iMac 2017 Specs And Rumors: 4.8GHz Core i7-7700 Kaby Lake Chip, AMD Radeon Polaris Graphics And VR Capability

The 2017 iMac is arguably one of Apple’s most anticipated products. After being neglected for years, the iMac line is pretty much in dire need of an update. Fortunately, if Apple CEO Tim Cook’s words are any indication, it appears that it would only be a matter of time before the Cupertino-based tech giant focuses on its homegrown, iconic, all-in-one desktop computer once more.

Apple rolled out the last iMac update way back in 2015 when the tech giant introduced a Retina screen to smaller desktop models while equipping its larger units with Skylake chips. Since then, the iMac appeared to have been largely forgotten, with the all-in-one computer seemingly following the path of the now-discontinued 11-inch MacBook Air. According to a MacWorld report, however, Apple CEO Tim Cook personally stated that the future of the tech firm’s desktop computer is not as grim as what many would like to believe.

“The desktop is very strategic for us. It’s unique compared to the notebook because you can pack a lot more performance on a desktop — the largest screens, the most memory and storage, a greater variety of I/O, and fastest performance. So there are many different reasons why desktops are really important, and in some cases critical, to people.

“The current generation iMac is the best desktop we have ever made and its beautiful Retina 5K display is the best desktop display in the world. Some folks in the media have raised the question about whether we’re committed to desktops. 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.”

Thus, while the Apple CEO only mentioned the iMac once, it appears that the all-in-one would not be retired anytime soon. With this in mind, several encouraging rumors have emerged about the device, such as a possible release date sometime this 2017. After all, with the MacBook Pro line being given a refresh for 2016, it only seems fitting that Apple’s iconic all-in-one desktop computer would be following soon after.

Rumors of the iMac 2017’s release date point to the device seeing an early to late 2017 release date. Speculations about the device’s reveal are conflicting, with some stating that the iMac 2017 would be launched in March and others stating that the all-in-one desktop would be revealed sometime in October instead. Regardless of the actual date, it appears that after all the wait, the 2017 iMac would definitively be coming, according to a PC Advisor report.

Rumors about the device’s internals have been very encouraging so far, with recent speculations stating that the iMac 2017 would be equipped with 4.2GHz Intel Core i7-7700 Kaby Lake chip. What is particularly interesting is that the Core i7-7700 chip rumored for the 2017 iMac is capable of overclocking to 4.8GHz. Such specs equate to some serious processing power, and numerous Apple fans have remarked that the rumored chip would actually be enough to provide a suitable VR experience.

One thing that iMacs have struggled against lately is raw power and graphical capability. While Apple’s current all-in-one desktops are beautifully designed, they simply do not have enough muscle to compete with powerhouses from Windows. With the 2017 iMac, however, this appears to be changing, with rumors stating that the machine’s Core i7-7700 chip would be paired with AMD Polaris 10 chips, which would, in turn, drastically improve the performance of the all-in-one desktop.

The boost to a powerful Core i7 Kaby Lake processor and AMD Polaris graphics appear to be targeting a very specific niche – virtual reality. VR might not be taking off as fast as its innovators have hoped, but the technology is slowly being integrated very well into the market. Apple has always been a tech firm that blazes the trail for new technological innovations, but unfortunately, regarding virtual reality, the Cupertino-based tech giant is severely lagging behind. With this in mind, it would appear that the iMac 2017 might be Apple’s response to the gauntlet thrown by Apple’s most intense competitors in the all-in-one desktop computing industry, as well as the emerging VR market itself.

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