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Apple refreshes the iMac line, including new iMac Pro

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June 06, 2017, 06:52 PM
ChicagoSigMan
Apple refreshes the iMac line, including new iMac Pro
The new iMac Pro looks like a beast with up to 18 core Xeon processor, 16GB of vRAM, 128GB of RAM and 4TB of SSD storage. 1080P camera, 10Gbit ethernet, Thunderbolt 3 ports....Starting at $4999.

I wish I needed one....

link

Of course the regular iMac line got some nice updates as well.
June 06, 2017, 07:48 PM
Orguss
If we could expand this thread to include all the WWDC announcements, I'd like to say how excited I am that TV OS is going to allow for Amazon Instant Video service.


"I'm yet another resource-consuming kid in an overpopulated planet raised to an alarming extent by Hollywood and Madison Avenue, poised with my cynical and alienated peers to take over the world when you're old and weak!" - Calvin, "Calvin & Hobbes"
June 06, 2017, 07:49 PM
46and2
quote:
Starting at $4999

Who are they aspiring to be, Silicon Graphics... 20yrs ago...?
June 06, 2017, 08:36 PM
jbcummings
The vRAM, RAM and SSD is probably 2/3's of the $5K. Apple has always been proud of their RAM.


———-
Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for thou art crunchy and taste good with catsup.
June 06, 2017, 08:41 PM
Black92LX
quote:
Originally posted by Orguss:
If we could expand this thread to include all the WWDC announcements, I'd like to say how excited I am that TV OS is going to allow for Amazon Instant Video service.


4K capable yet?


————————————————
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If we got each other, and that's all we have.
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You should know I'll be there for you!
June 06, 2017, 08:50 PM
Spokane228
iMac Pro is an oxymoron.

I understand Apple's obsession with making things thinner, but Pro users don't care about looks. They need a box you can upgrade without tools and space for 3rd party cards.

At the very least, they need it to be rack mountable.

I'm as much a fanboy as anyone. But a $5,000 iMac? Are you kidding me????
June 06, 2017, 11:37 PM
sjtill
They are reportedly "working on" a separate CPU box (without the monitor) as a true replacement for the current Pro.

I'm looking at getting one of the new Kaby Lake MacBook Pro 13 inch models. My Air is six years old and battery doesn't hold a charge.


_________________________
“Remember, remember the fifth of November!"
June 06, 2017, 11:37 PM
bigdeal
Holy crap! The huge multi-monitor, dual graphics card, custom water cooled, monster I could build for $5k would, in the immortal words of Jesse from the Fast and Furious, "Decimate all..." Smile That iMac pricing is insane.


-----------------------------
Guns are awesome because they shoot solid lead freedom. Every man should have several guns. And several dogs, because a man with a cat is a woman. Kurt Schlichter
June 06, 2017, 11:38 PM
Aeteocles
quote:
Originally posted by Spokane228:
iMac Pro is an oxymoron.

I understand Apple's obsession with making things thinner, but Pro users don't care about looks. They need a box you can upgrade without tools and space for 3rd party cards.

At the very least, they need it to be rack mountable.

I'm as much a fanboy as anyone. But a $5,000 iMac? Are you kidding me????


I'm sure $5k is the starting price. I doubt 18 cores can be had at that price.
June 06, 2017, 11:41 PM
bigdeal
quote:
Originally posted by Aeteocles:
quote:
Originally posted by Spokane228:
iMac Pro is an oxymoron.

I understand Apple's obsession with making things thinner, but Pro users don't care about looks. They need a box you can upgrade without tools and space for 3rd party cards.

At the very least, they need it to be rack mountable.

I'm as much a fanboy as anyone. But a $5,000 iMac? Are you kidding me????


I'm sure $5k is the starting price. I doubt 18 cores can be had at that price.
And as an AIO, I'd bet heat will be an issue when you stress the CPU and GPU, which would likely result in throttling the true capability of both.


-----------------------------
Guns are awesome because they shoot solid lead freedom. Every man should have several guns. And several dogs, because a man with a cat is a woman. Kurt Schlichter
June 07, 2017, 12:16 AM
46and2
For $10,000 maybe they'll throw in two USB Ports and a Headphone Jack.
June 07, 2017, 07:20 AM
hbabler
Well the G5 macs topped out at over 5k 10 years ago. So I guess it's not that crazy of a price jump. It is however way outside of my price change.
June 07, 2017, 10:26 AM
henryaz
 
Bah, 27" screens are so 2010, even if they are "retina". Apple needs to get moving on a new desktop box to replace the current Pro (or even an updated Mini). Let us use the full power of the graphics cards to run 4k on stand-alone larger screens, in true 4k resolution.
 
