Apple begins selling $4999 27-inch iMac Pro with 8-core CPU, deliveries arrive Dec. 27

Apple on Thursday kicked off sales of the iMac Pro, its first all-in-one professional-grade desktop, packing 8 Intel Xeon processing cores and 32 gigabytes of RAM into the entry-level $4,999 model. The first orders via Apple's website arrive just after Christmas.

Though Apple's website still advertised a Dec. 14 launch date early Thursday, the company's official Apple Store app began taking preorders first. The iMac was unavailable for pickup, but delivers for free by Dec. 27 or 28.

The machine, intended for high-end demands, has a base configuration with an eight-core processor running at 3.2 gigahertz, 32 gigabytes of ECC DDR4 2666 RAM, a Vega 56 GPU with 8GB of VRAM, and 1 terabyte of flash storage. Configurations shipping in 2017 include a 10-core 3.0GHz processor, up to 4TB of storage, a Vega 64 GPU with 8GB of RAM, and up to 128GB of RAM.

Connectivity options include a SD card with UHS-II support, four Thunderbolt 3 ports, a 10 Gigabit Ethernet port, three USB 3.0 type A ports, and a headphone jack.

The display is 5K, with Apple's Wide Color display that spans the DCI-P3 gamut. Resolution is 5120 by 2880 with 500 nits of brightness.

The unit ships in Space Gray, with matching Lightning cable to charge the included Magic Keyboard with Numeric Keypad, and Magic Mouse 2. A Space Gray Magic Trackpad 2 is available for sale in conjunction with the unit.

At present, it is not clear if the unit will be stocked at Apple's retail stores. Adorama and B&H Photo, both Apple authorized resellers, are currently taking pre-orders for the iMac Pro with no sales tax on purchases shipped outside NY and NJ. A full list of deals can be found in our iMac Pro Price Guide.