Apple Discontinues The iMac Pro; Listed As “While Supplies Last” On Website

Apple is discontinuing the production and future sales of its iMac Pro computer. The company recently updated the model’s page on its website, informing customers that the desktop computer is only available “while supplies last” and making the default configuration as the only option for purchase. The ability to custom order it has been removed entirely.

To recap, the iMac Pro model was first introduced in 2017 as a high-end variant, featuring specifications intended for workstation-esque tasks such as video editing and 3D modelling. Its default configuration included a 27-inch Retina 5K display, 3.0GHz 10-core Intel Xeon W processor (boostable to 4.5GHz), 32GB ECC memory, 1TB SSD storage, Radeon Pro Vega 56 with 8GB HBM2 memory, and four Thunderbolt 3 ports. This base (and sole) configuration of the desktop computer is currently retailing at RM20,855 on the official Apple website.

The company has confirmed with The Verge that the iMac Pro product line will cease once it has cleared all of its respective stock and supplies, but did not clarify the reason for the model’s discontinuation. It is believed that Apple will undeniably equip upcoming iMac computers with newer and more powerful ARM-based Silicon in-house processors, on top of offering different configurations to customers – therefore, eliminating the need for a separate Pro model.

Additionally, recent rumours suggest that the company will also fully redesign its upcoming all-in-one computer to somewhat resemble the Apple Pro Display XDR companion monitor for the Mac Pro. Unlike the monitor, we really hope the company is not planning to have the new iMac model to be sold separately without a stand.

Google Discontinues Sale of Cardboard VR Headsets

Google has officially stopped the sales of Cardboard, its affordable VR headsets made out of…well, cardboard. The search engine made the announcement of the discontinuation on the product’s page, with the message reading “We are no longer selling Google Cardboard on the Google Store”.

According to multiple reports, the discontinuation announcement is fairly new, given that Cardboard VR had been in circulation since it was first unveiled during Google I/O 2015. Google’s objective at the time was to bring VR technology and adoption to the entry-level market, en masse.

Google tried to take the Cardboard project to another level, with the Daydream View popping up afterwards, just a couple of years later. However, it is apparent that interest in the project has dwindled considerably over the past few years, which kind of explains the company’s decision to bring down the shutters on the product.

That said, Google did make it clear that it is still continuing its VR endeavour via its Cardboard open source project. Additionally, you can still purchase third-party “cardboard” based solutions through 3rd party cutouts, all made to Google’s specifications.