Following the launch of Apple's latest flagship handset, the iPhone X, all eyes are now fixed on the company's other huge offering before the year ends. As per the latest insider scoop, the iMac Pro is likely to meet its end-of-2017 target release date as Apple's suppliers are now working on the AMD Radeon Pro Vega GPUs. The video card maker's latest top-end product is set to make the iMac graphics even more powerful.
After Apple announced the arrival of a new iMac desktop earlier this year, some had doubts if the Cupertino-based tech giant would be able to meet its own deadline. Nevertheless, the chances are highly likely that the public will see the iMac Pro 2017 powered by AMD Radeon Pro Vega video card this December. According to DigiTimes, sources inside Apple have claimed that the company already ordered the AMD video cards back in September.
Specifically, several Taiwan-based outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) firms are now busy with the processing phase of the AMD Radeon Pro Vega GPUs. The aim at this point is to finish the 2.5D packaging for the video cards, which is said to be performed by the Taiwanese tech company SPIL. King Yuan Electronics is the one in charge of testing the AMD video cards, while the U.S.-based company Global Foundries will do the general fabrication of the GPUs with the use of a 14-nanometer process. These firms will work double time until the end of 2017, making sure that the AMD Vega cards will be ready for the iMac Pro launch.
Latest reports show that the iMac Pro 2017 will feature two AMD Radeon Pro Vega GPUs, namely the Vega 56 and Vega 64 cards. Buyers can choose the best iMac Pro variant for them, with the Vega 56 option having 8 gigabytes of HBM2 memory while the Vega 64 has 16 gigabytes. It is believed that the iMac Pro's expensive starting cost of $4,999 is due to AMD's high-end video cards.
So far, it is confirmed that the iMac Pro 2017 will sport a 5K display, plus an 8-core Intel Xeon processor that can be adjusted up to 10 and 18 cores. The desktop also boasts 32 gigabytes of RAM and 1TB SSD memory. For some users, the iMac Pro could be Apple's answer to criticisms that the company has already neglected their Mac lineup for other products, such as the iPhone and iPad devices.
