iMac Pro Officially Released, Top-Tier Will Cost You $13K

Apple’s most powerful computer is officially out. The iMac Pro went up for sale on Apple’s online retail sites Thursday and is now available to order via Apple.com or the Apple Store iOS app.

Cost

The workstation-class desktop is intended for professional users, such as creatives, developers photographers, and video editors. The base-level, 8-core model starts at $4,999 — but its top-tier configuration will cost you quite a bit more than that.

For a maxed-out device, with the top-tier in storage, memory and graphics, the highest configuration of the iMac Pro will cost around $13,348 (about as much as a brand new 2018 Kia Rio). That includes an 18-core processor, 4TB of SSD storage, 128GB of ECC RAM, and an upgraded AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 graphics processor, and various optional accessories.

That may sound like a lot, even for Apple’s most powerful and fastest desktop computer. But it might make sense for some users, as the iMac Pro’s RAM and storage space isn’t upgradable after you purchase it.

Features

The iMac Pro’s extremely powerful internals make for seriously impressive performance. According to GeekBench scoring, the mid-range iMac Pro with a 10-core processor rated about 45 percent faster than even the high-end 2013 iMac Pro — with a multi-core score of 37,400.

According to popular YouTube reviewer Marques Brownlee, the base-level price of $4,999 is actually fair for the quality of hardware included in the device. Again, he said the iMac Pro’s biggest downside is the lack of aftermarket upgradability.

In other words, the iMac Pro is certainly the most powerful Mac you can get — at least until the modular Mac Pro refresh launches.

The iMac Pro also features an all-new thermal design that allows for a cooling capacity up to 80 percent greater than a traditional Mac. As far as connectivity, the iMac Pro sports four Thunderbolt 3 ports, which can simultaneously power two external 5K displays or four 4K displays at 60Hz. It also features four USB-A 3.0 ports, an SD card slot, a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port, and yes, a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Apple also revealed that the iMac Pro will sport a custom T2 coprocessing chip, which is based on the company’s proprietary A10 Fusion. It features a Secure Enclave for enhanced security, a hardware encryption engine and an improved image signal processor for the FaceTime HD Camera. The T2 chip will integrate normally separate components for expanded capabilities on the Mac.

The workstation device comes in an all-new and rather sleek Space Gray enclosure. It even features a black Lightning to USB-A cable, a Space Gray Magic Keyboard and a Space Gray Magic Mouse.

Shipping Estimates

While you can order your iMac Pro today, as far as exactly when you’ll get your professional computer, it depends on configuration.

If you opt for the base level, 8-core model or another common configuration, you could get your iMac Pro as soon as Dec. 27, according to Apple’s shipping estimates. On the other hand, if you get a maxed-out configuration, Apple currently has a shipping estimate of 6 to 8 weeks.

The iMac Pro is now available in the U.S., Canada, most European countries, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Japan, and other regions. In some locales, like in Singapore, Apple’s website says to check later for more information.