Will Apple release new iMac in March?

[ochemypie]

Yeah. I've been waiting since November to get a new one.
I don't think I'll forgive myself if I get a 2015 imac and in few months later, Apple release a new desktop with more functions. Also, when the new one comes out, usually prices of old gens drop.
I'll wait till the March event and if they do not release it, I guess I'll be buying 2015 imac, even though I'm more than confident that they will release the new imac in june if not introduced in march.

 

[richinaus]

Yes, the componenets have now been released for the new iMacs. Not doing it in March would actually be benificial due to the benefits with Polaris GPUs and Cannonlake but I don't think that will happen.

I wonder if they don't release in March, we will be looking at something like an iMac pro and the Mac Pro gets cancelled.
That would allow for the more powerful CPU & GPU. It's not as if this would be the first time Apple delayed a product update.

If we see just a modest design update in March, with no real aesthetic change [which is probably most likely], then my money would be on the redesign for Cannonlake and Polaris.

 

[Appleaker]

I wonder if they don't release in March, we will be looking at something like an iMac pro and the Mac Pro gets cancelled.
That would allow for the more powerful CPU & GPU. It's not as if this would be the first time Apple delayed a product update.

If we see just a modest design update in March, with no real aesthetic change [which is probably most likely], then my money would be on the redesign for Cannonlake and Polaris.

You could be right but I think an iMac Pro won't happen. A lot of people have been talking about it, but it's a similar to the 2016 MBA refresh rumor. People are kind of hoping for it but realistically it's not going to happen.

There's a Mac Pro design concept that's suddenly become popular. It's weird because it's almost exactly what I've been imagining since the trash can redesign, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that (including Apple). The only way Apple can make the Mac Pro a success again with the Mac Pro market is by moving to that design.

They have not abandoned the Mac Pro within Apple, but the refresh delay is likely due to timing of components and other products. They do have plans for it, and hopefully it's a redesign (although that could be unlikely). It's a mystery to me why they are decreasing the upgradeability of Macs when it is a fantastic business opportunity for them (i.e. proprietary SSDs and graphics cards).

 

[Stacc]

I wonder if they don't release in March, we will be looking at something like an iMac pro and the Mac Pro gets cancelled.
That would allow for the more powerful CPU & GPU. It's not as if this would be the first time Apple delayed a product update.

If we see just a modest design update in March, with no real aesthetic change [which is probably most likely], then my money would be on the redesign for Cannonlake and Polaris.

If the next iMac is getting cannonlake, we will be waiting a long time. Cannonlake for laptops is rumored for late 2017, but its not on the roadmap for desktops for a long time. In fact, its been replaced by "Coffeelake," which will be a 6 core CPU on 14 nm, not 10 nm to be released in 2018.

 

[Andres Cantu]

I wonder if they don't release in March, we will be looking at something like an iMac pro and the Mac Pro gets cancelled.
That would allow for the more powerful CPU & GPU. It's not as if this would be the first time Apple delayed a product update.

If we see just a modest design update in March, with no real aesthetic change [which is probably most likely], then my money would be on the redesign for Cannonlake and Polaris.

I doubt they will discontinue the Mac Pro. If you don't count the 2012 model, it went more than 3 years without an update before the 2013 model, and they mentioned that they developed that specific design "for the next ten years", same with the lightning cable (thus no USB-C like many believe).

 

[danielwsmithee]

I'm certain Apple has a lot more in their roadmaps for new desktops. My guess is the next major iMac redesign will center around a ~34" 8K display. Which probably won't happen for a few more years until display costs come down. My guess is they just issue minor updates to the current iMac until that time.

I'm not really sure what to make of the Mac Pro. There really isn't new Xeon processors coming out in the near term that would signal an update. My guess is the Mac Pro does get updated with the release of the Xeon E5 v5 processor line from Intel, and will include an update to TB3 at that time. Who knows though they may do a major redesign at that point. I think there is a large market that would like to have standard PCIE video card compatibility in their Mac Pros...

 

[briloronmacrumo]

I'm not really sure what to make of the Mac Pro. There really isn't new Xeon processors coming out in the near term that would signal an update.

