Apple's Gift to the Frugal: $2,500 Mac Pro

Apple responds to recession with an aluminum Mac Pro that's $300 cheaper than its previous model.

Author:: Scott Moritz
Publish date:: Mar 3, 2009 3:51 PM EST

Updated from 12:43 p.m. EST

Apple

has turned its tin ear to the slumping economy and introduced a $2,500 aluminum-body desktop computer, $300 below the price of its previous model.

The new Mac Pro features

Intel's

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Xeon processor and is targeted to users requiring heavy graphics capabilities. The high-end box is one of four hotly anticipated upgrades to desktop computers introduced by Apple on Tuesday.

Aside from the $300 cut in the Mac Pro price, all the other upgrades remain the same price. The move continues to show that Apple plans to hold the line on prices, a move that seems a tad out of touch with the current downturn in consumer spending.

Apple has been resistant to cutting prices, especially as the stripped down netbooks from

Asus

Acer

Hewlett-Packard

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and

Dell

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take off in popularity.

Apple's other new machines include a 24-inch screen iMac for $1,500, which in a very Apple-like gesture offers more screen and other capabilities rather than a price break. The 24-inch iMac sells for the same price as the previous 20-inch model.

Apple also introduced a new version of its Mac mini, a 6.5-inch square, 2-inch high, guts-only computer, which sells for $600.

Shares of the Mac maker were recently up 1.1% to $88.93.