iMac 2017 release date, specs, rumors: Will the line be discontinued?

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently assured people amidst rumors now going around about the iMac being discontinued.

In an internal Q&A session, 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."

While his response is an assurance that the company will not discontinue producing desktops, it begs the question of when the line will be updated since the CEO only mentioned that the project is on the roadmap, but he did not provide a definite answer of when a new one will be released. It can be recalled that the last iMac update was back in 2015, with the integration of the Retina 5K display.

A Best Buy ad, which was also quickly pulled out by the company, provided a list of specifications for a new iMac, which is priced at $3,199.99 and comes with an Intel Kaby Lake processor with 32 GB of RAM and 2 TB Fusion Drive. It is possible that more affordable variants will be offered to reach a wider range of customers, albeit with lower specs. It is possible that Apple may incorporate the new Ryzen 7 processors, which are known to be cheaper, highly efficient alternatives, in order to cut back on expenses. It is also likely that the new iMacs will have a slimmer and lighter design since that is the trend for most computers now.

Three Apple events are lined up this year: the spring event in April, the Worldwide Developers Conference in June, and another activity in September. It is possible that the iMac 2017 will be announced in one of those events, along with the other upcoming products of the company.