Of course, this could simply be a mistake; either the device in question or the year of release could be a case of misinformation on the part of the blogger. However, it could well be the case that Apple is planning to get the jump on their competition by unveiling an 8K desktop with minimal fanfare beforehand, as it so often does.
Apple has previously utilized the power of a display as a selling point with its Retina iPhones, iPads and iMacs. As such, it would follow that the company will continue to develop their efforts as technology allows — and an 8K display on its flagship home computer would be as attention-grabbing a way to do that as any other.
With the newly refreshed MacBook given pride of place at the Apple event earlier this year, it will be interesting to see whether their desktop will receive similar treatment, with this 8K display presumably at the center of things.
However, there’s the question for what 8K would accomplish. The 5K iMac already reaches the “Retina” level of sharpness, so there’s no real need to boost it further. An iMac with 7,680 x 4,320 resolution could be as large as 40 inches and still retain the same pixel density as the current, 27-inch iMac with Retina. Or, while we’re speculating, perhaps this isn’t an iMac at all, but instead an incorrectly titled leak about an upcoming Apple television. 40 inches is an extremely popular television size, after all.
For now, this story should be taken with a grain of salt — but if it’s true, it could be a very interesting year for Apple devotees, and for the display industry as a whole.
