iMac 2016 release date, specs news & update: No new iMac at Oct. 27 Apple event; coming in 2017 instead?

Rumors said the iMac 2016 could be unveiled alongside the new MacBook Pro and new MacBook Air at Apple's Oct. 27 launch event. But while the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar was, indeed, introduced, there was nary a word about any other new hardware products.

In years past, Apple kept its desktop computers more or less as updated as its iPhones. While not every annual update offered big improvements, users could usually expect a major upgrade every 2 to 3 years.

Today, things have changed. The iMac last received an update in late 2015, with the main new feature being a Retina 4k display. The processor, graphics chip, and underlying design stayed the same. In fact, these haven't changed much in the last few years. As such, tech analysts warn that the Surface Studio, Microsoft's new touch screen competitor, could begin to overshadow Apple's desktop computer line.

"Windows is pretty far ahead on all sorts of processor intensive activities that Apple used to do well in," Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD Group, told Yahoo! "Surface Studio is going to hurt Apple a lot in those professional categories," he added.

In addition, Yahoo! noted that though Apple's iMac is aging, the tech giant has yet to offset the old hardware with appropriate discounts — a fact that could soon drive away iMac fans.

Nonetheless, there are those who suggested that Apple could still be working on the iMac and that the Cupertino-based company may soon come out with new and better models.

"These products by Apple are always produced with a strategic goal in mind," said Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies. "They also always want to push design to the edge and that also takes time," he continued.

Indeed, MacWorld suggested that the next iMac could be powered by the new AMD Zen processor and incorporate AMD's Polaris GPUs. Adding Polaris GPUs to the iMac could ostensibly allow the desktop to be used for VR.

Because Apple's October event came and went without an iMac 2016 reveal, PC Advisor U.K. now said that the desktop computer could be launched in March 2017.