The iMac Pro was launched five years ago today

Apple’s iMac Pro launched five years ago today, offering a high-end all-in-one desktop machine to bridge the gap between the new Mac Pro models.

In April 2017, Apple uncharacteristically apologized for its approach to the Mac in recent years and tentatively announced that it was working on a “completely reimagined” Mac Pro with a modular design, a new pro-level iMac and a new high-end exterior. the show. At WWDC that year, Apple unveiled the iMac‌ Pro, after years of rumors of a “Pro” iMac. The ‌iMac‌ Pro sought to appease many of Apple’s disgruntled professional Mac users, coming about four years after the launch of the controversial ‌Mac Pro‌ trash can, but two years before the current Mac Pro, which reverted to a design of the modular tower.

Apple introduced the iMac Pro as “the most powerful Mac ever made.” It featured Intel Xeon processor options with 8, 10, 14, or 18 cores, a 5K display, AMD Vega graphics, ECC memory, and 10 Gigabit Ethernet, with a starting price of $4,999. It was also the first Mac to feature a custom T2 chip, as well as the first desktop Mac to be available in Space Gray. While there wasn’t an open slot to easily access the memory like the 27-inch iMac, the processor, memory, and storage weren’t glued into place and could easily be removed if the display was disassembled.

In March 2021, Apple announced that it was discontinuing the iMac Pro. At the time, the machine was surpassed by the 2019 Mac Pro, a major final update to the 27-inch iMac and Apple’s first Silicon Macs. The iMac‌ Pro’s position in Apple’s product line is now effectively held by Mac Studio and Studio Display.

However, following the launch of Apple’s 24-inch silicon iMac in April 2021 and the discontinuation of the 27-inch iMac in March 2022, interest in an iMac Pro with a larger screen has picked up again. BloombergMark Gurman believes Apple is still “working on a larger-screen iMac aimed at the professional market,” a rumor supported by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. However, other reports claim that Apple has no plans to release a new high-end iMac at all.