Leo Laporte, Andy Ihnatko, and I talk about Apple's October 22 event invitations going out, what might be announced, and more!
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MacBreak Weekly 372: Unapologetically Runway
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Obama Is Coming for Immigration Next
WASHINGTON — As the fiscal fight roiling Washington nears its end, the White House is already signaling that it plans to use the political momentum it has gained during the shutdown fight to charge back into the immigration debate. And this time, Democratic pollsters and advocates say, they could actually win.
The final chapter of the current crisis hasn’t been written yet, but Democrats in Washington are privately confident that they’ll emerge with the upper hand over the conservatives in Congress who forced a government shutdown. And sources say the administration plans to use its victory to resurrect an issue that was always intended to be a top priority of Obama’s second-term agenda.
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EU praises Iran nuclear talks; more talks in Nov
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton smiles during a press conference after two days of closed-door nuclear talks on Iran in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013. Talks between Iran and six world powers have ended an upbeat note, with the European Union's top diplomat Ashton calling them "very important," in efforts to end international tensions over Tehran's nuclear program. (AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini)
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton smiles during a press conference after two days of closed-door nuclear talks on Iran in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013. Talks between Iran and six world powers have ended an upbeat note, with the European Union's top diplomat Ashton calling them "very important," in efforts to end international tensions over Tehran's nuclear program. (AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini)
Switzerland's Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter, left, speaks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, during a meeting besides of the two days of closed-door nuclear talks in Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2013. (AP Photo/Martial Trezzini, Pool)
GENEVA (AP) — High-stakes nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers adjourned on an upbeat note Wednesday, with the European Union's top diplomat calling them "very important." Iran's foreign minister spoke of a possible "new phase" that would ease a decade of tensions over fears that his country wanted a nuclear bomb.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton did not go into details on the substance of the talks. But she read a statement endorsed by both Iran and the six countries, calling the talks "substantive and forward looking."
Confirming Iranian media reports, the statement said the two sides will meet again in Geneva on Nov. 7-8.
Ashton, who convened the talks, spoke of a "very intensive and I think a very important meeting."
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who headed the Iranian side, said he hoped the results achieved over two days of talks ending Wednesday "will hopefully be the beginning of a new phase" in relations between Iran and the six powers — the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany.
"We have reached a serious stage in the talks," he told reporters.
The lack of immediate details on what was achieved, however, made it difficult to evaluate the amount of progress made in what has been a decade of deadlocked negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.
Iran says it's not interested in having nuclear weapons. Its proposal Tuesday to the six powers focused on their demands that Iran's uranium enrichment program and other activities that could be used to make nuclear arms be stopped or reduced.
Iran wants painful international sanctions to be lifted in exchange for possible concessions it had been previously unwilling to consider. Those could be increased international monitoring of its nuclear program and the scaling back of its uranium enrichment plans — a potential pathway to nuclear arms and the centerpiece of its impasse with the West.
Tehran insists it has no interest in weapons production. Still, it has resisted both enticements and sanctions from world powers designed to force it into ending uranium enrichment and other activities that could be used to make weapons.
But negotiations now appear to be driven by the new wind generated since reformist President Hassan Rouhani was elected in June.
A member of one of the delegations at the talks said the new Iranian plan offered reductions in both the levels of uranium enrichment being conducted by Iran and the number of centrifuges doing the enrichment — a key demand of the six powers.
An Iranian official said any plan would be implemented in three stages, lasting from six months to a year.
Both men demanded anonymity because they were not allowed to discuss the confidential plan.
Iranian state TV, which closely reflects government views, said Tehran offered to discuss uranium enrichment levels. The report also said Iran proposed adopting the additional protocols of the U.N.'s nuclear treaty — effectively opening its nuclear facilities to wider inspection and monitoring — if the West recognizes Iran's right to enrich uranium.
