IMac Pro

The iMac Pro is an all-in-one personal computer and workstation sold by Apple Inc. from 2017 to 2021. It was one of four desktop computers in the Macintosh lineup, sitting above the consumer range Mac Mini and iMac, and serving as an all-in-one alternative to the Mac Pro.

After the cylindrical Mac Pro redesign went years without any update, Apple hosted a roundtable in 2017 promising a redesign and commitment to professional Mac computers; the iMac Pro was introduced in the interim before the revised Mac Pro shipped in 2019. The iMac Pro was positively received by critics. After receiving only minor updates, the machine was discontinued in March 2021.

Background
In 2013, Apple replaced its tower Mac Pro workstation with a radically-redesigned cylindrical model. The 2013 Mac Pro languished for years without any updates, and Apple later said that its small design and focus on dual graphics-processing unit had been a mistake. In April 2017, Apple convened a roundtable of journalists and executives to restate their commitment to professional Macs. As part of the announcement, Apple said a new monitor and Mac Pro were being developed but would not arrive that year. In June, Apple announced the iMac Pro to fill the gap.

Design
The iMac Pro uses the same chassis as the 27-inch iMac it was sold alongside, but comes in a darker "space gray" finish, with a color-matched Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad. The iMac Pro also has more connectivity options than the iMac, with four Thunderbolt 3 ports, four USB-A ports, a headphone jack, Ethernet port, and SDXC card slot. The iMac Pro uses Xeon-W processors and includes a larger cooling system. The iMac Pro was the first Mac equipped with Apple's T2 chip, a custom Apple co-processor. The T2 handles security, encryption and some video encoding and decoding.

The processor, memory, and storage are not soldered and can be removed. Unlike the 27-inch iMac, the iMac Pro does not have a memory access hatch; memory upgrades require disassembling the display. The solid-state drive is user-replaceable, but requires disassembly of the iMac Pro and an Apple Configurator restore after the new storage modules are installed. The iMac Pro's stand is user-replaceable with a licensed OEM VESA mount kit sold by Apple. The mount uses zinc screws that may be prone to breaking.

Release
The iMac Pro was announced at WWDC on June 5, 2017, and was released in December 2017. Apple billed it as "the most powerful Mac ever made". The configurations included an 8-, 10-, 14-, or 18-core Intel Xeon processor, 5K display, AMD Vega graphics, ECC memory, and 10 Gigabit Ethernet.

The iMac Pro received minor updates after release. Configuration options for 256GB of memory and a Vega 64X GPU were added on March 19, 2019. Apple discontinued the 8-core model on August 4, 2020, making the 10-core model the base model. The iMac Pro was discontinued on March 5, 2021; Apple continued to sell the computer while supplies lasted. It was delisted from Apple's website and online store on March 19, 2021. An indirect successor, the Mac Studio, was released on March 18, 2022, alongside the Apple Studio Display.

Reception
The iMac Pro was positively received. Jason Snell, writing for Macworld, said that the machine was clearly not for average customers, but filled a niche for users like himself who had drifted from using pro desktops to iMacs, but still wanted more power than Apple's consumer line could offer. Wired considered the iMac Pro a statement from Apple that it was renewing its commitment to pro Macs.