Nobody knows what the next Mac Pros are even going to look like. The current ones are pretty ancient tech now, although still more than usable, but now is definitely not the time to buy into it.

For me the most sensible place to start with a Mac would be next months brand new iMac. Just buy a basic 27" i7 and spec it up yourself with more RAM and bigger HDD's.

Just don't buy those extras from Apple.

RAM in the 27" is user-upgradable, but sadly the hard drives are not. That doesn't mean it's not possible, but I don't think it'll be a simple process either.

just as i was going to buy one, are you sayin now is not the time to buy as new ones will arrive soon and i could get the current models for a lower price or are you saying i should wait and spend more to get a fast more up to date model.
To be honest the cost is very tough for me as it is, but im thinking i wont need to worry about another computer for some time while also learning logic

intel SOC processors are due anytime still based on the i7 and i5.
They have 2 - 8 CPU cores + a GPU + the motherboard chip on the processor die. Intel has 15 versions of it in the works. Next motherboards will just have sockets and those sticky up things that's it.

Don't think you will see them in a MAc for a long time as Apple likes to plan a system then keep the same model going for years like others do with games consoles.

The Intel SoC processors are based off an Atom, not a I5 or i7, and are designed for embedded use- cell phones, tablets, etc. They use DDR2 memory and the fastest of them is 1 GHz. They are not desktop processors.

new iMac 27" coming soon for me.... about time I went back to the fruity side... PC's are fun, but every time I build one I use my mac to troubleshoot it... horses for courses...

Still. Anyone want to buy a watercooled i5 750/16GB RAM/280GB SSD/3TB HDD? I'm going to spend 2 grand on a slower machine with a shinier case.... when I put it like that I wonder if I'm doing the right thing....

Macbook Pros are NICE I wont talk you out of one , but in the meantime for an CHEAP & EASY FIX , I'd 1st look at upgrading your RAM for your i7 machine , you might have a bad module on one of the sticks of RAM if your machine is freezing up . Id look to see what is compatible with your Motherboard or if its a pre built manufactures machine or laptop , Id do some research for what type of RAM to get for it , 8 gb of RAM is dirt cheap these days and a lot of times bad RAM is the culprit of the machine freezing up and its a cheap option to upgrade or fix . newegg.com is good place to get RAM and computer parts if in the USA .

My situation is this: I've come to despise Windows and Sonar. It's a self-built system. I'm not a newbie at that. I replaced the motherboard and memory a few times without ever having a stable setup. Windows has an endless number of behaviors I hate and I really don't want to put up with them any more like I feel most tech people just do as a matter of norm. So I've been moving to Mac. My personal experience is that I have far less little annoyance issues, and far fewer system crashes and app crashes on my Mac. I'm not offering this info for a Mac vs PC war. Just to respond to your statement of surprise quoted above. I know they're more expensive, but with two modern Macs under my roof, after decades of PCs, I'm just more comfortable with them. The real problem with them is that they're compact machines and their fans get loud while my big-ass PC stays quiet unless I do 3D games. This does bother me. That's why I'm waiting for a new Mac Pro. Something large enough to have quiet large fans.

PSUs are a very common culprit for instability. They are always overlooked. People think that power rating is everyting, it isnt. Its all about quality, reliable PSUs. When faced with intermittent problems, PSU replacement time.

all good points being made here, someone else made we aware of recon units from apple which is pretty cool since they put warranty on them also,
they had a i7 quad core 8gb ram for £1000 which i thought was good the new price is nearly double that, i also found some cheap deals on amazon but was warned that these could be dodgy and may not have apple warranty,

this is something i wont rush into, best to get as much information as possible takes a long time to earn money and very little time to spend lots of it

They aren't out in Australia yet but I'm thinking of saving for the new low-end iMac. It has to be better than my 4yr old MacBook Pro and my 2 yr old Mac Mini. Only problem I forsee is lack of FireWire. Hoping a thunderbolt to FW cable works with my MOTU Ultralite.

so i can get Edu discount from apple and im thinking seriously about getting
the i5 mac book pro, i think the best way to go would be get the cheapest macbook pro and simply upgrade the ram myself to 16gb and buy logic from the app store,

i dont care about the retina screen so i could get one for around £800 although i notice today the prices have actually gone up !!!!

wonder if they will go back down in january

noticed apples prices went up this week on the online store, nothing like cashing in on christmas

Definitely buy it from MacMall or Powermax, not the Apple store... It's easy to install ram in a MacBook so that isn't an issue if you want to upgrade. My strategy has been to get the fastest 13" macBook and an external 27" or 24" monitor. Great desktop setup and best battery life for remote usage.

really why not buy from apple ? price ?
i think these stores are in the US right ? as im in the uk warranty wont be valid for me, plus tax and shipping would be too high
would there be a major different in i7 dual core and i7 quad ?
as ive seen a recon one on the apple store, plus they offer finance
but i could use a credit card anyway i guess