iMac 2017 release date, specs rumors: New Mac desktop to be released this year without iMac branding?

It has been too long since Apple released an update for its iMac desktops, and users of the brand are anticipating that a new model will be released this year. Meanwhile, Apple's new desktop may no longer carry the brand of iMac.

Apple last updated the iMac series in 2015, giving Retina-class screen resolution for the smaller models and enhancing the larger ones by using Skylake processor chips. Prior to that, the iMac's update was in 2013 when the Haswell processors were added, along with new graphics, enhanced Wi-Fi, and faster PCle flash storage.

With Apple's trend of updating the iMac every two years, it is anticipated that the new iMac model will debut in the market this 2017. Although, no confirmation as to what the new features will be and when it will be launched have been released.

According to a report from TechCrunch, Apple CEO Tim Cook shared a statement that might be hinting at the company dropping the iMac branding.

When asked by a customer whether the Apple desktops were strategic for them, Cook responded that they are.

"It's unique compared to the notebook because you can pack a lot more performance in a desktop - the largest screens, the most memory and storage, a greater variety of I/O, and fastest performance," Cook said.

"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," the Apple CEO added.

Although Cook assured the audience of Apple's commitment to their desktops, MacWorld suggests that Cook's avoidance to the name "iMac" might be hinting that they will soon drop the brand.

A report from Bloomberg featuring Mark Gurman explained that Apple might be creating a hybrid of macOS and iOS since all their engineers work on both systems.

Apple's new iMac model is anticipated to debut this year.