Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Apple plans to innovate with a new ‘modular’ Mac Pro, but it’s just spec bumps for now

By

A 2013 Mac Pro is shown emerging out of a shadowy black background.
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Apple’s Mac Pro line of desktops has by far received the least upgrades in recent years. It’s been over three years since the machines were given even a specification bump, and that’s left many wondering if Apple had any plans to continue making them.

Today, Apple announced that a new Mac Pro is coming someday that should please its most faithful fans. For now, however, those fans will have to settle for a small increase in specifications, as Daring Fireball reports.

Recommended Videos

Apple’s Phil Shiller outlined Apple’s general plan regarding the Mac Pro’s complete overhaul:

Related

“With regards to the Mac Pro, we are in the process of what we call ‘completely rethinking the Mac Pro.’ We’re working on it. We have a team working hard on it right now, and we want to architect it so that we can keep it fresh with regular improvements, and we’re committed to making it our highest-end, high-throughput desktop system, designed for our demanding pro customers. As part of doing a new Mac Pro — it is, by definition, a modular system — we will be doing a pro display as well. Now you won’t see any of those products this year; we’re in the process of that. We think it’s really important to create something great for our pro customers who want a Mac Pro modular system, and that’ll take longer than this year to do.”

As Daring Fireball notes, describing a future product isn’t Apple’s preference. Usually, the company works in silence and then introduces new products with great fanfare. And so coming right out and describing what it’s working on is unusual.

In any case, that new modular Mac Pro won’t be arriving in 2017, and Apple was cagey about whether it would arrive in 2018. In the meantime, Mac Pro users waiting for a modern, innovative machine will have to settle in the meantime for the same Mac Pro with slightly upgraded components.

Those upgrades are relatively small. The $3,000 quad-core Mac Pro with dual AMD FirePro D300 GPUs has morphed into a six-core Mac Pro with dual AMD FirePro D500 GPUs. The $4,000 model now has an eight-core processor and dual AMD FirePro D800 GPUs, replacing the model that is now slotted in at the low-end. Both models have 16GB of RAM and neither has USB Type-C or Thunderbolt 3, and neither are yet reflected in the Apple Store configurations.

According to Apple, Mac revenues are split roughly into roughly 80 percent notebooks and 20 percent desktops. So, while desktops aren’t the most significant portion of Mac revenues for the company, they’re not insignificant either. Roughly 30 percent of Apple users use professional software at least weekly — a significant portion of its user base, but not overwhelming.

Nevertheless, this should be good news for anyone who has been waiting and hoping for a Mac Pro refresh. For now, you’ll have to settle for a slightly faster version of the existing model, but Apple hasn’t forgotten that you also want it to innovate in this market as well. You’ll just have to wait a bit longer to see what it comes up with.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Mark Coppock
Mark Coppock
Computing Writer
Mark has been a geek since MS-DOS gave way to Windows and the PalmPilot was a thing. He’s translated his love for…
Why one of my favorite laptops still struggles against the MacBook Pro
HP Spectre x360 14 2023 front angled view showing display and keyboard.

HP released an updated version of its premier consumer laptop, the excellent Spectre x360 14, and it remains one of the best 2-in-1s you can buy. It's well-made, offers a ton of flexibility, and is one of my favorite laptops I've reviewed.

But it's going up against the Apple MacBook Pro 14, which sits alongside the HP on our list of best laptops. When it comes to laptops that are both portable and powerful, though, the Spectre x360 still falls behind the MacBook Pro in some important ways.
Specs and configurations

Read more
Apple is already planning its next big thing after the Vision Pro
A person wearing the Apple Vision Pro demo unit in an Apple Store.

The Vision Pro headset is Apple’s most significant new product in years, and it is widely seen as the company’s “next big thing.” But Apple isn’t resting on its laurels, as a new report has highlighted the products that the company hopes will shake up the market in similarly momentous ways. And no, we’re not talking about a second-generation Vision Pro.

Among the devices Apple is secretly working on are a set of smartglasses, a health and fitness ring, and even a pair of souped-up AirPods with cameras and advanced sensors. All of these products are designed to capture customer attention and help Apple turn the ship around after a disappointing year of declining sales.

Read more
People are returning the Vision Pro. Here are the best alternatives you can buy now
The Immersed Visor appears on the left and Apple Vision Pro on the right.

The Vision Pro is impressive, but it's not for everyone. That's why some people are already returning their orders just two weeks after the $3,500 product first launched. Fortunately, if that's you, or if you like the concept of Apple's Vision Pro, but aren't convinced it's a match for your needs, there are several alternatives to consider. Similar options start at $500 and climb to $3,900.

Some of the best VR headsets available now offer many of the same capabilities, but require a VR-ready Windows gaming PC. Others fall short of the Vision Pro's specifications, but are still great choices at a much lower price. Either way, it's a great time to review what Vision Pro alternatives you can buy right now and what's coming in the near future.
Meta Quest Pro

Read more