But the Iranian official said any acceptance of the protocols would be one of the last steps in implementing the plan.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-10-16-Iran-Nuclear-Talks/id-a70acb8ca6e34390bff13459277d3d66Category: miami dolphins nadal Jana Lutteropp Jake Pavelka Deanna Burditt
White House: House Republican plan too partisan
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says the latest proposal from House Republican leaders for reopening the government and extending the nation's borrowing cap is a partisan effort to appease tea party conservatives. It praises bipartisan negotiations in the Senate as a good-faith effort to end the partial government shutdown and avoid an economy-shaking default.
The White House also announced it will meet with House Democratic leaders Tuesday afternoon as negotiations continue and a deadline to raise the debt ceiling moves ever closer.
White House spokeswoman Amy Brundage says a proposal from House GOP leaders that would attach health care law changes to shut-down and debt ceiling measures is a, quote, "partisan attempt to appease a small group of tea party Republicans who forced the government shut down in the first place."
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2013-10-15-Budget-Battle%20Obama/id-a1353d780c2543d79de9a9ce166ab1a7Category: steelers Roosevelt Field Mall savannah brinson Yom Kippur 2013 ESPYS 2013
Senators seek budget deal, House GOP effort flops
President Barack Obama, center, and Vice President Joe Biden, center left, meet with Democratic Leadership in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013, in Washington. Sitting with them are from left to right, Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif., Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y. The partial government shutdown is in its third week and less than two days before the Treasury Department says it will be unable to borrow and will rely on a cash cushion to pay the country's bills. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
President Barack Obama, center, and Vice President Joe Biden, center left, meet with Democratic Leadership in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013, in Washington. Sitting with them are from left to right, Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif., Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y. The partial government shutdown is in its third week and less than two days before the Treasury Department says it will be unable to borrow and will rely on a cash cushion to pay the country's bills. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
From left to right, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of Calif., Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., and Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., speaking with members of the media outside the West Wing of the White House following their meeting with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2013, in Washington. The partial government shutdown is in its third week and less than two days before the Treasury Department says it will be unable to borrow and will rely on a cash cushion to pay the country's bills. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
Reporters wait outside the office of Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, as a planned vote in the House of Representatives collapsed, Tuesday night, Oct. 15, 2013, at the Capitol in Washington. Time growing desperately short, House Republicans pushed for passage of legislation late Tuesday to prevent a threatened Treasury default, end a 15-day partial government shutdown and extricate divided government from its latest brush with a full political meltdown. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate leaders are optimistic about forging an eleventh-hour bipartisan deal preventing a possible federal default and ending the partial government shutdown after Republican divisions forced GOP leaders to drop efforts to ram their own version through the House.
Pressured by the calendar, financial markets and public opinion polls, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., were hoping to shake hands on an agreement Wednesday and, if possible, hold votes later in the day.
Driving their urgency were oft-repeated Obama administration warnings that the government would exhaust its borrowing authority Thursday and risk a federal default that could unhinge the world economy. Lawmakers feared that spooked financial markets would plunge unless a deal was at hand and that voters would take it out on incumbents in next year's congressional elections.
"People are so tired of this," President Barack Obama said Tuesday in an interview with Los Angeles TV station KMEX.
U.S. stock futures were rising early Wednesday amid strong corporate earnings and lingering hope for a deal to head off a government default. But there were also dire warnings from the financial world a day after the Fitch credit rating agency said it was reviewing its AAA rating on U.S. government debt for possible downgrade.
John Chambers, chairman of Standard & Poor's Sovereign Debt Committee, told "CBS This Morning" on Wednesday that a U.S. government default on its debts would be "much worse than Lehman Brothers," the investment firm whose 2008 collapse led to the global financial crisis.
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett told CNBC he doesn't think the federal government will fail to pay its bills, but "if it does happen, it's a pure act of idiocy."
Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, a tea party favorite, said he was not worried about the prospect of a U.S. default.
"We are going to service our debt," he told CNN. "But I am concerned about all the rhetoric around this ....I'm concerned that it will scare the markets."
Aides to Reid and McConnell said the two men had resumed talks, including a Tuesday night conversation, and were hopeful about striking an agreement that could pass both houses.
