Apple’s iMac Pro Arrives December 14, Starting at $4,999

Megalith

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Apple today announced the iMac Pro will be available to order on Thursday, December 14. Pricing starts at $4,999 in the United States. The all-in-one desktop computer has a 27-inch Retina 5K display within a sleek space gray enclosure. Apple also includes a space gray Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2 in the box.

The high-end performance is made possible by an all-new thermal design that delivers up to 80 percent more cooling capacity than a traditional iMac. With four Thunderbolt 3 ports, the iMac Pro can drive two 5K displays or four 4K displays at 60Hz simultaneously. It also has a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port, four USB-A 3.0 ports, an SD card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
 
It is overpriced, but that is the Apple way and the Apple loyalists will argue why it should be overpriced.

I have heard some good ones over the years.
 
lol 5k display with a Vega64 enjoy your slideshow or shitty down sampling
 
Uh no... To get that many high speed ports, and resolution, and computational power, is at least 3.5k. add into the fact it's a compact package ready to go, very useful for production pipelines, and the price for business actually makes sense...

I take it you haven't had to price workstations before?


$5k for something you could probably build yourself for $2k. Cool.
 
8 core starting at 4,999 is ridiculous. They have an 18 core with 4tb ssd, 2 frontiers and 128gb or ram.... Like 19,999 .... I don't care if its for "wealthy Apple fans" a rip off is a rip off...
I can justify a laptop and even the trashcan but this is just people paying an idiot tax.
 
Apple's marketing department is stuck in the 1980s and can't get out.
 
Gotta admit... I kinda want one to play with... Cheaper than my workstation at home :)
 
These will sell, and sell well. Considering how much a failure the Trashcan was, pro's in the mac ecosystem will be clamoring to get new hardware that works. The included 5k display is beautiful.

I Wonder if this will survive when the next gen Mac Pro gets released? I thought that was supposed to be next year.
 
Would buy one of the HP Z1 AIO workstations and max it out then install macOS on it before I'd even consider one of the actual Apple devices. Someday I hope people will come to realize they are literally giving Apple almost $2200 for nothing - well, they do give purchasers a few of those white Apple stickers, I suppose that matters to some. :p
 
These will sell, and sell well. Considering how much a failure the Trashcan was, pro's in the mac ecosystem will be clamoring to get new hardware that works. The included 5k display is beautiful.

I Wonder if this will survive when the next gen Mac Pro gets released? I thought that was supposed to be next year.
Or you know Apple could make their stuff upgradable if they don't plan to refresh their line up for 5+ years.
 
Would buy one of the HP Z1 AIO workstations and max it out then install macOS on it before I'd even consider one of the actual Apple devices. Someday I hope people will come to realize they are literally giving Apple almost $2200 for nothing - well, they do give purchasers a few of those white Apple stickers, I suppose that matters to some. :p
How's that quad-core desktop processor working out for you?

Seriously, before people begin whining about "Apple Tax" they should look at the real specifications. To get an 8-core processor, you have to use the real Xeon processors. Unless Apple is using older Xeon E5 v4 CPU's, anything comparable that I have found pre-built costs about 4.5K, and that is without a monitor!
 
Holy shit that's ugly, what happened to the Apple of yore?

nvrmnd, picture with article is not actual mac derp

Impressive
 
Uh no... To get that many high speed ports, and resolution, and computational power, is at least 3.5k. add into the fact it's a compact package ready to go, very useful for production pipelines, and the price for business actually makes sense...

I take it you haven't had to price workstations before?
Ok... so you can build it yourself for $3,500. It's "non-upgradeable" meaning when you do need an upgrade you will be starting over from the beginning whereas if you built it yourself you would only need to change some of the parts out to keep it top of the line. It's a PC for someone without PC skills... I'm the director of IT at a smallish corporation and we build all of our computers in-house. We have saved a lot of money and have nearly zero hardware related issues because the PC's get built right from the beginning.
 
With that large and glossy bezel it looks like something from 10 years ago. Fugly.
 
I just can't wrap my head around how they will be able to transfer something like 400-500w of TDP out of an imac chassis

I want to play with one of these just so I can see if it's gimped and downclocked, throttles like crazy or they've thought of some really great cooling solution.
 
Wait a minute, now how do I put that in a server rack?!

