iMac Pro impresses in first hands-on reviews

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Apple
This is the best iMac Apple's ever made.
Photo: Apple

Apple surprised us this morning by finally revealing the launch date of the iMac Pro, but a few lucky tech reviewers have already gotten their hands on the slick new machine.

The first hands-on reviews of the iMac Pro confirm a lot of what we already knew about Apple’s machine: it’s gorgeous and insanely fast. But according to those that have tested it, the iMac Pro actually blows past the hype of being the perfect iMac for professionals.

It’s a dream to work on

imac pro
The screen is absolutely stunning.
Photo: Apple

Apple gave one of its 10-core iMac Pro models to Dr. Craig Hunter, a mechanical/aerospace engineer who also develops aerodynamic simulation apps. Craig put his iMac Pro through a series of simulation tests and came away mightly impressed with the machine.

“Paired with a stunning 5120×2880 Retina “5K” display, the iMac Pro is a graphics powerhouse — I continually marveled at how crisp and clean everything was rendered with no apparent overhead or impact on performance. I’m used to choosing between performance or detail when visualizing complex 3D datasets, and the iMac Pro gives both. Even when just working in Xcode or a terminal window, the clarity and brightness of the screen made it really easy on the eyes.

It looks killer

The iMac Pro is a beast on the inside and an absolute beauty on the outside. Jonathon Morrison has already created a gorgeous video showcasing the iMac Pro in a perfect outdoor desk setup.

It’s insanely fast

iMac Pro
The internals are insane.
Photo: Apple

Photographer Vincent Laforet got to incorporate the iMac Pro into his workflow for a few days and says the price tag is totally worth it, especially because of how fast it is.

“I’ve seldom seen a jump this dramatic before on any new generation of Macs – 20%-30% speed increases are the norm … NOT 200%-300% increases. That’s SIGNIFICANT. Basically, if you’re debating whether or not to purchase the iMac Pro you should ask yourself just one question: how much is your time worth to you?”

It’s actually a great value

YouTuber Marques Brownlee replaced his 2013 Mac Pro with an iMac Pro to edit his review and has a lot of good things to say. Brownless says its like the perfect high-end YouTuber Final Cut Pro X machine. Even though the price tag is insane for most users, for people like MKBHD, it’s a solid value.

“It’s very easy to hate on the iMac Pro because it’s very expensive and then it’s not upgradeable at all. That’s definitely its biggest weakness for sure, but for the hardware inside and the actual specs that you’re actually getting, it’s actually a fairly well-priced machine.”

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