Amidst the death of an official announcement, the 2017 iteration of the iMac has been floating around the rumor mill for a long time. Here's a rundown on everything the rumor mill has been churning up to this time.

While it's been quite some time since Apple released a new iMac, there's a possibility that the iPhone maker could be prepping to roll out something sooner rather than later. But nothing is set in stone yet despite all sorts of theories making rounds online. Let's delve straight into the details.

The iPhone maker has assured renewed commitment to its desktop lineup and could be on the verge of launching a "server-grade model" exclusively designed for ambitious creative professional applications. Taiwanese supply-chain sources have been pointing to a 2017 launch for this purported iMac variant, as reported by DigiTimes (via TheChristianPost).

Apple took the tech realm by surprise earlier this month as the company's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller revealed they are indeed committed to making a new Mac Pro while addressing a small group of reporters in a white stucco building, which is located near Apple's Cupertino-based headquarters. In the discussion, Schiller went as far as claiming Apple has a "team working hard on it right now." This shred of information comes from TechCrunch.

As expected, this stirred conversations among Apple fanatics and industry watchers, who wasted no time in hazarding all sorts of guesses regarding the specifications of the iMac 2017. Apparently, Apple's Taiwan-based supply chain have also indicated that the tech firm is hard at works on two new iMac PCs and the production could kick off this month with the official reveal scheduled for Q2 of 2017.

Meanwhile, the alleged "server-grade" iMac is expected to take on Microsoft's Surface Studio line of AIOs (all-in-one) PCs. There's also hearsay that Apple has roped in Quanta Computer to manufacture the two iMacs. However, the Taiwan-based notebook manufacturer neither confirmed nor denied the rumors.

iMac 2017 Specifications

The next iMac is likely to boast an array of awe-inspiring specifications if the latest leaks are anything to go by. The 2017 version of the iconic desktop is expected to pack 16 to 64GB ECC RAM, coupled with up to 2TB NVMe SSD and a newfangled GPU.

Aside from that, the iMac 2017 will be powered by Intel's Kaby Lake processor and AMD's new Ryzen 7. However, recently surfaced rumors claim it will come with Intel's Xeon E3-1285 v6 processor. While it remains to be seen whether the iMac 2017 goes for an Intel or AMD processor, it is certain that it will employ the most accessible GPU.

There's word floating around that Apple is looking for a better graphics processor for the iMac 2017 -- both versions will be using a different type of GPU. The 21-inch model will reportedly use Iris or Iris Pro graphic cards, while the larger 27-Inch version might use the new AMD GPU.

As far as the new iMac's cosmetic appearance is concerned, it is said to include the Touch Bar that garnered immense popularity in the MacBook Pro 2016. The device's chassis is a Thunderbolt 3/USB Type-C port, while its wireless keyboard will feature Touch ID functionality, according to BlastingNews.

iMac 2017 Release Date

While Apple's lips are sealed regarding the iMac 2017 release date, zealous iMac fanatics believe it will come out by the third quarter of 2017. If this comes to fruition, it may bring about an overall improvement in sales as new figures hint at a decline in recent times.