsW — The world premier of the workstation commercial Apple doesn’t want you to see
http://t.co/TAgx8GrHsW — The world premier of the workstation commercial Apple doesn’t want you to see
#CAD The world premiere of the workstation commercial Apple doesn’t want you to see http://t.co/ged3LBVt1f
#CAD The world premiere of the workstation commercial Apple doesn’t want you to see http://t.co/ged3LBVt1f
Stefan Boeykens liked this on Facebook.
Stefan Boeykens liked this on Facebook.
NorthSaanichBC — all good points you raise! And as I said above, it is also dishonest to discredit the Mac Pro workstation-wise because not all Autodesk software runs natively on it. This is hardware we are talking about.
NorthSaanichBC — as funny as the ad can get in both directions, however, there are legitimate concerns over the lack of CUDA and Nvidia optional support. Apple should have developed a technology strategy for those custom twin-GPU riser cards such that any mfr. could produce an slot-loaded option within the thermal design limits. I can’t for the life of me understand why Apple seems to feel that serving its pro customers either ATI/AMD or Nvidia but not both at the same time is acceptable. On the other hand, it is really nice to see twin workstation class GPU options in a Mac Pro…especially scaling at three stop points.
That Boxx commercial is a bit dishonest in some of the things it says or implies.
But the REALLY funny thing is that you see the small, and silent Mac Pro being easily carried to the table, while the guy promoting Boxx PCs doesn’t have one of his Boxxes with him to show in the commercial.
That’s because Boxx is just that. Big, heavy, noisy, boxes that look like any other huge, poorly engineered PC. It obviously would have been much to embarrassing for Mr. Cowboy Hat to try to carry in the Boxx computer he was talking about, and put it on the table beside the Mac Pro… if the table could hold the weight without collapsing.
And it is understandable why they are talking outside the office, instead of at their work stations. The Mac Pro is completely silent (a huge benefit for anyone editing audio), but the Boxx (even with its water cooling) is noisy as hell.
That Boxx commercial is a bit dishonest in some of the things it says or implies.
But the REALLY funny thing is that you see the small, and silent Mac Pro being easily carried to the table, while the guy promoting Boxx PCs doesn’t have one of his Boxxes with him to show in the commercial.
That’s because Boxx is just that. Big, heavy, noisy, boxes that look like any other huge, poorly engineered PC. It obviously would have been much to embarrassing for Mr. Cowboy Hat to try to carry in the Boxx computer he was talking about, and put it on the table beside the Mac Pro… if the table could hold the weight without collapsing.
And it is understandable why they are talking outside the office, instead of at their work stations. The Mac Pro is completely silent (a huge benefit for anyone editing audio), but the Boxx (even with its water cooling) is noisy as hell.
NorthSaanichBC — all good points you raise! And as I said above, it is also dishonest to discredit the Mac Pro workstation-wise because not all Autodesk software runs natively on it. This is hardware we are talking about.
NorthSaanichBC — as funny as the ad can get in both directions, however, there are legitimate concerns over the lack of CUDA and Nvidia optional support. Apple should have developed a technology strategy for those custom twin-GPU riser cards such that any mfr. could produce an slot-loaded option within the thermal design limits. I can’t for the life of me understand why Apple seems to feel that serving its pro customers either ATI/AMD or Nvidia but not both at the same time is acceptable. On the other hand, it is really nice to see twin workstation class GPU options in a Mac Pro…especially scaling at three stop points.
a reader at MacDailyNews that covered this Architosh story said something that is likely very true:
This isn’t an advert designed to sway Mac users into buying Boxx instead. It’s purpose is to keep it’s existing Boxx customers happy by making them think that they have made a clever decision.
When you’re selling high-end computers, the vast majority of your customers will have a very good understanding of what they need and will understand the pros and cons of alternatives. Such people are not going to change their minds after watching an advert.
What adverts of this type do is to demonstrate that Apple is the brand that other manufacturers are worried about.
———
This isn’t an advert designed to sway Mac users into buying Boxx instead. It’s purpose is to keep it’s existing Boxx customers happy by making them think that they have made a clever decision.
When you’re selling high-end computers, the vast majority of your customers will have a very good understanding of what they need and will understand the pros and cons of alternatives. Such people are not going to change their minds after watching an advert.
What adverts of this type do is to demonstrate that Apple is the brand that other manufacturers are worried about.
Read more at http://macdailynews.com/2014/04/25/boxx-belittles-apples-mac-pro-in-new-commercial-with-video/#MtByqp2Q00y5TmjC.99
a reader at MacDailyNews that covered this Architosh story said something that is likely very true:
This isn’t an advert designed to sway Mac users into buying Boxx instead. It’s purpose is to keep it’s existing Boxx customers happy by making them think that they have made a clever decision.
When you’re selling high-end computers, the vast majority of your customers will have a very good understanding of what they need and will understand the pros and cons of alternatives. Such people are not going to change their minds after watching an advert.
What adverts of this type do is to demonstrate that Apple is the brand that other manufacturers are worried about.
———
This isn’t an advert designed to sway Mac users into buying Boxx instead. It’s purpose is to keep it’s existing Boxx customers happy by making them think that they have made a clever decision.
When you’re selling high-end computers, the vast majority of your customers will have a very good understanding of what they need and will understand the pros and cons of alternatives. Such people are not going to change their minds after watching an advert.
What adverts of this type do is to demonstrate that Apple is the brand that other manufacturers are worried about.
Read more at http://macdailynews.com/2014/04/25/boxx-belittles-apples-mac-pro-in-new-commercial-with-video/#MtByqp2Q00y5TmjC.99
Comments are closed.