Performance hardware
In recent years, Apple’s had to face criticism of its new MacBook Pro and lack of new iMac options as its core creative audience has begun to show signs of disillusionment. Back at WWDC in the summer, the company announced it would directly respond to the complaints by launching an all-new iMac Pro designed from the ground-up for performance. The result is launching today and promises to be one of the most powerful workstations any professional could require.
Apple iMac Pro
Apple
Apple’s shunned Intel’s regular Core series of processors and for the company’s workstation and server-focused Xeon line instead. Configurations are available with up to 18 cores and 128GB of RAM. AMD Radeon Pro Vega GPUs provide the graphics performance with up to 8GB of dedicated video memory.
The outward design of the all-in-one is similar to Apple’s existing iMac range. The chassis is dominated by its 27-inch 5K Retina display. Inside, Apple’s completely redesigned the thermals to keep the high-performance internals cool. The company claims it features up to 80 percent higher cooling capacity, without sacrificing the thin iMac enclosure.
Efficiency in creativity
The iMac Pro won’t be for everyone. It’s a device targeted toward a specific audience of creatives, developers and tech professionals who use the most demanding Mac applications available. Companies already using the iMac Pro have reported dramatic efficiency improvements as a result of the new hardware.
Apple claims 3D rendering performance is up to 3.4 times faster than a quad-core iMac, with movie exports up to 4.6 times faster. The industries that will benefit the most from the iMac Pro are those already pushing the boundaries of hardware capabilities. The device is intended to satisfy architects, 3D modellers, AI developers and VR creatives with workloads that can fully utilise a highly multi-threaded hardware environment.
Apple iMac Pro
Apple
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“iMac Pro combines the incredible design of the iMac with the most powerful workstation architecture we’ve ever built,” said John Ternus, Apple vice president of Hardware Engineering. “iMac is the most popular desktop for our pro users due to its amazing display and elegant design, so we completely re-engineered it to deliver performance far beyond what anyone thought possible in an all-in-one.”
The iMac Pro is available from today priced from $4,999. The basic configuration comes with an 8-core processor and 32GB of RAM. The top-level model with an 18-core processor, 128GB of RAM and a 4TB SSD will cost $13,199, excluding any additional accessories and software you may want to add in. Apple’s hoping that buyers will see the initial investment costs against increased workflow efficiency enabled by the hardware.
