Updates to Apple's "pro" line of computers -- the PowerMac and PowerBook -- remain two of the most anticipated hardware updates.
IBM's new PowerPC 970FX provides hope for upcoming updates for both product lines. While information on the web related to the PowerPC 970FX was relatively sparse after IBM's presentations at ISSCC last week... this Japanese report provides some basic specs with speeds ranging from 1.3GHz - 2.5GHz, and this German report offers some details of the PowerTune technology from IBM. The PowerTune technology is reportedly capable of stepping down speed to 1/2 or 1/4 of the processor's top speed, thus reducing the power consumption.
The most recent hints have pointed that PowerMacs will not be updated in February... but the new processor suggests that the new machines will top out at 2.5GHz when they do arrive.
Meanwhile, whispers have suggested that Apple is continuing to investigate liquid-based cooling techniques for both PowerMac and PowerBook lines. Whether/When this technology will be delivered as a shipping product is unclear.
Thursday March 26, 2026 2:04 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple has discontinued the Mac Pro and has removed the machine from its website, reports 9to5Mac. Apple said it does not plan to design a new version of the Mac Pro, and no new model will be coming in the future.
The Mac Pro was last updated in 2023, which was when Apple added an M2 Ultra Apple silicon chip, but the chassis has not been refreshed since 2019. Apple redesigned the Mac Pro to...
Thursday March 26, 2026 3:24 pm PDT by Juli Clover
In addition to discontinuing the Mac Pro, Apple today discontinued the $700 wheel add-on kit that it sold for the Mac Pro.
The Mac Pro Wheels kit was introduced in 2020, and allowed Mac Pro owners to add wheels to their machine after purchase. The Mac Pro could be bought with a wheel option for an additional $400, but the lower price was because opting for wheels removed the $300 feet....
Apple this week announced that it has discontinued the Mac Pro, with new configurations no longer available and no further models planned.
Below, we reflect on nearly two decades of the Mac Pro.
2006 to 2013
In August 2006, Apple introduced the original Mac Pro, which was an Intel-based follow-up to the PowerPC-based Power Mac G5 that debuted a few years earlier.
Mac Pro was the final ...
