Apple To Discontinue Mac Pro In EU Over Safety Regulations 371
jones_supa writes "Apple has been forced to remove the Mac Pro from sale in the European Union after an amendment to a safety regulation left the machines non-compliant. The updated electronics safety standard IEC 60950-1 increases requirements around electrical port protection (PDF) and the fan guards in the system. Apple does not plan to modify their machines and will simply pull them from market in the EU. Apple wishes to warn customers and partners about the change so that they would have sufficient time to order Mac Pro units and meet any needs prior to 1 March, when the amendment comes into effect."
"fan guards in the system" (Score:5, Funny)
Macs have fans?
Re:"fan guards in the system" (Score:5, Funny)
Macs have fans?
Cooling fans and fanboys.
Re:"fan guards in the system" (Score:5, Funny)
Yes, and they are hard to miss since they whine loudly if put to work. I am ofcourse refering to the the cooling fans, not the fanboys.
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He might be talking about the Macbook Pro in response to the question 'Macs have fans?'. I know for me some operations feel like an airplane ride - when the task starts I can hear it starting to take off, it spends some time in the air as it does its work, and it lands and the engines shut off when its done. Colleagues say that the CD drive makes a loud noise as well, but I don't use it all that much.
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Either that, or just dust buildup.
I've got an old 2006 Mac Pro, and it used to idle around 80C and, under a heavy workload, the fans would spin up to a full 2000RPM. I recently gave it a very, *very* thorough cleaning job, removing six years' of accumulated dust and reapplying thermal paste. Now it idles at 60C and even with Prime95 running full-blast I could not get the fans to go above 900RPM, and temperatures peaked at 82C.
The Mac Pros, or at least the 1,1 model, is not designed in a way that makes it ea
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Re:"fan guards in the system" (Score:5, Funny)
"Fan guards" - thoroughly indoctrinated followers of the cult of Jobs, willing to sacrifice their lives for what they believe in.
It takes many a queuing at the Temples of Jobs (also known as Apple® Stores) before one reaches such lofty spiritual/materialistic station.
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Oh, and Apple HASN'T said that they WON'T be selling the
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The Mac Pro case can be opened in a few seconds without any tools, you don't have to unscrew anything. If there are moving parts exposed inside the case, then this ruling seems perfectly sensible.
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The Mac Pro case can be opened in a few seconds without any tools, you don't have to unscrew anything. If there are moving parts exposed inside the case, then this ruling seems perfectly sensible.
It can also be easily LOCKED [mac-pro.com] to prevent theft AND OPENING. So NOW who's got the responsibility?
Oh, and before you complain about nearly $40 to secure that $2500+ computer (which someone will, no doubt), you can use just about ANY small lock that will fit through the little slot below the latch (see detailed drawing of the latch, showing the lock-loop about halfway down in this document [apple.com]).
So, in the case of the case of the Mac Pro, who is actually "negligent" if a child/mentally-challenged-adult opens a M
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When I pay $2500 for a computer I'd expect it to have the same safety features as a $500 computer, especially when they're charging $2500 for $1100 worth of components.
The manufacturer who didn't install the fan guards or properly seal the case.
Hows Stockholm Syndrom
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I was thinking more about small children. If you've ever met any, you'd realize that it only takes a few unattended seconds for them to do something they oughtn't do, like open up a Mac Pro and stick their hands in the fan.
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Yes, won't someone please think of the children?
No cost is too high if we can just prevent one child from getting one nick on their vulnerable little finger!
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Look. That law exists to prevent products that don't include appropiate safety measures which would reduce the profit margin to harm someone.
While in this case there might not be much harm if someone got a nick their finger, that law is still a good idea in general.
So please don't grab the first edge case to shoot down the concept. But feel free to implement the Ferengi way of life at your place, as long as you keep it far enough away from me.
As neither of us knows exactly how dangerous those fans are, what
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That law exists to prevent products that don't include appropiate safety measures which would reduce the profit margin to harm someone.
But here we have a good example, of a bullshit safety measure requirement causing a product to go off the market entirely: apparently, because it will no longer be worth selling.
As neither of us knows exactly how dangerous those fans are, what the new requirements actually are and why there was a consensus for raising them....
