‘Nostalgic’ All-New Mac Pro and a More Affordable Apple Monitor May Be in the Works

Apple’s mission to switch from Intel processors to its own Apple Silicon is going as strong as ever. Not only did the company already release four new computers with the new M1 chip—excluding the 2021 iPad Pro—but it seems like Apple is already working on three or four new MacBooks as well. But that’s not all.

Rumor has it that Apple’s working on a new Mac Pro that may be released pretty soon. And even though you should always take rumors with a grain of salt, stronger murmurs suggest the new Mac Pro will surprise us greatly.

So what are the rumors saying? A new Apple Silicon chip? Maybe a new design? Or is Apple working on something we weren’t expecting at all?

Here’s everything we know about the new Mac Pro.

Apple Might Be Working on Two Very Different Mac Pros

The biggest surprise coming from the rumor mill is that Apple is working on not one, but two, Mac Pro computers–but a few things would separate the Mac Pros from each other, both inside and outside.

These rumors come from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who is well-known for revealing Apple rumors and leaks.

Gurman shared that Apple was planning to change the iMac’s design—which did happen earlier this year—and is working on two new Mac Pro computers. Or, as some refer to them, “the priciest Mac machines that don’t come with a screen,” which is a great nickname, by the way.

• According to Bloomberg, the first Mac Pro would be pretty similar to the current-generation Mac Pro, inside and out. Yes, that means it would include an Intel processor, but more on that later.
• On the other hand, the additional model will be smaller, have a boxier design, and, according to Gurman, it “could invoke nostalgia from the Power Mac G4 Cube.” This one would feature Apple’s very own Apple Silicon processor.

Apple Isn’t Done with Intel Just Yet

As we mentioned earlier, rumor has it that Apple will continue to work with Intel. At least for the upcoming Mac Pro.

Apple started to switch from Intel processors to its in-house Apple Silicon chips back in 2020. Apple said this change would take a couple of years, but every Mac computer would have an Apple Silicon processor in the end. That meant that Apple would stop working with Intel for future computers. Or so we thought.

If the rumors are correct, one of the following Mac Pros will still feature an Intel processor. It isn’t just Gurman who mentions this, either. Earlier this year, a developer named Brendan Shanks found a reference for the Intel Ice Lake Xeon processor inside the Xcode 13 beta.

This lead many people to believe that, since Apple’s adding support for an Intel Processor, we can expect to see at least one more Intel-based Mac Pro. Based on this reference, Mark Gurman assured that “Apple has indeed been working on an update to the Intel Mac Pro.”

• Additionally, the Mac Pro will feature 20 or 40-core chips that will be made up of up to 32 high-performance cores and up to eight high-efficiency cores.
• Not only that, but we can also expect the GPU options to come with either 64 or 128 cores.

If that sounds too technical for you, just know that both Mac Pros, whether it’s the Intel-based one or the Apple Silicon Mac Pro, will be performance monsters across the board.

Let’s Not Forget About Apple’s Pro Display

The Pro Display XDR is the go-to option for people who buy Mac Pros. It’s a great display, even though its biggest issue was the price. Starting at $5,000, the Pro Display XDR came with everything you needed for your daily work. Everything except for the stand, which would cost you an extra thousand bucks. Fortunately, that might change when the new Mac Pros arrive.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple’s currently working on a more affordable monitor to be sold alongside the Pro Display XDR. This monitor would have a lower price, and it’d be targeted towards consumers instead of professionals, but it “wouldn’t have the brightness and contrast ratio of the top-tier offering.”

Don’t expect it to cost less than $1,000, though. The last Apple monitor geared towards consumers was first released in 2011 at $999, so expect it to have the same price tag or be a little more expensive. 

When Will Apple Announce the New Mac Pros? How Much Will They Cost?

As of right now, we don’t have a specific date for when Apple will release its new Mac Pro computers or its new monitor. However, rumor has it that Apple will announce “the priciest Mac machines that don’t come with a screen included” in the second half of 2021 or 2022.

As for the price, we should expect the new Mac Pros to launch at a similar price as the current-generation Mac Pro. That means you should expect a starting price of around $6,000. What Apple might do is offer the Intel Mac Pro at a lower price than the Apple Silicon model, but we’ll have to see what Apple’s plans are.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]