Concept imagines next-generation Mac Pro with modular design and edge-to-edge display

As part of doing a next-generation Mac Pro, Apple will be adopting a modular system that its pro customers have been yearning after ever since the company debuted the current trash bin design more than three years ago. While it’s going to take longer than this year to do such a system, German magazine Curved has created renderings imagining a modular Mac Pro and an edge-to-edge Apple display.

The renderings borrow from previous Mac Pro designs while adding, among other novelties, swiveling casing components providing for easier access to the internals, including two slots for full-size graphics cards, a slot for replacing the processor, a slot for upgrading HDD/SDD storage, another one for upgrading the RAM and more.

The Power button on the front of the casing doubles as Touch ID.

An OLED display strip would be a Touch Bar of sorts that could display various information about the internal components, such as graphics cards. Aside from the Power button and Touch Bar, the computer would also feature an SD card slot as well as microphone and headphone jacks out the front for easy access.

All the other ports would be located on the back of the casing, including USB-C, USB, FireWire, LAN, HDMI and more. Like with the current Mac Pro, the next Mac Pro could sport a button/latch on the back for opening the side doors.

I’m not so certain that a Mac mini-style design would be the way to go.

A computer like Mac Pro is meant to crunch a lot of numbers and put its CPU and GPU through their paces. Doing things like 4K video editing, music production, graphics design and more would require the CPU and GPU to run at full speed, generating heat.

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I don’t think that the ventilation holes on the top of the casing, as envision by Curved, would release enough hot air from the computer but I could be wrong: Apple’s existing thermal core design for Mac Pro seems to work fine.

If you ask me, Apple should adopt “cheese grater” design of Mac Pros sold from 2006 until 2013 if it’s serious about turning the next Mac Pro into a flexible, expandable and powerful desktop computer it’s meant to be.

Source: Curved