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On Monday it was clear for all to see that the future is mobile for Apple, with the next step for iOS, new iOS-style features within OS X 10.8, and an emphasis on more portable notebook laptops.
Apple revealed upgraded MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models alongside an impressive ‘next-generation MacBook Pro’ model that was lighter, thinner and faster. Many Apple fans were left wondering what would happen to Apple’s only desktop tower computer, the Mac Pro. It hadn’t been updated since 2010, and although an update was rumoured for WWDC, Apple didn’t mention it during the show.
Apple did update its Mac Pro range silently, though the updates were very minor and didn’t carry the new features that many had hoped for, and that a pricey high-end desktop should have in 2012. The processors were updated, but very little else was touched, which left many Mac Pro fans feeling let down, especially after seeing new MacBooks with Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 connectivity.
However, after recent rumours that Apple would launch much more improved Mac Pro models in 2013, none other than Apple CEO Tim Cook has confirmed this. A disgruntled fan emailed him directly, as many Apple fanatics tended to do in the past with Steve Jobs’s public ‘sjobs@apple.com’ address. The fan complained about the lacklustre update to the Mac Pro range, to which Cook replied with this:
“Our pro customers are really important to us…don’t worry as we’re working on something really great for later next year.”
Andy Hertzfeld, an engineer who stuck with Apple from the very start, and is now at Google, criticised Apple for not adding much-needed improvements to the Mac Pro line this year. He wrote the following post via his Google+ account:
“The next generation MacBook Pro announced today at WWDC looks fantastic. I ordered one immediately and can’t wait to start using it. Unfortunately, the euphoria was negated by my deep disappointment with the meagre, lame update that was silently bequeathed to the Mac Pro today.
The Mac Pro is Apple’s top of the line, expandable Macintosh, aimed at users who need lots of computing power and disk storage, like programmers or other professionals. I have an 8-core Mac Pro with 16 GB of RAM in my home office that was an amazing machine when I acquired it in 2008, but it’s not so hot by today’s standards. I’ve been looking to get a new one for a while now, but Apple hadn’t updated the hardware for two years, so I was looking forward to finally seeing a new one announced today, with essential features like Thunderbolt and USB 3.0.”
We think that Apple should have added Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 at the very least, to keep the Mac Pro in line with the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro ranges for 2012. The newer Intel Xeon processors and Sata 3.0 wouldn’t go a miss either.
Let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.
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