After cutting some configurations of the 21.5-inch 4K iMac earlier this week, Apple has now discontinued production of the iMac Pro, adding a note to its site that the high-end all-in-one is only available “while supplies last” and removing all configuration options from its online store.
As if there was any doubt, Apple has confirmed to TechCrunch that the iMac Pro is indeed being discontinued, suggesting that an M1 version won’t be made.
Once hailed as the fastest Mac available, the iMac Pro arrived in December 2017 as a super-high-end iMac for professionals. At the time, it was faster than the Mac Pro with a built-in 5K display, 32GB of RAM, and an 8-core Xeon processor. It was also the first and only iMac with a Space Gray enclosure. It was updated in August with a 10-core base option but otherwise remained unchanged since its launch.
Rumors have been swirling for months that a fully designed M1 iMac is on the way with a Pro Display XDR-style aesthetic that eliminates the giant chin, trims the bezels, and possibly brings additional color options. There haven’t been any specific rumors about the iMac Pro, but we assumed it would get a refresh alongside the other models.
Now that theory seems less certain. The speed of the M1 processor could eliminate the need for a Pro model or Apple could have a new high-end iMac planned. Since Apple doesn’t break out individual sales, we don’t know how well the iMac Pro sold, but it likely represented a small fraction of overall iMac sales. If Apple releases an upgraded chip for the iMacs, the iMac Pro won’t be all that necessary.
While the iMac Pro’s discontinuation doesn’t necessarily signal the arrival of a new M1 iMac, it adds one more piece of evidence that Apple is planning to launch a new iMac very soon. A new rumor points to March 23 as the first Apple event of the year, but it’s unclear if Apple will be launching new Macs.
At any rate, if you want an iMac Pro, you should probably buy one before it becomes a collector’s item.
Update 3/8: Apple has confirmed to TechCrunch that the iMac Pro is being discontinued.
Michael Simon has been covering Apple since the iPod was the iWalk. His obsession with technology goes back to his first PC—the IBM Thinkpad with the lift-up keyboard for swapping out the drive. He’s still waiting for that to come back in style tbh.
