Apple has introduced the new Mac Pro using Intel "Nehalem" Xeon
processors and a next-generation system architecture to deliver up to
twice the performance of the previous generation system. The new Mac
Pro starts at US$2,499.

"The new Mac Pro is a significant upgrade and starts at $300 less
than before," says Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of
Worldwide Product Marketing. "The Mac Pro features an advanced system
architecture, new faster processors and our best-ever graphics
options to deliver a faster, more powerful system that our
professional customers are going to love."

The new Mac Pro includes Intel Xeon processors running at speeds up
to 2.93GHz, each with an integrated memory controller with three
channels of 1066MHz DDR3 ECC memory that delivers up to 2.4 times the
memory bandwidth while cutting memory latency up to 40 percent, he
adds. Every Mac Pro comes standard with the Nvidia GeForce GT 120
with 512MB of GDDR3 memory, a high-performance graphics card with
nearly three times greater performance when compared to the previous
generation system, according to Apple.

An optional ATI Radeon HD 4870 is available for even more
performance. With both a Mini DisplayPort and DVI port, the new Mac
Pro provides out-of-the-box support for the 24-inch Apple LED Cinema
Display, the 30-inch Apple Cinema HD Display, or other DVI based
displays.

An updated interior provides access to all components within the Mac
Pro for hassle free expansion. The Mac Pro includes four
direct-attach cable-free hard drive carriers for installing up to 4TB
of internal storage when using 1TB 7200-rpm Serial ATA drives. An
optional cable-free Mac Pro RAID card delivers performance up to
550MB/second and allows the four internal drive bays to be set up in
RAID 0, 1, 5, or 0+1 configurations for improved disk performance and
redundant data protection.

Apple says the new Mac Pro exceeds Energy Star 4.0 requirements and
is leading the industry as an early adopter of the more stringent
Energy Star 5.0 requirements which will become effective later this
year. The Mac Pro enclosure is made of highly recyclable aluminum and
the interior is designed to be more material-efficient. The Mac Pro
uses PVC-free internal cables and components and contains no
brominated flame

The new Mac Pros will begin shipping next week and will be and
available through the Apple Store (http://www.apple.com), Apple's
retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.