Why The Mac Pro, Not The iPhone 5S, Is My Most-Anticipated Apple Product In 2013

With the possibility of Apple holding a special press event on September 10 looming large in the industry, the excitement surrounding the expected launch of the iPhone 5S has hit a tipping point. Everywhere one turns, they're finding more rumors and more excitement about the possibility of Apple delivering a new smartphone.Although I'm an iPhone owner and I'm all for investing in a new smartphone, the iPhone 5S isn't nearly as important to me as it might be to others. Like it or not, the iPhone 5S promises to be a known quantity. So, perhaps that's why I'm so excited for the new Mac Pro. In fact, that computer will be everything the iPhone 5S just isn't.

It's not all that difficult any longer to handicap Apple's plans for the smartphone market. The company launches a major update one year, and the next, it upgrades that product and attaches an "S" at the end of its name. Last year, Apple launched its major upgrade, called the iPhone 5. This time around, we should expect an iPhone 5S that comes with upgraded components, but the same, old design. Groundbreaking the iPhone 5S will not.

But the Mac Pro is groundbreaking in every sense of the word. The device, which is incredibly small, promises to deliver the kind of power and functionality that we've yet to see from Apple. And its design? Well, let's just say that the new Mac Pro is arguably the best-looking desktop it's ever launched.

[aquote]The Mac Pro 2013 is groundbreaking in every sense of the word[/aquote]

I'm writing this column on a Mac Pro that I bought years ago. Although it's still plugging away, I've noticed that it's slowed down and can't quite handle all of the tasks I need as well as it did years ago. In other words, it's time for an update. And like many Mac Pro owners, I was hoping against hope that Apple would deliver such an update sooner rather than later.

And now, we're just months away from what could be the best upgrade I've ever seen from Apple in the computer market. From its outstanding design to its wealth of ports to its promise of outright power, the new Mac Pro is everything I've wanted in an update, and more. The Mac Pro, quite simply, is the answer to all of my hopes for the next computer I own.

So, excuse me if I'm incapable of getting too excited for the iPhone 5S. Sure, there's a chance I'll buy it eventually, and I'm sure it'll be a nice upgrade over the iPhone 5. But the iPhone 5S promises to be a partially upgraded handset that is only nominally better than the one I own. Plus, I'm not so sure the iPhone 5S will be able to match the Samsung Galaxy S4 in terms of power.

All of that makes me want to focus my investment dollars later this year on the Mac Pro. That computer promises to scratch every itch I have. Unfortunately, the iPhone 5S does not.