In the morning Tim Cook promised us that 2017 will bring us new Mac models from the Apple company, but now we also know what is being prepared for them. According to some information obtained from sources inside the Apple company, those from Cupertino are preparing modest updates for the series of Macs they have for sale, much to the disappointment of many.
The iMac, which hasn't been updated in over 400 days, will be upgraded in 2017 with a new model that has USB-C ports and new graphics cards from the AMD series. There is a possibility that the new models of Intel processors will be integrated in the iMac, but it seems that there will not be any design change or other notable improvement for this type of product.
The 12-inch MacBook will also receive a similar treatment, with the Apple company going to implement processors that offer slightly better performance and nothing more. This type of Mac was released in 2015 and updated in 2016 with some better components, 2017 will bring a minor update, despite the wishes of the users.
"Mac fans shouldn't hold their breath for radical new designs in 2017 though. Instead, the company is preparing modest updates: USB-C ports and a new Advanced Micro Devices Inc. graphics processor for the iMac, and minor bumps in processing power for the 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro. Cue the outrage."
Separately, Apple engineers are also developing keyboards with integrated Touch Bar and Touch ID, but for now Apple is not sure if these products should be launched. The American company is waiting to see if the Touch Bar in the new MacBook Pro will be well received by customers and only then will it decide if it will also launch separate keyboards for them.
In the end, it seems that Apple wants to get rid of the Mac Pro as well, the engineers from Cupertino claiming that the development of this product should take place in Asia, as well as the production. There the production would be cheaper, and the producers would have people well enough trained to create products with "ambitious" design and components.
"Three years on, the Mac Pro is ripe for an upgrade with its chips and connector ports lagging rival products. Because of the earlier challenges, some Apple engineers have raised the possibility of moving production back to Asia, where it's cheaper and manufacturers have the required skills for ambitious products, according to a person familiar with those internal discussions."
That being said, 2017 is shaping up to be a disappointing year for the Mac.
