Apple’s Mac Pro has been on the chopping block for a long time according to many industry watchers and pundits, and as of March it will actually get the axe in Europe. But the Pro’s debatable market appeal isn’t what’s causing the termination of sales in that region: the existing models simply don’t comply with Europe’s new regulatory standards for consumer electronics, according to 9to5Mac.
Those revised standards go into effect March 1st, and any products that don’t comply will have to be removed from sale. That doesn’t apply to existing stock, so Mac Pros that are already in store inventory could continue to rattle around sales channels for a while and go out to consumers.
The change in regulations doesn’t prevent Apple from selling a new Mac Pro in Europe, however. Apple made some changes to its Mac Pro last year, but those tweaks were far from extensive, and in fact looked likely to have had more to do with maximizing supply chain value than with improving the lineup. Apple’s Tim Cook has said that a new Mac Pro will be unveiled later in 2013, so there’s a chance Europe will have to go without for at least a little while.
An inability to sell the existing design in Europe could light a fire under Apple’s product development cycle for a new machine, but with Mac sales down considerably last quarter, it’s unlikely that the Pro, one of the most specialized and niche Macs in the lineup, is a top priority for Apple at this point regardless of these changes to European regulations.
Update: Apple has confirmed to The Loop that sales of the Mac Pro will indeed stop on March 1.