Apple's top-end Mac the Mac Pro hasn't seen an update since July 2010, but it's not uncommon for Apple to be lax on updates to this machine. Now rumours suggest that a refresh could be nearing.
9 to 5 Mac is reporting that Apple is preparing to release an updated Mac Pro in late July or early August, a timeframe that would coincide perfectly with the release of Apple's latest operating system, OS X Lion. Internal documentation is said to show reference to a "Mid 2011" Mac Pro with models featuring 6 cores, 8 cores, 12 cores and for the first time 16 cores.
9 to 5 Mac doesn't offer any further information about the refresh, in particular whether the update will see a new design come into play.