We know that they pose absolutely no dan
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There is a general rule in safety regulations that things that require a tool or excessive force to open are treated differently from things that can be easilly opened without tools.
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I was thinking more about small children. If you've ever met any, you'd realize that it only takes a few unattended seconds for them to do something they oughtn't do, like open up a Mac Pro and stick their hands in the fan.
Takes just a few seconds for them to unplug an iec and stick the end in their mouth too.
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Not really. I've seen situations where you accidentally put a hand or palm into or on a fan because of something else you were doing near by. You simple get overly concentrated on a specific task and don't notice how close you are getting to the fan. It's not like the fans in a computer are overly dangerous or anything. You will survive an encounter to one generally with no serious harm.
You are simply making too much out of this as is the EU.
Unlikely to be discontinued altogether (Score:5, Informative)
In all likelihood it's because they've got a new Mac Pro model ready to launch. The Mac Pro hasn't had a significant update in years, it's the only Mac that doesn't have a Thunderbolt port, for example.
A new Mac Pro is being released in 2013 [forbes.com], confirmed by Apple.
Re:Unlikely to be discontinued altogether (Score:5, Insightful)
Yeah, so instead of telling their customer :" Hold on, we'll deliver a brand new one", they go for "Rush for the shops, we won't comply the EU directives and there'll be no more of those Mac Pro in store in a couple of weeks".
Yeah thank you Apple...
It's not as if they would release 2 ipad versions in one year, completely killing the brand new tablet you bought 6 month earlier...
Re:Unlikely to be discontinued altogether (Score:5, Insightful)
If you bought your "brand new tablet" as a user device instead of an investment, you shouldn't really care if new versions come out.
I'm still happily using my first-gen iPad and aside from the sneers of derision from the 12-year-olds at airports :), I manage just fine.
The reality is that we're now a laptop world. A few want desktops, and that's why the Pro exists, and I'm sure it will be updated, but it's hardly a leading seller for Apple.
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Not to defend Apple. but every other manufacturer of tablets, laptops, computers, cell phones release dozens of models every year.
Apple generally limits themselves to just one new design/ upgrade annually and you pounce on them for doing two?
At least apple supports their hardware for more than 12 months. If that was a dell model not only couldn't you get service or parts, but you would have to buy another one as it would be cheaper than replacing the power supply.
It is the one thing wrong with Android devi
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At least apple supports their hardware for more than 12 months....
If that was a dell model not only couldn't you get service or parts, but you would have to buy another one as it would be cheaper than replacing the power supply.
We get 3 year warranties for all our new Dells. When they get towards the end of this time, and afterwards, the PSUs often fail because of our dodgy mains. If they are inside that 3 years, dell relpaces them. No problem.
We just bought a load of replacement power supplies got our out of warranty GX760s Much cheaper than replaceing them and it takes less than 10 minutes to do it.
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Yeah, so instead of telling their customer :" Hold on, we'll deliver a brand new one", they go for "Rush for the shops, we won't comply the EU directives and there'll be no more of those Mac Pro in store in a couple of weeks".
Yeah thank you Apple...
It's not as if they would release 2 ipad versions in one year, completely killing the brand new tablet you bought 6 month earlier...
Perhaps they know they can't get the new Mac Pro ready in a reasonable time after this bullshit "directive" goes into effect, or (MUCH more likely), the EU rules threw their development cycle into a tizzy, and now they have to REDESIGN their almost-ready-but-now-not-so-much Mac Pro. Ever think of that???
BTW, I wonder how the average EU CITIZEN thinks of all this? Fascinating that I'm not seeing the typical Slashdot posturing and whining against government overreach; just people bitching at Apple for doing
Re:Unlikely to be discontinued altogether (Score:5, Interesting)
You're crazy. This is nothing new, the industry has been aware of those changes for some years now! Who the heck do you think writes those standards? If Apple doesn't have a company person, or better, many people, in ANSI or IEC, they're being stupid. I don't know who the heck spun this non-story as if Apple was up to the wall, or this was a new regulation, or whatever. Nobody who knows how those standards come into being is surprised at all. Many big corporations join standards bodies and have their say and are always aware of what's going on. I'm pretty damn sure Apple must have their people in standards bodies. They can certainly afford it. Note: standards are written by volunteers. A company buys sufficiently large membership, and they get to have their people doing the work. That's how it has been since beginning of time, really.
