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Apple To Discontinue Mac Pro In EU Over Safety Regulations
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."
Macs have fans?
My turnips listen for the soft cry of your love
and nothing of value was lost
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, confirmed by Apple.
Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
Thank goodness Europe will be safe now from those assault Macs.
quiquid id est, timeo puellas et oscula dantes.
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.
They have a good system set up. They release new products every year. It would be more expensive, I'm assuming, to sell newly designed laptops or accept recalls and pay for the labor.
People will still buy it anyway. ... But will people keep buying the iPhone, apples biggest moneymaker? The answer to that question could significantly drop apple's value.
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?
https://app.box.com/WitthoftResume Code: https://github.com/cellocgw
http://www.tonymacx86.com/325-building-customac-buyer-s-guide-january-2013.html
There's really no point to building all purpose computers except for programmers. There's just no money in building general purpose computers.
RS
Shoes for Industry. Shoes for the Dead.
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.
Yeah, I had a sig once; I got bored of it.
No programmers, no programs, and the Mac will go the way of the Amiga.
"We don't need you, you need us."
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.
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. It happens a lot.[needs citation] Any power we give the government, is a power the corporations can buy. People should just start voting for whichever candidate got the fewest campaign contributions, probably wouldn't fix anything, but it would be interesting.
refactor the law, its bloated, confusing and unmaintainable.
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.
Quick buy buy buy.
In 3 months, they'll release news of a new mac, quick buy buy buy!
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.
Hail Eris, full of mischief...
E pluribus sanguinem
"I'll test my own food for botulism!" --Anonymous Coward
Was it shiny too?
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?
were so upset, they had to get a day off from their barista jobs.
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.
true but the EU appears to be going back in time ;-)
The Dyson fan is not bladeless, just as the Dyson vacuum is not filterless. I have taken them apart and looked, rather than relying on advertising memes and corporate lies.
The fan has a concealed blade in the base, with a shroud that redirects the airflow into a venturi ring. It is not bladeless.
The only nominally bladeless fan extant is the Tesla turbine, which substitutes a set of flat spinning discs for blades. Even there, an argument can be made that the discs are in fact blades.
The Dyson "bladeless" fan a more original product than the Dyson airblade (which is a knock-off of the Mitsubishi Jet Towel) or the Dyson vaccuum (cyclone vacs having been used in industry for decades) but it still suffers from the same over-hyped, breathless misstatement of fact that seems to characterize all Dyson product advertisement.
It's interesting that this should come up in a discussion of Apple products, since Dyson marketing is seemingly based on Apple marketing - but with the addition of a heap of outright lies (such as false claims of bladelessness, filterlessness, and uniqueness). Apple marketing generally glosses over any shortcomings and stresses style over cost-effectiveness or efficiency, but they certainly haven't made a habit of outright lying about all their products, like Dyson does.
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 from 250 MHz to 300.
My understanding is that **some** games run slower on 3rd gen than they do on 2nd gen. There are 4 times as many pixels to update on that retina display and apparently the GPU cores update was not enough. The 4th gen with its CPU and GPU speed updates apparently does not have the same performance issue as the 3rd gen on these games.
For those worried about the resale value of their 3rd gen iPads. Find local developers, they will be more interested than the public in general. Developers will want these slightly slower models for testing purposes.
As a lowly technician I see this directive as money in the bank. Just think about how many more systems I get to fix easy overheating or shorting out problems due to dust in those fan guards.
Sweet delicious profit.
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?!?
They are the most recycled consumer product.
http://www.leadacidbatteryinfo.org/lead-acid-battery-recycling.htm
You can't be right. I'm pretty sure Dyson uses a phase change singularity to pull air into and then through the very cool looking opening. Hiding a fan in the base would be misleading the public. So, there.
> Rotating blades hooked up to a high power motor, no protection, no case
I don't know about that. I got a new mixer and it has some simple but efficient safeguards. You can't turn it on if all the elements are not in place.
The EU is apparently having too much time making up problems. Just about EVERY appliance in a kitchen is more dangerous than a MacPro.
True, except... when I take a knife, I am aware that I can hurt myself if I handle it wrong. A non-IT person usually will not be consciously aware that there are moving fan blades in a PC.
And while you (hopefully) keep knifes and scissors out of reach from small children, a PC usually standing on the ground or close to the ground.
But sure, compare PCs to kitchen knifes, as everyone can see that they are so similar.
Apple is getting out of the computer biz and has been for a long time. It's a bit of an open secret that by 2014 - 2015 the only mac computers you will be able to buy are the Air, iMac, and Mini, and I'm not too sure about the Mini. The iPhone and iPad ARE the future of Apple Computers.
