iMac enthusiasts have been restlessly waiting for Apple to shed more light on the next generation of its all-in-one computer but much to their dismay, Apple's lips are sealed regarding when a new iMac is likely to hit the store shelves. The only saving grace for iMac fans? The rumors running rampant online hinting at a looming iMac 2017 release date.

Despite the lack of an official confirmation, the rumor mill has been churning all sorts of speculation around the purported 2017 iteration of the iMac. Now, a new report from MacWord suggests Apple chief executive Tim Cook has confirmed that the company is currently hard at works on a new iMac that could come bearing a 5K display. Cook is said to have made this revelation while answering a question on Apple's internal employee network.

Some tech pundits have already predicted that the iMac 2017 could be powered by one of the S-Series desktop chips including Core i7-7700K, Core i5-7600 or Core i5-7500. It won't be surprising if Apple opts to equip its iMac 2017 model with top-notch specs since Cook has reportedly deemed Mac desktops as strategic for the company. Aside from that, Cook debunked speculation suggesting that Apple is planning to scrap the iMac line, saying the company has great desktops in their roadmap.

Apple was expected to announce the new iMac at its Oct. 27 event; however, that did not come to fruition. Now, some tech pundits are hazarding guesses that iMac 2017 could be announced in March or at the WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) 2017 which kicks off in June.

But Mac Loyalists must not get their hopes up yet as Bloomberg's Mark Gurman explains in his recent report that Apple has reorganized its software engineering department. In other words, Apple has ousted the team dedicated to masOS. The report suggests engineers now work on iOS and MacOS simultaneously.

Gurman claims that the once iconic Mac computer is not getting enough attention from Apple's industrial design team, which was spearheaded by design chief Jony Ive until 2015. Apple is currently more focused on iPhone and iPads, he added.