There have not been any substantial new reports on the iMac 2017 other than the latest update of adding a Retina screen back in 2015, which could be a sign of the end of the Mac brand. Moreover, Apple CEO Tim Cook's assurance of developing more desktops did not directly reference the iMac, possibly hinting instead of a MacOS/iOS Hybrid since there are now more iOS apps than MacOS.
The last time the all-in-one desktop made headlines was in October 2016, following a Best Buy posting with a listing of the processor and price. The post mentioned a 27-inch iMac with 32GB of RAM and the 2TB Fusion Drive priced at $3,999.99.
The post could just be a placeholder text, but tech pundits think otherwise since the processor was also listed. The all-in-one PC is set to have a Kaby Lake processor particularly the Core i7-7700 Kaby Lake chipset running at 4.2 GHz, which can overclock to 4.8GHz.
It appears that the iMac 2017 carries a hefty processing power, indicating the addition of a VR capability PC Advisor reported. However, these are just rumors that have not been substantiated or confirmed by Apple.
In a Q&A on Apple's internal employee network, Cook was asked if Mac desktops are strategic for the firm. Cook confirmed that it is, but curiously did not mention the Mac brand. He continued saying that desktops were indeed strategic and important, but no reference to the Mac desktops.
The assurance of continuing the desktops without saying specifically the Mac fueled speculations that Apple may be dropping the iconic brand. It was the Mac that catapulted Apple into a tech behemoth people know today and not mentioning its very first product line was an oversight easily noticed.
In recent months, Apple has been shifting its focus to their iPhones and iPads and de-prioritizing the Mac. There is no longer a dedicated software engineering team for the MacOS, with engineers now working on both MacOS and iOS.
MacWorld sees the move as suggestive of Apple's new direction in pushing a different desktop roadmap. This could be without the Mac brand, but with a new MacOS/iOS hybrid that will give the ultimate desktop experience. It could be a more practical investment since Apple already has an extensive list of iOS apps as compared to MacOS apps.
More details may be revealed on the future of the iMac 2017 on the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June. For Mac fans, this may not be the end of an era for Apple may still unveil the iconic desktop this summer or at a smaller launch event, stay tuned for more news on this site.
