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iMac Pro Update soon or shut down forever?
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Wasnt the iMac Pro introduced to bridge the period until the new mac pro came out? Why would there a need for it anymore?
I don't know that the iMac Pro is completely abandoned. There's definitely a problem with being on Intel where the chips just aren't any better, so the justification for rev'ing it is not there. On top of that, Intel has been just adding cores to their chips on the consumer end because of their inability to execute on process improvements, which has eaten away the normal value proposition of the high end / pro desktop space.
The one thing they could be doing right now with the iMac Pro is updating the GPU or adjusting the price / base hardware, and they haven't done that to any effective degree.
The one thing they could be doing right now with the iMac Pro is updating the GPU or adjusting the price / base hardware, and they haven't done that to any effective degree.
It wouldn't surprise me if we saw a spec bump with Xeon W-3200 series CPUs, Big Navi, Nano Texture glass option etc this year. That would put it clearly above the standard iMac, and maybe too far into Mac Pro territory.
Its only September. I could easily see Apple doing the exact same thing they did with their regular iMac, which is beef it up one more time before silicone.
Why would they do that? A beefed up iMac Pro would merge too much in the territory of a Mac Pro, no?
Yes, but what about the 8 or 12-core Mac Pro? I believe the majority of the Mac Pros have one of these two CPUs..
I have long stated that I think the iMac Pro was just a one-time deal.
I think that originally, majority of the iMac Pro's design was going to be a redesigned iMac.
At the time of the iMac Pro's launch, the iMac was due for a redesign, something that still has not happened, and most likely won't until after the AS switch.
With the failure of the 2013 Mac Pro, and the growing frustration of the Pro users, I think Apple retooled what would have been the redesign iMac to make it more appealing to the Pro users, just to give them something until the 2019 MP was ready.
I think that Apple may have originally planned to merge the iMac Pro with the iMac with a iMac redesign, adopting the internal design of the iMac Pro. Maybe even with Xeon BTO options.
Although, with the switch to AS, I think that the redesign was put on hold.
I think that originally, majority of the iMac Pro's design was going to be a redesigned iMac.
At the time of the iMac Pro's launch, the iMac was due for a redesign, something that still has not happened, and most likely won't until after the AS switch.
With the failure of the 2013 Mac Pro, and the growing frustration of the Pro users, I think Apple retooled what would have been the redesign iMac to make it more appealing to the Pro users, just to give them something until the 2019 MP was ready.
I think that Apple may have originally planned to merge the iMac Pro with the iMac with a iMac redesign, adopting the internal design of the iMac Pro. Maybe even with Xeon BTO options.
Although, with the switch to AS, I think that the redesign was put on hold.
Six months ago, I was firmly in the camp it was going to happen. MCK claimed that Apple was sourcing a 27" MiniLED 5K display that he believed would go into the Mac Pro and Intel had new Xeon CPUs available and AMD was working on the RX 6000 (the "big brother" to the RX 5000 in the new iMac).
Now, I am much less sure. MiniLED looks to be delayed until 2021, at least for iPad Pros and MacBook Pros. Maybe it will be ready for the iMac Pro, but no real word either way has come out.
The most powerful RX 6000 will ship at the end of October, but that is too hot for anything but a Mac Pro MPX card with heavy cooling. The "iMac Pro appropriate" RX 6000s are probably an early 2021 proposition.
But in 2021 Apple will have more powerful Apple Silicon SoCs available (A14X and maybe better) along with a custom GPU. If the entry-level Apple Silicon iMac grows to 24 inches, then it's "big brother" will likely have a screen larger than 27 inches.
The 2020 iMac is almost as powerful as the entry-level iMac Pro and fairly cheaper. Also there was no technical reason for Apple not to add Nanotexture glass as an option on the iMac Pro, yet they didn't even though one would think it would be more appealing to that market than the iMac. Apple also did not increase the storage tiers for the iMac Pro to match the iMac.
So I am starting to seriously think the "big brother" Apple Silicon iMac could be the new "iMac Pro" to complement the 24-inch "iMac".
Now, I am much less sure. MiniLED looks to be delayed until 2021, at least for iPad Pros and MacBook Pros. Maybe it will be ready for the iMac Pro, but no real word either way has come out.
The most powerful RX 6000 will ship at the end of October, but that is too hot for anything but a Mac Pro MPX card with heavy cooling. The "iMac Pro appropriate" RX 6000s are probably an early 2021 proposition.
