Gurman's WWDC announcement predictions.

[Colstan]

Oh yeah, there was a period right before Apple Silicon where I was wondering if Apple made products that fit my needs anymore. After my first experience being a Mac SE/30 back when I was a kid (before that was an Apple II+). So I've been in Apple's sphere a very long time.

My particular dilemma started off with the transition to Apple Silicon, just not in the way I had expected. My old 2011 Mac mini was aging out, so I needed a new Mac mini, as is tradition. (I'm on my fourth mini.) I got the base model 2018 Mac mini as soon as it was released. Rumors of a switch to Arm were strong, at that time, and had purchased it as a stopgap until Apple made the big switch. Later, after WWDC 2020, I decided to wait a few revisions after the M1, perhaps the M3 generation. In order to extend the life of my 2018 mini, I upgraded the system memory to 64GB and added an RX 580 eGPU. A few years ago, I installed Boot Camp, and got some PC games going, mainly out of curiosity to see what was currently available.

I wasn't suddenly like "I need a PC!". It was a gradual thing. Apple Silicon is impressive for many things, and would be great gaming machines...if studios ported their titles over. It's the age old problem going back decades: being a Mac user who wants to play PC games, but doesn't want the PC.

Regardless, as I said, I've now got my strategy in place, and content enough with it, imperfect as it may be. Thanks @Nycturne, your thoughts have been most helpful!

 

[Cmaier]

(Being enigmatically quiet…)

 

[Colstan]

(Being enigmatically quiet…)

I've been genuinely concerned that you're pissed at me for dragging Apple Silicon and your old buddies at Apple through the mud. That wasn't my intention, if that's why you've been so quiet on this subject.

 

[dada_dave]

I've been genuinely concerned that you're pissed at me for dragging Apple Silicon and your old buddies at Apple through the mud. That wasn't my intention, if that's why you've been so quiet on this subject.

That’s not how I read it: I think he’s hinting that he knows the good shit that we’re all guessing at and is grinning like a Cheshire Cat through the monitor at us. That’s how I read it.

 

[Colstan]

That’s not how I read it: I think he’s hinting that he knows the good shit that we’re all guessing at and is grinning like a Cheshire Cat through the monitor at us. That’s how I read it.

That was my assumption, but I just wanted to be clear about my thoughts on the issue, in case that assumption is wrong. @Cmaier is the dude who invited me to join staff on this forum. It gives me an excuse to pretend that I'm important, so I think highly of his opinion.

 

[Cmaier]

That was my assumption, but I just wanted to be clear about my thoughts on the issue, in case that assumption is wrong. @Cmaier is the dude who invited me to join staff on this forum. It gives me an excuse to pretend that I'm important, so I think highly of his opinion.

I love you, man.

 

[Colstan]

I love you, man.

An anonymous tipster submitted a juicy rumor to MacRumors.

Tomorrow's headline article: "Former Opteron Architect Cliff Maier claims Remedy Studios brings Alan Wake 2 to Mac".

MacRumors just got Cliffed.

See, @Cmaier fixed all of my problems!

(We should make it a collective forum goal to get his name on the MR front page.)

 

[Cmaier]

An anonymous tipster submitted a juicy rumor to MacRumors.

Tomorrow's headline article: "Former Opteron Architect Cliff Maier claims Remedy Studios brings Alan Wake 2 to Mac".

MacRumors just got Cliffed.

See, @Cmaier fixed all of my problems!

(We should make it a collective forum goal to get his name on the MR front page.)

I can’t remember what it was, but I recall there was some prediction I made based on more than just speculation, and they wouldn’t cite me.

Over there I’m pretty much Beetlejuice. Or Haman. Or Voldemort. You can’t say my name.

 

[Colstan]

Well gang, since @Cmaier ain't saying nothin' useful, but clearly hinting at having the goods, we have to read the entrails and utilize the scrying pool to figure this out. The only interaction that he's had in the thread, other than being cheeky, was giving a like to @dada_dave's post about Gurman sucking eggs. The problem is that Dave wrote an entire essay, rather than a post, so divining the answer is difficult. Somebody plug it into ChatGPT and see what it comes up with.

 

[exoticspice1]

On the topic of gaming, I recently got a Switch OLED and been loving it. I mainly got for JRPGs and Nintendo exclusives which are more to my taste and yes the new Zelda accelerated my plans.

This way I can continue to use my MacBook which I love. Of course this approach will not suit everyone so I do hope Apple will make a move in the proper gaming spac and the AR/VR headset does need multiple AAA games if gaming is one of the marketing angle of the headset.

