iMac Pro May Feature Intel's Server-Grade 'Purley' Processors, ARM Coprocessor

[jjjoseph]

I think Apple's secrecy and Development bubble will hit another high sigh with the iMac Pro. An All enclosed system doesn't fit the pro market niche properly. I can't write fast enough to list all the reasons why CG, Animation, VFX, VR, and Game Companies won't embrace the iMac Pro. Apple doesn't ask any advice from pros anymore.. They should just make a few have them sit in the corner of the Apple Store so Apple can pretend they make High End Gear again... Then when Apple Makes the MacPro they can pretend they have the whole Pro Market Covered.. OH wait, what about servers... Hmm.. MacMini Pro Server coming soon?

 

[LordVic]

Another expensive appliance by Apple. It is part of their formula. Attach a "Pro" name to an existing product. Make it so it can not be upgraded after purchase and slam a high price to it. What a joke.

I will give Apple credit on one thing. This is a "PRO" machine from specs. There's no other all-in-one device out there that can offer such performance in sch a package.

is this the "Pro" computer that all the "pro's" want? no. But there's definitely a certain subset of people who can absolutely benefit from this machine.

Some of us do like to be able to tinker with our machines, but many also do not. they just want a simple All-in-one that has power. This fits those needs.

Apple's "pro" lineup can easily have room for an All-in-one pro level hardware iMac Pro and a headless modular and upgradable "Mac Pro".

I think Apple is finally waking up in the last few months that computers aren't a "one size fits all" thing, and are starting to realize they need an expanded product lineup that has consumer level hardware and pro grade

 

[rtrutter]

I will give Apple credit on one thing. This is a "PRO" machine from specs. There's no other all-in-one device out there that can offer such performance in sch a package.

is this the "Pro" computer that all the "pro's" want? no. But there's definitely a certain subset of people who can absolutely benefit from this machine.

Some of us do like to be able to tinker with our machines, but many also do not. they just want a simple All-in-one that has power. This fits those needs.

Apple's "pro" lineup can easily have room for an All-in-one pro level hardware iMac Pro and a headless modular and upgradable "Mac Pro".

I think Apple is finally waking up in the last few months that computers aren't a "one size fits all" thing, and are starting to realize they need an expanded product lineup that has consumer level hardware and pro grade

PCs have been making all in one workstation computers for a few years. Apple is not ahead of the game here. As always, Apple has joined into this market last. Remember Tim Cook says being first is not important but being the best is. HA,HA.
Actually Apple's computer line up can easily have room for more choices of computers but will not. Apple has not finally woke up that computers are not one size fits all. They are just recycling the stuff they have and putting a "Pro" name to it. Macbook Pro, iPad Pro and now iMac Pro. Same old marketing formula, nothing very innovative. Watch the new Mac Pro will be another disappointment and Apple will charge a higher price than ever for it. I have no confidence in Apple anymore. During the Cook regime, the only thing truly new is the Apple Watch which is a companion piece for the iPhone. Wow. This is a multi billion dollar company with a "cult like" customer following. Keep drinking that Kool Aid Apple lambs. Please wake up and hold Apple accountable for their marketing strategy.

 

[LordVic]

PCs have been making all in one workstation computers for a few years. Apple is not ahead of the game here. As always, Apple has joined into this market last. Remember Tim Cook says being first is not important but being the best is. HA,HA.
Actually Apple's computer line up can easily have room for more choices of computers but will not. Apple has not finally woke up that computers are not one size fits all. They are just recycling the stuff they have and putting a "Pro" name to it. Macbook Pro, iPad Pro and now iMac Pro. Same old marketing formula, nothing very innovative. Watch the new Mac Pro will be another disappointment and Apple will charge a higher price than ever for it. I have no confidence in Apple anymore. During the Cook regime, the only thing truly new is the Apple Watch which is a companion piece for the iPhone. Wow. This is a multi billion dollar company with a "cult like" customer following. Keep drinking that Kool Aid Apple lambs. Please wake up and hold Apple accountable for their marketing strategy.

