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Posts Tagged ‘imac’

Apple confirms it’s discontinuing its iMac Pro lineup

07 Mar

Apple has confirmed it will be discontinuing its iMac Pro lineup.

On Friday, March 5, Mac Rumors noticed Apple had added a ‘while supplies last’ notice to its iMac Pro product page and removed all optional upgrade options. In the past, Apple has done this in advance of a product or product line is being discontinued.

Mac Rumors then published a follow-up article yesterday, March 6, to say it’s since confirmed with Apple the iMac Pro lineup will no longer be available once the current supply runs out. Mac Rumors didn’t specifically quote the Apple representative it spoke with, but did have the following to say regarding the rationale for this discontinuation:

‘Apple says the latest 27-inch iMac introduced in August is the preferred choice for the vast majority of pro iMac users, and said customers who need even more performance and expandability can choose the Mac Pro.’

The 27″ iMac Pro was first released back in December 2017 and was meant to be a more powerful version of Apple’s longstanding iMac line. Since its release, the iMac Pro line has been a popular choice for creative professionals, due to its all-in-one design that matched impressive specifications with a high-quality display. The last iMac update was introduced in August 2020 and featured a 5K display, with up to a 10-core 10th-generation Intel Core i9 processor, up to 8TB of storage, up to an AMD Radeon Pro 5700 XT GPU and the option to upgrade to a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port.

Going forward, it sounds as though users will have the option to go with Apple’s standard iMac lineup or upgrade to the more powerful and modular Mac Pro if the iMac options don’t cut it. Apple is expected to announce new iMacs — and potentially a new Mac Pro — powered by its own chipsets after dropping Intel and releasing its M1-powered Mac Mini, MacBook Air and 13” MacBook Pro computers back in November.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Apple upgrades its 27″ iMac with 10-gen Intel CPUs, new AMD GPUs and doubles RAM capacity

04 Aug

Apple announced at its all-virtual WWDC event this year that we would see another round of Intel-based computers before we start to see computers powered by its in-house chipsets. And now it’s here. Apple has announced an update for its 27” iMac, which may very well be the last Intel-based iMac for the foreseeable future. The update adds improved base-level storage options, more powerful CPU/GPU options, upgraded RAM capacity and improvements to the 5K Retina display.

The updated iMac shares the same external design as previous iMacs, with only one exception. In addition to the glossy glass screen that’s been standard on iMacs for the past decade, you can now choose a nano-texture matte glass option, a technology Apple first showed off in its Pro Display XDR. As its name suggests, this option reduces glare on the screen and should result in a better image in brighter environments. In addition to the matte glass, the display now features Apple’s True Tone technology for adapting the color balance based on the ambient lighting.

Moving inside the computer, Apple is now using 6-core and 8-core 10th-gen Intel CPUs across the entire lineup, with the option to upgrade to a 10-core option — the first time a 10-core CPU has been available inside an iMac. Apple has also increased the amount of memory the new iMacs can support. If you don’t mind paying the price, you can now max out your iMac with up to 128GB of RAM.

Apple has also updated the graphics capabilities of its new 27” iMac with AMD’s Radeon Pro 5000 series GPU. The base model starts with 6GB of GDDR6 of memory and has upgrade options going up to 16GB of GPU memory.

SSDs are now standard across the board, with the base model starting at 256GB of flash storage and the option to max out with an 8TB SSD. Apple has also added its higher-bandwidth T2 security chip, bringing it in line with the rest of Apple’s computer lineup.

Other improvements include an updated 1080p FaceTime camera, an improved ‘studio quality’ microphone system and better speakers. Apple is also making SSD storage standard across its 21.5” iMac lineup and the iMac Pro will come standard with the 10-core Intel Xeon processor that’s offered as an upgrade option in the new 27” iMac.

The base 27” iMac starts at $ 1,800 for a 3.1GHz 6-core 10th-gen Intel i5 processor, 8GB of 2666MHz DDR4 RAM, 256GB SSD storage and a Radeon Pro 5300 GPU with 6GB of memory. The nano-texture glass is available for an additional $ 500 and further CPU, GPU, RAM and storage upgrades can be made at various price increases.

You can find out more and configure your desired 27” iMac on Apple’s website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Worth the money? Fully loaded iMac Pro vs fully loaded iMac

08 Feb

A fully loaded iMac Pro will cost you an eye-watering $ 13,200… but if you’re set on an Apple all-in-one, is it really almost $ 8,000 better than a fully-loaded 5K iMac? Parker Walbeck of Full Time Filmmaker ran some tests to find out, putting both all-in-ones through their paces using RED 8K footage, Canon 1D X Mark II 4K footage, and DJI Phantom 4 Pro 4K footage.

He also tested the machines using both Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro X, to eliminate the CPU-crushing effects of Adobe’s software.

