Apple is reportedly all set to start the production of two highly anticipated 2017 iMac all-in-one (AIO) PCs in May 2017 for an official launch in the second half of this year. According to sources, the tech giant is also testing a new server-grade iMac for the high-end sector currently and the product's major competitor is expected to be Microsoft's recently released Surface Studio.
The Cupertino-based company has already revealed that the new and improved high-end iMac models will be coming this year and will be suitable for Pro users' needs. In a recent report, new iMacs will be the upgrades to the 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMac models that are currently available in the market. The new iMacs are expected to hit market shelves by the third quarter, just in time for the year-end holiday season.
The speculated "server-grade" iMac Pro is reported to come with Intel's Xeon E3-1285 v6 processor, packing 16GB-64GB ECC RAM, up to 2TB SSD drives and comes with the latest graphics card. The high-end iMac is prepping up to compete with the Surface Studio all-in-one PC, which was announced last year aiming design and creative professionals.
Apple could well turn to AMD once again for its graphics solution, with Polaris 10 being the best candidate. It offers upgraded graphics performance and also potential reductions in power consumption and waste heat. Interestingly, these new graphics chips will be the first to bring VR potential to the Mac. This is also backed up by Pike's Universum suggesting that it will feature AMD graphics to support VR and Pro users/apps. An 8K external display, which would surely feature as part of the Apple's highest end iMac offering and is also expected to come with USB-C ports and Thunderbolt 3 connectivity. Moreover, the new iMac arriving later this year is also expected to feature fast Intel Optane memory and storage.
Recently, Apple responded to the concern of Mac Pro users saying it was "completely rethinking the Mac Pro". Apple officially confirmed that it is working on next-generation Mac Pro devices that should launch in 2018. More so, Apple also confirmed it is currently working closely on an iMac for Pro users, which is likely to debut end of this year.
