On the verge of Apple’s 50th anniversary, Apple has pulled the plug on the Mac Pro. Apple has announced that it has discontinued the Mac Pro with no further plans to update the computer in the future. The Mac Pro has been removed from Apple’s website, and it is no longer available for purchase.
While it is a very sad day for computer enthusiasts worldwide, the writing was on the wall for a while, and the outcome is not surprising, if one is honest.
The changing nature of PC
The early days of computing, to say the least, are significantly different from what computing is like today. Computers that came out of the store at that time weren’t very powerful or functional. But they were designed to be upgraded or modded right from the box. And there was no concept of a powerful cable connecting one device to another.
It was not uncommon back then for the end-user to open up their computer chassis to upgrade the storage, memory, and even the CPU to meet user demands. Computers back then had internal slots where you would slide in daughter cards to add new functionality, like a sound card, networking, graphics, a TV tuner, or even more storage and memory. Standards for slots have changed and upgraded in performance over time.
Today, the consumer landscape is changing. The most popular computer are the slick laptop that is being used mostly for web surfing or making reports and delivering presentations. Introduction of USB has changed how one add functionality to a computer. Instead of opening up your chassis like yesteryear, you would just plug-in your device, and it works right out of the box.
Furthermore, Apple’s own design paradigm has changed. Before, components like memory, storage, networking, and CPU are discreet with their own chips in their own boards. Today, Apple Silicon integrate almost everything inside a single die. So it does not make sense for the end-user to open up their computer to upgrade storage or memory because everything is soldered on. Apple took a step back by putting its custom storage chip on a replaceable board, but everything else has become more integrated.
This makes the Mac Pro a very niche product for users that requires PCI-express, the latest expansion slot. So far, that group belongs to musicians who require some sort of custom card that controls their musical instruments. Sadly, that is a very small group, and Apple can’t justify building a custom chassis for this select group.
Today’s highest-end Apple product is the Mac Studio, and for most users, it is more than capable to fulfill the needs for the top 1% of users. This is why they can get away with putting an M3 Ultra instead of an M4 Ultra or even an M5 Ultra. These people are very picky and niche, and those who really bought it are not complaining about the performance that Apple is compelled to release the M4 Ultra … for now.
Conclusion
The Mac Pro is loved. We loved the design, the $700 wheels, and how it looks. It might be the end of the road for the Mac Pro, but Steve Jobs once said about death:
“Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.”
The Mac Pro walked so the Mac Studio could run.
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| Base | Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| iPhones | iPhone 16 / iPhone 16 Plus - (Amazon) | iPhone 17 Pro / iPhone 17 Pro Max - (Amazon) |
| iPhone Accessories | Find them at Amazon | |
| Watch | Apple Watch SE (Amazon) / Apple Watch Series 11 | Apple Watch Ultra 3 (Amazon) |
| AirPods | AirPods 4 (Amazon) | AirPods Pro 3 (Amazon) / AirPods Max (Amazon) |
| iPad | iPad 10 (Amazon) / iPad Mini (Amazon) | iPad Air M3 (Amazon) / iPad Pro M5 (Amazon) |
| Laptops | MacBook Air M3 (Amazon) | MacBook Pro M5 (Amazon) / MacBook Pro M4 Pro/ M4 Max (Amazon) |
| Desktop | Mac Mini M4 / M4 Pro (Amazon) / iMac M4 (Amazon) | Mac Studio / Mac Pro |
| Displays | Studio Display (Amazon) | Pro Display XDR (Amazon) |
Other Ecosystem Items