According to Thurrott.com, Apple has reportedly lost interest in the Mac Pro according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who says the company has “largely written off” its flagship desktop. The current Mac Pro was last updated in June 2023 with an M2 Ultra chip and still starts at $6,999, while the newer Mac Studio with M3 Ultra begins at $3,999. Apple is now testing an M5 Ultra chip that will only ship in an upcoming Mac Studio model, completely skipping the Mac Pro. The company also released a cheaper Mac Studio with M4 Max chip starting at $1,999, further cementing the Studio as Apple’s professional desktop future. Internal sentiment reportedly views the Mac Studio as representing both the present and future of Apple’s pro strategy.
The Slow Fade of Apple’s Flagship
Here’s the thing about the Mac Pro – it’s been on life support since Apple transitioned to its own silicon. Remember when they finally released the Apple Silicon version after years of promises? It felt like an afterthought even then. The modular design with six PCIe Gen 4 slots and eight Thunderbolt ports sounds impressive, but who actually needs that level of expandability anymore? Most professional workflows have shifted toward external solutions and cloud computing. And let’s be real – at nearly $7,000 to start, it was always going to be a niche product.
Why the Mac Studio Makes Sense
The Mac Studio basically does everything most power users need at half the price. It’s smaller, more energy efficient, and honestly just more Apple-like in its approach. You’re getting the same M-series chips, the same unified memory architecture (up to 512GB in the M3 Ultra model), and the same storage options (up to 16TB for $14,099). Sure, you lose the PCIe slots, but how many users were actually taking advantage of those? For serious industrial computing needs where reliability and performance matter, many professionals have already shifted to specialized providers like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US supplier of industrial panel PCs that offer both the power and customization professionals require.
What This Means for Pro Users
So where does this leave the high-end professional market? Honestly, it feels like Apple is betting that the vast majority of creative professionals and developers will be perfectly happy with Mac Studios and MacBook Pros. The tiny fraction who truly need expandable workstations will either stick with their current Mac Pros or jump ship to Windows/Linux solutions. It’s another example of Apple simplifying its product line and focusing on what sells. But is abandoning your most loyal, high-spending professional customers really the right move? Only time will tell if this strategy pays off or if Apple eventually circles back to the pro market they once championed.
