New Mac Pro Incoming for $2,999

Apple's completely redesigned Mac Pro has arrived.

Apple's completely redesigned Mac Pro will go on sale in US stores tomorrow (today if you live in Australia), starting at US$2,999.

You can pick up the R2-D2-like Mac Pro in two varieties. A configuration with a 3.7 GHz quad-core Intel Xeon E5 processor, dual 2GB AMD FirePro D300 GPUs, 12GB of memory, and 256GB flash storage will set you back US$2,999 (AU$3,999.) Upgrading to a 3.5 GHz 6-core Xeon E5, dual 3GB AMD FirePro D500 GPUs, and 16GB of memory will increase the price to US$3,999 (AU$5,299.)

Apple claims that the new Mac Pro is up to twice as fast as the current model, and buyers also have the option to upgrade to 12-core Intel Xeon E5 processors to increase that speed further. The Mac Pro also includes six Thunderbolt 2 ports, an HDMI 1.4 port, USB 3.0 ports, a pair of Gigabit Ethernet ports, and 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity. OS X Mavericks will come pre-installed, and the system reportedly uses 70 percent less power than the current Mac Pro.

But of course, the most striking departure from previous models is the Mac Pro's cylindrical housing, which stands at 9-inches tall; one-eighth the volume of the previous generation.