It was expected to mirror a deal the leaders had neared Monday. That agreement was described as extending the debt limit through Feb. 7, immediately reopening the government fully and keeping agencies running until Jan. 15 — leaving lawmakers clashing over the same disputes in the near future.
It also set a mid-December deadline for bipartisan budget negotiators to report on efforts to reach compromise on longer-term issues like spending cuts. And it likely would require the Obama administration to certify that it can verify the income of people who qualify for federal subsidies for medical insurance under the 2010 health care law.
But that emerging Senate pact was put on hold Tuesday, an extraordinary day that highlighted how unruly rank-and-file House Republicans can be, even when the stakes are high. Facing solid Democratic opposition, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, tried in vain to write legislation that would satisfy GOP lawmakers, especially conservatives.
Boehner crafted two versions of the bill, but neither made it to a House vote because both faced certain defeat. Working against him was word during the day from the influential group Heritage Action for America that his legislation was not conservative enough — a worrisome threat for many GOP lawmakers whose biggest electoral fears are of primary challenges from the right.
The last of Boehner's two bills had the same dates as the emerging Senate plan on the debt limit and shutdown.
But it also blocked federal payments for the president, members of Congress and other officials to help pay for their health care coverage. And it prevented the Obama administration from shifting funds among different accounts — as past Treasury secretaries have done — to let the government keep paying bills briefly after the federal debt limit has been reached.
Boehner's inability to produce a bill that could pass his own chamber likely means he will have to let the House vote on a Senate compromise, even if that means it would pass with strong Democratic and weak GOP support. House Republican leaders have tried to avoid that scenario for fear that it would threaten their leadership, and some Republicans worried openly about that.
"Of all the damage to be done politically here, one of the greatest concerns I have is that somehow John Boehner gets compromised," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a former House member and Boehner supporter.
With the default clock ticking ever louder, it was possible the House might vote first on a plan produced by Senate leaders. For procedural reasons, that could speed the measure's trip through Congress by removing some parliamentary barriers Senate opponents might erect.
The strains of the confrontation were showing among GOP lawmakers.
"It's time to reopen the government and ensure we don't default on our debt," Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., said in a written statement. "I will not vote for poison pills that have no chance of passing the Senate or being signed into law."
___
Associated Press writers David Espo, Andrew Taylor, Charles Babington, Stephen Ohlemacher, Henry C. Jackson and Donna Cassata contributed to this report.
Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-10-16-Budget%20Battle/id-12bbcdd4a82744e783d77ad0d8036ecfTags: Cameron Douglas Apple.com vince young Myla Sinanaj BBC
Report: NSA Harvests Contact Lists From Email, Facebook
The Washington Post has published new revelations about the National Security Agency's electronic snooping, indicating that the intelligence branch gathers millions of contact lists from personal email accounts and instant messaging around the world.
The new information is attributed by the Post to "senior intelligence officials and top-secret documents provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden."
"The collection program, which has not been disclosed before, intercepts e-mail address books and 'buddy lists' from instant messaging services as they move across global data links. Online services often transmit those contacts when a user logs on, composes a message, or synchronizes a computer or mobile device with information stored on remote servers.
Rather than targeting individual users, the NSA is gathering contact lists in large numbers that amount to a sizable fraction of the world's e-mail and instant messaging accounts. Analysis of that data enables the agency to search for hidden connections and to map relationships within a much smaller universe of foreign intelligence targets."
According to the newspaper, in a single day last year the NSA harvested 444,743 email address books from Yahoo, 105,068 from Hotmail, 82,857 from Facebook, 33,697 from Gmail and 22,881 from unspecified other providers.
The Post story quotes Yahoo as saying in response to NSA effort, it would begin encrypting user connections using SLL technology in January.
However, last month, The Two-Way's Eyder Peralta wrote that The New York Times and The Guardian, relying on documents from Snowden, revealed that the NSA has the keys to crack most Internet encryption methods.