June 07, 2017, 11:02 AM
smschulz
With enough money and resources you can soup any OS up.
June 07, 2017, 02:20 PM
architect
I have the current iMac, with the 27" 5K display, and I still get the beachball.

The iMP looks pretty slick, however, if the cost isn't too off-putting. With Xeon support in macOS (i.e. flagged as an "acceptable" processor), it may allow application of OS updates denied to date to certain system configurations, e.g. Hackintosh, or legacy Apple hardware (Xserve).

Now let's talk about something with comparable specs, but in a rack-mount chassis, with multiple speedy external interfaces, redundant power supplies, and serious cooling... would potentially get Macs back into the 24x7 data center (Mac minis don't cut it for running multiple VM guests, even when clustered). C'mon Apple, mainstream IT will never take you seriously as a hardware supplier without considering the data center.
June 07, 2017, 04:38 PM
Spokane228
quote:
Originally posted by architect:
I have the current iMac, with the 27" 5K display, and I still get the beachball.

The iMP looks pretty slick, however, if the cost isn't too off-putting. With Xeon support in macOS (i.e. flagged as an "acceptable" processor), it may allow application of OS updates denied to date to certain system configurations, e.g. Hackintosh, or legacy Apple hardware (Xserve).

Now let's talk about something with comparable specs, but in a rack-mount chassis, with multiple speedy external interfaces, redundant power supplies, and serious cooling... would potentially get Macs back into the 24x7 data center (Mac minis don't cut it for running multiple VM guests, even when clustered). C'mon Apple, mainstream IT will never take you seriously as a hardware supplier without considering the data center.


Curious if you ever worked with the X-serve. (I think that's what they were). 1 rack unit high, hot swapable drives, remote admin. They seemed cool although I could never justify talking my boss into one.
June 07, 2017, 04:53 PM
architect
quote:
Originally posted by Spokane228:
quote:
Originally posted by architect:
I have the current iMac, with the 27" 5K display, and I still get the beachball.

The iMP looks pretty slick, however, if the cost isn't too off-putting. With Xeon support in macOS (i.e. flagged as an "acceptable" processor), it may allow application of OS updates denied to date to certain system configurations, e.g. Hackintosh, or legacy Apple hardware (Xserve).

Now let's talk about something with comparable specs, but in a rack-mount chassis, with multiple speedy external interfaces, redundant power supplies, and serious cooling... would potentially get Macs back into the 24x7 data center (Mac minis don't cut it for running multiple VM guests, even when clustered). C'mon Apple, mainstream IT will never take you seriously as a hardware supplier without considering the data center.


Curious if you ever worked with the X-serve. (I think that's what they were). 1 rack unit high, hot swapable drives, remote admin. They seemed cool although I could never justify talking my boss into one.
Yes, a client has one. It has been running 24x7 since 2007 despit having lost a drive (replaced while running) and a power supply (ditto) during that time. Very well-built machine. OTOH, a Mac mini that was purchased about three years ago, intended as a successor to that machine (since the OS has been EOL'd on that hardware) has never been reliable enough to put into service, mostly because the attached Thunderbolt RAID array will spontaneously go off-line on a semi-regular basis.
June 12, 2017, 02:21 PM
ChicagoSigMan
New question:

Buy the new iMac or score a deal on the previous generation iMacs being dumped by people who need the latest and greatest?

Are the upgrades to the iMac line (not the Pro) worth the extra spend?
June 12, 2017, 04:52 PM
Xer0
One consolation about it is the processor, SSD, and ram are socketed. That means they are sorta upgrade-able.. If you can actually open it up without destroying it.

https://www.ifixit.com/Teardow...splay+Teardown/30260
June 12, 2017, 05:42 PM
46and2
quote:
Originally posted by ChicagoSigMan:
New question:

Buy the new iMac or score a deal on the previous generation iMacs being dumped by people who need the latest and greatest?

Are the upgrades to the iMac line (not the Pro) worth the extra spend?

Strictly speaking, it is probably not worth it 99.9999% of the time. Almost no one, at least no professionals I've ever known, except some nerds with money to burn, bother to ride the bleeding edge. It won't be 2x faster, won't get work done that much quicker, etc.

Let someone else take the depreciation hit, and be the beta tester, and all that jazz.