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I'm surprised nobody has made any 'Dysan' style bladeless computer fans. Probably higher power, but close to silent. Based on Apple's slimy patenting of magnetic power cord attachment (which had been used in other places for many years), it's probably patentable.
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Why would they be silent? Nothing else Dyson makes is.
We already have quiet fans with high-tech blades and fluid or maglev bearings, and we also have liquid cooling. So we already have quiet to silent cooling. There's also the option to have devices which consume so little power that they can run without active cooling.
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There's no such thing as a G5 Mac Pro.
Re:Unlikely to be discontinued altogether (Score:5, Informative)
I'm surprised nobody has made any 'Dysan' style bladeless computer fans. Probably higher power, but close to silent. Based on Apple's slimy patenting of magnetic power cord attachment (which had been used in other places for many years), it's probably patentable.
Dysan fans aren't "bladeless". They conceal the impeller in the base, then "magically" distribute that airflow around a ring. Very cool looking the first time you see it; but once you know what's going on, not so much.
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Re:Unlikely to be discontinued altogether (Score:5, Funny)
> Who would have thought you could sell small appliances by marketing them the same way as a Mercedes...
Steve Jobs would.
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Most Dysons have a foam motor prefilter and a HEPA postfilter. The HEPA filter is rated for life, and the prefilter has to be cleaned every couple of months. In my experience in heavy household use, the postfilter's life rating holds up so far. It looks dirty on the inside, clean on the outside, so it works fine. Those filters remove probably way less than 0.01% of the contaminants by weight from the airflow. Otherwise they'd be plugged solid in a matter of minutes. Just read about what happens when the int
Re:Unlikely to be discontinued altogether (Score:5, Informative)
I am an average EU citizen and think this directive is a good thing. It applies to all sorts of appliances that have fans capable of damaging internal wiring or causing injury. Guards cost pennies and every other manufacturer managed to comply in good time.
Re:Unlikely to be discontinued altogether (Score:5, Insightful)
So basically you are arguing that Apple should be exempt from the rules because you judge its products to be safe. Perhaps you think the EU members should pay for inspectors to check every product and decide if it is safe enough for an exemption, rather than passing a blanket rule that isn't difficult or expensive to abide by.
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This is the EU.
We sent our most bureaucratic bureaucrats to a single location (for bonus waste we even move them around regularly!), hoping that they'd start looking at stuff and figuring out ways to make our part of the world safer/more attractive/friendlier/etc.
Sometimes it works. Sometimes they overdo it a bit. Sometimes they act like the true bureaucrats they are.
I'd say this time they overdid it a bit.
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For the record, the only reason I'd touch the Daily Mail is to burn it. I'm also not anti-EU. Every time I look at the other side of the Atlantic, I'm glad we organized a bureaucratic organism that keeps the worst (rampant anti-consumer practices, TSA and associated backscatter X-ray - emphasis on the X-ray part - scanners, etc.) out of this bloc.
However, I can recognize that they overdo it at times. I'm not familiar with the specific standards involved, but it's perfectly possible that a somewhat poorly-wo
Re:Unlikely to be discontinued altogether (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously people in the EU, WAKE UP!!! Your governments are NOT your friends!!!
Correct. On this side of the Atlantic, they are our servants.
Re:Unlikely to be discontinued altogether (Score:5, Insightful)
As someone who's spent significant time living in both, your belief that the US government is significantly better/different is quaint and amusing. Maybe the EU went overboard on fan guards (the new rule actually seems reasonable to me) but at least no one tells you how big your soda cup can be, or threatens to lock you up for carrying a bottle of wine in public, or crossing the street at the wrong place. Every country has their little restrictions and laws which often seem normal to those living there and batshit crazy to everyone else. C'est la vie :)
Re:Unlikely to be discontinued altogether (Score:4, Interesting)
BTW, I wonder how the average EU CITIZEN thinks of all this?
Sounds like they are doing what they are supposed to do. One of the jobs of a government is to protect the people from those richer and more powerful.
You don't get much richer and more powerful than Apple.
