Mac Pro, Pro Display XDR orders start December 10

Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited July 2020
Content creators and professional Mac users will be able to start placing orders for the new modular Mac Pro and the Pro Display XDR from Tuesday, December 10.




Apple has started to send out emails to potential customers who signed up for updates on the new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR availability, advising "The wait is almost over." The messages briefly explain that the first orders for the two long-awaited professional-level products will commence on December 10.

While Apple intended to bring out the Mac Pro before the end of 2019, it was unknown when it would do so, with the emails putting to rest the question of when orders can start to be placed.



Few other details are provided to email recipients, such as the version posted to Twitter by YouTube personality MKBHD.

However, while orders will be possible from Tuesday, it is unknown exactly when customers can expect to receive their hardware. Given the closeness to the end of the year, it is highly plausible those putting money down for the hardware could end up waiting until the start of 2020 to receive their orders.

Starting from $5,999, the Mac Pro will be a return to a more modular design for the professional-level Mac, with an easily removed casing and upgradable components, offering opportunities for both simplified servicing and after-market upgrades. It can be configured to have a 28-core Xeon processor, up to 1.5TB of memory, up to two AMD Radeon Pro Vega II graphics MPX Modules, and an Afterburner card for improved video editing.

The Pro Display XDR will cost $4,999 for the base version, while another with a nano-etched coating on the screen will be priced at $5,999. For the money, users will acquire a 6K-resolution 32-inch display offering up to 1,000 nits of brightness, a 1,000,000-to-one contrast ratio, and a rear lattice pattern similar to the Mac Pro's enclosure that also functions as a heatsink.

A bespoke aluminum stand is also available for the Pro Display XDR as an optional extra, costing $999.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 91
    I just want the XDR to go with my 16-inch MBP.

    Or maybe I'll just stick with the LG 5K.
    edited December 2019 GlockWorkOrangebadmonksteven n.caladaniandoozydozenwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 91
    M68000M68000 Posts: 715member
    Looking forward to watching real world reviews of this new computer and monitor.  Yes it may seem expensive, but when you think that it's possible to get 10 years out of a computer this powerful and this monitor will certainly not be obsolete any time soon - is it really that expensive over time ?   Instead of buying 2 or 3 high end desktops\laptops in 10 years - just buy this... 
    badmonkStrangeDaysdoozydozencornchipwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 91
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,796member
    M68000 said:
    Looking forward to watching real world reviews of this new computer and monitor.  Yes it may seem expensive, but when you think that it's possible to get 10 years out of a computer this powerful and this monitor will certainly not be obsolete any time soon - is it really that expensive over time ?   Instead of buying 2 or 3 high end desktops\laptops in 10 years - just buy this... 
    I think it all depends on what you're doing. I doubt any serious professional (company) is gonna buy one and expect it to last 10yrs. For most companies the standard length they keep a computer around (Mac or PC) is 3yrs before its considered EOL (End of Life). That doesn't mean its useless, its just a standard some companies go by. 
    cy_starkmanwatto_cobrachemengin1
  • Reply 4 of 91
    M68000M68000 Posts: 715member
    macxpress said:
    M68000 said:
    Looking forward to watching real world reviews of this new computer and monitor.  Yes it may seem expensive, but when you think that it's possible to get 10 years out of a computer this powerful and this monitor will certainly not be obsolete any time soon - is it really that expensive over time ?   Instead of buying 2 or 3 high end desktops\laptops in 10 years - just buy this... 
    I think it all depends on what you're doing. I doubt any serious professional (company) is gonna buy one and expect it to last 10yrs. For most companies the standard length they keep a computer around (Mac or PC) is 3yrs before its considered EOL (End of Life). That doesn't mean its useless, its just a standard some companies go by. 
    You are correct it does depend on what you're doing, I'm talking more about the average Joe who works out of his house - not some huge production company with truckloads of money to throw around.
    watto_cobradysamoria
  • Reply 5 of 91
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,239member
    macxpress said:
    M68000 said:
    Looking forward to watching real world reviews of this new computer and monitor.  Yes it may seem expensive, but when you think that it's possible to get 10 years out of a computer this powerful and this monitor will certainly not be obsolete any time soon - is it really that expensive over time ?   Instead of buying 2 or 3 high end desktops\laptops in 10 years - just buy this... 
    I think it all depends on what you're doing. I doubt any serious professional (company) is gonna buy one and expect it to last 10yrs. For most companies the standard length they keep a computer around (Mac or PC) is 3yrs before its considered EOL (End of Life). That doesn't mean its useless, its just a standard some companies go by. 
    3 years might be standard for PCs but it never was for Macs, at least not where I worked. I'd say the new Mac Pro could easily last for 5-7 years because of the modularity of the system. The motherboard would need to be replaced to upgrade to faster bus speeds but Thunderbolt 4 and PCIe5 are still in the approval stage and there comes a time when some things are just fast enough for the current software applications. 
    netmagephilboogiebigpicscaladanianhammeroftruthbb-15dysamoriawatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 91
    It's going to be a while until I can afford one of these, but when I do buy one, it'll be a nice celebration of my freelance career being exclusively a Mac user for over three decades!!
    williamlondoncgWerksdoozydozenwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 91
    Finally a new professional workstation. Looking forward to that. About the screen I have to say that is the dumbest thing in the universe. Only 32" at 6k? Way too small! With 6k I'd expect 55" or more. Otherwise you'll need a microscope to work!
    williamlondoncy_starkman
  • Reply 8 of 91
    Appleish said:
    I just want the XDR to go with my 16-inch MBP.

