Apple iMac 2017 could launch before March ends; 5K display and VR support still on board

Not much is being reported about the upcoming iMac, if ever Apple does come up with a new one this year. The Cupertino, California-based tech titan is set to launch a handful of new products at a reported event later this month and a slew of other ones at a special September conference, but unfortunately for fans of the Apple desktop, there is no major buzz about an iMac 2017 model. The Macintosh computer definitely needs a refresh, but the long wait could be worth it as the new model could reportedly come with significant upgrades.

It seems like it has been an eternity since the iMac was last updated. The most recent iMac model came out in October 13, 2015. And Apple hasn’t really provided hints about its successor over the last few months.

Just two months ago, fans were expecting that the revamped desktop was going to see its release before the end of the first quarter. Now that April is about two weeks away, a March unveiling is still possible. Hopefully Apple doesn’t come up empty again like it did the last time.

During a press event at its headquarters on October 27 last year, Apple launched the new MacBook Pro models but didn’t mention anything about a new iMac. Fans of the popular desktop were left frustrated that its maker held a Mac-specific event without offering a glimpse or update not only about the new iMac, but the Mac Mini and Mac Pro as well.

The iPhone has been Apple’s bread and butter for a while now, so it’s understandable that the company is much more focused on its smartphone compared to its all-in-one desktop. But Apple CEO Tim Cook has made it clear that the iMac is still very much in the line-up despite the lack of buzz surrounding it. The only problem is that there is no real timetable for its return.

“Some folks in the media have raised the question about whether we’re committed to desktops,” Cook posted to an Apple employee message board, per TechCrunch. “If there’s any doubt about that with our teams, let me be very clear: we have great desktops in our roadmap. Nobody should worry about that.”

The most common projection about the next iMac is that it’s going to equip an Intel Kaby Lake i7-7700K chipset, which has DisplayPort 1.2, Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1 support. Previous reports also suggest that the upcoming desktop may sport an upgraded 5K display along with virtual reality (VR) capabilities. The 27-inch iMac 2017 is also linked with the AMD Polaris 10 graphics chip.

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