Apple announces big plans to revamp the iMac in the not-so-near future

By Jayce Wagner Updated April 4, 2017

imac 2017 benchmarks coffee table

At a roundtable discussion held on Apple’s main campus, a surprising thing happened: Apple executives admitted their current strategy for Mac desktop hardware was flawed and promised an all-new lineup of Mac Pros and iMacs in the not-so-near future.

According to John Gruber, who attended the small roundtable discussion with some of Apple’s top executives, Apple not only has plans to revitalize the iMac lineup but is eager to illustrate that it has not forgotten about desktop Mac users.

At the roundtable, Apple’s vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller, senior vice president of software engineering Craig Federighi, and vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus were all on hand to discuss the company’s plans for the iMac lineup and don’t worry, the iMac isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

“There’s still even further we can take iMac as a high-performance, pro system, and we think that form factor can address even more of the pro market,” Federighi said.

Apple reportedly has plans to revamp the iMac in the future but according to the execs present at the roundtable, it’s probably not going to happen this year. They were, however, eager to point out that desktop Mac sales make up about 20 percent of their overall computer sales and Apple has no plans to abandon the desktop space anytime soon.

Despite MacBooks making up the other 80 percent of its computer sales worldwide, desktop Mac sales make up about $25 billion dollars a year for Apple and the iMac is their most popular desktop system, so it’s not going anywhere.

It might be a while before we hear more from Apple about the future of the iMac, but this roundtable discussion served as a bit of a pre-announcement to reassure loyal customers who might be considering a jump to Windows.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

A staff writer for the Computing section, Jayce covers a little bit of everything -- hardware, gaming, and occasionally VR.

Computing

Apple may soon eliminate the notch from your Mac and iPhone

An Apple MacBook laptop with the macOS Ventura background wallpaper and the notch seen at the top of the display.

So many Apple devices have the divisive notch cutout these days that the feature has almost become its own brand, yet it continues to stir disapproving glances and attempts to hide it wherever it's seen. Apple could now be on the brink of eliminating it for good.

That’s because the company recently filed a patent in Europe outlining how future Apple devices, from Macs to iPhones, could do away with the notch once and for all, giving you a borderless experience that’s unbroken around the screen. It’s a grand idea, and Apple thinks it knows how to make it work.

Computing

Apple will now let you repair more Macs and iPhones yourself

A person repairing a MacBook using Apple's self-service repair kit.

Apple has been running a self-service repair program that lets you fix up your devices yourself since April 2022, but it’s always been a little bit hobbled. Now, though, Apple has expanded the program to include some of the latest devices available in what could be a boost to the right-to-repair movement.

Starting today, the program will include the M2 13-inch MacBook Air and the M2 13-inch MacBook Pro, as well as the entire iPhone 14 lineup. That means if you want to repair one of these products, Apple will provide you with official parts, tools and instructions to help you do it. Previously, you couldn’t do this yourself with Apple-approved parts, despite the devices being available for many months.

Computing

There’s a MacBook that Apple has no right to continue selling

A stack of MacBooks is pictured from the top down.

With the launch of the new 15-inch MacBook Air, Apple has solidified its most fleshed-out Mac lineup in recent memory. There's a MacBook for almost every conceivable budget and use case, ranging from the $999 M1 MacBook Air up to the upper echelons of the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

Considering how well the 15-inch MacBook Air has been received in early reviews, there doesn't appear to be a bad choice in the mix. That is, until you stumble upon the MacBook hidden in the lineup that Apple has continued to sell for absolutely no reason. I'm referring to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, of course.