    Or maybe I'll just stick with the LG 5K.
    Same. I don't care about the Mac Pro, but that XDR would sure be sweet hooked up to either my 16 inch MBP or alongside my 5K iMac.

    I just can't justify that cost, however. 
    edited December 2019 caladanianwatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 91
    macxpress said:
    M68000 said:
    Looking forward to watching real world reviews of this new computer and monitor.  Yes it may seem expensive, but when you think that it's possible to get 10 years out of a computer this powerful and this monitor will certainly not be obsolete any time soon - is it really that expensive over time ?   Instead of buying 2 or 3 high end desktops\laptops in 10 years - just buy this... 
    I think it all depends on what you're doing. I doubt any serious professional (company) is gonna buy one and expect it to last 10yrs. For most companies the standard length they keep a computer around (Mac or PC) is 3yrs before its considered EOL (End of Life). That doesn't mean its useless, its just a standard some companies go by. 
    I don't know how this varies by country, or even companies, but the company I work for charges the cost of computers used for development as R&D expenses, and somehow uses that amount to offset taxes over a three year period. So basically, if we get more time out of a system, it's money ahead for the company. It's an accounting thing I don't pretend to understand, but for us at least it's where that three years comes from.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 91
    Anyone considering the enhanced coating version over base model? Why?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 91
    coolfactorcoolfactor Posts: 2,230member
    macxpress said:
    M68000 said:
    Looking forward to watching real world reviews of this new computer and monitor.  Yes it may seem expensive, but when you think that it's possible to get 10 years out of a computer this powerful and this monitor will certainly not be obsolete any time soon - is it really that expensive over time ?   Instead of buying 2 or 3 high end desktops\laptops in 10 years - just buy this... 
    I think it all depends on what you're doing. I doubt any serious professional (company) is gonna buy one and expect it to last 10yrs. For most companies the standard length they keep a computer around (Mac or PC) is 3yrs before its considered EOL (End of Life). That doesn't mean its useless, its just a standard some companies go by. 

    I could be living in a totally different world, but I've seen companies (and myself!) hold onto the same computers for 10 years. My current laptop is 6 years old and still good as new, running Mojave. And do you remember the XP years? Windows XP lasted 10 years, and people ran it on the same hardware that whole time. So the three-year timespan is questionable in my mind, and I think the Mac Pro has 10 years in it, easy. It's a real workhorse.
    edited December 2019 bigpicsbb-15dysamoriawatto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 91
    emig647emig647 Posts: 2,454member
    Super excited for this. My trashcan has done great through the years for software development, video editing / encoding and audio processing. I think it will become a rack computer as a git/web/3D model rendering server. I definitely got my money out of it and can't wait to get a new one.

    I think  did the right thing with this new design, it selfishly fits my needs perfectly. I can see how others may see the cost as a bit much to swallow. I believe  could have done more to make it a little easier to obtain for the average prosumer. Perhaps a different motherboard with a single cpu desktop configuration, sans-ECC memory and some other downgrades.