"In plain English, this means that many of the tools — like , used by many banks and email providers — that people worldwide have come to believe protect them from snooping by criminals and governments are essentially worthless when it comes to the NSA."
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Ashton Kutcher Tops Forbes Highest-Paid TV Actors List!
He’s one of the most lovable stars on the boob tube, and it turns out Ashton Kutcher is also one of the richest!
According to Forbes’ annual Highest-Earning Television Actors roster, the “Butterfly Effect” hunk nabbed a cool $24 million over the past year.
Kutcher’s “Two and a Half Men” partner in crime Jon Cryer took the runner-up position with a salary of $21 million, and Ray Romano scored $16 million thanks to syndication royalties from “Everybody Loves Raymond.”
Rounding out the top five are Neil Patrick Harris, who is tied for #4 with Mark Harmon ($15 million) and Patrick Dempsey in fifth place with an impressive $13 million income.
Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/ashton-kutcher/ashton-forbes-1020930
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Farm Families Pick Massive Corn Harvest As Prices Shrink
Curt Friesen is a fourth-generation farmer in central Nebraska.
Grant Gerlock/for NPR
Curt Friesen is a fourth-generation farmer in central Nebraska.
Grant Gerlock/for NPR
Corn prices are down and the farm bill is stalled in Congress. So there's a lot of uncertainly in the air as harvest season gets into full swing across the Midwest. But this is a time of year when farm families like the Friesens in Henderson, Neb., come together to focus on the big task at hand: the corn harvest.
Everyone in the family has a job to do.
"Like my dad — he drives auger wagon," Curt Friesen says. "He drives auger wagon only. That's all he's done since 1976, I think. ... My wife, Nancy, she drives the combine; that's her job."
Curt drives a truck. So does his son-in-law, who's new on the farm. That's how the Friesens are harvesting 1,100 acres of corn this fall, about middle of the pack in terms of its size.
With roughly 97 million acres of corn to pick nationwide, farmers are pulling in family and friends as part-time help to haul in the crop.
Nancy Friesen grasps the orange joystick that controls the Friesens' giant John Deere combine, which is so big, it makes the cornstalks look like matchsticks.
"It is a humongous piece of equipment," she says, "and it is intimidating. It's got all kinds of bells and whistles to let you know what's going wrong."
During corn harvest, it's all hands on deck on the Friesen family farm in Henderson, Neb. Nancy Friesen typically takes the controls of their John Deere combine.
Grant Gerlock/for NPR
During corn harvest, it's all hands on deck on the Friesen family farm in Henderson, Neb. Nancy Friesen typically takes the controls of their John Deere combine.
Grant Gerlock/for NPR
Nancy Friesen isn't totally comfortable in the driver's seat. Even a modestly priced combine costs $350,000, and most of the year she's in the garden, not the field. But she expressed some relief as she mowed down the cornstalks and watched the grain flow in.
"It is a good feeling when the corn is in the bin and we don't have to worry about it out here anymore," she says. "So many weird weather things can happen," like last year's drought, which was the worst since the 1950s.
The drought caused corn yields to dry up across the Midwest. The Friesens were lucky — irrigation saved most of their crop. And farmers who irrigate reaped the rewards last year, as drought shrunk supply, pushing corn prices to record highs of over $8 a bushel.
Of course, drought can also be disastrous at harvest time, as Albert Friesen, Curt's 92-year-old dad, knows firsthand.
When Albert Friesen started farming he used horses, not green tractors. In 1938, at age 16, he took over the farm after his dad died. The next year a drought hit and the crop was ruined.
"There was nothing here," he says. "Everything dried up. I went to Minnesota to pick corn by hand."
He brought home $69, just enough to keep the farm. That was a tough year.
"But I think we're in for some tough times yet again," he says.
Tough in comparison to last year, at least — 2013 could be the biggest corn harvest in history: The U.S. Department of Agriculture has estimated 13.8 billion bushels. With so much supply, corn prices have been shrinking since the beginning of the year and are down around a three-year low, though prices remain quite healthy by historical standards.
