Gone but not forgotten! The Mac Pro was officially discontinued in late March 2026. It will no longer be produced by Apple, it’s nowhere to be found on the website, and while we’re a bit sad about losing an icon, we’re not all that surprised…
It was coming
Mac Pro never moved past the M2 Ultra chip after transitioning to Apple Silicon in 2023, and hadn’t been redesigned since 2019. In fact, its design stayed true to its much-loved USP: the ability to remove the outer case, customise the internals and expand the machine through PCIe slots.
It’s this, along with its head-turning visual evolutions, that secured the Mac Pro cult status within the Appleverse.
The ‘rockstar’ of the Mac family?
When you think about it, the Mac Pro really was quite rock and roll. Its ever-changing physical form turned heads. You never really knew what was underneath the exterior. Yet it was always original, always iconic and always came through for its biggest fans.
Not to mention the ultimate ‘French exit’ on 26th March. Mac Pro quietly dropped off the radar on its 20th anniversary year. No big fanfare. No “everyone look, I’m retiring” announcement. It’s been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Now it fades into legend, just like a true rockstar.
Era-defining designs
First came the ‘Cheesegrater’ (2006-2012) – the original chassis that got its nickname for its mesh air vent. Its 2010-2012 iterations became some of the most popular Macs ever released, mainly due to their insane longevity, 12-core CPU power and upgradable flexibility. A bit like those first two killer albums by your favourite rock band.
Then we got the ‘Trash Can’ (2013-2018) – a total change in creative direction, with a smaller cylindrical body which proved to be a bit rubbish (sorry) due to heat issues, and even caused GPU failure for some. A bit like that weird period when the band tried too hard to reinvent.
And finally, the modular tower design which took inspiration from the old ‘Cheesegrater’ and earned it the name of ‘Shredder’ or ‘Crusher’ (2019-2026). It boasted bigger holes, better airflow, more power and higher internal expandability than ever before. A bit like when the band returned to its roots for the original fans, but ultimately couldn’t sell the tickets to keep up with the new kids on the block.
Over to the Mac Studio
As with all great rockstars, a successor steps in to usher in a new era for the genre – or in this case, desktop Apple computing.
Mac Studio is that natural successor. And while creative pros can’t pull it apart and customise it to high heaven, it can be connected with a range of Thunderbolt accessories and Thunderbolt 5 models to pool resources together and create powerful clusters for AI workloads. It can also be rack mounted, although Apple doesn’t openly advertise this option.
In other words, pro users can still work their magic, but on a more streamlined yet less customisable device.
Lease Apple desktops, protect your cash flow
As we wave goodbye to the Mac Pro, the Apple desktop line-up goes from strength to strength. The iMac, Mac Mini and Mac Studio are all getting more powerful – and with that, more capable of driving real productivity gains for your organisation.
If you’re interested in bringing the latest Macs to your team but want to keep the cash where it belongs in your business, we can help. To discuss our flexible leasing solutions and discover what Feefo-certified ‘Exceptional Service’ looks like, get in touch today.