Re:Unlikely to be discontinued altogether (Score:5, Interesting)
BTW, I wonder how the average EU CITIZEN thinks of all this? Fascinating that I'm not seeing the typical Slashdot posturing and whining against government overreach
One thing that makes me better disposed to this case is that it wasn't a regulation pulled out of thin air by random government bureaucrats, but rather one drawn up by electrical engineers, from an independent standards body not controlled by the EU, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The US even has substantial representation on the body, so it's not just European engineers drawing it up. The EU just chose to implement their recommendation as mandatory, whereas in some other countries IEC recommendations may be treated as only advisory.
Re:Unlikely to be discontinued altogether (Score:5, Informative)
BTW, I wonder how the average EU CITIZEN thinks of all this? Fascinating that I'm not seeing the typical Slashdot posturing and whining against government overreach; just people bitching at Apple for doing the only thing they can on short notice.
It's an IEC standard, not something that the EU thought up. The same standard will presumably come to the United States and Canada in a year or two. Note that this also affects several non-EU countries (Switzerland and Norway in particular).
Also, it hasn't been "short notice". The amendment was published in December 2009, over three years ago.
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Their updates have been incremental at best. Fuck them. Their updates used to at least seem magical. we should hook up a generator to Job's grave. He's spinning so much we could power oakland at a minimum.
What you (and others that share your "The thrill is gone" sentiments simply don't understand Product Development cycles.
You think that just because you can generate a USB controlled flyswatter with a Raspberry Pi in a weekend, that that's how long ALL Products take to develop.
Every single thing that has come out of Apple since Jobs' death was WELL ALONG in its Development when Jobs hit the dirt.
Every. Single. Thing. Same with any company. Product development takes TIME.
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"It's not as if they would release 2 ipad versions in one year, completely killing the brand new tablet you bought 6 month earlier..."
The second version could do what, exactly, that the first version could not do? That statement stinks of "status symbol". I can't imagine that one version of iPad makes another so very obsolete, that you can't use it any longer. The only reason to buy the newer one, that I can see, is being able to flash it to people at the bar, at work, on the bus or train - even in the g
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Man, you don't 'know how often he gets laid using his brand new iPad!!
But now, his iPad is so last generation, and all the babes ignore him.
And with the new 128G iPads coming out, he can't even flash his 64GB iPad and impress them with his size any more!!!
Have some pity man.
Some may notice a difference ... (Score:2)
It's not as if they would release 2 ipad versions in one year, completely killing the brand new tablet you bought 6 month earlier...
The second version could do what, exactly, that the first version could not do?
While I agree that "completely killing" is a gross overstatement and I also agree with your sentiment in general that most users would not notice a difference between the 3rd and 4th gen iPads, I would not rule out the possibility that for some there is a noticeable difference.
From 2nd to 3rd gen iPads the GPU goes from dual to quad core, memory from 512 MB to 1024 MB, and the screen resolution doubles (retina display, 4x pixels).
From 3rd to 4th gen iPads the CPU goes from 1.0 GHz to 1.4 and the GPU fro
maybe new name and pricing levels or (Score:2)
maybe new name and pricing levels or BIG changes. Or maybe just to clear stock so no one get's a older system after that date.
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"It's not as if they would release 2 ipad versions in one year, completely killing the brand new tablet you bought 6 month earlier..."
So your tablet stopped working the day that Apple announced a new one?
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Quite likely, just as how while they always seem to have a shortage at launch day of a new product they vacuum the market for its parts beforehand.
Apple is marketing first and foremost, they play the media like the devil plays a fiddle...
ovo -hoot
Oh, so you'd prefer the Osbourne Effect?
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Or the Mac Pro is about to go EOL, so there's no point changing it.
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Or the Mac Pro is about to go EOL, so there's no point changing it.
Or perhaps you're full of shit.
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Full of shit? The current Mac Pro is indeed pretty much EOL.
It hasn't been updated for years (except perhaps a new graphics card or two), so it's still using Nehalem processors. Pretty much everyone else is using Sandy Bridge E and up by now.
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In all likelihood it's because they've got a new Mac Pro model ready to launch. The Mac Pro hasn't had a significant update in years, it's the only Mac that doesn't have a Thunderbolt port, for example.
A new Mac Pro is being released in 2013 [forbes.com], confirmed by Apple.
