Apple iMac 2016 release date and specs rumors: VR-ready iMac to arrive with powerful Intel chipset, AMD GPU?

Ivan Menchavez Thursday, July 14, 2016

27-inch iMac (C) stands out among other Apple devices. | APPLE

Many fans were hoping for Apple to announce the highly anticipated next generation iMac during the recently concluded World Wide Developers Conference or WWDC 2016. However, it appeared that the Cupertino-based company had a different plan than what people expected. Despite the absence of the new iMac during the event, rumors about the device continued to stay rampant. Now, new reports have emerged suggesting that iMac 2016 will be equipped with the latest processors and will come out as VR ready.

The current iMac, which was released in 2015, surprised several people after Apple decided to use Intel's Skylake processors instead of its usual Haswell chipset. According to a report by MacWorld, Speculations are starting to surface suggesting that the next iteration of iMac will run on the next generation Intel process, the Kaby Lake. Although Intel has yet to announce the arrival of the powerful chipset, many believe that the company will roll it out before 2016 ends.

However, tech observers are saying that Kaby Lake will only happen if Apple decides to release the new iMac in 2016. If the company will opt for a 2017 launching, the American tech giant may use the more powerful Cannonlake processor, which is the expected successor of the Kaby Lake.

Meanwhile, previous report suggested that not only will the new iMac carry a powerful processor; it will also have one of the best GPU in the market today, the AMD's Polaris. There were reports a few months earlier saying that AMD has signed a deal with Apple in October 2015 to produce GPU hardware for some of their future releases.

The new AMD graphic chipset is also expected to help Apple achieve a VR-ready iMac. If rumors prove to be true, iMac 2016 will be the first device from the company to sport the latest VR technology.

As of now, fans will have to wait for the company to announce the iMac 2016. Until then, all rumors and speculations must be taken with a grain of salt.