The last two revs of Xeon processors( since the Mac Pro's introduction in 2013 ) appropriate for the Mac Pro weren't signals for a new Mac Pro, so the absence/existence of a Xeon rev seems almost irrelevant at this point.

 

[richinaus]

I doubt they will discontinue the Mac Pro. If you don't count the 2012 model, it went more than 3 years without an update before the 2013 model, and they mentioned that they developed that specific design "for the next ten years", same with the lightning cable (thus no USB-C like many believe).

and everyone went crazy for that wait too.

I honestly don't understand ,as a large tech company, how hard it would be to keep the machine current each year. Doesn't have to get a new cpu. Maybe faster SSD or better GPU's etc. Or even a price drop.

It really isn't hard !

 

[danielwsmithee]

The last two revs of Xeon processors( since the Mac Pro's introduction in 2013 ) appropriate for the Mac Pro weren't signals for a new Mac Pro, so the absence/existence of a Xeon rev seems almost irrelevant at this point.

While your point is true. If Apple is planning an update to incorporate TB3 on the Mac Pro, they would likely delay the update by a few months if there are new Xeon processors on the horizon. The other piece to this is the new Skylake Xeons are supposed to be added 8 new PCIE lanes, which would be important to Apple for both NVME Flash and TB3.

I personally would love to see Apple release a Mac with form factor similar to this:
https://dan-cases.com

 

[Lesser Evets]

March, April, or May? Who knows.

I doubt the design will change. It's a good design and while the slimming of the vessels would be beneficial to an aesthetic, it's no big whooptie.

Just boost the internals.

 

[jlseattle]

The question I have is: Are we going to see an new iMac announcement in 2017. I'm concerned that we might just not see anything at all. Seems like they are happy with the iMac as is. They might announce minor processor upgrades. What else would they announce?

 

[Stacc]

The question I have is: Are we going to see an new iMac announcement in 2017. I'm concerned that we might just not see anything at all. Seems like they are happy with the iMac as is. They might announce minor processor upgrades. What else would they announce?

Of course they will. There simply wasn't a new intel processor to put in the iMac in 2016. Skylake for the desktop was announced in Sep 2015 and we got a new iMac within a couple months. Now that Kaby Lake is out I'm sure we will get an updated iMac with Kaby Lake, probably a new AMD GPU like the RX 480 and Thunderbolt 3. Probably in the first half of the year along with a MacBook update.

 

[cynics]

Yeah. I've been waiting since November to get a new one.
I don't think I'll forgive myself if I get a 2015 imac and in few months later, Apple release a new desktop with more functions. Also, when the new one comes out, usually prices of old gens drop.
I'll wait till the March event and if they do not release it, I guess I'll be buying 2015 imac, even though I'm more than confident that they will release the new imac in june if not introduced in march.

I'm right there with you on that logic.

However what I've found is the next version is always incremental with Apple and don't typically alienate customers. This really helps resale too. Flip side is people complain Apple isn't innovative anymore.

 

[xgman]

and everyone went crazy for that wait too.

I honestly don't understand ,as a large tech company, how hard it would be to keep the machine current each year. Doesn't have to get a new cpu. Maybe faster SSD or better GPU's etc. Or even a price drop.

It really isn't hard !

It's a very small market for them in relative terms. Don't expect too much moving forward.

 

[cynics]

and everyone went crazy for that wait too.

I honestly don't understand ,as a large tech company, how hard it would be to keep the machine current each year. Doesn't have to get a new cpu. Maybe faster SSD or better GPU's etc. Or even a price drop.

It really isn't hard !

With the Mac Pro, tremendously difficult. And the reason the redesign scared me. Everything in it is proprietary, everything.

Replacing the GPU's requires Apple to need to redesign the board and have it manufactured, depending on specs possibly the mother board too. Other manufactures just grab the latest and greatest graphics card off a shelf and stick it in their machines if the interface needs an update they just grab a new mother board too. Screw it into a standard case, slap a Dell sticker on it and off to the races.

Computer manufacturers today are doing what you and I can do...build a PC. Its not that difficult. However Apple needs to actually design a computer and have the parts specifically manufactured. The level of difficulty between the two is massive.

