The best way to save the Mac Pro? Keep Intel inside

Help us, Xeon, you're our only hope.

- MICHAEL SIMON

Back when Apple announced its transition from Intel processors in June 2020, it made a couple of promises (fave.co/3y9fpEQ) that haven't been fulfilled. Most notably, it said the transition would be completed "in about two years," which is either four months or eight months behind schedule, depending on when you start counting.

And in addition to vowing to "continue to support and release new versions of macOS for Intel-based Macs for years to come," which it's done, Apple also said it "has exciting new Intel-based Macs in development." While we did get a new 27-inch iMac with 10th-generation Intel chips (fave.co/3uqlcky) later that summer, suffice it to say, we haven't seen any new Intel Macs, exciting or otherwise, since the first M1 Macs rolled out. And with just one Intel-based Mac remaining in Apple's lineup, it would seem it's just a matter of time until the Mac Pro gets its Apple silicon makeover (fave.co/3KSZPVf).

In fact, about a year ago, John Ternus teased the existence of such a machine, saying there was "just one more product to go" in the transition, "but that's for another day." But as more and more time slips by, maybe everyone would be happier if that day didn't arrive just yet.

THE CORE ISSUE

The latest rumors about the Mac Pro are less than intriguing, as the unique architecture of the M2 chip is reportedly forcing Apple to rethink several of the Mac Pro's unique characteristics (fave.co/ 3ZE7Ykq), including user-upgradable RAM and graphics. And the rumored M2 Extreme chip with 48 CPU cores and 152 graphics cores is unlikely to make an appearance, with Apple instead going with a slightly overclocked M2 Ultra with a 24-core CPU and 76-core GPU.