Apple originally announced that it was working on a modular Mac Pro about a year ago, and since then, fans have been waiting excitedly for more information. Unfortunately, the modular Mac Pro launch is still at least a year away from now, so if you’ve been limping along with an older model that’s past its prime in anticipation, you might want to rethink that.

Modular Mac Pro launch set for 2019

The TechCrunch team visited Apple’s Cupertino campus to ask about the modular Mac Pro, and they got quite a few updates on upcoming Apple devices from the roundtable they attended with executives and a few other news outlets. Perhaps the biggest news from the website’s interview with Apple executives was that the modular Mac Pro launch won’t come until sometime next year.

Unfortunately, they didn’t say whether the launch will come early next year or not until December 2019, which still leaves a massive window of possibility as far as launch dates go. Still, revealing the year for the modular Mac Pro launch is a major step, as the last update we had was in December, and it was a vague one at that.

The modular Mac Pro is targeted at professional users who want or need to upgrade their computers more often than new models are released. This can easily be done by upgrading various components from time to time because often, it isn’t necessary to replace the entire machine. In fact, anyone who has considered buying one of Apple’s Macs knows how expensive they are, so it isn’t exactly economical to replace the entire machine every year.

Apple executives told reporters that the reason the modular Mac Pro has been so long in coming is because they decided to start over from scratch in redesigning it. In fact, they had to start over because the current Mac Pro model is cylindrical in shape, so it can’t be upgraded piece by piece. As Apple is often known to do, it favored form over function in the design.

Apple plans Pro Workflow Team to go with Mac Pro

Apple Senior VP Phil Schiller emphasized that they wanted to provide more details about their future plans because many professional users have felt like they’ve been left in the dark. He said they wanted to communicate more as far as timelines for future products that professional customers might be waiting for.

The company has also created a special team called the Pro Workflow Team, which will be dedicated to customers who purchase its professional products. This was another new announcement out of the round table. The Pro Workflow Team includes experts on Apple’s various professional products, such as Final Cut Pro and other software optimized to run on the Mac Pro line. The company will offer experts to work with customers and watch what they’re doing while they’re doing it.

For example, John Ternus, who’s heading up the Pro Workflow Team, explained that they are hiring many well-known artists and technicians to shoot actual projects using Apple devices and software, pushing everything to its limits and then identifying areas that could frustrate professional users. They’re starting out with a focus on video editing, 3D animation, visual effects and music production, but they have plans to expand the team to other areas in the future.

It’s pretty easy to see the impact a team like this can have on the modular Mac Pro, as they could identify which components are ready to be upgraded.