Over the weekend, MacRumors noticed that Apple had placed a “While supplies last” tag on the iMac Pro product page and removed custom configurations, a sign that a product is about to be discontinued. A day later, Apple confirmed it: the iMac Pro is on its way out.
MacRumors writes that it has received confirmation from Apple — though did not publish a specific quote from an Apple representative — that the company will no longer be producing the iMac Pro and once its current supplies are exhausted, the computer will no longer be available. Apple gave the following rationale to MacRumors:
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
While that sounds like marketing-esque reasoning, it actually in this case may be nothing but the truth.
The iMac Pro seemed like a good choice, but it was never clear if it actually sold very well in Apple’s ecosystem. For many, the standard iMac could be as powerful as they would need, while those seeking more tended to gravitate to Apple’s Mac Pro line. Added to this equation is Apple’s latest iMac that was released last August which sports high-end features that compete well against the iMac Pro on paper, muddying the waters. This sentiment echoes Apple’s stated reasoning and is further evidenced by how little attention Apple gave the iMac Pro since its launch in 2017 and through its four-year lifespan: it never received a single notable hardware upgrade in that time (per MacRumors).
The design profile for the most recent iMac, and iMac Pro, has been the subject of heavy speculation for a few months now: the 2020 iMac is rumored to be the last to feature the “traditional” design the line has been known for. Apple is expected to release a new iMac line featuring its own silicon this year, making even the most powerful iMac an unlikely purchase for those who have been holding out for a new look and better performance. As such, even though the most recent iMac has a lot of good upgrades, it has not been a recommended purchase by some reviewers for many potential customers because it feels like it is a segue device that, while great now, is about to be dramatically outperformed.
(via Gizmodo)
Image credits: Waving-hand vector via Deposit Photos.