Friday Poll: Is the new Mac Pro too expensive?
With a price structure topping out at $9,600, the totally revamped Mac Pro may have a limited appeal to Apple fans' pocketbooks.
Apple's new Mac Pro workstation has gotten a lot of ribbing for its cylindrical design, which makes it look like it could be a trash can in Darth Vader's office. The machine is designed for heavy-lifting computing tasks like video editing, so it's not meant for the kind of person who just wants to check Facebook and play Candy Crush.
The basic configuration comes with a 3.7GHz quad-core Intel Xeon E5 processor for $3,000, but that's just the starting point. If you upgrade the processors, SSD, and graphics performance enough, you can bump the price tag up to $9,600.
In a world where budget-priced desktops lurk at every corner, that may seem like an awful lot to spend on a computer. There's no denying the Mac Pro is a powerful device, but at a premium price.
CNET readers are chiming in with their thoughts on the new machine, with many focusing on the cost. "I predict that these will become very popular at well funded tech companies where they will be used for nothing more strenuous than editing HTML and sending tweets to say how the Mac Pro makes him/her so much more productive," writes sfbiker.
Other readers see things differently. "Simply put, if you think this machine is overpriced, then it is not marketed to you. This is for people whose livelihoods depend on it," writes rrhude.
You've seen the specs. You've seen the price. You may have even imagined what it would look like sitting on your desk. Do you think the new Mac Pro is too expensive? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts in the comments.