So here I am in Las Vegas for NABShow. So much going on it’s hard to soak it all in.  Last night I attended an HP and Nvidia Sponsored event for VR with The Foundry. Wow VR is coming and it’s going to be pretty amazing. Within the past couple of weeks HP has made some announcements. You can check out my post on the new HP VR Workstations. Give it a read to learn more.

Today HP announced the update to the Z1 all in one workstation. This may not seem like a new concept…certainly apple has had their iMac which has had more refreshes than we’ve seen the MacPro. You can read my thoughts on the MacPro

When you start to look at the machines from Apple and HP you might see a trend. HP continues to innovate and bring to market more features under the hood as a direct result of listening to their customers(which some in recent years on the Apple side have not felt the same experience-can’t speak mac users in general but I myself was frustrated with the focus on iDevices over their Pro Apps and Computers. I’ve since moved my workflow over to HP in my lab…and yes my Macbook Pro is still around…possibly more useful now with the RGS coming to Mac). We saw that with the first gen HP Z1. Tool less so you can swap parts, make upgrades and so on. This is possible on a iMac but it’s not as straight forward imo. Also the graphics, ecc memory, turbo drives, and more all add up to me a very powerful stand alone workstation. If you’re looking for an all in one I think you’ll be really excited to see the latest update. More info below from the new release.

The other area that has been an issue for facility and end users is working in an environment where macs exist. Many artist are on Mac. We are starting to see a lot more over to bigger faster and more capable workstations like the HP Z Workstation but at the end of the day not everyone is ready to make a change or in some cases artist are happy to work on their laptop or macbook pro. So up to now remote graphics software that is available for HP Workstations with windows, now Mac users can dive in and also take advantage remotely. What does that mean. Well their are artist that might work or want to work from home to avoid traffic and having to go back and forth when they could just stay at home and work on a Mac but actually utilizing the horespower of much more capable and powerful Workstations. So today HP has once again brought more flexibility to the end user and larger facilities that already have HP Z Workstations in place. Up till now they other end had to be another windows machine. No longer. Now the artist will be able to in install the software on their mac and connect just like I would on my HP Elitebook or ZBook etc. I can just stay at home and work just like I was at the facility. This is very welcome news…and I wouldn’t be surprised if more users start this way and eventually consider moving over to an HP.

So year after year…HP continues to bring solutions for the large facilities as well as the end user artist. How cool would that be to just log in from home on my Macbook Pro or anywhere and continue to keep the project moving forward.

These two announcements I think are really great. A more compact sleep HP Z1 Workstations that’s easily serviceable and software that brings the Mac User into the same workflow. So you really have more options than ever..!

Jeff Wood HP VP of Workstation and Thin Clients in the NABShow Secret Suite talking HP Z1..!

Also Jeff Wood talks about the new RGS(Remote Graphics Software)coming soon to Mac..!

Below is the new release:

HP Inc. Packs Power and Performance into World’s First Workstation All-in-One

Unveils software to enhance performance for Mac users

PALO ALTO, Calif., April 18, 2016 – HP Inc. today announced a bold evolution and a series of updates to the world’s first workstation all-in-one1 — the new HP Z1 G3 Workstation – combining the simplicity of an All-in-One design with performance typically found in traditional tower workstations.

Built for demanding users, the third generation HP Z1 Workstation is smaller, thinner and lighter delivering screaming performance at a great value.

·47 percent smaller, 51percent lighter and 21 percent less expensive than the previous generation.

·23.6 inch diagonal anti-glare UHD 4K display for the outstanding visual clarity when working on graphic intensive projects.

·Intel® Xeon® processor options for powerful workstation-class processing technology for the most demanding applications.

HP also detailed its new receiver software for Apple® Mac® OS X. Using HP Remote Graphics Software (RGS),2 the receiver is designed to give Mac users access to their high-end HP Z Workstations. HP RGS allows engineers, animators and scientists to securely use the performance, files and applications on their HP Workstation, even when they are away from that workstation.

“We took our groundbreaking, and most innovative workstation- the original Z1-and reinvented it by listening to our customers to create a new smaller, lighter and lower cost model,” said Jeff Wood, vice president and general manager, Workstations and Thin Clients, HP Inc. “The new Z1 will introduce more new customers to workstation power and reliability, while HP RGS with a Mac Receiver will open doors to more Apple customers wanting to integrate our powerful Z Workstations.”

