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A New iMac Pro? Are You Sure?

Advocate ,
Dec 16, 2017 Dec 16, 2017

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Do you need the new iMac Pro? (Keep in mind that “need” is different than “want.”)

Without a doubt the new iMac Pro is a great high-level production computer. And, it’s easy to talk yourself into it by saying, “I’m in media production. I ‘need’ it for my work.” But, what kind of work do you do which requires that kind of muscle?

If you are in web/mobile development, and that means you work with images in Photoshop and craft websites with Dreamweaver or Muse plus create some AIR app versions of those sites with Animate, you can get that kind of work done with the basic iMac or a MacBook Pro.

How about document creation in Acrobat and InDesign, with some Photoshop and Illustrator as an essential workflow? That could go either way. You have to ask yourself, “Are the documents huge books with big two page spread photos and intense colorful vector art gradients and painted or 3D illustrations?” Then, without a question, you need big horsepower. But, if your work is literature, which totals 16 or so pages, you’re probably in the same category as the people with the basic web/mobile work.

Then there’s video/audio. Isn’t that a career which demands big power? Well, what kind of motion do you do? Are you rough cutting clips in Prelude? How about editing in Premiere Pro for 3 minute YouTube Internet promotional work? That might be another situation where you are just not being truthful with yourself. Your hardware needs may not be much more powerful than the basic document creator we just mentioned.

On the “Go ahead. It’s okay. Jump!” side of the coin, there’s also big editing, processing, and output projects in Bridge, Camera Raw, Lightroom, and Media Encoder. The raw photos and clips which ARRI, Canon, Hasselblad, Nikon, Red, and Sony produce need big power. Doing electronic and print output, of monster projects, in Acrobat, InDesign, and Media Coder devours your workday efficiency without the computer power you need. Let’s not forget the elaborate presentations in Keynote/PowerPoint or the huge formula-heavy Numbers/Excel workbooks. (Warning: An iMac Pro will dramatically cut into your forced coffee break, bathroom break, and text messaging time.)

So, who also needs the 6-pack abs version of a computer? We already mentioned the people who do the painting and 3D in Photoshop and Illustrator. Add 3D in After Effects to that list. While we’re talking After Effects, consider Ae’s animation and gaming and animation created with Animate. Of course, beyond little web videos, there’s the ongoing demand for big motion picture, in the 4K format. We’ve already had the discussion of the MacBook Pro and the HP ZBook bumping their heads on Intel’s mandated 16GB RAM ceiling. The iMac Pro is an AC powered desktop which can pack 128GB of RAM.

But, you still have to ask the same question, which IT buyers at big media enterprise operations, ponder: is the iMac Pro worth it?

To fully load one of those beauties, with all the strength it can eat, costs $13,348. A fully loaded Mac Pro is around half that price at $7,128. On the Windows 10 side, HP has Z towers for around the same price. Okay. The new iMac Pro is all new technology with twice the RAM of the Mac Pro, four times the storage, and a 18-core Intel Xeon W processor.

And, Apple has told the technology press that a new Mac Pro is coming, probably in 2018 (the Spring, maybe?). And, when that new Mac Pro gets here, it will surely bump the iMac Pro spec up to much higher ground. Plus, is HP going to sit by and watch Apple steal its thunder? HP usually dazzles the tech world at CES, which is around 3 weeks away. So, you have to ask yourself if competition, even from within the Apple line-up, will drive the price of the iMac Pro downward?

But, it’s still a question of “want” or “need”?

Okay. We’ll answer “yes” to both. But, in all candor, as cool as the iMac Pro might be, we’re going to press the pause button on a buying decision until we see the new Mac Pro. The serious Apple and HP stuff is with you for 3, 4, or maybe 5 years. We’re not going to kick ourselves for jumping the starter pistol, just because we see a bright, shiny (and very expensive) object appear on the horizon. Be smart. Slow and studied is what purchasing should be. This is not a buying race.

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Mentor ,
Dec 16, 2017 Dec 16, 2017

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But, it’s still a question of “want” or “need”?

Totally agree. In my case it is both but reliability is a major key. It will be very interesting to see what the new Mac Pro will be as the 2013 is still a major question mark in my mind!

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Advocate ,
Dec 16, 2017 Dec 16, 2017

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https://forums.adobe.com/people/Kat+Gilbert  wrote

Totally agree. In my case it is both but reliability is a major key. It will be very interesting to see what the new Mac Pro will be as the 2013 is still a major question mark in my mind!

One of the more encouraging points in the third in this series is that Apple is clearly committed to the high-end media production hardware.

1. In April Apple promised a new Mac Pro.

2. At the World Wide Developers Conference, in June, Apple announced the iMac Pro.

3. This month Jon Ive, Apple's chief of design acknowledged the issue of 16GB of RAM in the MacBook Pro and in so many words said they will be addressing it, as is Intel.

