I have a 2009 Mac Pro desktop and long overdue in buying a new Mac. I've decided to go with a base iMac Pro instead of waiting for the new modular desktop in 2019. I'm not a video/film heavy user nor am I a gamer so I don't need the high end processors but expect to get 64GB ram and 2 TB SSD along with the high end video card as I typically keep computers for at least 6 years and believe I won't have a need to upgrade in that time period being a prosumer. I can wait till later this year if there is a good reason to do so but if the updates are only the cpu I'm not sure if that's enough reason for someone like me to wait.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Are there good reasons to wait for iMac Pro upgrades later this year?
- Thread starter wmuuse
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Seeing as to how new they are in the first place, I don't think there'll be an upgrade this year anyway. No new hardware is ready yet anyway at least.
If you aren't heavy in film or anything, what do you use it for if I may ask? Programming?
If you aren't heavy in film or anything, what do you use it for if I may ask? Programming?
Wouldn't expect the iMac Pro to ever get an upgrade. It'll be allowed to sit with the same configurations for 4 or 5 years, until the iMac catches up, then it'll be discontinued.
The iMac Pro was created to be a temporary filler in Apple's product line at a time where there was a void in the Mac Pro arena. The 2019 Mac Pro will likely replace the iMac Pro. If you want an iMac Pro, and can't wait until 2019 for the Mac Pro, then buy it now. If you don't need the processing power right now, I would strongly encourage waiting.
I don't agree, but since neither of us have have hard information to back up our opinions, take it for what it is.
I don't think it's a temporary filler at all. I think it fills a very valid niche. All-in-ones are very easy for IT departments to deploy, and they don't carry the stigma they once did. I know there's a segment of the community that can't imagine a non-modular high-end PC, and the modular will certainly satisfy them. However, there are plenty of power users who will be more than fine having an off-the-shelf iMac Pro.
In many ways, an iMac is a variation on a laptop. Considering the army of "pros" who use a non-modular MacBook Pro as their primary machine, there's certainly permanent room in the product lineup for iMac Pro.
Sure, when the iMac Pro was announced, it seemed to be positioned as "something to hold you until the modular comes along," but that doesn't mean Apple's intent was to kill it as soon as the modular arrives. There was enough engineering investment in the thing that, so long as Apple can sell enough of them, they're likely to keep selling them.
You might be right, but I wouldn't be so sure. It seems like if Apple was just wanting a placeholder it would have been easier for them to do a spec bump to the current Mac Pro. Maybe make the case a bit bigger if they couldn't keep it cooled properly.
I'm also curious as to what you use your computer for in this case. If you aren't typically editing tons of video or gaming, or composing music, you really don't need all of that RAM and the power of that video card. A regular iMac would seem to offer you, still, more power than you require, still last you many years, and be a fraction of the cost of an iMac Pro. If, just for the sake of "I want a powerful computer to last a long time," that's totally fine, I won't stop you, but you can totally achieve that with the regular iMacs and save a lot of money.
I'm a freelance film composer and audio editor utilizing large orchestral sample libraries and have 40GB RAM in my 2017 27" i7 iMac. I'll sometimes be contracted to produce and edit 4k video as well and I still am not even pushing the iMac very hard. I understand the desire for speed, power, and longevity, but realize you can achieve this with a much cheaper iMac and still have plenty of oopmh to boot. Anyway, just my two cents.
Also, to echo what others have said Re: iMac pro upgrades: extremely unlikely to happen this year, if at all.
Also also >insert the whole shebang about buying if absolutely needing it now, otherwise wait because seems like next update for iMacs in 2019, yadda yadda...<
Looking at how Apple drops support on older models even the Mac Pro's don't maintain support for much longer than other machines of the same era. I think with Mojave you can go with Mac Pros that are one or two years older than all the other Macs, so I'm not sure that even the longevity argument gets you too far if you don't need the extra power now.
Hmm, I just read about that. Apple once again constricting tighter and tighter on their window of support. I'm never one to be on the bleeding edge of these new OS updates, as it'll break some of my plugins I use for music production. For most people this won't be an issue, so I suppose if one were to always want the latest and greatest, regardless of early adoption flaws or bugs, a newer iMac would be more desirable. Even if the last iMac's are only now just one year old.
There are no components out there significantly better than what's in the iMac Pro now, at least not at its price point; so no, don't expect an upgrade this year. (Moving to AMD would be the only way I can think of to juice it up at its current price, and that's wildly unlikely to happen this year; if it's going to happen, it won't be before Zen 2.)
Apple hardly updates computers anymore. They prefer to wait years and years and years to update their hardware.