The new Mac Pro appears to be built for the future of powerful computing, and its unique design is already attracting attention. June 11, 2013 5:37 PM PDT (Credit: James Martin/CNET) With its six Thunderbolt ports and a "unified thermal core," Apple's new Mac Pro doesn't just sound like a futuristic piece of alien machinery, it also looks like something out of science fiction. Far from the boxy designs of early personal computers, the new Mac Pro is compact, sleek, and nearly edgeless. The resemblance of the Mac Pro, which is aimed squarely at creative pros, to a tiny nuclear reactor is in part due to that heat sucking "thermal core" design. Heat generated from the Intel Xeon CPU and new solid-state drive (SSD) storage dissipates out through the core as the hot air rises -- a change from the typical front-to-back system of air flow in most consumer desktops. And while the crowd attending Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, where the device was first unveiled, seemed to love this dramatic new design, the visual comparisons to everything from Darth Vader to air purifiers and trash compactors began almost immediately. Here are a few of our favorite Mac Pro look-alikes: Just what does Apple's new Mac Pro look like? (pictures) 1-2 of 14 Scroll Left Scroll Right James Martin James Martin is the staff photographer at CNET News, covering the geeks and gadgets of Silicon Valley. When he's not live-blogging the latest product launches from Apple, Google, or Facebook, James can be found exploring NASA, probing robotics labs, and getting behind-the-scenes with some of the Bay Area's most innovative thinkers.
The new Mac Pro appears to be built for the future of powerful computing, and its unique design is already attracting attention.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET)
With its six Thunderbolt ports and a "unified thermal core," Apple's new Mac Pro doesn't just sound like a futuristic piece of alien machinery, it also looks like something out of science fiction.
Far from the boxy designs of early personal computers, the new Mac Pro is compact, sleek, and nearly edgeless. The resemblance of the Mac Pro, which is aimed squarely at creative pros, to a tiny nuclear reactor is in part due to that heat sucking "thermal core" design. Heat generated from the Intel Xeon CPU and new solid-state drive (SSD) storage dissipates out through the core as the hot air rises -- a change from the typical front-to-back system of air flow in most consumer desktops.
And while the crowd attending Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, where the device was first unveiled, seemed to love this dramatic new design, the visual comparisons to everything from Darth Vader to air purifiers and trash compactors began almost immediately.
Here are a few of our favorite Mac Pro look-alikes:
James Martin is the staff photographer at CNET News, covering the geeks and gadgets of Silicon Valley. When he's not live-blogging the latest product launches from Apple, Google, or Facebook, James can be found exploring NASA, probing robotics labs, and getting behind-the-scenes with some of the Bay Area's most innovative thinkers.
