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

[Glockworkorange]

Anyone have the wallpaper on the iMac PRO?

Yeah, looking for this as well....it's sweet

 

[macpro2000]

I am serious.

I have the current Mac Pro and I never use it anymore. It's gathering dust while my iPad Pro devices help me get all my important work done.

The future Steve Jobs spoke of has finally arrived.

Your work must not require much.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Oh really? How much is the fully spec'd model? You'll be breaking news for everyone..

Each time there's a major product release I let my Apple guys know ahead of time that I'll take a fully spec'd one. They place the order, holding my place in line, and bill it. Nothing has been billed yet but I'll receive it on day-1, which is nice.

 

[V-l-a-d-i-m-i-r]

Some professional applications are only available for Windows, so I wonder will the iMac Pro have the official Boot Camp option. Anybody got any info on this topic? Some time ago I was helping to develop the better Windows driver for Magic Trackpad 2, it would be nice if iMac Pro supports Windows via Boot Camp, so that our ExtraMagic driver can still be used with that new space grey Magic Trackpad 2))

 

[scottrngr]

I will wait until someone has used their's for about 6 months and buy it on Craigslist for $2500.

 

[Equitek]

I am serious.

I have the current Mac Pro and I never use it anymore. It's gathering dust while my iPad Pro devices help me get all my important work done.

The future Steve Jobs spoke of has finally arrived.

4K editing and 3D work in Cinema 4D is now on the iPad Pro! I just wasn't aware. 😉

 

[scoobs69]

I wish there was more details. I don't believe they would solder that very expensive ECC RAM for example. And prices for the different options.

I don't think they'll sober the RAM to the motherboard, but they don't have to include an easy access door to get to the ram. From what everyone has been suggesting, RAM won't be (easily) user upgradeable.

 

[Joe The Dragon]

I wish there was more details. I don't believe they would solder that very expensive ECC RAM for example. And prices for the different options.

and apple lower the cost after intel is forced to cut there when AMD is kicking there as in xeon cpu area.

 

[scoobs69]

Apple's website specifically states "8-, 10- or 18-core Xeon Processor". There was NO WAY this was going to be a Skylake X processors - not sure why this is some kind revelation, much less a 9 page discussion. 😕

 

[teamd]

So the current i7 iMac's fans go off like crazy with nothing near a "pro" use and they are telling me they will put in an efing Xeon and not expect jet noises all of the time? Unless its liquid cooling, an i7 is an overkill on both imac and macbook pro, just becuase o crappy heat dissipation in the form factor.

 

[shaunp]

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.

There is a tipping point with all in ones both for price and performance, where it just doesn't make sense and it would be better to have a modular computer (i.e. a proper Mac Pro or a PC). Personally if it costs more than £3k then it stops being worthwhile - I'd rather just build a PC and put a 5k monitor on that. At £5K, I could have 2 x 5K monitors plus a fast PC.

 

[renai-spirit]

If the iMac Pro came with nvidia quadros / or high end GTXs it would be a no-brainer. So much professional software out there not optimised for AMD. I probably will build an 18 core PC myself come winter.

Apple's Pro software is optimised for AMD. The next Mac Pro, by the sounds of it, will be the way to go for Mac users who want nvidia/CUDA.

[edit: beaten to it by several dozen ppl. lol.]

 

[B.K.]

Hopefully we get a headless solution down the road.

 

[MistrSynistr]

Minimum Viable Product.

No ideas on what to do with the new "Mac Pro" so lets test the waters with a fully loaded iMac with a PRO label.

Sadly this is true. They have so much money and resources they could have a team create a new Mac Pro in about 2 weeks and have it in production two after that, which is why it's hilarious.

I honestly think they tossed around ideas to make the iMac's Space Gray and Gold, and somehow it went off on a tangent that in order to get that color it needs to be on an iMac "Pro" and they worked into it somehow.

 

[jonnysods]

Man this thing looks pretty impressive. The only issue I foresee is owning one 5 years down the road and its completely trapped and you can't upgrade it.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Man this thing looks pretty impressive. The only issue I foresee is owning one 5 years down the road and its completely trapped and you can't upgrade it.

For a consumer, yes, but.... The consumer that can afford it for non-business isn't going to care about being "trapped." They'll give it to their maid when the update comes and feel like they did a good deed. A consumer really doesn't need a machine like this. They may want one, but different subject.

The key demo for this is businesses, whether one person shop or more. They will either lease it and deduct the lease payments as a business expense and embed the remaining cost of ownership into their rates or they will buy it and depreciate it and embed the remaining cost of ownership into their rates. Business that can't do this either won't buy one or will buy one and soon be out of business.

 

[WatchFromAfar]

Sadly this is true. They have so much money and resources they could have a team create a new Mac Pro in about 2 weeks and have it in production two after that, which is why it's hilarious.

I honestly think they tossed around ideas to make the iMac's Space Gray and Gold, and somehow it went off on a tangent that in order to get that color it needs to be on an iMac "Pro" and they worked into it somehow.

No, the iMac Pro was originally designed to replace the Mac Pro. Then they got so much hate from the community they released the iMac Pro with a withering promise of shipping a Mac Pro sometime next year (which btw may never happen).

 

[c0ppo]

I'm sure apple has no idea how to deal with heat generation and appreciates your suggestion.

