Apple reportedly preparing to release a 16 core Mac Pro

When your consumer desktop has four cores in it, how do you ensure that your professional offering stands apart as a worthy purchase?

Why, stuff a whopping 16 cores in the thing, of course.

Apple are getting ready to release an update to their Mac Pro product line, which has remained untouched since July last year, 9to5Mac reports. According to internal documents, the next version of the beastly machine will have base models with 6 cores and offer a mixture of pre-configured machines and made-to-orders that offer 8, 12 and 16 cores.

9to5Mac’s sources seem to think this will happen in late July or early August, and that an Apple executive has said that “Apple is investing heavily into Mac Pro.”

The machine hasn’t changed a whole lot since the PowerMac was axed and the Mac Pro brought in as its replacement, and is generally among the least frequently updated of Apple’s product lines. It may be time for a shake-up of the product beyond how high the numbers on its spec sheet can go.