I would suggest screen facing down or maybe hanging in cradles could probably fit in something like 4 Imacs in a 8U format...

But why no 10G network? Would be quite useful of you don't want storage in reach of a TB cable... But I guess there's TB->10Gb dongles!
 
How's that quad-core desktop processor working out for you?

Seriously, before people begin whining about "Apple Tax" they should look at the real specifications. To get an 8-core processor, you have to use the real Xeon processors. Unless Apple is using older Xeon E5 v4 CPU's, anything comparable that I have found pre-built costs about 4.5K, and that is without a monitor!

People here loves bashing Apple...because its Apple....
 
Impressive screen, except for the ugly huge bezel around it.

Also, still overpriced for the hardware, and why is everything called magic?

https://www.statista.com/statistics/382260/segments-share-revenue-of-apple/

If the costs were reasonable there could be more growth potential there, but maybe they figure mac fans will buy a mac regardless of the cost, so why not rip them off.

The reason that everything is called "magic" is because:
1. It is their buzzword
2. They literally use fairy dust and unicorn tears in their manufacturing process. Why else do you think fairies and unicorns are so rare? Because Apple enslaved them all.
 
How's that quad-core desktop processor working out for you?

Seriously, before people begin whining about "Apple Tax" they should look at the real specifications. To get an 8-core processor, you have to use the real Xeon processors. Unless Apple is using older Xeon E5 v4 CPU's, anything comparable that I have found pre-built costs about 4.5K, and that is without a monitor!

No, 8-core CPUs have been desktop for a long time now. First ones were Haswell-E series HEDT processors, costing $1000 each. Skylake-E series are the current 8-core desktop variants available, and those cost $600. They go up to 18 cores, which is $2000.

8 core desktops have been a thing for quite some time, if you've wanted them. They are just rare because they are not useful except to a very limited set of applications.
 
No, 8-core CPUs have been desktop for a long time now. First ones were Haswell-E series HEDT processors, costing $1000 each. Skylake-E series are the current 8-core desktop variants available, and those cost $600. They go up to 18 cores, which is $2000.

8 core desktops have been a thing for quite some time, if you've wanted them. They are just rare because they are not useful except to a very limited set of applications.
I was speaking specifically to the mention of buying the HP Z1 instead of the iMac Pro. The HP Z1 only does i7 or Xeon E3 max, which are 4-core parts, with HT. So if the poster wants to compare "apples to Apple" he needs to look at 8-core Xeon workstations, before complaining about the higher cost of the iMac Pro.

If you need 8+ core workstation, and 5k display, this isn't that out of line price-wise. If you don't need it, then this isn't for you, nor is anything non-apple that is in the same class of hardware.
 
At least it has 10gig ethernet. I wish more motherboard manufacturers would incorporate that.
 
How's that quad-core desktop processor working out for you?

Seriously, before people begin whining about "Apple Tax" they should look at the real specifications. To get an 8-core processor, you have to use the real Xeon processors. Unless Apple is using older Xeon E5 v4 CPU's, anything comparable that I have found pre-built costs about 4.5K, and that is without a monitor!

Why the fuck would anyone worth their salt be looking at prebuilt options ?
 
Why the fuck would anyone worth their salt be looking at prebuilt options ?

I'm the director of IT at a smallish corporation and we build all of our computers in-house. We have saved a lot of money and have nearly zero hardware related issues because the PC's get built right from the beginning.

Yeah. We used to do that too until we realized there's a reason businesses purchasing computers with warranty and support makes sense. Something's broken, call Dell and have them fix it. Driver came out that's borked? Its their problem. A rash of bad motherboards that fail at year 3? Still under warranty, come and replace it next day. Imaging a computer? You have a single driver pack. Not 2-3 because when you came to order a new computer, that motherboard was discontinued, or that graphics card was OOS.

Not to mention when a computer is needed, you just order one, image it, and restore the user's files. No futzing around with building 20 of them at a time, no keeping track of Windows licensing, etc. The time we've saved going back to buying computers has paid off not in dollars but in time saved. We don't upgrade computers, we replace them altogether. Again, don't futz around with fixing stuff like that, call Lenovo and make it their problem. About the most we will do is add a separate NIC, but with the high speed external connections now, buying a USB external NIC or whatever is more advantageous.

