Apple's new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR to begin shipping in December
In addition to launching a new family of 16-inch MacBook Pros, Apple said Wednesday it will narrowly meet a self-imposed deadline for the release of its new Mac Pro professional workstations by making them available for purchase sometime next month.
![The new Pro Display XDR and Mac Pro 2019 were first revealed at WWDC in June](https://photos5.appleinsider.com/gallery/33579-59279-000-lead-Mac-Pro-ships-December-l.jpg)
The new Pro Display XDR and Mac Pro 2019 were first revealed at WWDC in June
Apple has announced that the Mac Pro and the Pro Display XDR monitor will be released in December. The Mac Pro will start at $5,999 and the 32-inch Pro Display XDR will be available for $4,999 or $5,999 for a nano-etched version that gives better anti-glare, for $5,999.
While the Mac Pro is unlikely to sell in the same quantities as the iMac does, releasing it in December will allow Apple to ramp up production to meet the demand we've already learned is there from professionals in medicine, video and science for the purchasing cycle in the first quarter of 2020.
The December date was already expected, given the company's previous history of releasing Pro desktop hardware only just before its promised deadline. When Apple gave a sneak peek of the Mac Pro in June, it took a middle ground between being too specific and too broad. Where, for instance, both the previous 2013 Mac Pro and the 2017 iMac Pro had June sneak peeks, Apple gave them respectively a wide and a specific timescale.
"[The 2013 Mac Pro is] coming later this year," said Phil Schiller at its unveiling, before adding: "did say it was a sneak peak."
"It's going to be available in December," John Ternus, vice president of hardware engineering, told us straight as he revealed the iMac Pro in June 2017. In comparison, showing off the new Mac Pro, Pro Display XDR, and monitor stands in June 2019, Ternus just said that "they'll all be available in the Fall."
While Apple has not commented on this, supply chain sources in June this year claimed that the new Mac Pro would be manufactured in China.
In September, the company announced that it would instead be made in Texas. It's expected now that President Trump will tour the facility this month.
While it's possible that the China information was wrong, and it's certain that Apple planned the Texas move long before its announcement, it's most likely that the change was made after WWDC.
Away from physical production issues, there is also the fact that with the new 16-inch MacBook Pro, Apple is releasing two devices for professionals before the end of the year. It will not want to risk either product diluting the sales of the other.
Keep up with AppleInsider by downloading the AppleInsider app for iOS, and follow us on YouTube, Twitter @appleinsider and Facebook for live, late-breaking coverage. You can also check out our official Instagram account for exclusive photos.
![The new Pro Display XDR and Mac Pro 2019 were first revealed at WWDC in June](https://photos5.appleinsider.com/gallery/33579-59279-000-lead-Mac-Pro-ships-December-l.jpg)
The new Pro Display XDR and Mac Pro 2019 were first revealed at WWDC in June
Apple has announced that the Mac Pro and the Pro Display XDR monitor will be released in December. The Mac Pro will start at $5,999 and the 32-inch Pro Display XDR will be available for $4,999 or $5,999 for a nano-etched version that gives better anti-glare, for $5,999.
While the Mac Pro is unlikely to sell in the same quantities as the iMac does, releasing it in December will allow Apple to ramp up production to meet the demand we've already learned is there from professionals in medicine, video and science for the purchasing cycle in the first quarter of 2020.
The December date was already expected, given the company's previous history of releasing Pro desktop hardware only just before its promised deadline. When Apple gave a sneak peek of the Mac Pro in June, it took a middle ground between being too specific and too broad. Where, for instance, both the previous 2013 Mac Pro and the 2017 iMac Pro had June sneak peeks, Apple gave them respectively a wide and a specific timescale.
"[The 2013 Mac Pro is] coming later this year," said Phil Schiller at its unveiling, before adding: "did say it was a sneak peak."
"It's going to be available in December," John Ternus, vice president of hardware engineering, told us straight as he revealed the iMac Pro in June 2017. In comparison, showing off the new Mac Pro, Pro Display XDR, and monitor stands in June 2019, Ternus just said that "they'll all be available in the Fall."
While Apple has not commented on this, supply chain sources in June this year claimed that the new Mac Pro would be manufactured in China.
In September, the company announced that it would instead be made in Texas. It's expected now that President Trump will tour the facility this month.
While it's possible that the China information was wrong, and it's certain that Apple planned the Texas move long before its announcement, it's most likely that the change was made after WWDC.
Away from physical production issues, there is also the fact that with the new 16-inch MacBook Pro, Apple is releasing two devices for professionals before the end of the year. It will not want to risk either product diluting the sales of the other.
Keep up with AppleInsider by downloading the AppleInsider app for iOS, and follow us on YouTube, Twitter @appleinsider and Facebook for live, late-breaking coverage. You can also check out our official Instagram account for exclusive photos.
Comments
Flextronics is the maker, but I think some of the delay might have been Apple asking for exemptions from trade rules that were in flux. Apple had requested waivers for the new rules and waiting for the answer would likely have delayed sourcing decisions.
I've read in a couple of technical journals that a much faster Thunderbolt needs the speed of the 4 bus, and some new transport protocols that will be coming with it, as well as the new security levels.
overall, everything will have the ability of running twice as fast, as is normal with every bus upgrade. 5 will likely be out in early/mid 2022, which is a more normal schedule, as 3 has been around for a very long 7 years, due to a number of major tech innovations, and problems, the PCI Group was trying to keep up with.
so yes, it’s a big deal. If I still had my company, I probably would buy 10 of these, including monitors, going with our “thirds” replacement schedule. But I’m retired, and so I don’t get paid for what I do, so spending a good $15,000, including monitor, isn’t a snap decision. Is it for you?are you even going to buy one? If not, you shouldn’t comment on my plans.
by then virtually everything will be out for 4. 3 will be on the way to a memory.
Out of curiosity, what does a retired person do that PCIe 3 isn't sufficient for?
And no, I'm not going to buy one at this point, but I'm definitely watching closely as I do actually work in motion graphics and increasingly in 3D, etc.
i work with film students. I help teach them editing in real-time from my machines at home. I get large multi gig files and work on editing them with the student. Sometimes I have to render two of these at once. Every speed increase is welcome.
this isn’t a matter of thinking that a new machine will be 15% faster, with everything else equal. As we know, each new bus is twice as fast. 4 has taken much too long. Originally, it was expected for 2017, at the latest. But it’s pretty much all new, not a faster iteration of 3. It sets up for future bus versions such as 5 and 6. It’s the first to depreciate the HDDs in favor of the SSD, which in itself will cut down dramatically on bus traffic. There are so many changes I can’t really enumerate them properly here.
make no mistake, this is a major changeover. A PCIe 4 machine will be compatible for much longer than one based on the quickly outgoing 3.