Apple discontinues the Mac Pro

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Apple’s decision to discontinue the Mac Pro marks the end of its traditional, internally expandable workstation line, with many pointing to the Mac Studio and Thunderbolt-based peripherals as the de facto replacements. Commenters argue this cements Apple’s shift from fully modular “pro” hardware toward sealed, high-performance appliances, leaving users of PCIe cards, massive RAM configurations, and niche audio/video setups facing costly external enclosures or a move to Windows/Linux workstations. Some see the move as rational given low demand and Apple Silicon’s strengths, while others view it as the final break with repairable, upgradable Macs and a missed opportunity in high-end AI and server markets.

Overall reaction

  • Many see the discontinuation as long-telegraphed; some say the “real” Mac Pro died with Intel and this is just catching up.
  • Emotional response ranges from nostalgic (especially for the “cheese grater”) to resigned pragmatism: the Mac Studio already ate its market.

Role and history of Mac Pro

  • Older Intel Mac Pros were praised for:
    • Multiple internal drive bays, replaceable GPUs, huge RAM ceilings (up to 1.5 TB), PCIe cards, dual-boot with Windows.
  • The 2013 “trash can” is widely viewed as a thermal and expansion dead end.
  • The 2019/2023 tower is seen as a halo / reassurance product more than a practical value buy, especially once Apple Silicon arrived.

Apple Silicon constraints

  • Unified memory is welded to the SoC; no socketed RAM on any M-series system.
  • Apple Silicon doesn’t support third‑party PCIe GPUs; PCIe slots in the last Mac Pro were mainly useful for storage and niche cards.
  • Some argue SoC design and internal controllers (e.g., SSD) make standard M.2–style modularity difficult; others say Apple could still expose standard slots but chooses not to.

Mac Studio vs Mac Pro

  • Consensus that Mac Studio plus Thunderbolt peripherals covers most workloads the Mac Pro used to:
    • High RAM options (up to 256 GB), strong GPU, multiple Thunderbolt 5 ports.
  • Critics say it’s “just a big Mini” and not a true workstation: no internal PCIe slots, no internal M.2 bays, limited serviceability.

PCIe vs Thunderbolt

  • One camp: “days of PCIe are over” for many pro peripherals; audio, storage, even oscilloscopes work fine over USB‑C/Thunderbolt.
  • Other camp: Thunderbolt is slower, higher latency, more fragile and cable‑messy; not an adequate replacement for internal PCIe, especially for video capture, low‑latency I/O, high‑speed networking.

AI/ML and workstation angle

  • Some think Apple squandered a chance to build serious AI workstations or servers; no CUDA/HIP, no multi‑GPU, no headless Linux.
  • Others argue Apple is better positioned for local inference with high‑bandwidth unified memory (Mac Studio clusters, MLX) while datacenter training remains Nvidia’s domain.

Repairability, pricing, and future

  • Many lament the broader trend: no user‑upgradeable RAM, proprietary SSD modules, “appliance” Macs.
  • Others counter that all current desktops still have replaceable SSD modules (with caveats) and that high‑end buyers typically amortize $6k–$35k machines quickly.
  • Some foresee higher‑end Studios and possibly rack‑mount ARM hardware as the natural successors; others plan to move to Linux/Windows workstations.