Anyway, these prices are not out of line for a comparably priced computer. A high end, high res monitor is going to cost around 1k, an 8 core proc will cost at least 1k, 32GB of basic DDR4 is 400ish, a 1TB NVME SSD is around $600. We're already at 3k, still need a graphics card and lack a warranty.

Is there a premium vs custom built? Yup. Vs other workstations? Not really.
 
Why the fuck would anyone worth their salt be looking at prebuilt options ?
Plenty of content creators who are not computer whizzes like we have here at [H]. They can use the software, but give them a screwdriver, and they're lost. Nothing wrong with that - keeps those of us who like to tinker with hardware employed.

Is the iMac pro for me? Absolutely not. If I were looking at needing anything along these lines, I'd build me a Threadripper system.
 
Yeah. We used to do that too until we realized there's a reason businesses purchasing computers with warranty and support makes sense. Something's broken, call Dell and have them fix it. Driver came out that's borked? Its their problem. A rash of bad motherboards that fail at year 3? Still under warranty, come and replace it next day. Imaging a computer? You have a single driver pack. Not 2-3 because when you came to order a new computer, that motherboard was discontinued, or that graphics card was OOS.

Not to mention when a computer is needed, you just order one, image it, and restore the user's files. No futzing around with building 20 of them at a time, no keeping track of Windows licensing, etc. The time we've saved going back to buying computers has paid off not in dollars but in time saved. We don't upgrade computers, we replace them altogether. Again, don't futz around with fixing stuff like that, call Lenovo and make it their problem. About the most we will do is add a separate NIC, but with the high speed external connections now, buying a USB external NIC or whatever is more advantageous.

Anyway, these prices are not out of line for a comparably priced computer. A high end, high res monitor is going to cost around 1k, an 8 core proc will cost at least 1k, 32GB of basic DDR4 is 400ish, a 1TB NVME SSD is around $600. We're already at 3k, still need a graphics card and lack a warranty.

Is there a premium vs custom built? Yup. Vs other workstations? Not really.
We are a smaller company. My predecessor bought from DELL for the reasons you listed but the systems actually were less reliable and had significant performance issues. Back when I was younger I worked for a system builder and I have built hundreds and hundreds of computers. I realize my situation is unique and not practical for many if not most companies but we really have far less problems with our own systems.
 
Ok I'm all on board the hate on apple train most of the time, but seriously the people going "Hur dur" I can build it cheaper...you are full of shit. First you can't build a mac and have the OS work easily so lets just cut that noise out right now. Like it or not there are OSX specific programs that are very expensive that people looking for a machine like this use that have no PC version. Just like there are OS bound programs on the PC side of things. So lets talk about the hardware and assuming the absolute Cheapest Intel chip for apples to apples.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117794 - $600 i7 8 core 4.3 ghz
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157776 - $289 Asrock mobo

Finding a comparable monitor to a Retina is difficult to say the least. However suffice to say that this is a very high end monitor due to color reproduction and a few other things. Monitors in this category are generally going to be $2k+ alone. Refurb Dell ultra's are selling on Amazon for $1600. Remember this is a Workstation class machine, not a home user class..there is a giant difference.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/co...DUie-rKRBoCadUQAvD_BwE&is=REG&m=Y&sku=1352897 - Cheapest Pro Vega 16 GB I could find at $789

So the grand total for just those 4 things is $3678..That doesn't include a Case or ram or hard drives or the software etc etc..This time a $5k sticker price really isn't that much of a shocker when you consider this is a high end work station and not some gaming rig. Further the price actually isn't all that much higher than what the parts alone cost....So put away the pitchforks and torches and go use them where it makes sense..like the iPhone.
 
Wait a minute, Apple sold expensive hardware that were sleek... What happened here, this is fugly!

Still have my Mid 2010 Mac Pro personally, I have changed displays (always on multi-display setup anyway), RAM (32GB currently), disks (2xSSD, 2xHD), added USB3 & eSATA, changed graphics (AMD 7850 - don't really play new games), and waiting hoping they will one day give us a new real desktop option so that I can upgrade...
 
Finally an Apple computer with a decent graphics card. As with other people, I think many are overestimating how cheaply they can build a similar PC without using older parts & software. Now, if you want to debate that's one of the beautiful things about PCs, and you shouldn't have to get an Apple with parts you already have, that's another issue.
 
