iMac Pro died so we could have Apple silicon iMacs

Apple officially killed its iMac Pro last week. Its lack of a refresh had already suggested it could be a one-and-done product and, sure enough, it's very much done. But why? An iMac with Mac Pro innards – at the time it launched, anyway – was well received and much loved by those who bought one. But ultimately, it can't compete with modern Macs anymore.

Like the M1 MacBook Air.

While I know I'm comparing a computer with a gorgeous 27-inch screen with a small notebook, the point still stands. The best that Intel could offer for iMac Pro simply can't compete with what Apple silicon has to offer and it absolutely won't compete with whatever Apple has ready for the next iMac refresh. Whatever the iMac's chip ends up being called, it'll be stupendously quick. Scary quick in fact. Especially if your LinkedIn profile says Intel Architecture Engineer anywhere.

Right there is Apple's problem. You can't ship an iMac Pro with Intel processors and have an iMac – costing a quarter of the price – be more capable. Nobody would buy it. Sure, iMac Pro boasts ECC RAM and all that good stuff, but Apple silicon means none of that matters anymore. It's all about ports, speed, and screen size and if iMac does its thing there's simply no space for iMac Pro in the lineup.

This, of course, makes Mac Pro's future an interesting one. We've already heard of a Mac mini Pro being worked on. Is that the new Mac Pro? Maybe?

Whatever happens with Mac Pro, the arrival of Apple silicon has the potential to completely rewrite Apple's lineup, condensing it in the process. Fewer Macs could be good for everyone with Apple able to focus its resources and hopefully avoid another keyboard fiasco.

And if it means the end of the $50,000 Mac Pro, all the better.