Following up on the rumor that Apple is working on an iMac redesign for 2021, the company is also rumored to be planning two new versions of the Mac Pro desktop. The first version will offer the same design as the current Mac Pro and one version that is “less than half the size” of the current design. The smaller Mac Pro could “invoke nostalgia for the Power Mac G4 Cube.”
The rumor also stated that the larger unit with the same design as the current Mac Pro would continue using Intel processors for the time being, while the smaller Mac Pro will use Apple Silicon:
One version is a direct update to the current Mac Pro and will continue to use the same design as the version launched in 2019. Apple has discussed continuing to use Intel processors for that model rather than moving to its own chips.
The second version, however, will use Apple’s own processors and be less than half the size of the current Mac Pro. The design will feature a mostly aluminum exterior and could invoke nostalgia for the Power Mac G4 Cube, a short-lived smaller version of the Power Mac, an earlier iteration of the Mac Pro.
Apple is also said to be in “early development” of a lower-priced external display. This display model would act as the successor to the Thunderbolt Display that Apple sold for $999, but discontinued in 2016.
Where the Pro Display XDR retails for $4,999 (without the Pro Stand accessory) and offers a slew of high-end display technologies for professional users, the lower-priced display would be more similar to the panel Apple uses in the iMac rather than the one in the Pro Display XDR.
There are currently no details on a release timeframe for the display, although the “early development” stage suggests that a release could occur after 2021.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.