NEW MAC PRO WILL BE REDESIGNED AND SHIPPED IN 2019

If you were waiting for the redesigned Mac Pro this year, you will want to spend that money on something else. Apple has recently revealed that the modular workstation is now slated to ship in 2019, rather than sometime in 2018, as many Apple fans have expected (but it was never set in stone).

Apple is providing the heads-up now so that customers who need a system soon can buy an iMac Pro without having to worry that the Mac Pro might be right around the corner, according to Hardware Engineering VP Tom Boger. It might be worth the wait, however, as Apple explained, it's shaping the system based on its potential customers.

Apple has created a Pro Workflow Team that helps it optimize its hardware and software based on real production chains, not just abstract goals. The company has hired creatives in 3D animation, music, video editing and visual effects to have them produce real projects and pinpoint the "bottlenecks", whether it's the computer design or an app feature. This team has already helped improve performance on the iMac Pro, but it's also "informing the work" on the Mac Pro, Boger said.

Apple is also listening to outside pros (including companies like Adobe), to be clear, the Pro Workflow Team just gives it direct, constant interaction. The launch of the Mac Pro in 2019 will not please creatives who want a headless machine and will have gone six years without a significant hardware revision.

There are still questions as to whether or not Apple will truly address what pros want. While it is good to know that Apple is genuinely investing in and responsive to the pro crowd, there is no certainty that the 2019 system will satisfy those who've considered switching to Windows- or Linux-baes rigs to get the features they want.