The new 27 inch iMac with 5K Retina display is displayed during an Apple special event on October 16, 2014 in Cupertino, California. (Photo : Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
The pressure is now with Apple to release a newer version of its iMac all-in-one series desktop after Microsoft unveiled their Surface Studio AIO in September. The iMac was expected to show up in October during a scheduled media event, but nothing came up. With this, it is now speculated that the new iMac will be presented early 2017.
It remains a mystery on what kind of processors the next generation desktop computer would be using. The tech community is expecting the seventh generation Intel Kaby Lake chip for the new models, but there are questions with regard to its availability. The lack of available information on the latest chip makes it difficult for observers see the possible options for the iMac, according to Macrumors.
The graphics department of the high-end 27-inch iMac is expected to be powered by AMD GPUs, just like the current one. It is rumored that the newer Polaris 10 or Polaris 11 architecture-based cards will be used, discarding the Fiji-based ones. Apple is also said to be creating a VR-ready AIO and the newer GPU fits the bill.
Design-wise, nothing is expected to change on the externals. The smaller 21.5-inch model could still have the LED-backlit display, with an option to upgrade to a Retina 4K one. Its system memory could still start with the 8GB RAM that could be configurable up to 32GB RAM. Storage space is also expected to start at 1TB, with an option to upgrade to a 3TB Fusion drive or a couple of SSDs. Thunderbolt 3 ports are also anticipated to come along.
Meanwhile, Microsoft recently joined the AIO wars with the unveiling of the Surface Studio. The desktop machine offers a 28-inch PixelSense 10-point touchscreen display that offers 4500 x 3000 resolution and comes with 192 ppi pixel density. It is powered by the sixth generation Intel Core, either an i5 or i7 and sports an 8 GB, 16 GB or 32 GB of RAM, according to its official website.
A built-in NVDIA GTX series GPU takes care of the Windows PC graphics requirement, while the wireless keyboard and mouse make sure that no wires will hinder one's movement. A Surface Pen is also included in the package, which starts at $2,999 and will ship by early 2017.
Currently, the 21.5-inch iMac model starts at $1,099, while the 27-inch variant starts at $1,799. There is no official announcement regarding the next Apple iMac.
