We might still be waiting for Apple to refresh the Mac Pro and finally add Apple silicon support, but it’s still the most expensive Mac you can buy. You can now spend $52,199 on a Mac Pro if you want to. But Apple says it isn’t worth that much.
At least, it isn’t when you consider trading it in for something new.
That’s what MKBHD researcher and writer David Imel found when looking at how much the company Mac Pro would be worth if trading it in against one of Apple’s new MacBook Pros or Mac mini this week. The result was somewhat shocking.
A Mac Pro or an iPhone?
It’s shocking for one simple reason — Apple’s trade-in system told Imel that the $52,199 Mac Pro is worth only $970 in credit against something new. Unfortunately, that means the Mac Pro isn’t worth enough to get Apple’s best iPhone — the iPhone 14 Pro.
That’s pretty grim, no matter how you look at it.
Just tried pricing out our $52,199 Mac Pro's at the office for trade in, which you can still buy from Apple, $52,199.What else has dropped 50x in value in 3 years.. besides crypto? pic.twitter.com/pRESBQBoT4January 17, 2023
While it’s to be expected that any used product would see a reduction in value over time, it’s probably fair to say that such a huge fall isn’t something most people would expect. We can all agree that buying an Intel Mac right now probably isn’t a good idea, making it all the more galling that Apple continues to sell it. And in this particular configuration, no less.
As for the new Apple silicon Mac Pro, that’s expected to arrive at some point this year. Apple is said to be working on the M2 Ultra chip that it’ll be powered by, and we can surely expect the Mac Studio to use it, too.
How much that new Apple silicon Mac Pro will cost is anyone’s guess. But let’s hope nobody expects to be able to trade their old model in and get any real money for it. At least, not from the company that made it.