Still, it's not clear what the crop will be worth by the time it's in the bin. That uncertainty comes just as Jason Lewis, the Friesens' son-in-law, is joining the family farm. A year ago, Lewis was in a college classroom. He wasn't a student — he was the professor.
"This time last year, I was at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, and I was probably teaching turf grass science class," Lewis says.
Now the 35-year-old Ph.D. from Kearney, Neb., is hauling corn and wearing earbuds so he can listen to podcasts while he's in the field.
During a break in the action, Nancy said she is grateful to have extra help on hand.
"I love it when I can hear Curt and Jason talking in the shop and he's got somebody to talk shop to," she says. "I love having the kids back. It takes the pressure off so much."
But Nancy couldn't talk for long. Albert had an empty grain wagon. Jason had a truck to fill. She plunged the combine into the standing corn. The harvest grind will go on for another four to six weeks.
"It's just pretty much harvest," Nancy says. "I try to clear the schedule. I just figure nothing really happens in October."
At least, not until the last load of corn comes in.
Grant Gerlock reports from Nebraska for NET News and Harvest Public Media, a public radio reporting collaboration that focuses on agriculture and food production issues.
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Donald Glover Reveals Dark Fears, Career Regrets in Disturbing Instagram Posts
Community star Donald Glover has some fans concerned after posting a long list of dark ruminations to his Instagram feed on Monday.
PHOTOS: On the 'Community' Set
Handwritten on Marriott hotel stationery, the seven pages of notes include such fearful admissions as, "I'm afraid my parents won't live long enough to see my kids," "I'm afraid people hate who I really am," "I'm afraid people think I hate my race," "I'm afraid people think I hate women," and, "I'm scared I'll never grow out of bro rape." (The reference to "bro rape" refers to an early sketch by Glover's comedy troupe, Derrick Comedy.)
COVER STORY: 'Community's' Dan Harmon Reveals the Wild Story Behind His Firing and Rehiring
Glover, who committed to a shortened season of Community this year -- ostensibly to focus more on his rap music as alter ego Childish Gambino -- also made several references to his career in the posts. In one, he denies that his music pursuits were the reason he left the NBC sitcom.
"I didn't leave Community to rap," Glover, 30, writes. "I don't wanna rap. I wanted to be on my own." He also writes, "I'm afraid [Community creator] Dan Harmon hates me."
"I've been sick this year, I've seen a bunch of people die this year. This is the first time I've felt helpless. But I'm not on that," he adds.
STORY: 'Community's' Donald Glover Reduces Role for Season 5
A rising star in the comedy world, Glover's first big break came with a writing gig on NBC's 30 Rock. He was later cast as Troy Barnes on Community, the breakout role that earned him legions of fans. He recently inked a deal with FX to star, write and executive produce Atlanta, a music-themed series.
Still, his work as Childish Gambino took center stage this year. Glover announced on Oct. 8 that his newly completed studio album, Because the Internet, would receive a late-December release.
STORY: 'Community's' Donald Glover Developing Music Comedy for FX
"Obviously, Donald is a comic genius," co-star Joel McHale told THR last August, shortly after the first table read of Community's fifth season. "His level of talent is pretty extraordinary and rare. His rap career is exploding, so I get why he wants to focus on it."
A call to Glover's representatives for comment was not immediately answered.
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The New And The Next: Six-Second Comedy And A Spin On News
The online magazine Ozy covers people, places and trends on the horizon. Co-founder Carlos Watson joins All Things Considered regularly to share the site's latest discoveries.
This week, he tells NPR's Arun Rath about a YouTube sensation in Urugauy, a six-second comedian and the young woman who gained a following with her explicit declaration of love for science.
The New And The Next
Uruguay's News Sensation
"Agustin Ferrando kind of got depressed with a lot of the news he saw and thought that little moments in life were just as interesting. So he created an incredibly popular YouTube channel — north of a million hits in a country that only has 3 million people. ...
