Good news folks. I am told, by a little bird, that the next iMac (to be released in late October) will be available with (up to) Intel E3-1285 v6 processor with 16 GB (upgradable to 32 or 64 GB) ECC memory. Faster NVMe SSD’s possibly up to 2 TB and AMD graphics to support VR and Pro apps. Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C gen 2 with… tada… a brand new keyboard.
Apple is also working on a 8K display for the next generation of Mac Pro’s, which by the way will be much more like a PC with the next generation EFI BIOS.
p.s. The next version of macOS won’t use a mountain/park name anymore. Two names in the running. One starts with a Mmmm.
Aha. The next Mac mini won’t be so mini anymore. Well. The top model that is.
@Craig: Don’t forget the joke at WWDC 🙂
P.s. I’ll be there as well so ping me to meet me there 🙂
Note: my little bird is usually pretty accurate, but some of it should be handled with care/scepticism until new Apple hardware arrives!
Update from WWDC17: Ok. Most of the data was pretty accurate, but the amount of memory and storage was a bit off due to the fact that the “normal” iMac comes with less memory and a smaller SSD than the iMac Pro. Fact is. OWC confirmed that you can upgrade the 27-inch iMac to 64 GB with four 16 GB modules.
Also. I never received the exact processor model, only that it was a yet to be released Xeon model, and it turns out (after WWDC17) that I mixed the thread and core count. I should have looked for an eight core Xeon processor instead of a eight thread model. No idea what I was thinking. A silly mistake.
The name of the next MacOS was a bit of a surprise. The joke was there, but the information that I received must have been a decoy. That sucks but hey… what can I say. High Sierra it is.
No word about the Mac Pro and Mac mini. This may be bad news, or they may be released later. Or perhaps next year.
Pike's Universum 
I guess for the name of the next macOS we are going back to animal names, so I suggest it will be Moose
🙂
Or Mouse?
Pingback: iMac Pro avrà processore Xeon? Apple lavora a un Mac mini agli steroidi e monitor 8K - Macitynet.it
Don’t suppose there was there any kind of indication or other help to better determine the type of AMD graphics for this coming October iMac? Polaris or Vega?
Oh nevermind! It doesn’t matter anymore.
Marshmallow ? 🙂 And $ ready for some real hardware changes. Upgradability is the keyword here.
Pingback: ‘iMac Pro voorzien van Xeon-processor’ | Appleweetjes
Pingback: What to expect with the next iMac – iupdateos
I would like have a ‘Mac nano’: 5W TDP CPU, iPhone-sized, USB-C powered.
I just want the new keyboard to go with my hack )
I hear you, but that may be a problem (without the required chip on the motherboard).
Hi Pike,
Some great Apple news finally. Regarding the recent spec bump that Apple gave to the Mac Pro, I found something different:
Apple has either reduced the Turbo Boost frequency of the 8 core model from 3.9 GHz to 3.5GHz or they made a mistake when updating the website. I think the first option is the most possible. I just don’t know why they would cap the Turbo Boost to 3.5 when the chip can offer up to 3.9 as advertised in Intel’s website. Would you have some information on this, cause I don’t know where to have a confirmation. Also would you recommend buying a Mac Pro with the new prices?
Thanks
Oh yeah that is odd. I would contact Apple and ask what the reason is. Potentially a human error. Like you said.
About buying a spec bumped Mac Pro. Absolutely. We’re still a long way off of a new Mac Pro and it is value for money. Still very happy with mine. Love the shape, but I admit. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next modular Mac Pro.
Thanks for replying. I have contacted Apple’s technical support but they weren’t able to tell me if it is a mistake or not. I am thinking of getting the 8 core with D500 for music composition and production. Hopefully, the turbo boost specs remain untouched.
Pingback: Potential specs for Apple’s pre-announced pro iMacs surface ahead of launch later this year | 9to5Mac
When you say the new Mac Pro it will be much more like a PC, what do you mean specifically? current and previous Mac Pros have been very compatible with Windows and Linux
Think components that can be replaced easily.
and what about “with the next generation EFI BIOS.”? explain more about that
Apple EFI must be updated to fix some security concerns, and Apple is now using an older version of the EFI spec. Be it patched by Apple, but that is still far from secure.
Would that maybe lead to perhaps a micro-atx type of case or back to the old tower? To my mind, to be a professional tool it also needs to have the capability for internal storage. Maybe a Lian Li PC M25 size case?
The way I read “modular” is that Apple wants (to / to be able to) use the same baseboards for their own servers, replacing servers from other vendors, and install CPU’s and other hardware based on their need.
Thanks for the hints. A new Mac Pro could be ready for WWDC 2017. Then design a brand new model for 2018, 2019 or year 3000.