Find me a single All in one computer that's been announced that offers high core count Xeon's.

trust me. if yo'll ask most people here, they'll think of me as a "hater", but i'm generally pragmatic. I follow computers closely, and freuqently build custom gaming computers. I keep on top of current trends and technologies in the computer space.

There isn't a single current or announced all in one desktop that is available with this sort of horsepower under the hood.

This isn't to say it's going to be an amazing selling product. nor does it mean it might not be rife with bugs and design limitations (like previous iMacs). All I've said si right now, you cannot buy another ALL in one that contains the same horsepower.

I did not say the only computer available. I didn't say it's the BEST computer that's available. youre rant and diatribe here was out of left field and completely non-sensicle for the comment you were responding to

 

[Ethosik]

AND they still keep releasing compute devices with the word "Pro" on it with no ability to do native CUDA workloads. I think somebody needs to sit down with the guys putting together requirements for these products and review things like this and not removing the "esc" key. I saw the dev community embrace Apple as a nice UI experience with a Linux-y backend. This type of behavior will have people getting other hardware and going back to pure Linux.

Seriously, this has got to stop people. NOTHING will EVER be a PRO to some people unless it is $30,000, multiple 16-core processors, triple SLI, support 10+ TBs and have more than one drive installed.

People....please.....stop. This is getting so old. It is shocking how many people just do not understand what PRO means in product names. The iMac 21" can be used for "pro" work. Pro in product names JUST MEANS they are better than the base model. THIS IS ALL.

 

[rtrutter]

Find me a single All in one computer that's been announced that offers high core count Xeon's.

trust me. if yo'll ask most people here, they'll think of me as a "hater", but i'm generally pragmatic. I follow computers closely, and freuqently build custom gaming computers. I keep on top of current trends and technologies in the computer space.

There isn't a single current or announced all in one desktop that is available with this sort of horsepower under the hood.

This isn't to say it's going to be an amazing selling product. nor does it mean it might not be rife with bugs and design limitations (like previous iMacs). All I've said si right now, you cannot buy another ALL in one that contains the same horsepower.

I did not say the only computer available. I didn't say it's the BEST computer that's available. youre rant and diatribe here was out of left field and completely non-sensicle for the comment you were responding to

I am very upset with Apple and your comment just triggered a rant. I do not think Apple can pull the iMac Pro off because of the heat problems. The price is also a bit high which is another rant for another day. I was on that soap box a bit too long.

 

[LordVic]

I am very upset with Apple and your comment just triggered a rant. I do not think Apple can pull the iPad Pro off because of the heat problems. The price is also a bit high which is another rant for another day. I was on that soap box a bit too long.

I'm skeptical too. I'm not trying to imply any sort of quality to the device in my statement. it's not out yet. I haven't seen legit testing done on it yet, so I reserve judgement on if Apple was able to adequately remedy previous generations problems

But that price though. I guess when you're currently the only one offering a solution, you can set the price. We'll see if competition jumps into this space with more affordable offerings.

 

[Ethosik]

If they're available right now, they're current. LOL

And since when has Apple used anything "current"?

There's also people who wouldn't mind older reliable tech than something that's new and unproven.

I can get an old Pentium 4 from eBay or Newegg. It is available now, so that makes a Pentium 4 current?
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Try telling that to those whose games increase in spec required every year.

People need to stop treating these systems as gaming computers. They are not. BTW, my GTX 680 can still play new games in 1080p with decent settings. Not max, but it can still handle them.

 

[dilbert99]

I can get an old Pentium 4 from eBay or Newegg. It is available now, so that makes a Pentium 4 current?
[doublepost=1498740306][/doublepost]

People need to stop treating these systems as gaming computers. They are not. BTW, my GTX 680 can still play new games in 1080p with decent settings. Not max, but it can still handle them.

Valid point but what I am getting at is you by an iMac pro and you can't upgrade it. 3 years later and the basic iMac has overtaken it in terms of performance.

 

[jjjoseph]

Valid point but what I am getting at is you by an iMac pro and you can't upgrade it. 3 years later and the basic iMac has overtaken it in terms of performance.

