Workstation specialist BOXX has launched an all-out assault on Apple’s new and yet unshipped iMac Pro, set to be released this December.
BOXX says “Think Again”
Complete with an attractive marketing website redo, featuring video footage of Steve Jobs at different points in his career, BOXX deliberately lays out a critical take on the recent history of Apple’s collapsed interest in its historic user base—creative pros.
This is, without a doubt, the most direct and confrontation assault on Apple’s Mac loyalists, those who stuck with and defended the company through its darkest days in the late 90’s.
The BOXX webpage reads:
“Twenty years ago, Apple asked us to think different. Now BOXX asks you to think again.”
BOXX spends considerable web real estate devoted to telling the story of Apple’s evolution from a computer maker focused on pro markets to a hugely successful consumer-focused devices maker. It asks: “But what happened to innovation for creative pros like you?”
01 – BOXX uses historic video underlay of Steve Jobs in their direct attack on Apple.
BOXX makes a compelling argument in a side-by-side comparison of the new and yet unshipping iMac Pro and some of its latest BOXX workstation hardware (APEXX 4). It also provides videos and speed comparison tests between the current and ill-fated Mac Pro and the APEXX 4. There is also a complete downloadable BOXX vs Apple: Battle of the Benchmarks report.
MORE: Breaking the Jobsian Quadrant: Why Apple Finally Made the iMac Pro
BOXX encourages Apple loyalty by saying, “Continue to enjoy your iPhone, your iTunes, and your iPad—just like we do. But trust your software applications, your productivity, and your profits to APEXX 4, the only computer workstation built exclusively for creative pros like you.”
Apple’s Response
At this point, Apple doesn’t have a true worthy response to such a competitor attack. BOXX workstations are truly modular machines—not all-in-ones. And why Architosh’s own workstation research confirms there are many creative pros who actually do want a machine like the iMac Pro, there are many pros that clamor for a modular workstation that can truly compete with the best folks like BOXX can put out there.
02 – Mac creative pros may have a hard time digesting the numbers in such a report. But it sends a signal that Apple needs to raise its game.
Let’s hope Apple’s future modular Mac Pro comes soon. With attacks like this from folks like HP and now BOXX it becomes apparent that Apple’s loyal creatives are sticking with Apple over just the OS and ecosystems but at the cost of parity with their Windows colleagues.
Reader Comments
BOXX = Winblows. ‘Nuff said. No amount of money will get me to spend a large chunk of my life looking at that ugly, user-hostile pile of rancid spaghetti. When BOXX acquires and develops BeOS, or produces a consumer-friendly version of Unix that can truly compete with macOS, then I’ll listen.
BOXX = Winblows. ‘Nuff said. No amount of money will get me to spend a large chunk of my life looking at that ugly, user-hostile pile of rancid spaghetti. When BOXX acquires and develops BeOS, or produces a consumer-friendly version of Unix that can truly compete with macOS, then I’ll listen.
Majikthize,
Thanks for sharing your comments. And we at Architosh certainly agree with your sentiment about Winblows!
Majikthize,
Thanks for sharing your comments. And we at Architosh certainly agree with your sentiment about Winblows!
Majikthize,
In general BOXX’s highly-focused workstations are not inexpensive machines, but they are definitely very high performing, particularly the over-clocked models. Apple will never produce over-clocked machines, but they have the engineering capacity to certainly put up a very good fight. The key thing is Apple’s users just don’t seem interested in Windows as a computing experience—it takes them off the Apple ecosystem between iOS, watchOS, tvOS, macOS—and increasingly, that ecosystem is delivering practical advantages (e.g.: Handoff, etc).
The One and only IMac Pro, ….sorry Hurts…..
The One and only IMac Pro, ….sorry Hurts…..
I’m also not all that impressed with the price/performance ratio of BOXX offerings. Looking at various component combinations, prices look about the same as what Apple’s offering. I had expected big savings, but they’re not in evidence on systems with similar processors, RAM and storage. This looks to me like a click-baity attempt to grab attention on the part of BOXX. Meh.
I’m also not all that impressed with the price/performance ratio of BOXX offerings. Looking at various component combinations, prices look about the same as what Apple’s offering. I had expected big savings, but they’re not in evidence on systems with similar processors, RAM and storage. This looks to me like a click-baity attempt to grab attention on the part of BOXX. Meh.
Majikthize,
In general BOXX’s highly-focused workstations are not inexpensive machines, but they are definitely very high performing, particularly the over-clocked models. Apple will never produce over-clocked machines, but they have the engineering capacity to certainly put up a very good fight. The key thing is Apple’s users just don’t seem interested in Windows as a computing experience—it takes them off the Apple ecosystem between iOS, watchOS, tvOS, macOS—and increasingly, that ecosystem is delivering practical advantages (e.g.: Handoff, etc).
Majikthize,
In general BOXX’s highly-focused workstations are not inexpensive machines, but they are definitely very high performing, particularly the over-clocked models. Apple will never produce over-clocked machines, but they have the engineering capacity to certainly put up a very good fight. The key thing is Apple’s users just don’t seem interested in Windows as a computing experience—it takes them off the Apple ecosystem between iOS, watchOS, tvOS, macOS—and increasingly, that ecosystem is delivering practical advantages (e.g.: Handoff, etc).
Rayburn Louis,
Are you implying that what hurts is Apple’s limitations for pro machines? They will hopefully provide much more flexibility in offerings when they deliver that “modular Mac Pro” in the near future.
Rayburn Louis,
Are you implying that what hurts is Apple’s limitations for pro machines? They will hopefully provide much more flexibility in offerings when they deliver that “modular Mac Pro” in the near future.
They had to launch this now, before the iMac Pro ships, so there can be no real hands on blowback from creatives actually using it yet. I agree with other posters. It’s Windows OS that is the major hinderance with jumping from Apple.
They had to launch this now, before the iMac Pro ships, so there can be no real hands on blowback from creatives actually using it yet. I agree with other posters. It’s Windows OS that is the major hinderance with jumping from Apple.
Paul, thanks for the feedback. I agree with your views about the timing. BOXX knows that this new machine will get a lot of press, many of it likely positive. Knowing full well that many creative pros are waiting for this machine specifically, why not attempt to sway them to reconsider. The interesting thing is, those who our own research shows would like an all-in-one workstation (and HP already makes one) don’t care about all the options possible in a classic workstation workhorse box format. And specifically, they actually want simplification. And that means—for many—no Windows messiness.
Paul, thanks for the feedback. I agree with your views about the timing. BOXX knows that this new machine will get a lot of press, many of it likely positive. Knowing full well that many creative pros are waiting for this machine specifically, why not attempt to sway them to reconsider. The interesting thing is, those who our own research shows would like an all-in-one workstation (and HP already makes one) don’t care about all the options possible in a classic workstation workhorse box format. And specifically, they actually want simplification. And that means—for many—no Windows messiness.
Boxx costs the same or more. PC’s main draw is the qualitys the same but the price is lower. I put together multiple configurations for boxx because I WANT to jump back to PC but they end up 1k higher than the new imac pro and you get an extra TB of SSD mem over at apple.
Boxx costs the same or more. PC’s main draw is the qualitys the same but the price is lower. I put together multiple configurations for boxx because I WANT to jump back to PC but they end up 1k higher than the new imac pro and you get an extra TB of SSD mem over at apple.
[…] Apple’s announcement to journalists points to new tools for the creative professionals the company began to ignore a few years ago and which they have since recommitted. And by “commitment” we mean […]
Comments are closed.