WWDC 2019: Does Apple's $999 Mac Pro Stand Deliver?

Apple has amassed riches pitching itself as a luxury brand, selling expensive personal computers and electronic accessories that double as jewelry for the well-to-do. The strategy, core to Apple’s hardware-centric business model, occasionally causes headaches for customers.

The list of offenses is a long one. Apple fans have endured generations of “upgraded” chargers and inexplicably multifarious dongles. The company faced a backlash for removing a headphone jack from newer iPhone models, a move that, not coincidentally, encourages people to buy AirPods, Apple’s pricey (and easily lost) Bluetooth-enabled earbuds. But Apple’s latest up-charged product, introduced at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Jose on Monday, takes the cake.

While debuting its new Mac Pro, Apple introduced a $999 computer stand. Yes, this weight-bearing hunk of metal costs the same amount as certain iPhone models—specifically, the 64 gigabyte iPhone XS. For $300 more, a person can buy a Macbook Pro laptop.

Don’t get us wrong, the Pro Stand is a fine piece of engineering. A pivot point on the support allows Apple’s fancy, new 32-inch, 6K display monitor ($4,999) to perform mesmerizing mechanical gymnastics, smoothly spinning 90 degrees.