"He's saying, 'If I tell the little individual stories of what you had for dinner, what happened at this schoolhouse — even though that's not classic big news — that's the stuff of real life.' "
Read 'In Uruguay, Everything Happens, Every Week' On Ozy.com
The Next Comedy Forum: Vine
"Will Sasso, who's been a comedian who's bounced around for years, has finally found his platform in Vine. Vine only gives you six seconds to make some magical video.
"And what Will Sasso figured out is that he could either try and tell you stories, or he could do funny impersonations."
Read 'The Vine Mastery of Will Sasso' On Ozy.com
The Woman Who (Really) Loves Science
Courtesy of Elise AndrewCourtesy of Elise Andrew
"[Elise Andrew], who was originally from Britain, was living in Canada at university ... and just suddenly posted science articles that she liked. ... She put a very colorful headline: 'I F - - - ing Love Science.' ...
"But people didn't know that a 24-year-old young woman was the person behind this incredibly popular site. When she revealed herself, she got a bunch of negative comments. But Rather than shrink from it, she leaned into it in the best sense and started essentially posting the worst quote of the day."
Read 'Elise Andrew F - - - ing Loves Science' On Ozy.com
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Dempsey's fundraiser raises $1.1M for cancer
LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Patrick Dempsey's bicycling, running and walking fundraiser in western Maine to raise money for his cancer center has netted more than $1 million.
Nearly 4,000 participants took part in the fifth annual Dempsey Challenge on Saturday and Sunday, raising $1.1 million for the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer, Hope & Healing at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. The final tally is expected to grow to more than $1.2 million.
More than 1,100 cyclists rode routes ranging from 10 to 100 miles on Sunday, with the actor making an appearance during the event's closing ceremony.
Dempsey, a native of Buckfield, plays Dr. Derek Shepherd on TV's "Grey's Anatomy." He launched the Dempsey Challenge after his mother's experience with cancer. He founded the Dempsey Center in 2008.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/dempseys-fundraiser-raises-1-1m-cancer-164940764.html
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Three Camera-Friendly Commuter Bags to Keep Your Gear Safe
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10 signs the dot-com tech bubble is back
Software Asset Management
During our Software Asset Management webinar you will learn how having asset, configuration and other service management processes together in one system of record provides the control and visibility you need to overcome these challenges. more
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Never mind Retina Displays: Get ready for 4K on the new Mac Pro
Last year Apple introduced MacBook Pros with Retina Displays, and many folks watching the Mac market have assumed that it's only a matter of time before the rest of the line has them too. That may be true, but the newly redesigned Mac Pro is going to leapfrog that by offering something that so far, no other Mac can handle - 4K video. And not just 4K video, but 4K video on three screens.
The Mac Pro doesn't have a built-in display, of course. What it does have is Thunderbolt 2 and dual AMD FirePro graphics processing units with up to six gigabytes of dedicated VRAM. That's enough horsepower to drive three 4K displays simultaneously - ideal for pro video workstations, visual effects work in cinema, and film editing.
That only scratches the surface of what the Mac Pro will be able to do. It even has a dedicated HDMI port that conforms to the 1.4 specification, which supports 4K video, so you'll be able to connect it directly to a 4K "broadcast monitor" to see how the images you're working on will look in real life.
Now, 4K processing on the Mac is nothing new. Blackmagic Design, for example, makes switchers, capture and playback cards designed to work with Macs that do 4K. But having 4K native support is an entirely different story.
What is 4K?
4K is also known UHDTV, or Ultra High Definition TV. 4K operates at 3840 x 2160 resolution, four times what today's HDTVs do. That sounds like a lot, and it is. It's 8.3 million individual pixels, compared to 2.0 million pixels for a standard 1080p HD signal. As a point of comparison, Apple's Thunderbolt Display sports a resolution of 2560 x 1440, or about 3.3 million pixels.
4K is a lot of pixels to push, which is why you need something like Thunderbolt 2 or HDMI 1.4 to push them all. It's also why you need powerful graphics processors like the FirePro to process that data.