While a new MP may be coming - all the referenced articles said were - MP customers are important, great things are coming to the desktop in 2013, we are working on MP designs which probably will be coming in 2013. Hardly a solid statement on the MP future.
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Apple: New Mac Pro that will amaze you in 2013.
iHaters: Hardly a solid statement on the MP future.
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Apple: New Mac Pro that will amaze you in 2013. iHaters: Hardly a solid statement on the MP future.
Fair enough - were did Apple definitely state that - rather than it being the conclusion from a series of non-definitive statements? Personally, I'd love to see a new MP but am not holding my breath.
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What evidence gives you the impression that the 2013 line (which the comments in the article you linked to point out has been a sign of betrayal by negligence) will comply with EU standards?
It must be about "the children" (Score:4, Funny)
Thank goodness Europe will be safe now from those assault Macs.
Apple only cares about consumer gear now (Score:4, Informative)
They have no interest in keeping their legacy gear up to date or up to code. Their primary investments are:
1. Lawyers
2. iPhone/iPad/iPod
Their OSX currently reflects this direction.
I for one and sad to see Apple giving up this part of their product line. It is the only part I really like.
The sad reality is that Apple only cares about what Apple cares about. Not about what its consumers want and Apple (Steve Jobs) has stated it plainly. It is not for the people to tell Apple what they want, but rather for Apple to tell people what they want. And by extension, it is not for "the people" to tell Apple anything at all. They would rather exit a market they cannot control and dominate.
And so, as things progress, they will continue to lose control over the iDevice market and the end is inevitable.
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You also seemed to have forgotten the part where Steve Jobs said - if the customers like what we do, great, they will buy it. If they don't like what we do, then they won't buy it, and we will change it.
Funny how dropping complete lines of words changes the entire context.
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The EU hasn't outlawed "possession" but they are a bit funny about grey imports.
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Lobby for this bullshit "Directive" to be repealed.
Are you mad or something? This directive, and the standards it refers to, are nothing even remotely new! For all I know, Apple participates in the standards bodies that write this stuff. Wake up call: standards are written by volunteers from the industry. If you're in the industry and your company can afford it, there's not much left for you to do but to participate in the standards making process. Apple has no reason to complain about any of that, because with their money they could have people in every
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Lobby for this bullshit "Directive" to be repealed.
Are you mad or something? This directive, and the standards it refers to, are nothing even remotely new! For all I know, Apple participates in the standards bodies that write this stuff. Wake up call: standards are written by volunteers from the industry. If you're in the industry and your company can afford it, there's not much left for you to do but to participate in the standards making process. Apple has no reason to complain about any of that, because with their money they could have people in every working group of IEC, ANSI and ISO there is. Many people, even.
I didn't see Apple "complaining", did you?
Re:Apple only cares about consumer gear now (Score:5, Insightful)
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It is interesting that you seem to place the blame on the EU - if you read the second link of TFS it finishes by pointing out: 'This standard has been approved as a National Standard of Canada by the Standards Council of Canada, and has been approved as by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as an American National Standard.' It is, if I understand it correctly, an International Standard that the EU is obeying. I cannot imagine why the US or Canada, for example, is not also complying.
Then why is it only the EU in which Apple feels compelled to (temporarily) withdraw the Mac Pro?
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Don't know for sure, but most likely the new standards either
1) Aren't mandatory in the US (just because something is an ANSI standard doesn't mean products are required by law to comply) or
2) Only apply to new designs.
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Mac Pros have cooling fans with access to the fan blades. Such fans will be forbidden within the EU from March first. They couldn't keep selling those models there even if they wanted to.
So, what defines "Access", since you HAVE to have the computer DISASSEMBLED [apple.com] to get anywhere NEAR a "fan blade: in the POWERED-OFF Mac Pro?
SRSLY? (Score:5, Insightful)
So if I understand the reg. in question, hardware with an internal fan (like a Mac Pro) that is only accessible if you pull the housing must have an internal fan guard? WTF?
This makes no sense. For that matter that thing about minimum and max cord length is pretty wacked. Is there really a computer, or transistor radio, manufacturer out there who wanted to deliver 7-meter power cords?
Re:SRSLY? (Score:4, Insightful)
So if I understand the reg. in question, hardware with an internal fan (like a Mac Pro) that is only accessible if you pull the housing must have an internal fan guard? WTF?
