Apple Inc. “Questioning” Future of Mac Pro, Could Possibly Eliminate it?

apple desktop laptop ratio

Apple Mac Pro

It’s been a while since Apple Inc. has updated the Mac Pro as only MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air have received substantial updates recently. On Monday, rumors arose that Apple may likely scrap the Mac Pro line altogether, with low sales and a high end price mark.

The Mac Pro has not been updated since mid-2010 and Intel’s delay of its Sandy Bride E Xeon processors have pushed that date to a point where it can no longer be under speculation. Now, AppleInsider reports that Apple is “questioning” the future of the Mac Pro line and may not release an update at all.

Although the Mac maker has reportedly developed a revision to the existing Mac Pro that may or may not see the light of day, people familiar with the matter said management as far back as May of 2011 were in limbo over whether to pour any additional resources into the product line.

According to these people, the consensus among sales executives for the Cupertino-based company was that the Mac Pro’s days — at least in its current form — were inevitably numbered. In particular, internal discussions were said to focus around the fact that sales of the high-end workstations to both consumers and enterprises have dropped off so considerably that the Mac Pro is no longer a particularly profitable operation for Apple.

With Apple’s desktop sales decreasing from 70% ten years ago to under 30% today, the MacBook line have become the focal point of Apple’s Mac sales, making the Mac Pro a small part of the lineup. Speculation of further updates on the desktop lineup suggests that a possible high end version of a Mac Mini or iMac could be in the works at Apple.

apple desktop laptop ratio

The Thunderbolt technology is key in eliminating the Mac Pro and bringing the same power and speed of the high end computer over to the lower iMac and Mac Mini. It is unclear when Apple is expected to eliminate the line or release updates, but it is likely planned for early 2012.

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