If $5K+ for an iMac Pro is too much, it’s not for you!
Dec 30, 2017
Lee Herbet
Lee Herbet is a visual storyteller.He is the founder of Capture.ink, which has helped some of the biggest brands in the world tell their stories.He runs workshops all over the globe sharing his knowledge on visual storytelling. He also writes for a number of online sites on the topics of video production and editing.
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There’ve been one or two comments about the new iMac Pro since we finally got specs and prices a little while ago, so I thought I’d get my two cents in (although the beast itself is a bit more than that!).
I’ve read a lot of positive comments and I’ve also seen a lot of negative comments. Most of the negative comments seem to focus on the price and non-upgradability of the iMac Pro. So let’s talk first about the upgradability.
The only thing that can kind of be upgraded in the iMac Pro is the RAM. I say “kind of” because you can’t do it yourself. The iMac Pro is pretty much a sealed box and only authorised Apple service centre can access it, so less than ideal. In fact let’s just say, you can’t upgrade it. The thing that annoys most people the most about this is that it forces you to decide what specs you want when you order it and if you don’t get what you need, tough.
So you can’t sort of dip your toe into the iMac Pro with a lower spec machine when you order it and then buy higher spec parts for it later as your needs increase. But this is how Macs have been going for almost a decade now. If you’ve been using Macs a while – and odds are you aren’t looking at an iMac Pro if this is going to be your first Mac – you know this is how Apple has been designing their computers for some time.
Maybe Apple has done itself a disservice buy calling some of its laptops “Pro machines” that aren’t as high spec’d as as Pro machine should be. But in their defence, what is a “Pro”? If a Pro is a person who makes a living from using the computer? Well then anyone from a writer to a special effects artist are pros and those two people’s needs are very different from a computer for their work.
So I think the iMac Pro should be seen in a different category. It’s not just for Pros, it’s for Pros who need the most powerful machine they can get. That also get us onto the second reason a lot of people are bitching and moaning about the iMac Pro: the price!
It isn’t cheap. Though, to be fair, I don’t know what people were expecting. When Apple announced it they said it would start at US$5K. That’s where it would START and also they were doing that really annoying American thing of not having the tax in the price (I understand why they have to do that, but it’s still annoying).
So starting at US$5K, I guessed that it would start at about AUD$7K and if you wanted something that was decent, it would be at least AUD$10K. I was wrong on both counts. It starts at $7299 AUD and the one I want/need is closer AUD$15K. I like typing $15K instead of $15,000, makes it seem like less. Just me? :)
But no matter how you write it, $15K is a lot of money to spend on a single thing. If that thing was a WANT, even more so, but what if it was a NEED? Do you really need it?
Beyond the price and the upgradability, do we need the new iMac Pro?
Cameras are getting more powerful, we are seeing higher megapixels in stills cameras and we are seeing higher resolutions and bit rates in video cameras. With that, we need more powerful computers. That’s not really an argument for or against the beast. I think the key is if you make a living from it or if it’s just a hobby.
If you’re just going to be using the iMac Pro for fun and you have that kind of money you can spend on fun, go for it. But if photography or video a fun thing you do, or even a thing you make a bit of money on the side from, the iMac Pro probably isn’t for you. It should be seen as an investment in a work tool and not just “buying a computer”.
I make my living by filming video clips and then editing those clips together to tell a story. If I have a one week shoot, that means I have about 2-3 weeks of editing to put together the story of that shoot. So you could say that about 60-75% of my billable time is spent editing video on my computer. So, you could then say that at least 60% of my income comes from using my computer. Would being able to work faster mean I could either make more money or spend more time with my family because my editing time is more efficient? You see how easily I try to justify where I am going?
But my financial controller/wife won’t let me get away with it that easily. At the moment when I am not on location and at my desk, I am working on a 2016 5K iMac with 32gigs of RAM and everything else turned to 11. I’ve had a look at the secondhand market and I reckon I could probably get about $3K for it. So that means a new iMac Pro with the config I want, which I’ll have an image of below, would cost me another $8K. Could it really be $8K more powerful and would that speed really help me work that much faster?