But in 2021 Apple will have more powerful Apple Silicon SoCs available (A14X and maybe better) along with a custom GPU. If the entry-level Apple Silicon iMac grows to 24 inches, then it's "big brother" will likely have a screen larger than 27 inches.
The 2020 iMac is almost as powerful as the entry-level iMac Pro and fairly cheaper. Also there was no technical reason for Apple not to add Nanotexture glass as an option on the iMac Pro, yet they didn't even though one would think it would be more appealing to that market than the iMac. Apple also did not increase the storage tiers for the iMac Pro to match the iMac.
So I am starting to seriously think the "big brother" Apple Silicon iMac could be the new "iMac Pro" to complement the 24-inch "iMac".
I really doubt it. Cutting the 8-core model from the lineup and starting out with the 10-core isn’t the sort of move I would expect to see if there was an imminent update.
Anything is possible, but I wouldn’t expect a configuration bump if a new revision was so close to the horizon.
I suppose we could see one running AS, but to be honest I doubt that too.
The iMac Pro was a stop-gap before the 2019 Mac Pro, in an attempt to assuage the needs of video professionals who couldn’t use a trash can Mac Pro and needed more capabilities than what a MacBook Pro could offer.
I hope that some of the best ideas from the iMac Pro make it to the AS iMac, but I don’t expect to see another one, let alone running Intel.
Anything is possible, but I wouldn’t expect a configuration bump if a new revision was so close to the horizon.
I suppose we could see one running AS, but to be honest I doubt that too.
The iMac Pro was a stop-gap before the 2019 Mac Pro, in an attempt to assuage the needs of video professionals who couldn’t use a trash can Mac Pro and needed more capabilities than what a MacBook Pro could offer.
I hope that some of the best ideas from the iMac Pro make it to the AS iMac, but I don’t expect to see another one, let alone running Intel.
This video from Max Tech hints at an iMac Pro update next year at WWDC. See around ~9:20. The video is full of purported leaks about various Apple plans. Hard to say how seriously this can be taken, but it was a bit of a shock to me, as I shared filmgirl's skepticism. It also did not address whether the update would have Intel or AS, but presumably it's the latter.
Tantalizing ...
Tantalizing ...
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Regarding the iMac Pro he simply writes: "Next year at WWDC, I believe". Compared to his other "leaks" he does not sound confident at all... We will see next week on Sept 15th event, if his leaks can be trusted or not I guess
Not really. That was just some assumptions. The differences in spec'ed out costs are lareg, and some people don't want a tower of any sort. The latest rumor of the imp was a year end display upgrade possibility. It's an easy update relatively speaking and bridges the gap between the imac and the insanely exopensive Mac pro and pro display. I think they will carry it forward for a while. The trend lately with Apple is more, not less cross models of their products. When/if it gets AS before retirement is an open question. Personally, I wish they would update the imp design first, along with the 24". I need the extra TB3 channels and the better cooling. So it's worth it to me. An imp with a pro mircro led screen would be interesting.
Why ? Can't you daisy chain external displays and still having a second port for DAS ?
EDIT: just discovered macOs still doesn’t support MST over displayPort 🤦♂️
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The iMac Pro is a rather logic product in the Mac lineup, offering a beefed up all-in-one machine. For speculating, it would be really helpful to know the sales 🤣
Apart from that, one of the big questions is how
will handle AS in desktops, including high-end GPU. My personal guess is that, if Apple can serve pro demands, i.e. Mac Pro with AS, Apple will offer an iMac Pro also.
Apart from that, one of the big questions is how
will handle AS in desktops, including high-end GPU. My personal guess is that, if Apple can serve pro demands, i.e. Mac Pro with AS, Apple will offer an iMac Pro also.What really sucks about the iMac Pro is the lack of user replaceable RAM. That really jacks the price up if you need 64 GB or more.
+2500 CAD for 128 GB of memory is absolutely insane. The +500$ for 64 GB is barely acceptable...
And +1000$ for a 14 core CPU (to differentiate it from the iMac ....). You end up with a 7800$ CAD machine for 3 years old specs..... Ouch.
And +1000$ for a 14 core CPU (to differentiate it from the iMac ....). You end up with a 7800$ CAD machine for 3 years old specs..... Ouch.
For a 10 core, 64gb Ram, Vega 64x with 1 TB I end with 3700€ (~4.255$) after VAT and income Tax compared to around 2000€ for the iMac 2020.