Not making excuses for them because the Mac Pro is expensive and outdated. However you can only have so many people working on one specific project (say designing a graphics card for a specific GPU) before people are getting in each others way. So their updates are bound to be slower and more expensive for that matter.

 

[danielwsmithee]

With the Mac Pro, tremendously difficult. And the reason the redesign scared me. Everything in it is proprietary, everything.

Replacing the GPU's requires Apple to need to redesign the board and have it manufactured, depending on specs possibly the mother board too. Other manufactures just grab the latest and greatest graphics card off a shelf and stick it in their machines if the interface needs an update they just grab a new mother board too. Screw it into a standard case, slap a Dell sticker on it and off to the races.

Computer manufacturers today are doing what you and I can do...build a PC. Its not that difficult. However Apple needs to actually design a computer and have the parts specifically manufactured. The level of difficulty between the two is massive.

Not making excuses for them because the Mac Pro is expensive and outdated. However you can only have so many people working on one specific project (say designing a graphics card for a specific GPU) before people are getting in each others way. So their updates are bound to be slower and more expensive for that matter.

This is all true. It is weird situation Apple gets themselves into. They adopt new technologies (NVME cards for example) before the rest of the market agrees upon a standard. Then the standard finally produces M.2 but Apple doesn't switch over to it because their existing designs already use their own design. Same thing for lightning connectors/instead of USB-C etc.

I would hope with all these new much more efficient video card designs Polaris/Pascal the industry would start releasing high end video cards in the MXM-B form factor which would be much more design friendly, and could fit into a design like the Mac Pro, or iMac. It isn't just Apple that is looking to create more compact high performance machines (lots of small ITX chassis popping up dan-cases, sentry, fractal node etc.).

 

[briloronmacrumo]

and everyone went crazy for that wait too.

I honestly don't understand ,as a large tech company, how hard it would be to keep the machine current each year. …Maybe faster SSD or better GPU's etc.

Clearly, Apple is capable of updating GPUs and SSDs. However, there are factors to consider:

1. Apple did NOT install standard GPUs on the nMP. In fact, each GPU will only install where it is and not in the other GPU 'slot'. This means Apple can't easily test market-available GPU cards. They apparently have a good relationship with AMD, so it's possible but not so simple. They'd have to make a plan and talk to AMD about custom-built GPU cards.
2. Similar situation for their custom flash storage. Not a show stopper but certainly not easy.
3. Of course, Apple has to evaluate the business value of upgrading these machines in light of the cost of the effort.

I'm mostly in agreement with your general assessment and surprised a little too, but it isn't a slam dunk decision when you're discussing a large corporate entity.

…Or even a price drop.

As you probably know, Apple, historically, hasn't done this. Possibly they don't want to reveal demand is low for a product but it certainly isn't unexpected.

 

[richinaus]

Clearly, Apple is capable of updating GPUs and SSDs. However, there are factors to consider:

1. Apple did NOT install standard GPUs on the nMP. In fact, each GPU will only install where it is and not in the other GPU 'slot'. This means Apple can't easily test market-available GPU cards. They apparently have a good relationship with AMD, so it's possible but not so simple. They'd have to make a plan and talk to AMD about custom-built GPU cards.
2. Similar situation for their custom flash storage. Not a show stopper but certainly not easy.
3. Of course, Apple has to evaluate the business value of upgrading these machines in light of the cost of the effort.

I'm mostly in agreement with your general assessment and surprised a little too, but it isn't a slam dunk decision when you're discussing a large corporate entity.
As you probably know, Apple, historically, hasn't done this. Possibly they don't want to reveal demand is low for a product but it certainly isn't unexpected.

I was actually talking in general rather than the pro. But regarding the pro, to allow upgrades they shouldn't have made stupid proprietary systems. That is a bit of a joke that the GPU and SSD are not simple to change - talk about screwing the customer ! You do have to wonder sometimes why we stick with Apple, then all I need to do is look at the new 13" MBP I am typing this on and I remember [despite many peoples negativity, this is a great machine].