So, yes, we have some unknowns but this iMac Pro is a great harvest of first fruits in Apple's promise.

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Participant ,
Dec 17, 2017 Dec 17, 2017

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I wouldn't expect a new MacPro in the spring. End of year is probably a safer bet. We haven't even seen a proof of concept yet. Maybe they introduce an actual product in the summer with another Dec delivery like iMac Pro.

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Advocate ,
Dec 17, 2017 Dec 17, 2017

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https://forums.adobe.com/people/Evil+Edison  wrote

I wouldn't expect a new MacPro in the spring. End of year is probably a safer bet. We haven't even seen a proof of concept yet. Maybe they introduce an actual product in the summer with another Dec delivery like iMac Pro.

Interesting. Thank you.

May I ask what kind of work that you do?

Do you work for Apple?

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Participant ,
Dec 17, 2017 Dec 17, 2017

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Ha. No I don't work for Apple so my comments are pure speculation.

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Advocate ,
Dec 17, 2017 Dec 17, 2017

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https://forums.adobe.com/people/Evil+Edison  wrote

Ha. No I don't work for Apple so my comments are pure speculation.

Understood.

No problem.

I had not heard anyone speaking of seeing a "proof of concept" on a highly pivotal Apple product, before.

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Participant ,
Dec 17, 2017 Dec 17, 2017

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Yeah "proof of concept" was a bad choice of words. Sorry about that. I meant Apple actually showing us a product in the works. Like they did with trashcan and iMac Pro. In both cases they showed something to us around June then delivered in December. So far we haven't had that "unveiling" so I feel that spring would be very, very optimistic. Plus, I would expect Apple to ride the iMac pro wave for a while. Introducing MacPro too soon (or even suggesting it is on the horizon) would cut down on a lot of iMac Pro sales. And then there is the totally paranoid conspiracy-theory side of me that thinks Apple is gauging the success of iMac Pro to decide if they even need to bother with MacPro.

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Advocate ,
Dec 17, 2017 Dec 17, 2017

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https://forums.adobe.com/people/Evil+Edison  wrote

And then there is the totally paranoid conspiracy-theory side of me that thinks Apple is gauging the success of iMac Pro to decide if they even need to bother with MacPro.

Have you ever known Apple to announce that a product was in development, like Apple's Sr VP, Phil Schiller said of the Mac Pro in April: "We have a team working hard on it right now. We want to architect it so that we can keep it fresh with regular improvements, and we're committed to making it our highest-end, high-throughput desktop system, designed for our demanding pro customers." and then skip doing it?

Many media technology companies know that making a significant profit on each product is a no-can-do.

The super high-end gear let's them climb the tall mountains and plant flags.

That's been the cost of competition going back to March 1959 that Canon, Nikon, and (Minolta, now:) Sony have been playing ever since.

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Advocate ,
Dec 18, 2017 Dec 18, 2017

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https://forums.adobe.com/people/Brian+Stoppee  wrote

That's been the cost of competition going back to March 1959 that Canon, Nikon, and (Minolta, now:) Sony have been playing ever since.

I need to find time to research this some more.

There was a time when the top end Canon, Nikon, and Sony dSLRs were loss leaders. That means that invested a fortune in research and development plus manufacturing and those flagship cameras made them look like king of the hill but the cameras never turned a profit.

Than why did they bother?

It built their brand, retained professional users, and sold point and shoot cameras. Well, many point and shoot people think their mobile phone is good enough to be their camera, too.

What's supporting the high-end camera, now?

Is this similar to why Apple and HP invest in the high-end computers?

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Participant ,
Dec 18, 2017 Dec 18, 2017

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I agree that it's definitely worth their while to create "prestige" products even if it's a financial loss to them. Ten years ago the perception was that everything in Hollywood was produced on Apple computers and I think that definitely had a "trickle down" effect. It would be even more dramatic today with the number of people creating content on their phones and laptops. "Look at me, making home movies on the same products the big kids do! (even if the similarity ends at the Apple logo)".  Maybe the iMac Pro and revised MacPro (no I don't really think they'll renege on that promise) will move them back in that direction.

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Advocate ,
Dec 18, 2017 Dec 18, 2017

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https://forums.adobe.com/people/Evil+Edison  wrote

Ten years ago the perception was that everything in Hollywood was produced on Apple computers and I think that definitely had a "trickle down" effect.

Yes. Good word choice, "perception" (which is not the same as reality.

We have to remember that Premiere was all Mac, at first, like Photoshop, Illustrator, and PageMaker.

Eventually Final Cut Pro came on the scene as Mac only (of course), but Premiere become Window only.

On the audio side, Audition was Windows only as was Avid Pro Tools.

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