Hopefully, new Mac hardware at WWDC 2017. Or at least announced there.It would be great if Apple could make all Macs with upgradable components like GPU and microprocessor, and mostly for RAM and SSD, using standard connectors.
Likewise, it would be great if Apple displays supported true 3D with passive glasses, much as Smart TV do. That is fantastic for both teaching and research at the University to display 3D molecules, etc. Check out also the great nVidia 3D Vision
http://www.nvidia.com/object/3d-vision-main.html
Eh no. Sorry. Their won’t be a new Mac Pro ready for WWDC 2017. It won’t even be ready for WWDC 2018. Just a reminder; take a look at how long it took Apple to launch the current Mac Pro.
Most people love to go back to a real Apple display, and we here had to replace our old 30-inch monitors with Dell et all. Good, but not good enough.
Some people may think that 8K is not an option, but the setting for it is already in place. All Apple will have to change is another framework.
Another note. Only the Mac Pro will be upgradable, but what that means for us, as consumers, is still unknown.
Really interesting (if I’m reading your previous comment above correctly) that their modular design for the Mac Pro would overlap with what they use in their own data centers, but this sounds like a very Apple solution to leverage designs/technology across the entire company, and it totally makes sense given that Google, Amazon, and Facebook have been designing their own data center hardware for quite some time now. It also lines up with some recent security concerns Apple had with the firmware in data center servers they were getting from third party vendors. If they are really designing the Mac Pro this way, then this would be truly pro level hardware. Exciting times for the Mac ahead! I was a bit worried about the future of the Mac as a platform until this week.
Yes, the servers for datacenters and the next Mac Pro may share some parts, but it remains to be seen if Apple is really willing to sell the same hardware to us.
Any idea what price range will be like for new iMac line in October 2017?
No, but it will be more expensive than the “normal” iMac’s.
“It won’t even be ready for WWDC 2018.”
I realize Schiller said there won’t be a new Mac Pro this year, but I would think WWDC 2018 would be a good time to announce it. What makes you think it won’t be out by then?
Ok sure, but announcing and being able to place orders are two different things. I remember 2013 like yesterday, when I placed the order, but had to wait months before actually getting my Mac Pro.
So the PCI-E will return to Mac Pros or are we back to donglenation?
Is there a chance that other iMac models will also get new graphics cards?
So which Xeon processor? I can’t find a Xeon E3-1285 v6. For v6, top is 1280.
https://ark.intel.com/search?q=xeon+e3+v6
Apple and other OEM’s can use yet to be released CPU models.
Apple could use similar to this: Intel® Xeon® Processor E3-1275 v6 (8M Cache, 3.80 GHz), maybe there will be a E3-1285 v6
Apple may be testing (a) Xeon processor(s) for the iMac Pro, but that doesn’t mean that they will use it. With Apple you never know what they come up with. Personally. I am still sceptical about it. A six core Coffee Lake processor may be a better fit.
Pingback: Apple podría estar trabajando en un monitor 8K | SOS Sistemas
Sorry to hear about your loss. May the love of family and friends comfort you during these difficult days, my most heartfelt condolences.
I don’t mean to be rude asking you here. Don’t know if you still replying to these blogposts by now.
Didn’t you think that the rumors of an Intel i9 line of processor wouldn’t fulfill the new iMac “Pro” better?
How confident are you in saying “late October”? And what’s your estimate for virtual reality hardware?
That timeframe was based on the information that I received, but it turns out that Intel stepped up and enabled Apple to release it sooner.
Glad you’re back, i hope you’ve had some well deserved time off.
iMac Pro is a bit of a game changer for Apple, there’s still hope for MAcPro, but we won’t see it until next year, from what i’ve read there still could be a keyboard in the works but they scrapped their suppliers, so maybe we’ll still see a new keyboard on the iMac Pro.
Interesting the new kexts in 10.13 with native 580 support: AMD9520Controller.kext, AMDRadeonx4150, AMDRadeonx4200, AMDRadeonx4250 and AMDRadeonx4500HWServices
eGPU is going to make things interesting as well as VR
Possibility of AR glasses to be released next year and Apple branded eGPU as wellI’m very confident in the new line up!
Personally going to grab a iPad Pro 10.5″ and the Home Pos (don’t like the name)
Seems like everyone are stoners in California!
Thanks. Yeah the iMac Pro is indeed some piece of machinery. Incredible upgrade. Still a work in progress, but I am glad that they went for the 8, 10 and 18 core Xeons. That keyboard may still need some engineering. We’ll see when it is ready.
AMD was in the works and it is good to see native support in High Sierra.
Stoners. LOL. You know that I was born and raised in Amsterdam
p.s. I personally never used alcohol and I never smoked. Not anything. Just to be sure 😉
Pingback: Coffee Lake CPUID’s… – Pike's Universum