Irrefutable proof that the Mac Pro is overdue for a makeover

February 26, 2009 by Dr. Macenstein
Filed under: Apple Fanboyism, Mac Pro, Theft, design 

The Mac Pro’s design has remained virtually unchanged since its PowerMac G5 days, and while Apple has thus far been able to successfully ignore my daily pleas for a redesign, I think even they may now have to admit the design is a bit long in the tooth. After all, once Dell copies you, it pretty much sucks the cool out of the room. Kind of like when even the nerdiest kid in school had a Swatch. (Who’s with me? The Swatch)

Check out Dell’s new Studio XPS 435 Desktop Computer. Basically they took the Mac Pro chassis, hit it with the ugly stick, and then covered it in shiny plastic. The result is as sexy as its name. They even left the Mac Pro’s grill peeking through at the bottom.

Ordinarily Dell’s “Apple copying” cycle is roughly 5 years behind Apple releases, so they’re a few months late with this, but hopefully it will be the kick in the pants that Apple needs to get a new model out the door.

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Comments

17 Comments on Irrefutable proof that the Mac Pro is overdue for a makeover

  1. darrell on Thu, 26th Feb 2009 12:55 am

    2. that XPS looks pretty well designed. makes you wonder how the quality of the casing holds up.

    when Apple switched to intel, i was expecting the PowerMac to be slimmed down to fit the dual core motherboard since they would have much more room without the fans and G5 chipset. but instead they held onto the design and threw in more harddrives….

  2. odin on Thu, 26th Feb 2009 1:15 am

    3. Agreed.

  3. valentijn Langendorff on Thu, 26th Feb 2009 4:27 am

    4. Not agreeing with that…
    - inside of the dell is a mess
    - color/glossy plastics are very personal
    - plastics are not so durable….

  4. Jason on Thu, 26th Feb 2009 4:51 am

    5. Err…. they just don’t really look that similar to me. They’re both rectangular I suppose… :S

  5. mangochutney on Thu, 26th Feb 2009 5:15 am

    6. Make-over please!

  6. liquitt on Thu, 26th Feb 2009 7:11 am

    7. well the Dell is butt-ugly as always, but i doesn’t look similar to the Mac Pro!!

  7. Jonro on Thu, 26th Feb 2009 10:02 am

    8. I think the Mac Pro case won’t get much of an overhaul. It’s market is for a highly expandable computer with lots of slots and easy access for users. On the other hand, we really need a computer with the power of the iMac and some of the expandability of the Mac Pro in a much smaller case. I wish Apple would do that, but I don’t think they will expand their desktop line to four models (Mac Mini, iMac, new iMac/Mac Pro hybrid, and Mac Pro). They may release a newly redesigned Mac Mini with easy user access to HD and RAM, but don’t think it would accept two hard drives, and certainly wouldn’t fit large capacity and inexpensive 5 1/4″ drives.

  8. scotts13 on Thu, 26th Feb 2009 11:11 am

    9. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the MacPro case. Oh, I could wish for an open external 3.5″ drive bay, but I can’t expect anyone else to share my fetish for MO or Zip drives.

    When I build a PC, I always overspend to get a nice aluminum case, and there literally IS NOTHING available that even approaches the MacPro case design and quality.

  9. Jason Burns on Thu, 26th Feb 2009 12:16 pm

    10. At least the dell doesn’t weigh 900lbs. I had to carry my Mac Pro a mile from my car, through the mall to the Apple Store to get an AirportExtreme card put in, my God man, there is NO legitimate reason for it to weigh as much as a Sherman tank.

  10. steveH on Thu, 26th Feb 2009 3:40 pm

    11. Jason,

    If you’d walked to the store first and talked to one of the staff, they’d have come out with a dolly to get your Mac Pro from your car.

  11. Andre on Thu, 26th Feb 2009 4:14 pm

    12. I don’t get it… they look nothing alike??? … not even the grill.

  12. Ricky Badger on Thu, 26th Feb 2009 5:16 pm

    13. Well, the dolly at the dealer I used said she couldn’t handle it, so I had to do the schlepping anyway.

    Thank you…

  13. Xav on Thu, 26th Feb 2009 7:23 pm

    14. @Jason
    I hear ya. I used to be the Mac Admin at a university; moving those darn G5’s out and the Mac Pros in was like weight-training. I am pretty sure there are cars that weigh less. Also, why would you take it to the Apple Store for a wireless card?

    As for the case design, well take a look at the Dell Latitude E6500….

  14. Jon P on Thu, 26th Feb 2009 8:46 pm

    15. Dell looks like a goofy kid with an underbite.

  15. ookami on Thu, 26th Feb 2009 8:49 pm

    16. Well, I just down right love my mac pro just the way it is.
    I used to be a “PC-guy” through and through, but damn if the insides (design, positioning, lack of cable clutter, room to work and so on ) is the reason for the weight of it, then im fine with my sherman tank. :)

    also, looking at the outside of it, its design is still neutral enough, that it dont matter if the huge case os next to my table.

    //mac pro <3

  16. Daniel on Thu, 26th Feb 2009 9:22 pm

    17. The Mac Pro is still prettier on the inside (and the outside). That last shot is the money shot.

  17. Random Cam on Thu, 26th Feb 2009 11:23 pm

    18. After owning two of Apple’s finest for nearly six years they still look brilliant to me. Classic design lives forever and I see no need to change what is clearly the best looking ‘puter in the business. Just keep the internal upgrades coming Apple.

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