I dunno, the XEONS are still beasts and are intended to be workstation/server class. Which means they can run full board for months on end. Single core operations will always get out clocked by every speed cycle upgrade or a tadd faster by every Architecture change. BUT imagine an 18core XEON today, their are not a lot of apps that can use that many cores efficiently. In 3 years, you might actually have a whole suite of applications that use all cores.. AMD with threadripper and their push for multi-core, as well as the i9 and the XEONS. We will see lots and lots of stuff being pushed into multicore support. I think we are getting to a point where a quality machine is going to last a while.

I for one have a lot of MacPro's 5,1 in production. Yeah if you are just doing CPU tasks, a new i7 will be faster, but these machines are tanks and are still making money today.

I am not a fan of the iMac Pro, but if and when Apple makes an new MacPro with Dual 18CoreXEONS!! Those machines could last over a decade..

 

[dilbert99]

I dunno, the XEONS are still beasts and are intended to be workstation/server class. Which means they can run full board for months on end. Single core operations will always get out clocked by every speed cycle upgrade or a tadd faster by every Architecture change. BUT imagine an 18core XEON today, their are not a lot of apps that can use that many cores efficiently. In 3 years, you might actually have a whole suite of applications that use all cores.. AMD with thread ripper and their push for multi-core, as well as the i9 and the XEONS. We will see lots and lots of stuff being pushed into multicore support. I think we are getting to a point where a quality machine is going to last a white.

I for one have a lot of MacPro's 5,1 in production. Yeah if you are just doing CPU tasks, a new i7 will be faster, but these machines are tanks and are still making money today.

I am not a fan of the iMac Pro, but if and when Apple makes an new MacPro with Dual 18CoreXEONS!! Those machines could last over a decade..

I guess I was just thinking of the trash can Mac Pro, wasn't that superseded by the latest iMacs just 3 years later?

 

[jjjoseph]

I guess I was just thinking of the trash can Mac Pro, wasn't that superseded by the latest iMacs just 3 years later?

For single core operations, yeah totally, I mean the i7 is no slouch, but at the same time either is the XEONS. If you watch CG rendering the i7's are faster at processing once everything is in memory, then slower when it has to finish and grab a new frame. It is kinda like sprint, sprint, sprint, then slowly pick up new data, then sprint, sprint, etc.. The XEONS just chug along and when they grab a new frame, the extra Cache makes that transition way faster. On top of that you have the extra lanes from the extra cores doing that more often. Then factor in system memory quantity and speed of your drives, a XEON class 6,1 MacPro is no slouch. It has other problems, but CPU rendering, it is not bad.

Most tests I see showing an i7 beat the XEON class are quick single core type tests, you can't really see how great XEONS are until you watch them render for days using software that utilizes all the cores.

This is not to say they don't go back and forth, obviously the XEONS in the 6,1 MacPro are old now, they where IVY Bridge, that is six year old architecture. So a new i7 Kaby Lake will have a lot of benefits over the IVY Bridge XEON, but if you have a 12 Core XEON and a 4 core i7 built into a system, I would always say the XEON is going to have a longer legacy than the i7.

 

[kylepro88]

Sounds cool, but realistically who is going to pay 5k (starting out) for an iMac. Would I like to have one just because yes, but will I get one, no way. I hope there are no issues for those who buy one.

People already pay close to that depending on the SSD/RAM config. If you take the high end "normal" iMac and give it the best 4-Core CPU, 1TB SSD, and keep it at 8GB RAM but put 32GB in yourself via MacSales or someone else...you're still already at $3500. For another $1500 you get 8-Cores, 32GB RAM & 1TB Standard, and double the GPU RAM (and huge boost in performance). You get better speakers as well (something few have mentioned), 2 additional TB3 ports, and the 10GbitE.

The price of $5,000 really isn't crazy in comparison to the high-end "normal" iMac.

 

[jerwin]

You get better speakers as well (something few have mentioned)

"Better," perhaps. But probably not good enough to impress pros (who have peculiar requirements anyway.)