Apple's Mac Pro efforts started well before the April 2017 announcement

Apple had the new Mac Pro in the works for several years, even before the declarations in early 2017 that it was being worked on, making it clear that this is a carefully crafted machine with serious thought behind what went into it.

Quality takes time

The new Mac Pro was announced at the WWDC keynote on Monday, a plan that had been in the works for well over two years behind the scenes. Apple had originally thought that they would release the new Mac Pro in 2018.

In 2017, Apple had announced that they would be releasing a new Mac Pro, assuaging the fears that Apple would be abandoning its professional market. At that point, Apple said that they would be focusing on a modular design that would be easier to update, and that there would be a "pro display" released alongside of it — but revealed nothing else.

However, it became clear to Apple that they would not be able to ship the new Mac Pro until 2019.

A Focus on function

Apple's new Mac Pro features a unique design. The iconic hollow circles, which are machined from the aluminum of the case, allows for increased air flow, more than would usually be allowed on a front-facing grate. This was a choice that was in place at Apple's design labs for quite some time, even before the new Mac Pro was conceived.

Apple's ultimate solution was the $5999 Mac Pro, a product intended for high-end needs. A look at the internal components shows that this is a serious workhorse machine, not something for the casual consumer.

In addition to creating a functional front to the Mac Pro, they also wanted to create a monitor that could be on par with reference displays, which can often cost well above $15,000. This makes the $6000 Pro Display XDR monitor and stand seem like a bargain in comparison.

Axios, in discussing the new Mac Pro, mentioned that Apple had some of these reference displays set up for users to compare the units with Apple's Pro Display XDR.

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