Some companies have garnered a fair degree of publicity for themselves by introducing 4K televisions for home use, but so far, they're the rarified domain of people with big media rooms who can afford really gargantuan TVs. 84-inch UHD sets were the first to appear; now they've gone down in size to 55-inch or smaller.
Blu-ray Disc (BD) resolution maxes out at 1920 x 1080, for example - that's "standard" HD resolution. Some companies have introduced BD players that will "upscale" to 4K resolution (and 4K TVs will upscale HD content themselves, as well); Sony's also shown off a 4K video player and a download service that provides native 4K content.
Why is 4K important?
4K is used in cinema. The past decade has seen a big switch in most movie theaters from traditional film projection to digital film projection. No longer are movie theater projectionists rolling big spools of film from reels - they're showing movies using LCD projectors, Digital Micromirror Devices (DMDs) and similar technology.
The benefit for you is that the days of seeing scratches and dust are over: you watch a pristine "print" of the movie whether you show up on opening weekend or three weeks later. Digital movies don't wear out like film prints do. The advantage for the film distributors and the movie theaters is that there's no actual bulky, fragile film to transport or maintain - movies can be downloaded, depending on the connection to the theater, or delivered on a hard drive.
Video and film editing, special effects and post-production is still a vital business for Apple, and it's a place where the Mac Pro had done well over the years - but the Mac Pro hasn't aged well for the new era of digital filmmaking. By incorporating the massive bandwidth of Thunderbolt 2 (six ports, each operating at 20 Gbps bandwidth), the prodigious parallel processing power of the Mac Pro's CPUs and GPUs, and by streamlining the throughput as much as possible, Apple's tried to optimize the new Mac Pro to be a digital filmmaking powerhouse.
Still pricy
Small form-factor 4K displays are still pretty expensive. To get a 32-inch 4K monitor, you're still going to spend upwards of $3,000 at the moment. That price will come down as the technology is more broadly used, though.
But Apple's never been known to skimp on monitors. The company advertises only one model at present - the 27-inch Thunderbolt Display. It's available at a wallet-crushing $999. It has some nice features that make it particularly convenient for a Thunderbolt-equipped Apple computer user, like built in MagSafe power adapter for laptops, USB, FireWire, Thunderbolt and Gigabit Ethernet - but it's also squarely in the high end of the 27-inch display market.
Apple probably won't compete on price with any new 4K display right out of the gate. But given the dearth of 4K monitors available today (Asus is one of the few companies to have one in production), it wouldn't surprise me at all to see Apple offer a new screen for the Mac Pro.
Apple is not just making the new Mac Pro ready for 4K but is really pushing the capability as one of the device's big selling points. That should give you some idea of who they think is a key market for the new device - it's squarely aimed at creative professionals in film, television and video. People who are working with 4K content today or preparing to do so, and need a computer that can keep up with them.
4K isn't something that every Mac owner should want or need. In fact, it's going to remain a pretty specialized technology for a while, until the price comes down and programming becomes available for it.
Back to the Retina Display
"Retina Display" is a marketing term invented by Apple to describe displays that have high enough resolution so you don't notice individual pixels at a typical viewing distance. That's a bit subjective, and the pixel density of devices labeled with Retina Displays has varied. The iPhone, for example, sports a 326 pixel per inch density. The 15-inch MacBook Pro has a pixel density of about 220 pixels per inch, while the 13-inch rMBP has about a 227 PPI density.
Right now, Apple's 27-inch Thunderbolt Display has a 109 PPI density. Even Asus' 31.5-inch 4K-native display, the PQ321Q, sports a pixel density of only about 140 pixels per inch. If we accept that you have to go well north of 200 pixels per inch for a screen to be a "Retina Display," none of these even come close. Any way you slice it, it appears that we're still a fair distance still from a Retina Display in a larger form factor.
Retina Display or no, the new Mac Pro is set to push video editing and processing on the Mac in new directions. We'll have to wait to see the fruits of that effort for a while, but make no mistake - the new Mac Pro is set to change things in a big way.
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