 

[Cmaier]

Well gang, since @Cmaier ain't saying nothin' useful,

You’re either quoting my wife, my daughter, or a certain administrative law judge at the US Patent and Trademark Office.

 

[B01L]

Come on @Cmaier , spill the beans...! ;^p

 

[Cmaier]

Come on @Cmaier , spill the beans...! ;^p

No.

 

[Colstan]

No.

I'm assuming you got the skinny by getting one of your old buddies sloshed. You already admitted once to chatting them up "over wine", otherwise they clam up and get uncomfortable when you hit close to the mark. You know what they say about combining alcohol and Apples.

 

[B01L]

No.

Not even vague hints towards hardware configurations or preview/release timeframes...?!?

 

[Colstan]

Not even vague hints towards hardware configurations or preview/release timeframes...?!?

Don't bother asking. He might drop a breadcrumb or two, but it won't be obvious until long afterward, in retrospect. Until then, I think we should respect his privacy. He's someone who understands the wisdom of silence.

 

[dada_dave]

Don't bother asking. He might drop a breadcrumb or two, but it won't be obvious until long afterward, in retrospect. Until then, I think we should respect his privacy. He's someone who understands the wisdom of silence.

Plus we’ll know soon enough. Well at least a somewhat clearer picture in about what 6 weeks? True we may not know everything until November/December (I can’t imagine them going past that for the Mac Pro release announcement) but at least some stuff should be clearer after WWDC. Maybe.

 

[Colstan]

Well at least a somewhat clearer picture in about what 6 weeks?

41 days. Not that I'm counting or anything. @Cmaier's inscrutable silence did convince me that I should at least watch WWDC. I just hope that means that Gurman is wrong and you're right.

True we may not know everything until November/December (I can’t imagine them going past that for the Mac Pro release announcement) but at least some stuff should be clearer after WWDC. Maybe.

Here's my prediction:

After the M3 Fabulous is announced, we'll all ask @Cmaier if that was the big secret that he kept from us.

He'll respond "I don't remember", and he won't be lying.

 

[Colstan]

So, apparently @dada_dave and I have at least one thing in common: a 2-hour sleep cycle. In honor of my fellow insomniacs, I went back and reread Dave's magnum opus, his "Treatise and Testament on the Falsehoods, Inaccuracies, Underhandedness, and Felonious Nature of the Most Dishonorable Markus Aurelius Gurmanus".

Giving this extensive anthology a "like" was the only concrete contribution that @Cmaier has made to this thread. After combing through all six volumes, I found these common themes:

1. Gurman's claim that the Mac Studio won't be updated until the M3 generation doesn't fit Apple's past release pattern.
2. Device strings in the Find My database correlate with multiple upcoming desktop models.
3. The Mac Pro may be destined for the N3 process, not simply an M2 Ultra.
4. Apple would want to make a splash with the Mac Pro, perhaps with ray tracing support.

Dave's voluminous explanations and logical thinking were compelling, but those are the main points that he addressed.

I don't think @Cmaier would be so quiet if his sources matched what is publicly available, whether that be Gurman, Kuo, or "Amethyst" over at the MacRumors forum. If Gurman was 100% correct, then there's no good reason for @Cmaier to stay silent on this, he could just comment on it like us plebeians. So, even though @Cmaier hasn't told us anything, by not saying anything, he has told us something, and that likely signals that Gurman's product roadmap and timeline are incorrect.

I don't know where Gurman went sideways. Perhaps the Mac Studio is getting the M2 Max/Ultra update. Perhaps the Mac Pro will be the first M3 device, utilizing an M3 Extreme, as @B01L has been advocating. Perhaps there's some form of ray tracing hardware support involved. Or perhaps Gurman's roadmap is hogwash and the lickspittle from the likes of Max Tech is pushing that narrative, and we're all buying into it, as a result of the vacuum emanating from Cupertino.

Regardless, it looks like the second half of this year should be eventful, with more unique and interesting Macs than Gurman is claiming.

On a personal note, it also means that I'm really glad that I'm waiting before making a purchase. (@Cmaier is the puppet master behind the curtain confirmed!)

 

[Cmaier]

Plus we’ll know soon enough. Well at least a somewhat clearer picture in about what 6 weeks? True we may not know everything until November/December (I can’t imagine them going past that for the Mac Pro release announcement) but at least some stuff should be clearer after WWDC. Maybe.

I’m pretty sure clarity won’t be achieved until later in the year. Which is fine with me. I’m just waiting for apple to take my money for the reality pro.