Apple will reportedly discontinue the Mac Pro in Europe beginning March 1. The unexpected decision isn’t a result of low demand for Apple’s pro desktop, as conventional wisdom would have you believe. The real reason is simple, really: Apple’s aging top-of-the-line desktop just doesn’t meet a new European product regulation standards effective March 1.
The current Mac Pro line will continue to be available in other markets that don’t have the new European product certification standards in place. Apple has emailed its resellers across Europe informing them they can place Mac Pro orders up until February 18 for shipment before March 1, 2013…
9to5Mac‘s teen blogging phenom Mark Gurman has Apple’s email to resellers which reads as follows:
As of March 1, 2013, Apple will no longer sell Mac Pro in EU, EU candidate and EFTA countries because these systems are not compliant with Amendment 1 of regulation IEC 60950-1, Second Edition which becomes effective on this date.
Apple resellers can continue to sell any remaining inventory of Mac Pro after March 1. Apple will take final orders for Mac Pro from resellers up until February 18th for shipment before March 1 2013.
Countries outside of the EU are not impacted and Mac Pro will continue to be available in those areas.
A spokesperson for California-based Apple confirmed to The Loop that Apple will indeed stop selling the current model of the Mac Pro in the EU on March 1, 2013:
Due to evolving regulatory requirements, Apple will stop selling Mac Pro in EU, EU candidate and EFTA countries on March 1, 2013. After that date, resellers can sell existing inventory but Apple will no longer ship Mac Pro in those countries.
For those wondering, Apple’s decision will affect Mac Pro availability in all European Union countries, in addition to EU Candidates and EFTA markets.
The company’s European retail stores and its resellers with leftover stock may be able to continue Mac Pro sales after March 1, Gurman claims.
I was going to go to Europe next month just to buy the three year old Mac Pro. Oh well.
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) January 31, 2013
It wasn’t immediately clear which aspects of the new product certification standards the Mac Pro lineup does not meet. The computer saw its last major refresh 427 days ago, excluding a minor specs bump up last summer.
in June 2012, Tim Cook made it semi-official in an alleged email reply to a customer inquiry that a revamped Mac Pro is coming at some point in 2013.
“Our Pro customers like you are really important to us”, Cook’s email reads. “Although we didn’t have a chance to talk about a new Mac Pro at today’s event, don’t worry as we’re working on something really great for later next year”.
If iMacs and MacBooks are anything to go by, Apple should update the Mac Pro with Thunderbolt and USB 3 I/O, super efficient Haswell Xeon chips and latest and greatest GPU options, to name a few.
This not-so-great Mac Pro concept by designer Peter Zigich.
We also heard whispers that the aging Mac Pro is due for a major redesign calling for a much smaller footprint compared to the current-generation huge aluminum ‘tower’ chassis.
Not sure about you, but I’m curious as to what Apple has in store for its most demanding pro customers.