As you might expect, the iMac Pro outperformed the iMac in nearly every test, playing back full resolution footage flawlessly while the iMac dropped frames, and rendering/exporting at about 2x the speed. However, it didn’t win in every regard. The iMac actually outperformed the iMac Pro by 25% when it came to applying Warp Stabilizer, because this feature is only using an individual core to do the work.

Playing back 8K RED footage on the iMac Pro was much smoother than the iMac, which had to be dropped to 1/8th resolution to match performance.

All of this leads Parker to his very reasonable conclusion:

“I definitely think there is a point of diminishing returns, where you’re paying a premium for slight, incremental improvements,” says Walbeck. “But that’s how it is with most new technology, it’s overpriced and you’re going to pay a premium for the latest and greatest.”

As for the value, he sums it up pretty well in the video, and it’s probably exactly what you expected coming into this comparison. Is it worth the money?

For most people? No. For a select few, yeah, it may be a difference maker. Do I personally need a computer this powerful? No. I’m sure I’d be just fine with my iMac or a base model iMac Pro

[…]

I’ve edited RED 8K footage on my MacBook Pro before, it’s definitely doable, it’s just a lot slower than if I were to use an iMac Pro. So my advice would be to use whatever you’ve got, whatever you can afford, and just start creating content.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, might be the most practical advice to come out of one of these iMac Pro comparison videos yet. Check out the full breakdown in the video above, where Walbeck offers some great advice for video shooters who are salivating over Apple’s newest machine… and yes, he does touch on why he doesn’t think that, at least for him, it’s worth it to spend less money and build an equally powerful PC.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Speed Test: iMac Pro vs Alienware PC, Mac Pro and MacBook Pro

23 Jan

Photographer and Photoshop expert Colin Smith of PhotoshopCAFE recently embarked on a test many photo and video editors have been asking for: comparing the new iMac Pro against some of its main competition. In Colin’s case, he pit a slightly upgraded version of the iMac Pro against an Alienware gaming PC, a MacBook Pro, and the current Mac Pro.

The iMac Pro Smith was testing is a slightly upgraded version of the base model. His unit sports: a 3.2GHz 8-core Xeon W processor, 64GB of 2666 MHz DDR4 ECC Memory, and an AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64 with 16GB of its own HBM2 RAM. If you configure it yourself on the Apple website, you’ll find this setup weighs in at $ 6,400.

Going up against the iMac Pro were three contenders at various price points:

  1. A ‘trashcan’ Mac Pro circa December 2014, with a 3.7GHz 4-core Xeon E5 processor, 64GB of 1866MHz DDR3 RAM, and dual AMD Profire D300 video cards with 2GB of RAM each. Cost (in 2014): $ 3,250
  2. The latest 15-inch MacBook Pro, with a 3.1GHz 4-core i7 processor, 16GB of 2133MHz DDR3 RAM, and a Radeon Pro 560 video card with 6Gb of RAM. Cost: $ 3,400
  3. An Alienware Aurora R6 PC, which is running a 4.2GHz 4-core i7 processor, 16GB of 2666MHz DDR4 RAM, and an Nvidia GTX 1070 video card with 8GB of its own DDR5 RAM. Cost: $ 1,600

As you can see, the Apple options are all much more expensive than the PC, but nothing comes close to touching the $ 6,400 iMac Pro. So you would hope, at least, that nothing would come close to touching its performance either. That’s what Colin was thinking too, and he tested each machine using Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Photoshop.

Each machine was put through its paces on some very CPU and RAM-intensive tasks in these (already RAM and CPU-intensive) video and photo editing programs, timing each system to see how they ranked. In some categories the iMac Pro really did destroy the competition. When it came to rendering 4K video, the results were eye-opening:

But in other situations, like Ram Preview in After Effects, it actually fell quite short given the sheer amount of power it has to draw from:

Of course, for our purposes, we’re much more interested in how the iMac Pro performed in Photoshop. And that’s where, in 3 out of the 4 tests Colin performed, the PC outperformed all of the Macs. Whether you were opening, upscaling, or saving a massive 815MB Photoshop file, the Alienware PC did best each time.

The only test where the iMac Pro managed to flex its considerable muscle in Photoshop was running the Radial blur filter at Best quality and 100%—a crazy intensive task that the iMac Pro made mince meat of, as you can see from the chart:

You can see all of the test results in the video up top, but the conclusion, at least for us, seems to be clear:

For real-time intensive video editing tasks, the iMac pro can really fly, but for stills shooters it just doesn’t seem to make sense for the money. We spoke to Colin about his test this morning, and asked him if he had anything to add for our readers, and he seemed to agree with us. Here’s what he had to say:

When configuring the base $ 5,000, I wanted to get upgrades that gave me the most bang for my buck. I made the decision to spend $ 1400 (total) to upgrade the base RAM to 64Gb ($ 800) and also the video card from 8Gb to 16Gb ($ 600), as these are the 2 things that will make the biggest difference… especially the video card (PGU)

If you are editing video and have to be on Mac (and budget isn’t an issue) then this is clearly the fastest system around, as you can tell by the encoding and rendering times of the iMac Pro being much faster than the competition. The downside, of course, is getting this level of hardware and not being able to upgrade any of it. I feel that’s a bit disingenuous of Apple, and it will cost them a lot of sales. Having said that, this is one of the best displays I have seen to date.

