We got some good news out of Apple today. They invited a few reporters to Cupertino where they disclosed that the Mac Pro does, indeed, live. John Gruber’s, who was in attendance, covers it nicely.

Until today, it had been years since they updated the Mac Pro and a lot of folks were speculating that Apple was getting out of the Mac Pro business. I was always in the camp that believed they were going to replace it but something went horribly wrong on Apple’s end to delay that.

It turns out they are replacing it with a more modular design that can satisfy more pro users than the current iteration does. They are also creating an external monitor to go along with it. In hindsight, I think they realize the trash can design, built as a graphics workstation more than anything else, was just a little too preciious.

So we’re getting new Mac Pros but, unfortunately, not until next year. I know announcing upcoming products before they ship is out of character for Apple but in this case, I think it was completely justified. Keeping the new Mac Pro secret another year would only make Mac Pro users more angry. As an aside, they also announced they’ll be releasing more pro-leaning iMacs later this year so if you’re considering a new iMac, hold off a bit.