A report that casts doubt on the future of the Mac Pro has appeared, claiming that selling the high-end workstations was no longer profitable for Apple.
Apple Insider claims that though Apple has seemingly developed a revision to the existing Mac Pro, it may not see the light of day.
According to the report, sales executives at Cupertino believe that selling the high-end workstation is not a profitable business practice any longer and questions have been asked about the Mac Pro's future internally since May of this year.
Rumours circulated that the Mac Pro line was going to get a revamp back in August, including Sandy Bridge-based Intel processors, though these turned out to be false. However, it is thought that Apple had planned to launch new Mac Pros with Sandy Bridge chips later this year, though is now reconsidering.
Nearly three-quarters of Mac sales are notebooks, according to the company's recently-announced quarterly earnings, and the majority of desktops sold are iMacs. And while Apple has added Thunderbolt to its new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Mac mini and iMac product lines in the last year, it hasn't yet made it to the Mac Pro.
Prices for the Mac Pro begin at just over £2,000 and it is thought that demand among consumers and professionals for such high-end models is declining. While Apple wouldn't be able to cram as much processing power into an iMac or Mac mini as it does in a Mac Pro, the smaller models are capable of matching the Mac Pro for data transfer speeds now they use Thunderbolt technology.
There are only a handful of Mac Pros left on the inventory of Amazon.co.uk, though Apple currently lists the quad-core and 8-core models as in stock while there is a three day wait on the 12-core and Server models.
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Comments received
aaaashy said on Tue, 01 Nov 2011
that would confirm that Apple has fully dumbed-down if true - first the apps become pretty 'toys' rather than work-horse apps, then iCloud starts to dictate how you use their apps (as soon as you sign up to iCloud they remove certain possibilities as to how you use "your" apps), and now the awful idea that they might get rid of the desktop range ....... i really hope this is not so, it would be the end of Apple in my honest opinion
William Tuke said on Wed, 02 Nov 2011
I think that it would be a mistake for Apple to drop the MacPro line. It says something about the company in the same way that car manufacturers back Formula One racing. They don't sell such cars, but there is a serious amount of prestige associated with the 'professional' aspect of the industry. Likewise for Apple. Apple products tend to traditionally appeal to professionals, and while a small market segment they nevertheless have a disproportionate influence on others. Mac Pros are like the 'aspirational' machines that others dream of and lend the company a kind of mythical kudos. This process needs to be carefully thought through and should be more evolutionary than just 'dropping' the product at this stage.
floodgte said on Wed, 02 Nov 2011
That would be a sad and irreversible decision. I do however believe Apple should build a MacPro with a much smaller footprint - anyone remember the brilliant Quadra, the Cube? With Thunderbolt such a large case as the current MacPro is a huge waste - materials, cost of freight. Graphics professionals have a need for the extra RAM, video/graphic card/s etc.
I think this is only a rumor, Apple makes a lot of money out of dummies, the last thing they will want to do is alienate those who use their equipment in business.
JohnWhittaker said on Thu, 03 Nov 2011
Agreeing with previous posts, I have never had a Pro, though it remains something to which I aspire.
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