Right now maybe not, but I am about to make the move to an all 4K workflow. I’ve been shooting 4K for a while, but most of how I deliver to my clients is in HD. So I shoot a mix of HD and 4K. But 4K is getting to the point now where I am close to just shooting everything in 4K. I even have some projects that may benefit from a few 6K or 8K shots. So moving forward I am going to need more grunt and of course a ton more hard drives, but that’s another story.
At the end of the day, it’s a beast of a machine and it will serve those who need it really well. Yes, it’s “annoying” that you can’t tinker with the specs as you go and yes, it’s not exactly cheap (there are cars out there that are cheaper!), but if you find yourself making money from your workflow and the speed and efficiency will save you time and money down the track, what’s not to love? For me, looking to the next 2-3 years I think the iMac Pro is going to serve me very well. Now to get sign off from the wife.
Lee Herbet
Lee Herbet is a visual storyteller.He is the founder of Capture.ink, which has helped some of the biggest brands in the world tell their stories.He runs workshops all over the globe sharing his knowledge on visual storytelling. He also writes for a number of online sites on the topics of video production and editing.
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35 responses to “If $5K+ for an iMac Pro is too much, it’s not for you!”
If anybody is in any way remotely considering this, the Surface Studio is superior.
How are you moving files to external drives from a Surface Studio? USB-3?!
Or it’s just an overpriced underspec’d POS
It is possible that it is both.
#thatsmypoint
IMHO, the world is now going in the direction of “customization” and “flexibility” – this is how it should be done. Thinking practically, as a photographer not a videographer, the true end of a photo is in print to be displayed; I won’t be (if I get the financial aid) opening a gallery with my photos displayed on monitors. A suitable monitor, calibrated for colors precision, will just do. A machine with enough RAM to stitch panoramas that can stretch 3 meters wide when needed, is just enough. The real investment is in printing methods and printing materials. $5K of a machine and a monitor, as a photographer, won’t add much value to my work.
This is bollocks – I love macs but I did not upgrade my last system. Instead I built a much more powerful PC for a third of the cost of a new Mac. Apple are overpriced !
I did the same about five years ago. Apple started to piss me off and I bough a PC with Win7, still use it with no issues.
Artur Fisher Exactly, don’t get me wrong I like/prefer Apple’s OS and the overall feel of a mac. However, I could not justify parting with ££££s for a newer model. I have a very powerful PC now for a fraction of the cost. This post annoyed me by stating that only professionals in their field can afford this machine so those that can’t are obviously less able or in some way not worthy of it. We are we just don’t like wasting money on bells and whistles.
‘ It’s not just for Pros, it’s for Pros who need the most powerful machine they can get’.
Utter bollocks ???
Powerful? ?
Who gives 5K to a piece of crap company that exploits others to the point of commit suicide… and then not happy enough they now even use tactics were your previous phones will start to function slower… keep filling their pockets :)
#getyourblingon #StopBeingPoor
way over priced. build a more powerful pc for half that much.
I guess I’ll be the first to say it, but if you’re the least bit technically inclined and want to use OS X just build a Hackintosh. I built one four years ago and its still going strong. I put together the equivalent of a $4000 iMac for about $1500. Its definitely not plug ‘n play, but once it was up and running it was rock solid until I was forced to update OS X, at which point I had to spend about a day carefully upgrading so that I wouldn’t break anything. http://www.tonymacx86.com has all the information you could ever need about building one.
Its not for everybody, but if you’re a DIY kind of person (and this is DIY Photography after all), then its a satisfying way to learn a bit about computers and save yourself a ton of money.
Or you can just go with another OS altogether like I did with my laptop. Windows 10 with a touchscreen & Windows Ink is pretty awesome so far.
If you were to build the new imac as a hackintosh, it would be roughly the same cost. It’d be a lot nicer looking, but with the trade off of upgrade ability. For me photo editing dual displays is a must, and with that it aesthetics of the imac pro is compromised.
It’s the easiest time now to build hackintoshes with compatible hardware. My vega was plug and play more on a hack then it would’ve been on windows. The only issue i have with mine is I have to run a script to get the sound card working after each upgrade. I could always buy those bluetooth speakers I’ve been wanting, but other things have been getting priority.
