Looks like a company finally listened.
I think there were more benefits to an ordinary user to getting a tower in the past then there are now.
In the past even a hobby or prosumer photographer would see a big benefit from getting a Mac Pro. Nowadays an iMac or Macbook Pro with very normal specs can edit large RAW files without breaking a sweat.
The extra HDD bays on a Mac Pro were great because you didn't have to mess around with USB2 (cheap but slow) or FW (fast but expensive). Now you have USB3 (cheap and fast) or TB (very fast but expensive).
I guess that leaves upgradeable graphics cards, at this point it is easier to just get a PC or try a hackintosh build if you want a beast GPU for the latest games.
> There was even a time in the past, when a Mac Pro would start below 2k and consequently was very popular.
2006:
Mac Pro base model: $2,199 ($2,800 in 2019 dollars)
30" Cinema Display: $3,299 ($4,198)
Soundsticks (Of course!) $169.99
2019:
iMac 27" 5K base model: $1,799
iMac Pro base model: $4,999
Graphics cards is another thing, but also the plain ability to clean fans when they start to clog up. The limitations of the iMac are amplified by Apple making the interior inaccessible.
Finally, while the screen of the iMac is great, I would like to have a larger screen.
So there are plenty of reasons still to have a bit more than the iMac can deliver.
Check your cabling or hardware — this is not normal except when something is starting to fail.
With Thunderbolt3, there are more solutions for external storage, but still I find it odd consindering the price, that you don't get a desktop Mac where you can plug in some NVM SSDs or you get at least a few 2.5 inch bays.
I've had BlackMagic 1U SSD rack with a few drives connected to my 2013 iMac 27'' via Thunderbolt since like... 2013, and not a single time did they disconnect. It just works.
The rack is under the table so it doesn't "beat the purpose of an elegant desktop machine" either.
I am not arguing that the iMac shouldn't exist, I just listed a few points which can be better addressed with a proper desktop machine. Why I would be willing to spend quite a bit of money for that convenience.