 

[Joe The Dragon]

Clearly, Apple is capable of updating GPUs and SSDs. However, there are factors to consider:

1. Apple did NOT install standard GPUs on the nMP. In fact, each GPU will only install where it is and not in the other GPU 'slot'. This means Apple can't easily test market-available GPU cards. They apparently have a good relationship with AMD, so it's possible but not so simple. They'd have to make a plan and talk to AMD about custom-built GPU cards.
2. Similar situation for their custom flash storage. Not a show stopper but certainly not easy.
3. Of course, Apple has to evaluate the business value of upgrading these machines in light of the cost of the effort.

I'm mostly in agreement with your general assessment and surprised a little too, but it isn't a slam dunk decision when you're discussing a large corporate entity.
As you probably know, Apple, historically, hasn't done this. Possibly they don't want to reveal demand is low for a product but it certainly isn't unexpected.

ram, cpu, storage, bumps are easy. As well as price cuts. The video cards in the new mac pro are hard.

 

[briloronmacrumo]

But regarding the pro, to allow upgrades they shouldn't have made stupid proprietary systems. That is a bit of a joke that the GPU and SSD are not simple to change - talk about screwing the customer.

The customer is only screwed if they buy into a product like that; their proprietary nature has been known for a long time. Customers are able to vote with their wallets and it's likely the Mac Pro suffered in that regard. IMO the Mac Pro's proprietary bits are more of a hindrance to Apple than customers. Customers aren't forced to purcahse it but Apple can't easily disengage from its own product.
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… If Apple is planning an update to incorporate TB3 on the Mac Pro, they would likely delay the update by a few months if there are new Xeon processors on the horizon.

Undoubtedly this happens but, IMO, the nMP's age, price and sales demand augurs for an Apple decision now instead of later.

 

[danielwsmithee]

Undoubtedly this happens but, IMO, the nMP's age, price and sales demand augurs for an Apple decision now instead of later.

I agree with that. I believe Apple should announce and ship an updated iMac ASAP, and at the same time announce with shipping dates an updated Mac Pro with Kaby Lake Xeons. I think they are close enough Apple could just announce the shipping dates...

 

[Sirmausalot]

You could be right but I think an iMac Pro won't happen. A lot of people have been talking about it, but it's a similar to the 2016 MBA refresh rumor. People are kind of hoping for it but realistically it's not going to happen.

There's a Mac Pro design concept that's suddenly become popular. It's weird because it's almost exactly what I've been imagining since the trash can redesign, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that (including Apple). The only way Apple can make the Mac Pro a success again with the Mac Pro market is by moving to that design.

They have not abandoned the Mac Pro within Apple, but the refresh delay is likely due to timing of components and other products. They do have plans for it, and hopefully it's a redesign (although that could be unlikely). It's a mystery to me why they are decreasing the upgradeability of Macs when it is a fantastic business opportunity for them (i.e. proprietary SSDs and graphics cards).

Hate to argue, but here it is. It's a terrible business opportunity for them. There is no money in it compared to the scale of their other products. And precious resources in time, marketing, and webstore presence are much more valuable for other products. The Mac Pro is dead.

 

[xgman]

Hate to argue, but here it is. It's a terrible business opportunity for them. There is no money in it compared to the scale of their other products. And precious resources in time, marketing, and webstore presence are much more valuable for other products. The Mac Pro is dead.

I believe you are correct. Apple is not a niche company of any sort.

 

[Andres Cantu]

Hate to argue, but here it is. It's a terrible business opportunity for them. There is no money in it compared to the scale of their other products. And precious resources in time, marketing, and webstore presence are much more valuable for other products. The Mac Pro is dead.

If that were the case, then they should never have sent a mixed message by redesigning the way they did. That's why I believe they will give it one more chance before they truly discontinue it.

 

[Appleaker]

Hate to argue, but here it is. It's a terrible business opportunity for them. There is no money in it compared to the scale of their other products. And precious resources in time, marketing, and webstore presence are much more valuable for other products. The Mac Pro is dead.

The Mac Pro is not dead, even if Apple are considering it they have not decided yet. But I agree, right now it's a terrible business opportunity, but it doesn't have to be. As i've said, the only way it would be a great business opportunity is by being the exclusive seller of new (proprietary) components. That way they can simply release component upgrades and it would just be internal refreshes until they make more significant changes every 3-4 years.