Apple’s Most Powerful Computer is Ready for Purchase

The long-awaited iMac Pro is finally here. The hugely powerful, fast computer hits Apple Stores worldwide this Thursday, but with a $5,000 dollar price tag for the baseline model, who is this device geared toward?

To say the least, the specs are impressive. The new desktop will come in 8 and 10-core variants and offer a 1 TB solid-state storage drive packed with a Radeon Pro Vega 64 16GB GPU and a 128 GB DDR4 ECC Memory.

For the display, the iMac Pro is sitting on a 27-inch 5k Retina display, and the 4 thunderbolt 3 ports with the ability to run two 5k displays or four 4k displays.

It also comes with a 10-Gigabit Ethernet port, an SD card slot, four USB-A 3.0 ports and (surprisingly) a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Unlike previous models, the iMac Pro is completely sealed, leaving no room to get inside for upgrades. For gamers, this means it’s probably a no-go. Limiting the ability to upgrade RAM, storage and even ports could be a deal breaker for most people looking to invest in a top-of-the-line computer.

With all of these updates, it seems new iMac Pro was specifically made with digital content creators in mind. This machine can withstand heavy editing on Final Cut and Premiere Pro, Photoshop, Lightroom, and other graphically intensive software, like 3D rendering programs.

The new thermal design means the iMac Pro stays 80% cooler than a regular iMac, and a new T2 encryption chip means there is built-in password protection.

It is clear Apple wanted to cater to an audience where editing is the priority, which could make it a direct competitor with the Microsoft Surface Studio. The Windows device is a little cheaper, equipped with a 28-inch touchscreen display, but the specs aren’t quite as impressive.

To wrap up, the iMac Pro is a first-class device, but $5,000 is a steep price to pay for most people, especially in the content creation industry. For half of the price, consumers could build a monster PC running top of the line specs that would still do a great job editing, gaming and surfing the web.

If you are a content creator or videographer with some extra Christmas cash, this device is an investment for you and your business.

Just keep in mind that the device cannot be upgraded, so what you pay for is what you get.