Well, ever since 2014 and 5K iMac, there were a lot of problems. From image retention due to heat, all the way up to throttling. Not to mention fan noise that is right there in your face and ears.

So yea, it's safe to say that apple kinda has a problem with that.

 

[scoobs69]

No, the iMac Pro was originally designed to replace the Mac Pro. Then they got so much hate from the community they released the iMac Pro with a withering promise of shipping a Mac Pro sometime next year (which btw may never happen).

No. Apple announced the iMac Pro and the modular Mac Pro at the same time at the end of April/early May. They specifically stated the iMac would be ready at the end of the 2017 (read December), and the Modular Mac Pro would be ready in 2018 (likely December of 2018).

The one thing I do believe is, Apple had been tossing around the idea of just cancelling the Pro line-up, and at least one senior Apple executive told them vacating the pro segment would be a disaster. Knowing the current Mac Pro design is awful, and they wanted to get something out quickly, they shoehorned Xeon parts into the current iMac form factor. That would give the R&D team extra time to design and produce a legit modular Mac Pro for 2018.

But...the modular Mac Pro was definitely going to happen...

 

[dabirdwell]

Are they RAM sticks on the left at the top? They look possibly... removable as opposed to soldered?

Yes. Socketed replaceable CPU too.

 

[DoctaSfink]

All the wrong hardware for a very wrong price. I feel bad for anyone who thinks this is a good purchase.

The things you can do with "starting at $4,999":
1. Buy a specced out Macbook Pro.
2. Build a workstation (PC or Hackintosh) that actually has the best parts for your needs (like an adult), i.e., Skylake-X/Threadripper/Ryzen/Broadwell-E CPU, Vega/Titan GPU, SSDs, RAM, etc.
3. Purchase whatever else you might need, i.e., monitor, peripherals, etc.
4. Buy an ice cream cone.
5. Save the remaining large sum of unspent money for products that actually aren't terrible.

 

[rodpascoe]

Surprising. I always associated Purley more with Gates than with Jobs.

I see what you did there..

Made me chuckle.

 

[renai-spirit]

Are they RAM sticks on the left at the top? They look possibly... removable as opposed to soldered?

My impression was that they aren't soldered, but as you have to open up the case to get to the slots it's classed as 'not user upgradable'. I wouldn't be surprised if an authorised technician could upgrade the RAM.

 

[Lesser Evets]

Assuming rumors are true, it is shaping up to be quite a machine. I'm curious how powerful the maxed-out version will be.

Now they need to make a proper MAC PRO and MONITORS that draft the iMac Pro's performance. The MacPro needs to go beyond the Ram 5500 qualities of the top-end iMac Pro and become a triple-trailer big rig crushing roadway to rubble as it moves.

 

[thefredelement]

Maybe the coprocessor is for iDRAC 😀
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Yeah, I do, but it really just seems like the fan control software is dumb. I've seen other Macs get very hot before the fans do anything about it. Took in my mom's MBP for that, and they said it was normal for the CPU to hit 220˚F. /shrug

I'd have it checked out. I've murdered my 15" MBP and have never experienced anything like that. I didn't check the activity monitor but will try to remember to do so when I've got that thing burning.

From what I remember, a thermal shutdown is triggered by the processor, so I'd assume that any OS X thermal limiting would need to take place before then, which to me says something isn't working/communicating properly.

Still struggling to understand this product. Is this what "Pros" were asking for? Even less servicability/upgradability with a screen attached?

This is a pro spec'd and priced product masquerading as a device. I'm sure there are pros out there that want and need server grade Xeon (or similar) CPUs and RAM but I don't understand it in a product like this. I also think they're a minority of Pros and Prosumers overall. Server grade archicture would've been better kept for an XServe-like product intended as a processing node or, you know, a server!

Apple, give all iMacs the option of some high-end graphics without having to buy server-grade hardware! Is that too hard to understand? People have been asking for this for years. Also, a headless computer that has a high performance-to-dollar ratio and some high end graphics without going the expensive server/pro graphics route.

Apple has now fragmented its iMac lineup, forcing you to jump in at a minimum of $5,000 to get anything better than a (albeit high-end) mobile graphics card. Meanwhile the Mac Mini is basically at a netbook level of performance.

I have no faith or confidence that the new Mac Pro will be any different.

They are making their entire product line more modular. With the addition of external GPU in the new OS X, you'll be able to augment any modern Apple computer to be a GPU powerhouse.

They are just making accessible products across the entire range now, from really cheap to (eventually when the MP is released) really high end, and literally everything, from pure consumption to advanced content creation can be done.

It's really everything we've ever asked for, and the iMac Pro is like the cross over point. It's powerful and it's useful for it's lifecycle and to me, that's what I want. I want a warranty and a fast enough computer with a great screen. I use my Mac to make money and when I make money I use the best tools for the job.

Imagining some type of stackable new Mac Pro will be available for people who need computation juggernauts. Hopefully those resources can be shared to other devices.

Hmmmm as i already said few months ago: A ARM coprocessor would rule, specially to simulate iOS apps in Xcode.

Big time! With 32 bit ARM devices deprecated the x86-64 platform is like a red headed step child deployment target. Imagine who simple our lives will be when it's all just ARM64 !