Apple teased its new utlra-powerful iMac Pro earlier this month at WWDC, offering some baseline specs for the machine and saying it would be released in December for $4999. Now, the blog Pike’s Universum claims to have some additional details regarding the iMac Pro’s power…
The site claims that the iMac Pro will be powered by Intel’s next-generation server-grade Skylake-EX and Skylake-EP processors, citing information available within firmware files from the macOS High Sierra beta. Furthermore, the files reportedly indicate that the iMac Pro will use Intel’s server-class LGA3647 socket, as opposed to its desktop-class LGA2066 socket (via MR).
What this means, if accurate, is that the iMac Pro would offer server-level Xeon processors, codenamed Purley rather than Skylake or Kaby Lake processors that use the LGA2066 socket.
The hints don’t stop there, however, as the blog goes on to note that the iMac Pro will feature an ARM coprocessor in the form of a Secure Enclave, similar to that of the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. The Secure Enclave adds an additional level of security to the Mac and suggests that Touch ID could be supported. While Apple has indicated that Touch ID will be a feature of the iMac Pro, it certainly doesn’t seem too crazy to think it could be implemented into the accompanying Space Gray keyboard.
As for the accuracy of this report, Pike’s Universum revealed some of the iMac’s specs back in April, correctly saying that the machine would feature a Xeon processor, faster storage and RAM, USB-C, and improved graphics.
Furthermore, a report from Bloomberg earlier this year claimed that Apple is developing an ARM chip that may appear in future-generation Mac models.
On stage at WWDC, Apple outlined that the iMac Pro would be configurable with specs such as Radeon Pro Vega graphics, 4TB of SSD storage, and 128GB of ECC RAM, touting the machine as the “most powerful Mac ever.” While Apple says the machine will start at $4999, some reports have speculated that the fully maxed-out model could range up to $17,000.
The important thing to note here is that many details about the iMac Pro remain to be uncovered, and with the release so far off, it’s possible that not even Apple has nailed down exact specifications yet.
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