Next Mac Pro may use stackable design for ultimate customization

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The next Mac Pro might look a little something like this.
The next Mac Pro might look a little something like this.
Photo: OWC
Information supposedly leaking out of the design team for the next Mac Pro claims this desktop computer will totally and completely fulfil Apple’s promise to make it modular . Rather than a single unit it will allegedly consist of stackable components that can be easily swapped in and out as needed.

But not all the news is good. Apple promised that its next professional-grade desktop Mac would be out this year, but this unconfirmed report indicates it might not debut until 2020.

Mac Pro modularity in spades

Almost the only thing we know for certain about the upcoming Mac Pro is that it will be modular. A report from Tailosive Tech claiming to be based on information from an engineer on the team developing this computer indicates that it will be a collection of stacking modules, not a single tower into which parts are inserted.

“There’s multiple modules you can buy when you getting the Mac Pro. The only one you have to buy is the brain module which is supposedly a little bit bulkier than the standard Mac mini. It has some ports on it and it mostly houses the RAM and the CPU,” says a YouTube video from Tailosive Tech.

One add-on component will supposedly be for a hard drive or SSD storage. The user could stack multiple storage modules as necessary. Another option could be for an external GPU if the buyer needs one. Another might be a DVD drive.

These components will communicate over proprietary connectors on top and bottom. Apple allegedly might open these up to allow third-party accessory makers to create their own modules.

Mac Pro launch date maybe in 2019, maybe 2020

Last year, Tom Boger, Senior Director of Mac Hardware Product Marketing, said “The Mac Pro is a 2019 product.” But Tailosive Tech claims its source says Apple might miss that self-imposed deadline.

“A lot of us are expecting it to come out in 2019. My source isn’t sure if that’s going to happen, but he can at least guarantee that there will be an unveiling of the modular Mac Pro at some point in the year. But when it could be available to purchase might be into 2020,” says the Tailosive Tech video.

A separate report earlier this week indicated that the next-generation Mac Pro will be previewed at WWDC 2019 in early June. That leak from inside the company doesn’t suggest the desktop will be released at that time, just shown off.

The wait has been long; the last significant update to the Mac Pro line was in 2013. Many professionals are surely hoping the next model is worth it.

Cult of Mac