Apple is reportedly set to stop shipping its Mac Pro desktop in Europe over new regulatory standards.
According to a
report in 9to5Mac, Apple sent the following letter to its resellers in Europe:
As of March 1, 2013, Apple will no longer sell Mac Pro in EU, EU candidate and EFTA countries because these systems are not compliant with Amendment 1 of regulation IEC 60950-1, Second Edition which becomes effective on this date. Apple resellers can continue to sell any remaining inventory of Mac Pro after March 1. Apple will take final orders for Mac Pro from resellers up until February 18th for shipment before March 1 2013. Countries outside of the EU are not impacted and Mac Pro will continue to be available in those areas.
Mac Pro is Apple's flagship desktop machine, targeted at professionals that require high-end computing power for video editing and the likes. The machine, however, hasn't received much love from Apple off late, with the last significant upgrade happening years ago. It did receive a minor update last June, though it did not get Intel's latest processors as was expected at the time.
Some have speculated that the Mac Pro is likely an end-of-life product that is unlikely to be refreshed, with Apple having shifted its focus to post-PC products like iPhone and iPad.
As 9to5Mac notes, Apple's decision only affects Europe, EU Candidates, and select surrounding nations (like the EFTA: Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland, and Norway.), and Mac Pro sales will continue in all other regions. It is not clear which regulatory requirements the Mac Pro fails to meet, though some have noted Apple has had four years notice to update the Mac Pro to conform with the changes, but has failed to do so.
It's possible that the next generation Mac Pro - if one ships at all - will be in line with the new EU requirements and Apple can resume selling the machine in the affected regions.