Mac Pro

Mac Pro
	2023 "Cheese Grater" Mac Pro
Developer	Apple Inc.
Type	Full-sized desktop; Workstation; Server;
Release date	August 7, 2006 (tower); December 19, 2013 (cylinder); December 10, 2019 (lattice tower/rack); June 13, 2023 (Apple silicon);
Operating system	macOS
System on a chip	Apple M2 Ultra (current)
CPU	Intel Xeon (2006–2023)
Predecessor	Power Mac G5, Xserve
Related	iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Studio, iMac Pro
Website	apple.com/mac-pro

Mac Pro is a series of workstations and servers for professionals made by Apple Inc. since 2006. The Mac Pro, by some performance benchmarks, is the most powerful computer that Apple offers. It is one of four desktop computers in the current Mac lineup, sitting above the Mac Mini, iMac and Mac Studio.

Introduced in August 2006, the Mac Pro was an Intel-based replacement for the Power Mac line and had two dual-core Xeon Woodcrest processors and a rectangular tower case carried over from the Power Mac G5. It was updated on April 4, 2007, by a dual quad-core Xeon Clovertown model, then on January 8, 2008, by a dual quad-core Xeon Harpertown model.^[1] Revisions in 2010 and 2012 revisions had Nehalem-EP/Westmere-EP architecture Intel Xeon processors.

In December 2013, Apple released a new cylindrical Mac Pro (colloquially called the "trash can Mac Pro"^[2]). Apple said it offered twice the overall performance of the first generation while taking up less than one-eighth the volume.^[3] It had up to a 12-core Xeon E5 processor, dual AMD FirePro D series GPUs, PCIe-based flash storage and an HDMI port, but lacked PCIe expansion slots. Thunderbolt 2 ports brought updated wired connectivity and support for six Thunderbolt Displays. Reviews initially were generally positive, with caveats. Limitations of the cylindrical design prevented Apple from upgrading the cylindrical Mac Pro with more powerful hardware.

The 2019 Mac Pro returned to a tower form factor reminiscent of the first-generation model, but with larger air cooling holes and a new opening mechanism. It has up to a 28-core Xeon-W processor, eight PCIe slots, AMD Radeon Pro Vega GPUs, and replaces most data ports with USB-C and Thunderbolt 3.

The 2023 Mac Pro carried over the design of the 2019 model and is based on the Apple M2 Ultra chip. It is the first model with an Apple silicon chip. Its introduction completed the Mac transition from Intel to Apple processors, first announced in June 2020 and started in November that year.

^ "Apple adds 8-core option to Mac Pro". MacNN. April 4, 2007. Archived from the original on April 10, 2007. Retrieved April 4, 2007.
^ Charlton, Hartley (December 19, 2022). "The 'Trashcan' Mac Pro: Remembering One of Apple's Most Controversial Designs Nine Years Later". MacRumors. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
^ "At long last! Apple announces new Mac Pro with cylindrical design". June 10, 2013. Archived from the original on June 13, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2013.

[1] "Apple adds 8-core option to Mac Pro". MacNN. April 4, 2007. Archived from the original on April 10, 2007. Retrieved April 4, 2007.

[2] Charlton, Hartley (December 19, 2022). "The 'Trashcan' Mac Pro: Remembering One of Apple's Most Controversial Designs Nine Years Later". MacRumors. Retrieved June 7, 2023.

[arstechnica.com-3] "At long last! Apple announces new Mac Pro with cylindrical design". June 10, 2013. Archived from the original on June 13, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2013.

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