BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

Apple's $1k Mac Pro Display XDR Monitor Stand Is The Ultimate Dongle

Following
This article is more than 4 years old.

Apple never fails to impress at its WWDC events. Either through some sort of revolutionary innovation like finally adding Google Street View to Apple Maps or splitting iTunes into three apps, Apple brings the big boy stick to the field. This year, it dragged a massive redwood from the woods as it revealed the new Mac Pro.

Apple's new cheese grater is a powerful, impressive machine. But, as Gordon Kelly might exclaim, it has a nasty surprise. The Mac Pro is priced by itself. The Mac Pro Display XDR — a magnificent monitor — is priced by itself and does not come integrated with a monitor stand. That, if you prefer not to duct tape your monitors to a piece of rebar sticking out of a cement block, will run you an additional $1,000. A VESA mount is always an option, but at first glance it appears that the Mac Pro Display XDR needs its monitor stand like running shoes need no-show socks.

Apple created this hellscape of dongles and this monitor stand is the culmination of its user base accepting and living their best dongle life.

Also see: Apple iTunes Was The Reason My Head Never Got Caught In The Apple Bear Trap

Needless to say, the Mac Pro Display XDR monitor stand has been met with some opposition to its expensive existence. Yet, with this kind of rig that could cost upwards of $35,000 just for an ambitiously spec'ed out Mac Pro, an additional monitor stand for a grand is akin to getting two bottles of Gatorade at 7-11 for three dollars.

Because what's clear here is that the baseline Mac Pro with a baseline Pro Display XDR and the Pro Stand is not for you. This baseline $12,000 purchase is for someone else. Someone with money. Someone with a better job than you and a better reason to spend that kind of cash on this kind of machine. Someone who doesn't blink at the added cost of $1,000 for a display stand. Someone who drives a brand new Tesla with a bumper sticker that says "My other car is a Tesla". At full spec, you could buy a Tesla for the cost of the Mac Pro bundle.

Yes, the Mac Pro doesn't come with the Mac Pro Display XDR which doesn't include its own stand. That would be insane for a computer manufacturer if it wasn't Apple. For some reason, even through all the criticism from us tech slogs, it seems pretty on brand for Apple. After all, it expected us to use a dongle just to plug in universally accepted 3.5mm headphone jacks. So why not a monitor stand? It's the ultimate dongle for what Apple surely believes is the ultimate computing machine.


Check out my website