Intel Mac Pro refresh hinted at in Xcode beta
Amid Apple's transition to first-party silicon across its Mac lineup, evidence that the company may be working on an Intel-based Mac Pro has been discovered in the latest version of Xcode.
![Credit: Andrew O'Hara, AppleInsider](https://photos5.appleinsider.com/gallery/42505-82473-49923153463_a287e65cc1_k-xl.jpg)
Credit: Andrew O'Hara, AppleInsider
The evidence was first spotted by Brendan Shanks, a developer at CodeWeavers. According to Shanks, the first beta version of Xcode 13 contains a reference to Intel Ice Lake Xeon processor support.
More specifically, Xcode refers to Ice Lake SP, Intel's latest scalable Xeon processor. Apple currently uses Xeon processors in its desktop Mac Pro model, which was first unveiled in June 2018. That makes a Mac Pro the most likely candidate for a future Intel Mac.
The Intel reference seems to back up previous rumors of a Mac Pro with non-Apple Silicon chips.
Back in January, Bloomberg reported that Apple was working on two Mac Pro devices. One would be a smaller, redesigned desktop with an Apple Silicon chip, while the second would be identical to the current Mac Pro and would continue to use an Intel processor.
Similarly, in May, references in a macOS Big Sur beta appeared to point toward an unreleased 10-core Intel Core i9 processor.
Apple has said that the transition to Apple Silicon, announced in June 2020, would take about two years to complete. Given that the first M1 Macs were released in November 2020, there is indeed still time for an Intel Mac to be released within that timeframe.
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![Credit: Andrew O'Hara, AppleInsider](https://photos5.appleinsider.com/gallery/42505-82473-49923153463_a287e65cc1_k-xl.jpg)
Credit: Andrew O'Hara, AppleInsider
The evidence was first spotted by Brendan Shanks, a developer at CodeWeavers. According to Shanks, the first beta version of Xcode 13 contains a reference to Intel Ice Lake Xeon processor support.
Interesting addition to usr/include/mach/machine.h in Xcode 13 beta 1: CPUFAMILY_INTEL_ICELAKE_SP.
Mac Pro refresh coming? pic.twitter.com/e3OQuLyUeV-- Brendan Shanks (@realmrpippy)
More specifically, Xcode refers to Ice Lake SP, Intel's latest scalable Xeon processor. Apple currently uses Xeon processors in its desktop Mac Pro model, which was first unveiled in June 2018. That makes a Mac Pro the most likely candidate for a future Intel Mac.
The Intel reference seems to back up previous rumors of a Mac Pro with non-Apple Silicon chips.
Back in January, Bloomberg reported that Apple was working on two Mac Pro devices. One would be a smaller, redesigned desktop with an Apple Silicon chip, while the second would be identical to the current Mac Pro and would continue to use an Intel processor.
Similarly, in May, references in a macOS Big Sur beta appeared to point toward an unreleased 10-core Intel Core i9 processor.
Apple has said that the transition to Apple Silicon, announced in June 2020, would take about two years to complete. Given that the first M1 Macs were released in November 2020, there is indeed still time for an Intel Mac to be released within that timeframe.
Follow all of WWDC 2021 with comprehensive AppleInsider coverage of the week-long event from June 7 through June 11, including details on iOS 15, iPadOS 15, watchOS 8, macOS Monterey and more.
Stay on top of all Apple news right from your HomePod. Say, "Hey, Siri, play AppleInsider," and you'll get the latest AppleInsider Podcast. Or ask your HomePod mini for "AppleInsider Daily" instead and you'll hear a fast update direct from our news team. And, if you're interested in Apple-centric home automation, say "Hey, Siri, play HomeKit Insider," and you'll be listening to our newest specialized podcast in moments.
Comments
Don't include a GPU by default, so that we can just install our own and use it for gaming.
I've been a Mac user since I got my first Macintosh SE (so quite a while) and it has always been a bit of a challenge to be a gamer on that platform. But Steve Jobs regularly trotted out gaming celebs like John Carmack to tout the gaming prowess of Mac OS X. We also got OpenGL, PC compatible ports and eventually the ability to boot straight into Windows and play any game we wanted.
Under Cook, mobile games seem to be OK, but game developers on the Mac are given such a cold shoulder that even Mac gaming stalwart Blizzard refrained from launching their latest hit game Overwatch on the Mac. This was the first game since the start of that company that wasn't simultaneoulsy launched on both PC and Mac. Apples anemic GPU choices didn't enable the game to meet Blizzard's user experience standards.
What I don't get is the joy that clowns like Lkrupp seems to derive from the fact that Mac users now need to purchase a second computer for gaming. Is there any reason at all to celebrate that one specific, and incidentally very popular, activity simply can't be adequately performed on a Mac computer?
Room for, say, 3 PCI cards, and a couple of NVMe sticks in a chassis a quarter of the volume of the current Mac Pro would be welcome. With so many components shrinking, it's time to shed some size from the traditional tower.
I mean, I'm certainly down my own rabbit hole when it comes to how far I've gone with music (digging up obscurities from past and present), but I'm under no illusions that Apple Music should cater to my niche.
Apple’s M2 is gonna destroy everything Intel. Apple will(I hope) was a few months more for it before releasing a new Mac Pro.
An iMac?
If you want a low end Mac Pro get the lowest configuration? How about an M1 Mac Mini?
Your post confuses me.
Hardcore gamers are mostly kids in the 10-25 year old bracket with gaming, often both competitive and social, as a major interest. I would advise against letting your prejudices paint them all as degenerate lowlifes. And the size of the gaming market seems to contradict the notion that playing games is a niche.
choice and released for Windows only at launch. Sad times.
At least in 2021, for the Mac user who wants to play videogames, the best option is likely a console (PS5 or Xbox X|S).
While I am a longtime Mac user, I play videogames on Windows PCs since the available library is magnitudes larger than what is available to macOS gamers.
It's worth pointing out that the videogame industry blew past Hollywood in revenue back in the Nineties. It's not some niche activity.
But some AppleInsider commenters are locked in a worldview that hasn't changed for twenty years. They probably have no idea that the guy controlling a multi-million dollar Navy ROV or Air Force drone is probably some 24-year-old corporal (who played Starfox as a kid) with a 3-star general/admiral (in his early sixties) standing over his/her shoulder.