It's been over two and a half years since Apple released a new Mac Pro. The current Mac Pro was first unveiled just over two and a half years ago at WWDC in June 2013. With the rumors of a potentially new Mac Pro releasing this year, Apple hasn't announced a launch date for the next generation of Mac Pro systems, so we did our investigation.
First up, code in OS X El Capitan is hinting that a new Mac Pro may be on its way soon. There is a reference to a new Mac that is code named "AAPLJ951" within El Capitan. The current Mac Pro is codenamed AAPLJ90 so there is some logic to this new reference being a new version of the professional-level workstation.
Another clue that this is the Mac Pro is the fact that the code hints that there are 10 USB 3.0 ports. Currently there are 4 USB ports and 6 Thunderbolt 2 ports on the Mac Pro. We think Apple is trying to phase out the Mac Pro in favor of a more powerful iMac line-up. It's more likely that it's just spending a long time getting the new Mac Pro just right before it launches after the issues it experiences with the previous launch.
We think that it would make more sense if Apple adapt's Thunderbolt 3 on the Mac Pro - this standard of Thunderbolt supports USB Type-C and offers 40Gbps transfer speeds. Improving Intel's Xeon E5 V2/V3 processors and creating a faster graphics platform will make so Mac Pro users get the best of both worlds.
Since there's no guarantee on the 'New' Mac Pro being released. We think it's best to stick to the latest Mac Pro until then. The VFX team is happy to announce that we are now offering hourly and weekly rates for Mac Pros/iMac Rentals, located in the Los Angeles and Playa location.