Apple finally answers the call of its pro users

Apple has been harangued by fans for presumably giving up the professional market segment in favor of more general-use computers. The company finally responded to those concerns by teasing the next iMac Pro, which will launch in December. As is usually the case with Apple devices, though, this machine doesn't come cheap.

The iMac Pro will start at $4,999 when it launches, but the price of the most expensive new Apple desktop computer hasn't been revealed. The specifications of the iMac will offer up to an 18-core Xeon processor with Radeon Pro Vega graphics. This configuration will presumably cost a lot more than $5,000. Users will also have the option of putting in up to 4TB of SSD storage. These innards will be stuffed behind a 27-inch Retina 5K display with USB and Thunderbolt ports on the side.

Apple also announced a new MacBook Pro that doesn't differ much from the previous model. It really just updates the laptop to the latest generation of Intel CPUs. This is good news for people who want the latest technology, and it does offer a slight jump in performance and power efficiency, but it's not earth-shattering.

When the iMac Pro finally comes out, it will be the main way for Apple fans to get a really powerful computer. It comes at a steep price, however. Complaints about the last generation of Macs have already resulted in many people moving to more powerful Windows PCs, which cost a lot less for equivalent specifications. For people who absolutely need a Mac, the iMac Pro announcement should be a welcome one. For everyone else, PC makers are already working on a solution, if they don't have one already.