Apple Fans Want a Product the Company Won't Make

Several thousand people are willing to give Apple thousands of dollars for a new, highly configurable and upgradeable Mac Pro. But for the past few years, the company has left these power users without hope for the future. Apple AAPL has updated its MacBook Pro line of computers on a near-annual basis, with more significant advancements coming every three to four years. The same is mostly true for the iMac, and it seems as if this trend will continue on with the MacBook Air line of lightweight computers. But Mac Pro users have been forced to use the same-old machine for quite some time. Now those users have decided to take things into their own hands by forming a dedicated Facebook page that asks Apple for answers, all the while showing their support for the company's most expensive machine. According to AppleInsider, the Facebook group had garnered more than 4,000 "Likes" late Thursday. By 6:30 a.m. EDT this morning, that number had risen to more than 6,100. By 8:00 a.m. EDT, more than 6,500 people had "Liked" the page. "I wrote to Cook six months ago asking for at least an answer to the Mac Pro's fate," said Philip Lucas, a Mac Pro fan who wrote on the wall of the aforementioned Facebook page. "No response. I need a good high-powered computer for my science and engineering needs and prefer a Mac Pro. I'm a Mac developer and founding Mac Addict that has converted many PC users the Mac Way. It would be a shame to shun the ones who kept Apple in the game long enough for Steve Jobs to come back and propel Apple to the forefront of technology." In short, Lucas said that Apple must give him and others like him a Mac Pro, "Or we will migrate and with that migration will come less of a need or desire to purchase Apple consumer goods that apparently are more important than your loyal customers." "The consumer market is fickle and if that is where you want to put all your Apples, then be prepared to follow other companies that have abandoned their loyal customers for a buck," Lucas warned. Joep Fruman agrees with this assessment. "Kill the Mac Pro and Pro apps for the professional market and don't be surprised that it marks the beginning of Apple's relapse into oblivion," Fruman wrote. "The Pro market may not be a big money maker for Apple, or even a create losses, but for R&D that trickles down into consumer products and broad market adaptation it is essential. If the Pros all start using PCs - why would they still favor iOS devices and OSX laptops, if the user experiences is no longer as streamlined as with the Apple only approach. More logical to buy a PC laptop and [an] Android phone than as well." Some have speculated that the Mac Pro is no longer profitable for Apple. Fruman doesn't think that's a problem. "Apple can easily handle a small loss in the Pro market if that saves their image, keeps customers happy and makes sure they are taken seriously in the industry," he said. "Watch how fast things can change in their disadvantage if they keep on pursuing the iOS only approach. And then there's no way back." "We shouldn't have to look for Windows-alternatives just cause we require the upper-end of desktop / workstation computing," Erik Lindahl added. "Come on Apple, don't forget us pros!" Gregory Guida concurs, writing, "Swapping to Windows is not just a matter of buying a new computer, I have to plan, finance and train for a lot of expensive new software as well. It would be nice to know a bit in advance if Apple has decided to keep itself to the appliance business." Apple fans looking to show their support for Mac Pro can do so by "Liking" this Facebook page. UPDATE 5-29-12: The aforementioned Facebook page now has more than 12,700 "Likes." Follow me @LouisBedigianBZ