    For those of us that have been asking for a new Mac Pro on this scale, it's time to put our money where our mouth is to show this is what we wanted. Let  know there is a market and hopefully they will see it to produce smaller scale Mac Pros for prosumers.
    mobirdbigpicsdoozydozenbb-15cy_starkmanwatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 91
    No NVidia support. This is DOA. Apple is stubborn beyond belief. $6000 base price includes an anemic GPU. Ridiculous. I wanted to love the new Mac Pro. They gimped it and then limited hardware compatibility. Tim Cook is bad for Apple. This latest release is not the only reason. I considered buying one. High price for pointless omissions and limitations. I’ll pass.
    williamlondon
  • Reply 14 of 91
    Finally a new professional workstation. Looking forward to that. About the screen I have to say that is the dumbest thing in the universe. Only 32" at 6k? Way too small! With 6k I'd expect 55" or more. Otherwise you'll need a microscope to work!
    It's actually not the dumbest thing in the world. It's a ~220ppi display, that's as large as you're going to get for 6k and that pixel density is both meaningful and in my opinion a necessity for current era workstations.

    Apple's seem to agree, their workstations are now all at ~220ppi. When you're looking for 49" display, then you're going to be getting pixel densities of ~110 ppi and lower, i.e. about the same as Apple's Cinema displays from 10 years ago. They're frustrating to work on with visible pixels, and it's utterly useless if you're developing any kind of content for modern portable devices which have pixel densities in excess of ~250 ppi.

    It's also important that it's a flat display and not a curved one, but that's a whole other discussion.

    williamlondonStrangeDayscaladanianfastasleeppscooter63bb-15rundhviduraharawatto_cobradanh
  • Reply 15 of 91
    macxpress said:
    M68000 said:
    Looking forward to watching real world reviews of this new computer and monitor.  Yes it may seem expensive, but when you think that it's possible to get 10 years out of a computer this powerful and this monitor will certainly not be obsolete any time soon - is it really that expensive over time ?   Instead of buying 2 or 3 high end desktops\laptops in 10 years - just buy this... 
    I think it all depends on what you're doing. I doubt any serious professional (company) is gonna buy one and expect it to last 10yrs. For most companies the standard length they keep a computer around (Mac or PC) is 3yrs before its considered EOL (End of Life). That doesn't mean its useless, its just a standard some companies go by. 

    I could be living in a totally different world, but I've seen companies (and myself!) hold onto the same computers for 10 years. My current laptop is 6 years old and still good as new, running Mojave. And do you remember the XP years? Windows XP lasted 10 years, and people ran it on the same hardware that whole time. So the three-year timespan is questionable in my mind, and I think the Mac Pro has 10 years in it, easy. It's a real workhorse.
    Certainly for studios that own their kit (which tends to be the case with higher end machinery). But it's not unusual for day to day computers to be replaced after they are fully depreciated (3 to 5 years) or if they are supplied via a leasing agreement (often 3 year cycles.)
    StrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 91
    I do hope this $5,999 machine includes that 5GB iCloud thingy

    davgreg
  • Reply 17 of 91
    Finally a new professional workstation. Looking forward to that. About the screen I have to say that is the dumbest thing in the universe. Only 32" at 6k? Way too small! With 6k I'd expect 55" or more. Otherwise you'll need a microscope to work!
    6K @ 32" is 218 ppi. Seems everything but to much. People where cyring because the iPhone Xr/11 display "only" has 326 ppi... Why in hell everything should be displayed to small??? Use proper display scaling. Stuff will get sharper, not smaller. It's not Windows95...
    edited December 2019 caladanianwatto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 91
    No NVidia support. This is DOA. Apple is stubborn beyond belief. $6000 base price includes an anemic GPU. Ridiculous. I wanted to love the new Mac Pro. They gimped it and then limited hardware compatibility. Tim Cook is bad for Apple. This latest release is not the only reason. I considered buying one. High price for pointless omissions and limitations. I’ll pass.
    Good. That means there's one less person in the queue when I hit the BTO options :smiley: 
    williamlondonStrangeDayschabigcgWerkslkruppmac_dogdoozydozenfastasleeppscooter63bb-15
  • Reply 19 of 91
    Finally a new professional workstation. Looking forward to that. About the screen I have to say that is the dumbest thing in the universe. Only 32" at 6k? Way too small! With 6k I'd expect 55" or more. Otherwise you'll need a microscope to work!
    While you might be right in what you say wouldn't it be better to wait until you can try one out for yourself with your workflow and tools?
    I'm sure that some of the major Apple Stores will have one in the next few months. Then you, me and everyone else can make up our own minds.
    bb-15watto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 91
    steven n.steven n. Posts: 1,229member
    Appleish said:
    I just want the XDR to go with my 16-inch MBP.

    Or maybe I'll just stick with the LG 5K.
    Or a second monitor to my iMac Pro. Yummy.

    I bought the 30” Cinema Display when it first came out. $3000 plus a $700 video card and that was around 15 years ago.

    Given I can’t get this to work on my iMac Pro....

    yummy. 
    watto_cobra
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