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The first third-party Mac Pro wheels are a (relative) steal at a mere $249

The first third-party Mac Pro wheels are a (relative) steal at a mere $249

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Only $62.50 per wheel!

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When Apple first announced its refreshed Mac Pro, one of the most mocked aspects was the optional $400 wheels, which only became more absurd when Apple started selling the wheels as a standalone upgrade for a whopping $700. Fortunately, Mac accessory company OWC is finally stepping in with the first set of third-party wheels, which are a (relative) steal compared to Apple’s official ones: they only cost $249 (via Kif Leswing on Twitter).

Is that, objectively speaking, a lot of money to spend on wheels for your computer? Yes. On the other hand, they’re nearly a third of the cost of Apple’s official option and are actually more versatile: where Apple’s wheels require removing the stationary legs and a variety of tools to install, OWC Rover Pro wheels simply attach to the bottom of the existing feet and can be tightened by hand, letting you switch between the two options without having to take out a box of tools.

While OWC’s $250 wheels still lack any basic integrated wheel locks to stop your potentially $54,000 computer from just rolling away on a slight incline, the company does at least include some rubber bases for the wheels to rest in, although it’s on you to avoid losing them.

The OWC wheels are currently available for preorder on OWC’s website for a limited time discount of $199, with a release date planned for September (after which the price will presumably return to $249).

And who knows? At the going rate, it could only be a matter of a few short years before Mac Pro wheels start to approach the affordability and feature set of this $22 computer stand that I found on Amazon. As technology has shown us time and again, anything is possible with enough innovation.