Ok I'm all on board the hate on apple train most of the time, but seriously the people going "Hur dur" I can build it cheaper...you are full of shit. First you can't build a mac and have the OS work easily so lets just cut that noise out right now. Like it or not there are OSX specific programs that are very expensive that people looking for a machine like this use that have no PC version. Just like there are OS bound programs on the PC side of things. So lets talk about the hardware and assuming the absolute Cheapest Intel chip for apples to apples.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117794 - $600 i7 8 core 4.3 ghz
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157776 - $289 Asrock mobo

Finding a comparable monitor to a Retina is difficult to say the least. However suffice to say that this is a very high end monitor due to color reproduction and a few other things. Monitors in this category are generally going to be $2k+ alone. Refurb Dell ultra's are selling on Amazon for $1600. Remember this is a Workstation class machine, not a home user class..there is a giant difference.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&O=&Q=&ap=y&c3api=1876,{creative},{keyword}&gclid=CjwKCAiAmb7RBRATEiwA7kS8VNXGL_ZQWHvC0Z6NfZtBASGaiR7atj0sBQoVhabPKZNiEDUie-rKRBoCadUQAvD_BwE&is=REG&m=Y&sku=1352897 - Cheapest Pro Vega 16 GB I could find at $789

So the grand total for just those 4 things is $3678..That doesn't include a Case or ram or hard drives or the software etc etc..This time a $5k sticker price really isn't that much of a shocker when you consider this is a high end work station and not some gaming rig. Further the price actually isn't all that much higher than what the parts alone cost....So put away the pitchforks and torches and go use them where it makes sense..like the iPhone.


Pretty much this. It's base is 32gb ECC, and that 1tb nvme ssd is pricey too. I think the gap between the parts and the price isn't that crazy tbh. Certainly better than many of their other offerings.
 
I'm not saying it's the only way to go, but the iMac Pro is no slouch, and the price is fair to market. I mean, 4xTB3.0 ports alone is a ludicrous amount of bandwidth! Throw in the additional 4xUSB3.0 ports and 10gige NIC, and we're talking an ungodly amount of bandwidth going across the on-board busses.

Do keep in mind I don't actually run any Apple products, I'm a Linux user myself. But I give credit where it's due, and that's the case with the iMac Pro.

Ok... so you can build it yourself for $3,500. It's "non-upgradeable" meaning when you do need an upgrade you will be starting over from the beginning whereas if you built it yourself you would only need to change some of the parts out to keep it top of the line. It's a PC for someone without PC skills... I'm the director of IT at a smallish corporation and we build all of our computers in-house. We have saved a lot of money and have nearly zero hardware related issues because the PC's get built right from the beginning.
 
Yeah. We used to do that too until we realized there's a reason businesses purchasing computers with warranty and support makes sense. Something's broken, call Dell and have them fix it. Driver came out that's borked? Its their problem. A rash of bad motherboards that fail at year 3? Still under warranty, come and replace it next day. Imaging a computer? You have a single driver pack. Not 2-3 because when you came to order a new computer, that motherboard was discontinued, or that graphics card was OOS.

Not to mention when a computer is needed, you just order one, image it, and restore the user's files. No futzing around with building 20 of them at a time, no keeping track of Windows licensing, etc. The time we've saved going back to buying computers has paid off not in dollars but in time saved. We don't upgrade computers, we replace them altogether. Again, don't futz around with fixing stuff like that, call Lenovo and make it their problem. About the most we will do is add a separate NIC, but with the high speed external connections now, buying a USB external NIC or whatever is more advantageous.

Anyway, these prices are not out of line for a comparably priced computer. A high end, high res monitor is going to cost around 1k, an 8 core proc will cost at least 1k, 32GB of basic DDR4 is 400ish, a 1TB NVME SSD is around $600. We're already at 3k, still need a graphics card and lack a warranty.

Is there a premium vs custom built? Yup. Vs other workstations? Not really.
Exactly. At home I play with stuff for fun. Build it, OC it, mess around and when it doesn't work I set it aside until I have the time/feel like fixing it. Anyone doing real work which needs something like this, the hardware cost means absolutely nothing...not with average fully burdened engineering rates at least.
 
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