The iPhone and iPad are already the heart of Apple. Yet I don't see how the above is getting out of the computer business. The scenario you describe seems like consolidating four product lines into two. For consumers and many developers the MacBook Air may very well be a viable alternative for the MacBook Pro once the Air gets a storage update or two. Personally going with a Pro today is really about saving $380 compared to the 13" Air with a 256MB SSD and external DVD. Once 256MB SSDs make it into the lower end models I might go Air. Performance wise my tasks are more disk bound than CPU bound. I don't need retina since I am normally using an external monitor on a desk. I think I could make a similar argument regarding iMac and Mac Pro. The Pro is already a niche machine.
IMO the most you could say is that Apple would be focusing more on consumers and neglecting the highest end of the customer spectrum. Well that is already the case. FWIW, most developers can get along quite nicely with the consumer lines.
But sure, compare PCs to kitchen knifes, as everyone can see that they are so similar.
True. One is patently, plainly, deadly to anyone who comes in contact with it.
The other, you have to be astonishingly unlucky or just plain stupid to even get a LITTLE "hurt" with it.
Wanna guess which one is which?
And in the case (pun intended) of the Mac Pro, THAT isn't even POSSIBLE. Period.
Prove me wrong. Show me the diagram that would show how you could "access" a SPINNING fan blade with a HUMAN body part in the Mac Pro?
Quite frankly, if I were Apple, I would apply for an exemption, or at least argue that they are compliant. The only reason they aren't, IMHO, is that they are poised to offer their new (and likely "compliant") version of the product; but it won't be ready QUITE in time for this Directive.
So, does this Directive make the iMac, the Mac mini, and the Macbook Pro ALL "non-compliant"? Because, IF YOU DISASSEMBLE THEM, you will find "accessible fan blades" in ALL of those products (just like a ZILLION other products by a ZILLION other manufacturers)???
Where does it end?
My kitchen mixer automatically switches off when I remove the cover.
Beijing is not the only Asian city with lethal air pollution
The Chinese capital is just one of hundreds of cities where poisonous air is the fastest growing cause of death
"Beijing eyes stinging from toxic air. "
"3.2 million people died from air pollution in 2010, compared with 800,000 in 2000."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/blog/2013/jan/17/lethal-air-pollution-asia-cities?intcmp=239
"in Kabul (the capital and largest city in Afghanistan) it has been reported that there are now more deaths as a result of air and water pollution than from conflict."
* * *
Beijing authorities act to curb emissions as air pollution hits record level - video
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2013/jan/14/beijing-emissions-air-pollution-video
* * *
OFF THE SCALE!
Beijing . . . almost 40 times the World Health Organisation's recommended safe limit.
The US embassy's air quality index (AQI) reading for Beijing stood at 495 and "hazardous" at 11am, after having reached 517, or "beyond index", at 6am.
The index rates anything over 150 as "unhealthy", over 300 as "hazardous", while a reading above the upper limit of 500 is regarded as "beyond index".
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-01-29/china/36615210_1_pollution-problems-air-quality-state-media
* * *
Subject: US corporate profits taxed at 39.1%, the highest rate in the world!
http://www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2012/10/23-corporate-taxes-pozen
Factor in the added costs for keeping the air, water and land clean, proper safety, so make the corporate tax rate about 20 percent and boom, watch the jobs return.
Just think if everyone followed their league: absolutely refused to comply with laws and regulations particularly that part of that elites win, others lose pile of $^% that hides monopolistic bribe sharing behind a thin veil of concern for safety, equality, the environment, etc. As the so-called EU is one of the worst offenders, we might see their area returned to its 1945 condition, all their pathetic governments collapsed. And if all Europe could be totally freed from government, we could try it next in the USA.
how you constructed that fantasy that has NO CHANCE of being believed, yet YOU think it is a "Killer Argument"
Reveals your
a) Apple RDF
b) Own proclivities
I note a lot of slammers with zero education exhibited doing the same as an AC on this story too. astroturf?
We have grills on our fans, you have the TSA, and we're the nanny continent?
You should really smile when you say that so one of the many government CCTV's won't think you are up to something.
Good thing you didn't claim Americans were Nazis or the EU would have had to pull your post.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
The big changes which have affected apple with the implementation of IEC 60950 Amendment 1 are:
1. Requirement for guards and warnings on fans located within equipment where the fans are accessible during user maintenance/servicing.
The previous regulations did not specify particular requirements for guarding during servicing, on the assumption that service personnel would be expected to know where fans, etc. are.
The new regs for fans in areas accessible during user maintenance are: A fan likely to cause pain if contacted by a finger, needs at minimum a warning label. A fan likely to cause injury if contacted, needs both a label and a guard. In both cases, if the user is expected to service the fan, the some method of deactivating the fan needs to be labelled (e.g. a sticker saying disconnect mains power before removing fan guard would be sufficient).
Where equipment is intended for maintenance by qualified service personnel only, then fan guards are not required.