HP Z1 G3 Built for Engineers, Artists and Education

The HP Z1 G3 continues to offer professionals the ability to bundle all the features of a workstation in a compelling AiO form factor. New functionalities and technologies in the next generation bring accelerated performance and greater reliability to the all-in-one workstation class.

“We are blessed to have one of the best, most well-equipped labs in the country,” says Howard Cook, assistant professor, C/T at the Digital Animation Center. “HP Z1 Workstations are speedy, robust machines. And we like the compact form factor.”

The HP Z1 is designed leveraging 30 years of HP Z DNA with extensive ISV certifications and a minimum of 115,000 hours of testing in HP’s Total Test Process. The Z1 features:

· A 23.6 inch diagonal anti-glare UHD 4K display for outstanding visual clarity.

·Intel® Xeon® quad-core3, 64 GB ECC memory.4,5

·NVIDIA® Quadro® graphics.

·Dual PCIe HP Z Turbo Drives6 for speedy boot up, calculation, and response times for large files. Users can maximize storage by adding up to two additional 2.5″ SATA SSDs or HDDs.4

·Multiple ports to quickly and easily transfer data and connect devices including side access dual Thunderbolt 3 with USB 3.1, USB charging port, media card reader, DisplayPort, and more.

HP RGS Receiver for Mac Deepens Integration for Workstation Customers

Mac users can experience maximum performance by multi-tasking between native Mac OS apps and super-charged Windows or Linux workstation applications through HP RGS. With HP RGS, users of Mac or MacBook® products can:

·Connect seamlessly across the office or world to a Windows or Linux workstation session for joint development, interactive edits and design reviews.

·Access business-critical, high-performance 2D, 3D, video and media-rich applications.

·View graphics rich content on a single display or on multi-monitor setups.

·Connect to a fully loaded HP Z840 Workstation – it is like upgrading your Mac with up to 9x the processing cores, 30x the memory and adding professional NVIDIA Quadro graphics.

·Accomplish render time and editing of ultra-high res video content and FX at exponentially faster speeds.

The HP RGS Receiver for Mac is just one of the tools that HP provides to customers looking to increase power and performance by integrating HP Z Workstations with existing computers and workflows. The HP Workstation technical and research and development teams have worked closely with partners in industry’s such as animation, special FX, product design, research facilities and universities making this transition to provide innovative workflow optimizations – like the ability to quickly swap the Windows button with the Apple Command key on the keyboard.

HP Z Workstation software and tools are part of the company’s unwavering commitment to the creative professional. These products are the technology innovation engines of companies around the globe, designing everything from automobiles to block-buster movies.

Pricing and Availability

The HP Z1 G3 is expected to be available in May starting at $1498.
HP Remote Graphics Software is available now for HP Z Desktop and ZBook Mobile Workstations as a free download for existing HP Z Workstation customers. The Mac receiver is free for HP RGS users and is coming soon. HP RGS sender licenses can also be purchased for use on supported, non-HP hardware.

About HP Inc.

HP Inc. creates technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere. Through our portfolio of printers, PCs, mobile devices, solutions, and services, we engineer experiences that amaze. More information about HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.

Legal Disclaimers

1. IDC Q4’15 WW WS Historical Tracker 02.10.16

2. HP RGS requires a Windows, Linux or OS X 10.10 and newer operating system and network access.

3.  Multi-Core is designed to improve performance of certain software products. Not all customers or software applications will necessarily benefit from use of this technology. Performance and clock frequency will vary depending on application workload and your hardware and software configurations. Intel’s numbering is not a measurement of higher performance.

4. Intel® Xeon® E3 can support either ECC or non-ECC memory.   Intel® Core™ i3/i5/i7 processors only support non-ECC memory.

5.  Sold separately or as an optional feature.

6.  Not all features are available in all editions or versions of Windows. Systems may require upgraded and/or separately purchased hardware, drivers, software or BIOS update to take full advantage of Windows functionality. Windows 10 is automatically updated, which is always enabled. ISP fees may apply and additional requirements may apply over time for updates. See http://www.microsoft.com.

7.  For hard drives, 1 GB = 1 billion bytes. 1 TB = 1 trillion bytes. Actual formatted capacity is less. Up to 30 GB (for Windows 10) of disk space is reserved for the system recovery software.

© 2016 HP Inc. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.