Just what does Apple's new Mac Pro look like? (pictures)
An odd-looking addition to Apple's Mac Pro line has kindled chatter on the Internet about what it resembles. Is it a trash can? An air purifier? Or maybe a Borg ship? You decide.
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At its annual World Wide Developer's Conference in San Francisco on Monday, Apple unveiled a dramatic looking new design for the forthcoming Mac Pro.
The new computer, available later this year, is attracting lots of attention for its unique design. The black cylinder, pictured here with its outer cover removed, has been compared to a trash can, aliens, and even air purifiers.
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Mac Pro, case closed
Here's Apple's new Mac Pro with its outer aluminum case closed. What do you think it looks like? Click on to see what it's being compared to.
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Coffee grinder
This L'Equipe coffee grinder looks very much like the new Mac Pro. A sleek, black cylinder that costs much less than the new machine from Apple probably will.
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Air filter?
The Mac Pro can do lots of things, but we don't think it can filter air like the Bionaire HEPA air filters it resembles.
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Dalek, from 'Dr. Who'
The fictional mutant-cyborg aliens known as Daleks first appeared in a 1963 "Doctor Who" episode.
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Mr. Fusion
The Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor was the name of a power source used by the DeLorean time machine in the "Back to the Future" trilogy. It converted garbage to power the time machine's flux capacitor and time circuits using nuclear fusion.
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R2-D2
Everybody's favorite droid, R2-D2, is similar in shape to the Mac Pro, but we don't think Apple's new computers will be self-propelled.
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Cooling towers
If these new Mac Pro computers remind you of the cooling towers of a nuclear reactor, that's because they serve a similar function. In Mac Pro processors are wrapped around a central cooling core to keep the machine running efficiently.
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Borg Cylinder
This Star Trek-inspired custom-built Borg Cylinder was created for the Star Trek: Starfleet Command 2 video game.
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Galaxy warp core
Rivaling the new Mac Pro for power and futuristic features is the Galaxy Warp Core from "Star Trek."
Los Alamos National Laboratory installed the first Cray-1 supercomputing system in 1976 for $8.8 million. It broke records with its speed capable of 160 million floating-point operations per second and an 8-megabyte main memory.
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Bear safe wate bins
These GS Series decorative trash and recycling bins are built to bear-proof standards, and though they claim to be a great choice where "aesthetics and durability are key," they are not Internet-connected.
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Darth Vader
And finally, as CNET's own Dan Ackerman said, "Does a bold design that's decidedly hardcore fit what pros need? That remains to be seen, but the Darth Vader-ish look of the Mac Pro certainly made a lot of WWDC attendees sit up and take notice. If iMacs are Jedi, the Mac Pro is decidedly Sith."
