Apple is preparing to release a new Mac Pro next year, says Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Though many of the initial rumours suggested otherwise, the company's WWDC keynote did not include announcements of any new tower computers, leading some to wonder whether Apple was planning to phase out its professional line.

But in an email to an Apple customer named Franz, Cook revealed that a new Mac Pro could be expected in 2013. "[W]e're working on something really great for later next year," he wrote.

The full email, whose legitimacy was confirmed to MacWorld by an Apple spokesperson, is below.

Franz,

Thanks for your email. Our Pro customers like you are really important to us. Although we didn't have a chance to talk about a new Mac Pro at today's event, don't worry as we're working on something really great for later next year. We also updated the current model today.

We've been continuing to update Final Cut Pro X with revolutionary pro features like industry leading multi-cam support and we just updated Aperture with incredible new image adjustment features.

We also announced a MacBook Pro with a Retina Display that is a great solution for many pros.

Tim

Apple unveiled a host of new hardware at WWDC, including a MacBook Pro with a Retina Display and a new MacBook Air. The company's line of Mac Pros, on the other hand, was upgraded to include a new processor and RAM configuration, but did not receive the hardware overhaul some users were hoping for.