Is the Mac Pro nearing its end? Apple has reportedly ‘largely abandoned’ the idea
According to a new report by Mark Gurman, Apple is no longer actively developing a new version of the Mac Pro.
The brand’s most powerful desktop computer, often viewed as the ultimate symbol of professional Apple hardware, appears to be losing its place in the lineup — to the extent that the company has “largely written it off.”
M4 Ultra Canceled, Mac Pro Too?
According to Gurman, the absence of the upcoming M4 Ultra, the processor intended to power a new Mac Pro, may seal the machine’s fate. Traditionally, the Mac Pro has relied on an “Ultra” version to justify its raw power compared to other Macs.
If this chip is no longer in development, it suggests that the very idea of a next-generation Mac Pro has been dismissed.
Gurman even mentions a model that has been “nixed,” meaning removed from the internal roadmap.
The next high-end processor planned by Apple, the M5 Ultra, is now expected to be reserved for the Mac Studio, which will become the centerpiece of the brand’s “pro desktop” strategy starting in 2026.
In other words: for Apple, the Mac Studio is now the future, and the Mac Pro no longer has a significant place.
A Similar Fate to the iMac Pro?
This isn’t the first time a “Pro” product has quietly disappeared from Apple’s catalog. The iMac Pro, which launched with great fanfare in 2017, was discontinued in 2021 shortly after the introduction of the first M1 Macs. Apple quickly refocused its strategy around the Mac Studio and Mac mini, which are more modular, compact, and better suited to the new Apple Silicon chips.
We might see the same scenario unfold for the Mac Pro.
The Intel model from 2019 generated a lot of hope by rekindling modularity and extreme performance. However, its successor, the Mac Pro M2 Ultra released in 2023, disappointed many professionals by removing GPU expansion and compatibility with most advanced PCIe cards.
Since then, there haven’t been any major updates. The outcome is clear: the Mac Pro appears to have been merely a transition towards an all-Apple Silicon future, without a lasting role in the lineup.
A Pro Line That Is Reorienting Elsewhere
Currently, the only truly dynamic “Pro” products from Apple are the iPhone Pro, iPad Pro, and MacBook Pro. These are the ones receiving the fastest innovations and the most regular annual updates.
In contrast, desktop workstations are evolving much more slowly. Demand is shifting towards compact, silent, and powerful machines that no longer require enormous, customizable towers like before.
This is precisely what the Mac Studio represents: a machine capable of rivaling the Mac Pro in power, while being smaller, more efficient, and less expensive to produce.
Is the Mac Pro Turning a Page?
If Gurman is correct, the 2023 Mac Pro may indeed be the last one ever made, just like the iMac Pro was before it. Apple has not yet officially announced this, but the lack of a dedicated Ultra chip and the shift towards the Mac Studio speak volumes.
We might be witnessing the end of an era: the time when the Mac Pro represented the absolute pinnacle of performance at Apple. Now, Apple seems to believe that a pro workstation doesn’t need to be massive to be powerful.
And perhaps, for the majority of professional users, it is not wrong.
