Too bad they dont drop the price to reflect the old hardware lol
They basically did. With the exception of the entry level model, you're getting a lot more processor for the money. Yesterday the 12 core model was $5K, today it's $3800 and comes with double the RAM.
I would have loved to see a massive update to the Pro just like everyone else, but the reality is that the options available from Intel right now aren't going to allow it. Yes, there is a newer processor option available that could work for a single processor option, but to get the same in a dual socket model would be exorbitantly expensive.
Add to that, they're Sandy Bridge generation processors. They'll support Thunderbolt, but not USB 3.0. Who in their right mind is going to spend thousands more and still not have USB 3.0? Especially when the rest of the Mac lineup has it.
Thunderbolt is a great thing, but the Mac Pro (while being a professional machine) is the one computer Apple makes that needs it the least. The majority of the peripherals on the market right now are (expensive) hubs that give laptops and iMacs the I/O options that the Mac Pro already has. Would it be nice? Sure. Is it worth an extra $1K-$2K? Nope.
At the end of the day, I don't see that moving to Sandy Bridge E chips is really going to offer that much to the Mac Pro. Yes, there's a speed increase, but is it enough to justify the cost? For all but the handful of people that need the absolute fastest machine possible, no.
Instead, what we got was a confirmation that the line isn't being killed. The lower tiered options are still available. The high tiered options got a major price cut.
This isn't an insult. A price increase and a bunch of pomp around a still deficient upgrade to Sandy Bridge would have been.