Apple previewed the iMac Pro at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2017, with a long wait until December 2017 to purchase it. We waited and waited, and now we have a date. The new iMac Pro will be available for pre-order on 14 December in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and other countries, with Australian pre-orders starting on Friday 15th December 2017.
Facing criticism that it had not updated its Mac Pro since 2013, Apple chose WWDC in June 2017 to debut the iMac Pro all-in-one to much fanfare, and later announced a separate machine, a modular Mac Pro desktop machine.
Pre-Order Dates
14 December 2017: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, parts of Europe
15 December 2017: Australia
Better, Faster, More Capable, by 45%
While everything about the iMac Pro is better, faster, and more capable than its 2013 cylindrical predecessor, the new iMac Pro is not internally-upgradable, which can be a deal-breaker for professional video editors and content producers, who like to upgrade their video cards, storage drives, and RAM when new parts are released. This is somewhat side-stepped by the inclusion of four Thunderbolt 3 ports, allowing the addition of external devices. However, those wanting true upgradeability for their systems will need to wait for the modular Mac Pro coming in 2018.
Moving away from the inside, the outside of the machine features a smooth space grey colour scheme on the iMac itself, and matching space grey keyboard with numeric keypad, space grey Magic Mouse 2, and space grey Magic Trackpad 2. This is the first time Apple has changed the colour of its iMac.
In another first, it includes a grey power cord, to get all that electricity into your iMac Pro, and to keep your Apple aesthetic on-point. Grey, grey, grey, grey, grey.
It even comes with an official black Lightning cable to recharge your keyboard, mouse, and trackpad. The cable will of course also charge your iPhone and iPad.
First Impressions
For a taste of the new machines, watch these video reviews:
Want one?
The new iMac Pro starts at US$4,999 for base model, and jumps to a wallet-busting US$9,499 or more for the top specification.
For that price, you'd better invest in a security cable to tie it to your desk, wall, or other secure object.
Update: (15 December 2017)
The iMac Pro prices start at US$4,999 and go up to an unforeseen US$13,199.
In Australia, prices start at AU$7,299 and rise dramatically to the top specification at AU$20,638.
Update 2: (15 December 2017)
Pickup/delivery dates have been announced:
Late December 2017: All available countries receive the 8-core and 10-core iMac Pro
Mid February 2018: All available countries receive the 14-core and 18-core iMac Pro
Until next time,
Xavier Zymantas
XYZtech
XYZ Media Group