While Apple fans are focused on the supposed launch of new products next week, it seems the Cupertino-based tech giant is planning at least two launch events, with the other one scheduled in October for the refreshed iMac.
According to Bloomberg, while Apple has already sent out invites for its Sept. 7 event, the press launch is likely for the new iPhone 7/iPhone 6 SE and the Apple Watch 2. Meanwhile, workstations like the new MacBooks and the 2016 iMacs will be getting their own spotlight on a separate event, purportedly scheduled a month after.
Having a refreshed edition of the Apple desktop is welcome news, since it has been a long time before any major improvements were featured in the iMac. For the new 2016 edition, Apple is said to be collaborating with South Korea-based LG Electronics for a new stand-alone, high-resolution 5K screen. The new display is expected to be an upgrade to the current top-tier iMac model, since it is already featuring a 5K screen. In addition, the new iMac is expected to be upgraded to the new macOS Sierra to take advantage of the new and improved firmware and apps features for the Apple desktop. With the new OS platform, the 2016 iMac will be able to go live with Siri, as well as support Apple Pay transactions on the web. The new improvements also feature on iMac connectivity, like deeper integration to the iCloud, as well as supporting connectivity features for the new Apple Watch.
Under the hood, the 2016 iMac is also expected to come out with upgraded specs. While it remains to be seen if Apple will stick with the Skylake processors for the desktop (opting for the newer Kaby Lake chipset for its new MacBooks), the new iMac is still expected to deliver top-level speed and performance, particularly for graphics-intensive tasks. Rumors suggest that Apple is tapping AMD for graphics solutions for its new product lineups, which means that the new Polaris architecture for GPUs may be featured in the new iMac.