On the other hand, if you are a photographer and your needs revolve around editing still imagery, I think you are better served to save your money for other things.

That’s some pretty pragmatic advice. To see the full test, check out the video up top. And if you want to see more from Colin, subscribe to PhotoshopCAFE on YouTube, check out his website, or give him a follow on Instagram and Facebook.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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A fully loaded iMac Pro will cost you $13,200

15 Dec
Photo: Apple

It’s official! As we reported yesterday morning, the iMac Pro is now officially on sale in the United States, starting with the two base models—the 8-core and 10-core variations—and a price tag of $ 5,000 for the ‘standard configuration.’

Up until now, that’s the only price we knew for this behemoth of a computer—what Apple calls “the most powerful Mac ever”—but now that the iMac Pro website is official and the product is up in the store, we can find out how much a fully loaded version costs. And let’s just say you should hold on to your wallets.

If you go to Apple’s store website and trick out the computer, going all the way up to the 2.3GHz 18-core Intel Xeon W Processor with Turbo Boost up to 4.3GHz, 128GB of 2666MHz DDR4 ECC memory, a 4TB SSD, and a Radeon Pro Vega 64 graphics card with 16GB of its own HBM2 memory, your price tag goes up to.

Drum roll please…

$ 13,200

If you do one of the more basic configurations, you’ll be able to get yours in the next 1-2 weeks. However, if you plan to shell out the aforementioned $ 13,200 for the fully-loaded 18-core beast, don’t expect to get the computer in 2017. According to the Apple store website, a fully loaded variation will ship in 6-8 weeks.

To learn more or configure your own (if you’re lucky enough to have pockets this deep) head over to the iMac Pro website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Apple’s new iMac Pro arrives December 14th, and first impressions are good

14 Dec

Listen up power-hungry Apple fanboys! Yesterday, Apple finally announced a release date for its beast of a desktop all-in-one, revealing that the new iMac Pro will be available to purchase starting on December 14th.

The model’s arrival will mark the first instance of a new pro-tier Apple desktop release in years, and it’ll come in four variants sporting 8-, 10-, 14-, and 18-core configurations. Once available, these iMac Pro models will be the most powerful desktop options ever offered by Apple, ones targeted specifically at creative professionals working with massive image and video files.

Many details on the new iMac Pro are still absent; however, certain information has been revealed ahead of time. Buyers will be able to choose up to 4TB of storage, up to 128GB of ECC DDR4 2666MHz RAM, and a 16GB Vega 64 GPU, according to 9to5Mac. The 8- and 10-core iMac Pro variants will be available first, on December 14th, while the other two won’t be available until next year.

But don’t expect any of this to come cheap. The base model of the bunch, the 8-core iMac Pro variant, will have a starting price of $ 5,000 USD, and no other prices have been revealed at this time, although additional information should be available starting on Thursday. Apple states on its iMac Pro website that the new model retains the same slim size as the previous version.

Apple has allowed a couple of journalists to have early access to the new iMac Pro, including Marques Brownlee, who shared his Week #1 impressions of the desktop—and many shots of it—in the video below:

And if you want a photographer’s first impressions, Vincent Laforet got his hand on a 10 Core 3GHZ Intel Xeon W, 2TB SSD, 128 GB RAM, Vega 64 Radeon version that did NOT disappoint him.

To learn more, check out the video above, read Vincent’s review, or head over to Apple’s iMac Pro website.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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Apple unveils iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 3 and new 27in iMac with ‘5K’ display

29 Oct

After unveiling its new iPhone models last month, Apple announced two new tablets today – the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3. The iPad Air 2 features a new Apple A8X chipset which Apple claims is 40% faster at the CPU level than the processor used in its predecessor. The iPad Air 2’s cameras have been upgraded too, and both new tablets also gains the TouchID fingerprint sensor. Meanwhile Apple also announced a new version of its 27in iMac desktop computer with a 5120 x 2880 screen resolution. Click through to read more

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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i-mac, photography, and christmas in february!!!

01 Dec

YOUtube (dumb) decided today that it waas OK to only post one third of my video… Dissatisfied customer… An update on my life still trying to fix the sound/video co-ordination~ jnspire’s webcam video February 14, 2010, 11:34 PM
Video Rating: 4 / 5

 
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