The Mac Pro has a power supply. The power supply has a fan. This fan is close to the outer housing of the Mac Pro and accessible through some gills of some sort ... Do you now see where the potential risk lies?
Re:SRSLY? (Score:4, Informative)
So if I understand the reg. in question, hardware with an internal fan (like a Mac Pro) that is only accessible if you pull the housing must have an internal fan guard? WTF?
The Mac Pro has a power supply. The power supply has a fan. This fan is close to the outer housing of the Mac Pro and accessible through some gills of some sort ... Do you now see where the potential risk lies?
Please show me ANY picture of a Mac Pro where an EXPOSED-TO-THE-OUTSIDE fan is shown. The Mac Pro has PLENTY of fans (ask anyone who has made one really work hard!), BUT NONE OF THEM ARE ACCESSIBLE OR EVEN VISIBLE (except through perforated metal GUARDS) WITHOUT OPENING THE CASE!!!
Got it?
Here's a handy DIY document from Apple [apple.com], that shows ALL of the fan locations. Please tell me how these aren't "guarded" already.
Your move.
Re:SRSLY? (Score:5, Insightful)
We have grills on our fans, you have the TSA, and we're the nanny continent?
Yeah, keep telling yourself that.
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Wait, did the TSA start operating in Europe too???
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Yup, Americans are always practical and straight to the point. Very low need for bullshit, committees and endless talk.
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Think of the children, with their tiny fingers.
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Power cord lengths are regulated in the US as well-- forget if it is 2m or 6ft. You can only use 15ft cords in "information technology equipment rooms." Of course in the US it is regulated by UL/NFPA, and not a government agency.
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It's not 'regulation' in the sense it's a law. It's a requirement from the people that issue liability insurance.
UL is run by a consortium of insurance companies.
It's one of those things that shows that private enterprise isn't necessarily better.
politics (Score:2)
Apple didn't pay their dues, considering the way the samsung case went in the UK they probably don't lobby/bribe anywhere in europe. Not that I think the case had merit, just that if they had paid they would have won. No one has ever been maimed by a 5.5v fan have they? Whatever manufacturer did pay, looked at the differences between their product and apple's, and found the difference between the two that was easiest to use, then lobbied/bribed the regulators to regulate that difference in their favor.
Re:SRSLY? (Score:5, Informative)
Cellphone goes into trash, trash goes into landfill, rain goes into landfill, reactive compounds go into groundwater.
Proper eWaste disposal methods can minimize this, but in a lot of cases this just means shipping the cellphone to Dalian or Inner Mongolia where an 11-year-old makes a dime an hour dipping circuit boards into a hot bath. In the open air. Without a mask.
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Cellphone goes into trash, trash goes into landfill, rain goes into landfill, reactive compounds go into groundwater.
Proper eWaste disposal methods can minimize this, but in a lot of cases this just means shipping the cellphone to Dalian or Inner Mongolia where an 11-year-old makes a dime an hour dipping circuit boards into a hot bath. In the open air. Without a mask.
And there is more LEAD in ONE STILL-COMPLIANT LEAD-ACID CAR BATTERY THAN IN A THOUSAND COMPUTERS.
Whaddya think happens to THEM???
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Yeah, well, you don't live here anyway, so shut up and go get groped by the TSA.
Build your own (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.tonymacx86.com/325-building-customac-buyer-s-guide-january-2013.html
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original poster here, not being anon. You are wrong.
It is enterly possible to build mid level Macs for about 50-70% of the price.
Im looking at mine right now, I build a top end Intel core 7, with 32GB RAM, a mid/high video card (Nvideo GTX 660 TI) with 240 SSD + 1TB platters, bought a Dell 27" 2560x1440 display all for about 1600.EU
This would count as a high end iMac (But with a normal servieable case) or a low end Mac Pro (Pro's have Xeon's)
An iMac (without the SSD) with 32GB ram would cost me 2600 Eu. If
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I just don't like iMacs because I want to look inside the box and not have to perform mechanical gymnastics to change out a drive or add some RAM.