Every school and government facility will be jammed with these.
No positions will be eliminated.
It’s not overpriced. A lot of people have specd out and built PC gaming systems to compare (while not specifically for photography, the processing power should be beneficial for editing).
http://www.pcgamer.com/apples-new-imac-pro-costs-5000-but-is-it-overpriced/
14 core chips have been out for over 5 years from AMD, what took Apple so long?
Surface Studio, or Surface Hybrid Tablet/PC Is the way to go.
Before I even saw this article, I went to price what it would cost to build or buy a PC with the same specs and a similar quality monitor. It came out to by about the same price. I’m to much of a PC person to buy an iMac Pro. But, I do think it is a fair value for the money. It is also more than what most people need. I really think video professionals are the only ones who will get full use out of the hardware that is being offered.
The only thing with the mac is under heavy load is it going to slow down due to heat? The pc you can water cool or just run huge fans to keep it running cool. The mac doesnt have that option so once you start pushing it you will lose performance.
Not to mention you can save quite a bit by “settling” on a 4K monitor, versus 5K. At 27″, you won’t be able to tell the difference between the two. You could even go up to a 32″ and still be happy.
Apple is a POS. I’ve had my Mac for a year now and with every update something goes wrong to the point the last update crashed the entire computer. Apple of course took NO responsibility
If you’re not an idiot who doesn’t mind overspending, it’s not for you
Unfortunately I can’t spend 5-12 grands on a computer right now. Putin gang screwed Russia so badly… Nevertheless, if I had $10 000 for a computer, Id’ never waste it on a Mac crap. PC is the only way to go, PC world has so many options.
I mean, Apple is so last decade. iMac to PC is like Vertu and Tonino Lamborghini to Pixel XL 2 – pretty but “no, thank you!”.
I want one…….just joking
Then I guess its not for me. Its foolishness. Why spend 5K and they may slow that down, too? Maybe? Who knows. Look how they was being sneaky with the iPhones slowing down. They ended up getted busted and now lawsuits have been filed against them. You better Be careful what you ask/wish for. Your 5K may get wasted. Its just not wise. If I was the wife you wouldn’t get my darn approval.
This IMAC is a big joke! Sure, if you/your business use macos and you have a lot of fuk you money – sure IMAC PRO is for you.
When it comes to the “bank for the buck” IMAC Pro really isn’t that bad of a deal. But when it comes to future-proofing and serviceability – this is where it starts to loose money. Especially if you look at Apple’s policy to kill hardware that is older than 3 years.
Don’t know what you’re speaking of… I’ve got a pair of 2008 MacPro’s running High Sierra ( yes I said High Sierra ) from Samsung SSD’s mounted in Apricorn Velocity PCIe Adapter Cards, outputting through the latest NVIDIA pascal GPU’s.
And what exactly was your point, throwing out the specs of your UPGRADED computer trying to prove that this NON-UPGRADABLE computer isn’t a waste of money? :/
Fuck you Ferrari!! I really wanted that California, but can’t afford it! They are the devil incarnated! Also Boeing, right!?
I know I can also go to the grocery store on my Toyota Corolla…
This looks like a video editing machine more than anything else. OSX video pro’s are going to cream their pants for this. I stick to PC for my photo editing. Apple has nothing to offer me that I can’t get out of a PC for half the cost for my work flow. My friends could totally use this though. Their entire workflow as well as the work flow of the people they work with is all OSX based. I actually built them a bad ass super fast pc for around 1k that was eons better than the used imac they just got. They sold the PC because it didn’t meet their work environment and they did not want to spend the time, money, and frustration of acquiring and learning new software. Buying a computer just depends on what is right for your work.
I absolutely refuse to pay that much for a computer system and be unable to upgrade it or make all the changes I want to it. I can put together a similar spec system for the same amount of money, but then if anything goes wrong or the time comes to upgrade a part, I CAN. I am not going to pay to be held hostage to a company that makes its products obsolete within a couple years without any option to upgrade or maintain. (And yes, I know you can completely frankenstein an IMAC or Macbook but what’s the point if you’re going to pay that amount in the first place?)