Apple’s iMac Professional launched seven years in the past right this moment, providing a high-end all-in-one desktop machine to bridge the hole between new Mac Pro fashions.
In April 2017, Apple uncharacteristically apologised for its method to the Mac lately and pre-announced it was engaged on a “fully rethought” Mac Professional with a modular design, a brand new pro-level iMac, and a brand new high-end exterior show. At WWDC that 12 months, Apple unveiled the iMac Professional, after years of rumors a few “Professional” iMac. The iMac Professional sought to placate lots of Apple’s discontented skilled Mac customers, coming round 4 years after the launch of the controversial “garbage can” Mac Professional, however two years earlier than the present Mac Professional design, which returned to a modular tower design.
Apple introduced the iMac Professional as “probably the most highly effective Mac ever made.” It featured 8-, 10-, 14-, or 18-core Intel Xeon processor choices, a 5K show, AMD Vega graphics, ECC reminiscence, and 10 Gigabit Ethernet, with a beginning value of $4,999. It was additionally the primary Mac to comprise a customized T2 chip, in addition to the primary desktop Mac to be out there in House Grey. Whereas it didn’t have a slot to simply entry the reminiscence just like the 27-inch iMac, the processor, reminiscence, and storage weren’t soldered in place and will simply be eliminated if the show was disassembled.
In March 2021, Apple announced that it was discontinuing the iMac Professional. By that point, the machine had been surpassed by the 2019 Mac Professional, a significant final update for the 27-inch iMac, and the primary Apple silicon Macs. The iMac Professional’s place in Apple’s product lineup is now effectively held by the Mac Studio and the Studio Show.
But after the launch of the 24-inch Apple silicon iMac in April 2021 and the discontinuation of the 27-inch iMac in March 2022, curiosity in an iMac Professional with a bigger show has elevated. Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman believed that Apple was nonetheless “engaged on a larger-screened iMac aimed on the skilled market,” a rumor supported by Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, as of 2022. But other reports claimed Apple has no plans to launch a brand new high-end iMac in any respect.
Rumors recommend {that a} larger-screened iMac that could possibly be positioned as an iMac Professional will launch in 2025. In July 2024, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman stated that Apple remains to be exploring a bigger iMac, however it’s unclear when it could possibly be launched. See our full guide for more information.