Apple seems to be as confused about the Mac Pro as we are

Now that Apple has updated all of its Intel Macs to M1 and M2 chips save one, we naturally assumed that the Mac Pro would be getting an update sometime this year, possibly as soon as a spring event or WWDC. But it may not be quite that straightforward.

Following several disappointing rumors and barely any indication that a new model is coming, Apple is seemingly committed to the Mac Pro indeed transitioning to Apple silicon. But the remarks made by Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of worldwide product marketing, in an interview with India Today, are less than encouraging. While he does say Apple has “a clear goal to transition fully to Apple silicon,” he doesn’t indicate that it’s something that will happen soon or even this year, making only the vague assertion: “We’ve been very clear from the beginning that our goal is to take our entire product line to Apple silicon. And that’s something we intend to do.”

While we don’t expect Borchers to just blurt out the release date of the M2 Mac Pro, that’s not a very convincing statement. Furthermore, after rounds of rumors that claim the Mac Pro won’t be as fast or expandable as people expected, you’d think he would take the opportunity to reassure Mac Pro users that Apple is taking its time on the new model to ensure it delivers the power and performance they need. But instead, he quickly changed the subject. 

“We believe strongly that Apple silicon can power and transform experiences from the MacBook Air all the way up to the Mac Studio,” he said when asked about the Mac Pro. That conspicuously and carefully leaves out the Mac Pro, and also implies that Apple doesn’t really know where or if the Mac Pro fits into its new Apple silicon lineup.

Apple is expected to update the Mac Pro with an overclocked M2 Ultra chip that has a 24-core CPU and 76-core GPU. However, it’s been reported that it won’t have user-upgradeable RAM or GPUs, making it a very different machine than what is currently offered.

Later in the interview, Borchers says “It’s important to reiterate that customers buy products, not chips,” which seems to indicate the Mac Pro is at a crossroads. If Apple silicon can’t deliver the product people want, the chip won’t matter, and Apple seems to be keenly aware of that conundrum as the wait for the new Mac Pro continues.

Mac Pro