The Mac Pro isn't dead.

confirmed Tuesday it is building a new "modular" version of its high-end desktop computer. The Mac Pro hasn't been updated since December 2013, leaving most pundits to believe that Apple had ditched the machine in favor of its iMac and MacBook families.

The new Mac Pro will allow Apple to update it frequently, tech site Daring Fireball said. That suggests the current design of the computer, which looks a bit like a small trash can, might have been one reason why Apple hasn't updated the computer in three years.

"We're working on it," Apple executive Phil Schiller told Tech Crunch. "We have a team working hard on it right now, and we want to architect it so that we can keep it fresh with regular improvements, and we're committed to making it our highest-end, high throughput desktop system, designed for our demanding pro customers." The new Mac Pro is expected to ship sometime next year.

"As part of doing a new Mac Pro — it is, by definition, a modular system — we will be doing a Pro display as well," added Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing.

The Apple "Pro display" is important. Apple partnered with LG to launch LG UltraFine 4K displays this year, which ultimately received poor user feedback and ran into technical issues with Wi-Fi networks. A move to Apple-branded displays will likely be appreciated by the company's fanbase.

If you're looking for something new from Apple a bit sooner, the company is also gearing up to launch new iMacs — its all-in-one systems — sometime this year.