In 2019, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is expected to release a new Mac computer targeted at professional content creators and other power users under its Mac Pro branding.

Apple last introduced a new Mac Pro back in late 2013 and hasn't significantly updated the machine since.

Image source: Apple.

The company's 2019 Mac Pro is, of course, going to represent a huge upgrade from the current, practically antiquated Mac Pro, and should be substantially more powerful than the company's current iMac Pro all-in-one computers, too.

Here are three things to expect from the updated machines.

1. Ice Lake Xeon processors

Apple's current iMac Pro computers use Intel's (NASDAQ: INTC) Xeon W processors, based on the latter's Skylake architecture. The chips are manufactured using Intel's 14-nanometer+ technology and come in configurations with up to 18 processor cores.

Since the new Mac Pro is likely to launch in 2019 (likely the second half of 2019, to boot), I expect that the new machines will incorporate future Xeon processors based on Intel's Ice Lake architecture.

The new Ice Lake chips are expected to be manufactured using Intel's 10-nanometer+ technology, which should deliver a substantial boost in power efficiency and reduction in chip area, and they're also expected to sport an all-new processor architecture with performance, efficiency, and feature enhancements.

Apple's iMac Pro lineup incorporates Intel's highest-end Xeon W processors, which are designed to be used in systems with a single processor. I expect that future iMac Pro computers will continue to use Xeon W processors, and that the Mac Pro will support up to two future Xeon processors in the same system, for added performance in processor-intensive workloads.

2. Radeon Navi graphics processors

Apple's current iMac Pro uses Radeon Vega graphics processors from Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD). A Mac Pro targeting a 2019 launch would likely feature graphics processors based on AMD's upcoming Navi architecture.

Navi is expected to incorporate design enhancements to boost performance and efficiency, and to be manufactured on a much more efficient 7-nanometer chip manufacturing technology (Radeon Vega parts are manufactured using GlobalFoundries' 14-nanometer technology).

Moreover, I expect that the new Mac Pro will support full add-in cards (and it'll likely even come in configurations with multiple such cards, for very-high-end graphics work), so the next Mac Pro should be able to support future graphics cards from AMD as well.