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Apple CEO says Mac Pro update to come 'next year'

With tens of thousands of Mac Pro fans disappointed after a measly update to the Mac Pro yesterday, CEO Tim Cook says, "we're working on something really great for later next year."

Dara Kerr Former senior reporter
Dara Kerr was a senior reporter for CNET covering the on-demand economy and tech culture. She grew up in Colorado, went to school in New York City and can never remember how to pronounce gif.
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Mac Pro update may not come until next year. Apple

Despite some reports to the contrary, there isn't much new in the latest Mac Pro update. After Apple added a "new" tag to the Mac Pro on its Web site yesterday and some people complained, the company quickly took down the tag, according to MacRumors.

Now, CEO Tim Cook is saying that more extensive updates won't happen until "later next year."

Hints of this first came when the machine wasn't even mentioned during Apple's presentation at WWDC yesterday. Then when the "new" tag appeared on its Web site, a member of the original Apple Macintosh development team Andy Hertzfeld lambasted the company on his Google Plus profile for the skimpy updates.

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"The specs for the 'new' Mac Pro had hardly changed, except for a tiny, inconsequential processor clock bump," Hertzfeld wrote. "Still no Thunderbolt, still no USB 3.0, no SATA III or RAM speed improvements. It seems like it's stuck in time in 2010. The only thing that's still high-end about it is the bloated price."

Apple's Mac Pro costs between $2,499 and $3,799, depending on which model the customer chooses. Additional upgrades can push that price higher.

Mac Pro fans are saying they're being left in the lurch. Late last month, some Mac Pro owners launched a Facebook Page called "We Want a New Mac Pro" that pleaded for an update to the machine. As of this writing, the movement has 18,149 likes.

According to MacRumors, this is an e-mail that CEO Tim Cook posted on the Facebook Page in response to an e-mail sent by a guy named Franz:

Franz,

Thanks for your email. Our Pro customers like you are really important to us. 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. We also updated the current model today.

We've been continuing to update Final Cut Pro X with revolutionary pro features like industry leading multi-cam support and we just updated Aperture with incredible new image adjustment features.

We also announced a MacBook Pro with a Retina Display that is a great solution for many pros.

Tim

CNET contacted Apple for comment about more specific dates for the Mac Pro update. We'll update the story when we get more information.