iMac Pro: Everything you need to know!
Here's everything you need to know about Apple's iMac Pro!
At WWDC 2017, Apple announced its first new professionally oriented desktop since 2013, the iMac Pro. Using the same basic design as the rest of the iMac lineup, the iMac Pro blows past its brethren with a massive boost in power, including Intel Xeon processors, AMD's upcoming Vega graphics chips, a 5K Retina display, and much more. It won't be out until December, but in the meantime: Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming iMac Pro.
Read Rene Ritchie's review of the iMac Pro
December 14, 2017: iMac Pro available to order, shipping estimates 1 - 2 weeks
Apple made available for pre-order the iMac Pro today and shipping times are estimated at 1 - 2 weeks out, which will either get it to your door just before Christmas or just after, depending on your luck. It is still not confirmed when the iMac Pro will be available in stores for direct purchase. Hopefully, sometime next week.
December 12, 2017: iMac Pro will be available to order starting December 14
Apple has updated its product page for iMac Pro revealing the next generation power Mac will be available to order starting December 14, 2017, and starting at $4999.
November 18, 2017: iMac Pro to feature Apple A10 coprocessor and 'Hey Siri!'
iMac Pro will be Apple's first Mac to ship with an iPhone-style A10 ARM processor... and potentially full-on 'Hey, Siri!' functionality.
Developer Jonathan Levin posted some information on Apple's BridgeOS 2.0 image to NewOSXBook.com:
The BridgeOS OTA can be found here: http://apple.co/2Ax48m6, with the link obtainable through AAPL's software catalog. You can get all the tools on this website.
Not meant to be a full detailed article. Just an annotated flow of the exact commands I did to examine the image
From it, developers Steve Troughten Smith and Guillermo Rambo were able to unearth the following:
This looks like the iMac Pro's coprocessor (Bridge2,1) will be an A10 Fusion chip with 512MB RAM 🤔 So first Mac with an A-series chip
— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) November 18, 2017
Confirmed: "Hey, Siri" is coming to the Mac http://pic.twitter.com/Dw9bRAzbxD
— Guilherme Rambo (@_inside) November 18, 2017
The "Hey Siri" setup on macOS is identical to the one on iOS, but it's implemented with regular AppKit, there's no magical UIKit port or UXKit being used http://pic.twitter.com/lhuga3dA7y
— Guilherme Rambo (@_inside) November 19, 2017
The ARM coprocessor has been rumored before as a way Apple could handle low-power tasks more efficiently. It would let the main Intel processors power down while the A10 handles things like Hey Siri and more.
iMac Pro is still supposed to ship before the end of the year.
Why do we need an iMac Pro?
Great question. In Apple's mind, this sits in-between for folks who want the iMac's all-in-one design along with powerful internal hardware. Not only will it theoretically fill a hole for graphics and video professionals, but the Mac's increased processing and graphics power will also make this the first VR-capable Mac desktop.
The iMac Pro is also Apple's first entry into its new line of professional desktop Macs: The company is planning on releasing a Mac Pro redesign as well in 2018-2019.
Who is this for?
Currently, Apple appears to be targeting this machine toward high-end professionals who need to do 4K video editing work, software development, and virtual reality development. In addition, it's the first desktop Mac that will be able to support VR headsets out of the box.
How is the iMac Pro different than the iMac or Mac Pro?
Apple is packing this computer full of professional-grade components: Intel Xeon Processors, AMD Vega graphics chips, more memory than an iMac's ever seen, as well as faster storage.
In addition, if Pike's Universum and the leaked iMac Pro's firmware is to be believed, the computer will come with a Security Enclave Processor (SEP).
You know. Like the one that was added to the MacBook Pro's with Touch Bar and Touch ID, but this time to (also?) support a new feature called Apple SecureBoot (for the SEP only?)...
The iMac Pro may eventually support – with a later firmware/seed update – a Magic Keyboard with Touch Bar and Touch ID – perhaps optionally – but I'm not saying Apple will. That is still a mystery. The fact that Device (ASOC) is missing in the currently available ACPI tables may hint to not.
Processors & graphics cards
While it hasn't specified the exact models yet, Apple will offer 8-, 10-, and 18-core configurations for its Intel Xeon processors. Pike's Universum theorizes (based on the leaked iMac firmware) that the computer may be using Purley Xeon chips, code-named "Basin Falls":
The information on the Intel roadmap for Basin Falls, aka workstations with a single processor, points to a "Server Socket R" (the R4 socket). The top of the line Xeon's (Platinum and Gold) use a LGA3647 (Server Socket P) and supports six memory channels. The images of the open iMac Pro on Apple's website show "only" four memory modules. As noted by a reader in the comments.
The filenames use both "Basin Falls" and "Purley" in them and thus suggest that Apple is in fact using Purley Xeon's, but I don't expect Apple to use Platinum or Gold Xeon's. The latter are destined for scalable server grade hardware with 2, 4 or 8+ processors. In short. The iMac Pro may come with a Purley Xeon, but not one with a LGA3647 socket.
Apple has opted to use AMD's new Vega graphics architecture in the iMac Pro. By default, the iMac Pro will come with a Radeon Pro Vega 56 graphics processor with 8GB of HBM2 memory. You can bump this to a Vega 64 chip with 16GB of memory if you need the extra power.
These graphics chips can deliver up to 11 teraflops of single-precision computing power or 22 teraflops of half-precision.
Storage and memory
You'll get a 1TB solid state drive in the base configuration of the iMac Pro, with options for 2TB and 4TB. The drives will have a maximum throughput of 3GB/s.
As for the RAM, Apple will utilize DDR4 Error-correcting code (ECC) memory, in configurations of 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB and with a speed of 2666MHz.
Ports
The iMac Pro comes with four Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports; there are also four USB 3 type-A ports for legacy peripherals, along with a 10Gb Ethernet port, SDXC card slot, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. (
Displays
The iMac Pro features a 27-inch 5K Retina display with a resolution of 5120x2880. It sports 500 nits brightness and, like its less-professional siblings, the P3 wide color space.
You can also connect up to four external displays to your iMac Pro (depending on the resolution of those screens) via Thunderbolt 3. For example: You can hook up four 4K UHD (3840x2160) displays, which will operate at 60Hz; four Cinematic or True 4K (4096x2304) displays, also running at 60Hz; or two external 5K displays running at 60Hz.
What else can you tell me about the iMac Pro?
All of the power in this machine creates a lot of heat, so Apple has created an all-new thermal architecture for the iMac Pro. It features dual blowers, extra venting, and a huge heatsink array.
Are there color options?
Right now, Apple has only displayed iMac Pro in space gray, along with a matching keyboard and mouse. Other colors may show themselves someday in the future, but we doubt it.
When will these machines ship?
The iMac Pro is available now starting at $4,999 for the base model and no upgrades. If you go-all in and max out the beast, you should plan on spending as much as $13,278 (more if you get both the Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad), and that's not including Final Cut Pro or Logic Pro and you still need to add $169 AppleCare+ for iMac.
Shipping time is currently estimated at approximately 1 - 2 weeks. It is still unknown when (or whether) you'll be able to buy one directly from an Apple retail store.
Questions?
If you want to know more about the iMac Pro, be sure to let us know in the comments.
from iMore - Learn more. Be more. http://bit.ly/2AqZBh0
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