2. New methods of testing fully solid-state circuit breakers used for providing power to externally accessible ports.
Prior regs only required short-circuit testing of electronic circuit breakers (e.g. as provided on USB ports). The new regs prescribe a whole suite of tests, including response times, handling pulsed overloads, etc.
ru kidding me? You are trying to make excuses for legislation that has no point.
Go stick your finger in a PC fan blade. I've done it heaps of times and never suffered anything close to resembling an injury.
This is a solution where there is no problem, and legislators justifying their existance.
46137
Mac Pro can't be a big seller in the EU. I'll agree with other that new designs must be coming and that modding machines for that market isn't worth the effort, and they may also get so unexpected sales. As for fans, many of the servers that I have seen have fan guards fitted, Mac Pros may have been an exception because of the noise issue.
There was an unknown error in the submission.
As everyone's commenting how "retarded" this EU directive is without actually reading it I thought I'd find out exactly what it says, as it seemed strange that it would ban all unguarded internal fans.
I found this presentation on the EU directive, the part about fans starts at slide 32, or some direct links to the slides: 32, 33, 34, 35, 36.
Basically it appears fans are divided into 3 categories based on their diameter, fan blade speed and weight: a) Won't hurt if touched, b) Will hurt but won't injure if touched and c) Will injure if touched. Category a are fine anywhere, category b are ok in user serviceable areas as long as there's a warning sticker and category c fans can only be accessible to "service personnel". Seems pretty sensible for me.
Now I ran the numbers in the formula just to make sure they're not too strict and a fan with a 5cm blade radius and 100g weight going at 3000rpm (faster than the Mac Pro max rpm) is category a. Seriously a large case fan could be on the outside of the thing with no grill and still be legal.
Even if I've got the figures wrong for the Mac Pro's fans I can't imagine any of the fans being more than category b, which only requires a warning label. I can't help but think Apple are just using it as a PR excuse for failing the "electrical port protection" rules by trying to make the rules seem ridiculously strict.
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?
No it's not, because Apple is talking crap about the regulation. It only bans unguarded fans that are fast and heavy enough to cause injury. I actually read the regulation and did the math and found that a typical 10cm case fan at 3000rpm is considered so safe it could be on the outside of the case with no guard and still be legal, so I can't imagine how any of the Mac Pro fans would fail it. Even the next fan category is legal to be unguarded on the inside as long as they put a warning sticker on it...
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, 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 there's a warning label.
I can't see how any of the Mac Pro fans could possibly fail this, I can only think Apple are trying to deflect attention away from failing the electrical ports protection rules.
No it's not, because Apple is talking crap about the regulation.
That may be true. On the other hand, what are the chances that Apple would get a million dollar fine in Italy over this (even if you are correct and these fans are absolutely legal)?
If everything works fine, why upgrade?
Because after a point, everything won't work fine anymore. Think of unpatched security holes in the latest version of an EOL'd software product (such as Windows XP 15 months from now) or the latest firmware version for a particular device. Or think of web sites dropping support for obsolete browsers with negligible usage share, causing web sites that detect lack of expected JavaScript and CSS features to fall back to plain-jane pages written in essentially HTML3.
Apparently, there isn't enough Kool-Aid in the EU to convince them that they were plugging it in wrong.
are promptly discarded and crushed. Any Mac Pros used in any EU official government function should be destroyed ASAP for safety purposes.
I started a blog on exponential tech and all these futuristic. Sorry no boobs but check it out anyways. Heres 1 on fake meat. http://mikecole858.blogspot.com/2013/02/fake-meatits-whats-for-dinner.html?m=1
You hit the nail right on the head...
This is indeed Apple making a lot of noise about nothing.
Just as you said - a simple sticker is enough!
It is funny to see all those foam-mouthing people that want to end all regulations as being "commie" and "nanny".
They just want to lower all consumer protection to the same low standards as their own country.
Fortunately the EU has higher standards to protect the consumer than most greedy manufacturers would like to see.
Oh the horror - they are "forced" to deliver decent products...
Now - I rather have an little bit over-regulation than to leave anything to the "market".
In the latter case it is always the consumer that gets screwed.
The author of this article is misleading you and is wrong in some parts, Apple pulled the current Mac Pro to comply with the regulations in the EU as the current Mac Pro does not comply. However, they do intend to reintroduce the new version of the Mac Pro later as stated in several news articles, and if you read between the lines in their press release they are working on something, but they never said no to not bringing it back.
Yes, and we are absolutely not being micro-managed. Nothing to see here folks, move on. Is government getting bigger, or is it me?
Dear Microlimp: I give you 2 valid product keys for win7 and you reject both of them. Piss off you wankers!!!
Yeah who cares about industrial safety eh? And don't get me started on environmental laws, the market should decide everything!