News of the new oval-shaped Mac Pro has been circulating for some time now. But, the day has finally arrived (well, almost). Apple announced today that the new Mac Pro will be available for sale on Thursday. That's huge news to anyone that's been waiting for Apple's newest addition.
Is this Mac Pro for you? What's the difference? And, should you plunk down $2999 (starting) to purchase one? Let's take a closer look at what the new Mac Pro has to offer, and who will find this desktop essential.
A Speed Jump
The new Mac Pro is a good deal faster than its predecessor. If you work in 3D rendering or video editing, this is the system that you've been waiting for. This Mac Pro can run three high-resolution monitors at the same time - yeah, that's fast. It's lightning fast. It's also (according to Apple) nearly two times faster than the previous version.
So, you can clearly see why this Mac Pro will be at the top of everyone's list. Well, everyone that can afford it, at least! Speaking of prices, let's go through the breakdown of what this oval-shaped wonder will cost you.
Pricing Details
This Mac Pro isn't cheap. For a quad-core Intel Xeon E5 processor; 12GB of memory; dual AMD FirePro D300 GPUs, PCIe-based flash storage, the starting price is $2999. That's not enough, you say? Well, there are other options.
If you want a 3.5 GHz 6-core Intel Xeon E5 processor with amazing speeds (up to 3.9 GHz), 16GB of memory, dual AMD FirePro D500 GPUs, and 256GB of PCIe-based flash storage, the price you'll have to pay is $3999. So, yeah, you will be spending a decent amount of money for this system. But, the new Mac Pro is smaller (a lot) and faster, and, well, it's pretty.
What the New Shape Does
It's impossible to look at the new Mac Pro and not wonder why it's shaped like an oval. It is, after all, the only system out there that takes on the shape of an egg (or maybe a doughnut?). There's no real reason or advantage to the shape of the new system that I can really put down in writing here. It just is different, and it's really grabbing a lot of attention.
But, the question on everyone's mind is: should I really spend $3K for a new Mac? Well, that depends on what you want to do with it. This Mac is best for those that are working with visuals (as stated above), but it's a nice toy to just have around too. I mean, who doesn't want a doughnut, or trash can, or ashtray-shaped computer sitting on a desk? The new Mac Pro is powerful, cute, and it will be here tomorrow for those that have the cash to buy one.
Will you be one of those people, or is this Mac Pro just way out of your price range? Let me know what your thoughts are below (and whether or not you think it's worth the price!).