Marco Arment: Apple’s Mac Pro is ‘very likely dead’

“Apple chief executive Tim Cook [yesterday] addressed concerns about the state of Mac desktop hardware inside the company, following the release earlier this year of a refreshed MacBook Pro but no new Mac desktops,” Jordan Novet reports for VentureBeat. “Cook’s message is clear: Apple does not intend to stop making desktop computers, despite how things might look from outside Cupertino.”

“That Cook neglected to call out the Mac Pro or the Mac Mini by name in today’s message is indeed telling; it could be read as an indication that Apple does not intend to revamp one or even both,” Novet reports. “The Mac Pro was last updated in 2013 and the Mac Mini in 2014.”

Novet reports, “Prominent Apple-centric developer Marco Arment took Cook’s words to mean that the Mac Pro, in particular, is ‘very likely dead.'”

“As for new Mac desktops, at least it’s now a question of when, not if. For certain power users, they can’t arrive soon enough,” Novet reports. “‘These future Macs may be great, but a lot of people are tired of waiting,’ as Relay FM cofounder Stephen Hackett put it.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Time for our “theoretical ‘mini tower’ Mac Pro”?

As you can see from our poll, Apple is leaving a great deal of money on the table by not offering such a product.

How Tim Cook’s Apple alienated Mac loyalists – December 20, 2016


    1. I’ve noticed several Mac companies announcing Windows versions of their products.

      MacPhun, Camerabag, Affinity, Diskdrill etc.

      This tells me these developers think they better diversify their income away from Mac OS.

      Sad days indeed!

  1. A few years ago a Mac evangelist I know told me that Apple should kill its pro line. His reasoning was thus:

    “In the early days of Mac vs Windows, Apple strictly controlled/enabled software interface design, even for 3rd party products. So Mac versions of software were inherently better than Windows versions. Now though [back then, this was I don’t know, 2009/11?] the application interface is the same on both Mac and PC versions, and PC workstations are cheaper, iterate more often (if you are prepared to swap brands) and are buildable. Apple can’t compete, yes they be first out with a new flagship, but it’ll get matched in a few months.”

    I protested that OSX was a better working environment than Windows.

    “You are not a Pro” he said “you a a dilettante that swaps between applications. Pro’s work in Adobe or whatever pretty much exclusively, they need a file system is all.”

    I didn’t believe him then, but seems he was prescient.

    1. Apple did kill its pro line already. It’s just Cook can’t seem to find the cash to remove the pro monikers from all the stale old products that used to be competitive 6 years ago. All new hardware from Cook is overpriced consumer jewelry no matter what they call it. There isn’t any Mac that is cost effective for productivity today. The competition keeps forging ahead but Apple has only pushed the Mac to become subservient to iCloud and iOS. Stupid move Apple.

  2. If they don’t want to make a Mac Pro, license the OS!!! I just went and built a Windows 10 box to hold me over until something compelling is released. Abobe Creative Cloud is a lifesaver… just moved those apps over and was on my way (I wasn’t going to buy Apple’s current line up, since it’s a year or more overdue for a refresh). Windows 10 isn’t MacOS, but it’s the best Windows yet, and the Ubuntu Bash shell integration is interesting, but not fully baked yet.

  3. I have never seen so much negativity from Apple loyalists to Tim Cook. This has to be very embarrassing that the perception from loyal fans is he is literally destroying the company. I agree 100% and think Tim either lives in a bubble or is a complete moron on how the company is being managed. Letting 95% of your product line rot and only making sub marginal improvements on the phone is insane. 2017 will begin the purge of incompetent managers starting with likely Eddy Cue. Shocking the negative press from fans

    1. “Letting 95% of your product line rot”
      You mean that tiny Mac SECTION of the larger products that extend into tablets and phones? Because the majority of what Apple ships a LOT of gets refreshed fairly regularly.

      They just don’t ship all that many Macs by comparison.

  4. In its current form, the trashcan successor to the Cube is ready to die.

    It is long past time for Apple to offer 3 lines of display-free desktops: Mac Mini, Macintosh, and Mac Pro. i5, i7, and Xeon. good, better, best. SIMPLE but POWERFUL. Every one with 2 year update cycle and more options for post-purchase user expansion as you move up.

    Move the existing iMac to a low-cost educational / enterprise offering and price them to move.

    Fix the MacBook ASAP with a proper 17″ PRO model, and drop the 13″ non touchbar to be just called a Macbook, then drop prices on the 12″ and 13″ Macbooks with some advertising to attract customers that Apple scared away in the past 4 years via overpriced dongle hell. Give away the adapters with purchase. For goodness’ sake, Apple already charges enough for its Macs. Toss your ailing customers a bone,

    1. I think this kinda shows why Steve had disdain for Pro’s. What Pro’s want (many times due to necessity) is always where the puck is or where the puck was… NEVER where the puck will be.

      Apple had a vision for Final Cut that the Pro’s rejected because it wasn’t “the same ol’ thing plus faster and with bells”. But looking at FCPX now… if dumping all those users then means that someone starting today has an experience that isn’t easily replicated on any other editor… then it was worth it.

Leave a Reply to KingMel Cancel reply