I don't know when the last time you looked was; but in iMacs, the RAM is located right behind a door [apple.com] under the "chin" (two captive screws. Done), and the hard drive, although a bit more "challenging", is not in any way "inaccessible" (any more than your car's alternator or starter is "inaccessible"). I was able to change the HD in a friend's iMac in about 45 minutes, and that was mostly because I was being extra careful. Pop the glass off the front with a couple of suction cups ($4 at Harbor Freight), remov
Hmm (Score:5, Informative)
I'm going to assume the EU actually stipulates that particular IEC standard must be followed in law then, because the IEC isn't an EU body, it's an international one. In fact ANSI is a full member of the IEC.
Typical Apple Attitude (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Typical Apple Attitude (Score:5, Informative)
Or, as they've already announced, they plan on launching a new Mac Pro this year and see no reason to modify the existing design to meet new standards for a couple of months when their new machines, which are coming soon, probably meet those standards.
Or you can pretend that it's some elitist attitude thing because that sounds cool, right.
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Yeah, so? (Score:4, Informative)
IIRC, Tim Cook already publicly stated a redesigned Mac Pro would be released in 2013.
The other Macs in the lineup have grown more powerful over the years, so the number of people who still specifically need the abilities of a Mac Pro is relatively small. It would make no financial sense for Apple to address these regulations by changing the current Mac Pro design. The best move was what they did-- simply giving those people some warning so anyone who was planning future Mac Pro purchases could decide if they needed to buy the existing model or could afford to wait for the redesigned model to be announced.
Re: (Score:3)
You do not recall correctly. Apple did not say they were redesigning the Mac Pro for 2013.
"Apple said today that it is working on new models and designs for its Mac Pro desktop that will be released in 2013." [forbes.com]
Sales probably aren't good enough anyway (Score:2)
if the current generation had good enough sales in Europe Apple would make a fix and keep selling.
But since they haven't made any real updates to the Mac Pro in /years/ (the CPU is a few generations behind, still based on the first-gen Core i7 Xeons) their sales just aren't good.
Re:Apple is getting out of the computer biz (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3)
Don't you need a Mac to program for iOS?
Re: (Score:2, Troll)
Don't you need a Mac to program for iOS?
You do, but you can do it on a mini, or if that goes away, on an imac.
I don't think Apple laptops are going anywhere. They might add touch to them though. It would help them keep up with the PC, which is finally heading that direction. To the haters, there's no reason not to have touch, as long as you don't deprecate the touchpad. Of course, Apple has already demonstrated their disregard for touchpad users by reversing the scrolling direction in an update without prior notice... At least they actually gave
All 3 European customers (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
The EU is apparently having too much time making up problems. Just about EVERY appliance in a kitchen is more dangerous than a MacPro. Have you every used a kitchen mixer? Rotating blades hooked up to a high power motor, no protection, no case... We have a number of MacPros. You really have to open up the case and want to stick your finger in there. Even if you would, these motors are low power. The potential injury would be minimal compared to a mixer. This makes no sense. Is the European Union turning into Fire Marshall Bill?
That happened a long time ago.
Re: (Score:2)
The EU is apparently having too much time making up problems. Just about EVERY appliance in a kitchen is more dangerous than a MacPro. Have you every used a kitchen mixer? Rotating blades hooked up to a high power motor, no protection, no case... We have a number of MacPros. You really have to open up the case and want to stick your finger in there. Even if you would, these motors are low power. The potential injury would be minimal compared to a mixer. This makes no sense. Is the European Union turning into Fire Marshall Bill?
Boy, you just hit the nail on the head!
I'm surprised you can still purchase KITCHEN KNIVES, let alone a MIXER (yow!!!) in the EU. What about curling irons? Soldering irons? Matches? Scissors? Screwdrivers? PENCILS!!!?!? The list goes on and on. NOT ONE OF THOSE HAS EVEN THE SLIGHTEST SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS!!!! The Humanity!!!!
The point being, of course: Where does the nanny state end?!?
Re: (Score:3)
Where does it end?
It ends when people actually get a clue about what the regulation says, rather than just listening to Apple's nonsense. The regulation does not ban unguarded fans, it splits fans into 3 categories based on whether they can cause "pain" or "injury". I actually read the regulation and did the math [slashdot.org], apparently a 10cm case fan at 3000rpm is considered so safe that it could be on the outside of the case with no protection and still be legal. Even the next category up can be unguarded on the inside as long as the