If you live in a country under the European Union and you were thinking of purchasing a Mac Pro, best not to wait too much longer. Apple told reseller and channel partners Thursday that it would stop all sales of the desktop system on March 1 to comply with new EU regulatory standards.
IEC 609501 Amendment 1, which goes into effect March 1, deals with safety and electrical standards as they relate to electrical equipment; unfortunately for EU customers, the Mac Pro does not comply with this standard, due to issues with power provided to its I/O ports and the placement of its fan guards. The Pro is the sole Apple product to fall under this ruling, likely due to its build—the desktop computer hasn’t had an overhaul since 2010, with a minor speed bump last June.
This ruling only affects countries within the European Union, EU-candidate countries, and EFTA countries. Residents of unaffected countries (including the United States and Canada) can continue to order the Mac Pro after March 1 with no problem.
If this development unnerves your faith in the Mac Pro line, don’t ring the alarm bells just yet: Tim Cook has said repeatedly to customers that the company is currently working on the Mac Pro’s successor and with luck, we should hear more about it later in 2013. That said, if you’re in the EU and you’re still hankering to get a hold of one of Apple’s current desktop systems before the deadline, it might be time to visit your local Apple Store or reseller.
