Apple’s new Mac Pro can cost almost $100,000, but why?

Apple’s latest computer isn’t for your average consumer, which makes sense since it can cost as much as a new luxury car.

Apple’s latest Mac Pro computer is now available for order in Australia, but if you’re planning on getting the tech giant’s new top-of-the-line rig, you’re going to want very deep pockets.

The new Mac Pro starts at $9999, which already makes it one of the most expensive computers you can buy.

For that price you’d expect some impressive performance stats, and the Mac Pro does deliver in that regard, with an 8-core processor, 32GB of RAM, and 8GB graphics card and 256GB of the speedier solid state storage.

But if you need absolutely the most powerful Apple computer on offer, you’re going to need close to $100,000.

The new Apple Mac Pro starts at expensive and goes up from there. Picture: Brittany Hosea-Small / AFP

Fully-specced out, the Mac Pro will set you back $84,778 for a maxed-out model offering a 28-core processor (which adds $11,200 to the price), a massive 1.5TB of RAM (which contributes a staggering $40,000), two graphics cards with 32GB of memory apiece ($17,280) and 4TB of solid state storage ($2240).

Apple’s Afterburner card can also be added for better video rendering performance for an additional $3200.

An extra $640 adds wheels to the stainless steel frame, making it easier to transport your expensive new computer should you need to.

Adding a matching Magic Trackpad 2 at the time of purchase (which is the only way to get it in the silver-and-black colourway that is exclusive to the Mac Pro’s included mouse and keyboard) will set you back another $219.

The Pro branding began on Macs but has now been added to other devices including iPhones. Picture: Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images

And even the AirPods true wireless headphones.

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But wait, there’s more.

You’ll also need a monitor to go along with it.

If you’re doing intensive visual work you don’t want to be using the same cheap monitor you find in the average office.

Professional grade monitors with vivid and accurate colour renditions and high resolutions can get expensive. Apple’s is, predictably, very much so.

The Pro Display XDR will set you back $8499 for the 32-inch 6K (6144 x 3160) display.

Ticking the box for the special nano-texture glass, which reflects light and reduces glare, will add another $1500 onto the price.

Unless you want to lean your $9999 monitor against the wall, you’ll also need a specially designed stand to prop it up.

That’ll be $1699.

All up, the fully specced-out Mac Pro with a monitor to match will set you back $96,476.

That’s around 80 iPhone 11s, 48 MacBook Pros or one E-Class Mercedes-Benz.

Mercedes-Benz executive E-Class starts at around the same price as a heavily specced Mac Pro.

SO WHO WOULD BUY A $100,000 COMPUTER?

Apple’s products tend to command a price premium thanks to a mix of exclusivity, brand equity and refined design that often uses more expensive materials than your average consumer tech device.

Over the years, competing companies have taken note, with many now offering similarly premium devices that rival the likes of Apple’s MacBook lines.

Desktop computers are a bit of a different beast however.

While the iMac range helped popularise the stylish all-in-one desktop computer, the Mac Pro range has always been a very specialist device. The most powerful Mac computers you can get were generally favoured by the creative industries like film, broadcast, design, and music production.

Some industry-favoured software is exclusive to MacOS, like the audio program Logic Pro and video editor Final Cut Pro.

Calvin Harris got his hands on the new Mac Pro before others got the chance. Picture: Calvin Harris/Instagram

As such, the Mac Pro can command a price premium given it’s effectively “tools of the trade” for some customers, a small selection of whom have no trouble affording one and don’t even need to wait for the company to release them.

A new Mac Pro was spotted in the studio being used by superstar DJ Calvin Harris in October.

Being able to write some of the purchase off on your tax surely helps get some purchases over the line as well for those who actually have to think about how much the computer costs and whether it’s worth it for their business.

US President Donald Trump toured the facility where the Mac Pro is made alongside Apple CEO Tim Cook last month. Picture: Mandel Ngan/ AFP

The Mac Pro is also the only Apple product actually assembled in the country where the company is based, with the towers being made at a facility in Texas, another factor in its high price tag.

The new Mac Pro returns to a more traditional tower design that has been likened to a cheese grater, much to the pleasure of power users who didn’t quite take to the last Mac Pro.

The previous generation, released in 2013 and also made at the Texas facility, featured a bold cylindrical design, which gave the computer a striking form factor and made it easier to fit on a desk but made it virtually impossible to upgrade.

The new model has a renewed focus on upgradeability, introducing the Mac Pro Expansion Module (or MPX Module), which goes some way towards future-proofing the device and helping users get the most out of their sizeable investment.

The previous Mac Pro featured a compact and striking cylindrical design but sacrificed function for form.

The Mac Pro was one of the first entrants in Apple’s Pro branded line-ups, appearing a few months after the MacBook Pro was released in 2006.

That Pro line has been widely expanded and the name now appears on versions of most Apple products including the iMac, iPad, iPhone and even AirPods.

Do you think a computer that costs as much as a luxury car could be worth it? Let us know what you think of the new Mac Pro in the comments below.