On Wednesday, October 19, Apple sent out invitations to a media event using the slogan "hello again". For context, the original Macintosh debuted with "hello" and the original iMac with "hello (again)".

I don't know what Apple will announce, but I do have thoughts about what announcements would constitute "proper use" of the hello reference.

Option 1: Major update to the iMac

Because the slogan is the same as the one from iMac intro, it could be reasonable to reuse it for a major update to the iMac line. However, the iMac has seen multiple major revisions over the years without such a reference. This is sort of the bare minimum threshold in my mind.

Option 2: iMac rebranded with a new name

The original Macintosh was a brand new thing - new hardware, new OS. The iMac was a brand new name and style, but not a brand new thing in quite the same way. Don't forget that the public beta of Mac OS X was still two years in the future when the iMac was released. Rebranding what we think of as the iMac today with a new name (Just "Mac"? That "i" doesn't really fit with the Mac lineup these days.) would seem like a solid option for justifying the reference.

Option 3: New canonical Mac line

This is hard to distinguish from option 2 at first glance. After all, what is the difference between a new Mac line and a rebranded iMac? Two things come to mind. First, the iMac could continue to exist (and be updated) while Apple adds a new line. I'm basically picturing the ever elusive "Mac tower between the Mac Mini and the Mac Pro" concept - with or without the accompanying destruction of the existing Mac Mini and Mac Pro lines. Second, the iMac could be replaced (as in option 2), but its replacement could be so fundamentally "not an iMac" that you can't reasonably call it a rebranding. For example, it could lose the integrated display.

I think any new Mac line might sufficiently meet the threshold. However, for such a theoretical new line to become the canonical Mac (even the canonical desktop Mac) I'm not sure that the iMac can continue to exist. If they hadn't already introduced the single port MacBook that could have been a valid interpretation of this option. The desktop equivalent of that could be an option here too.

Apple hasn't been updating their Mac line with any frequency of late, so adding a new line is hard to imagine. One option here would be a culling of existing Mac desktop lines. Who needs the Mac Mini, the iMac, and the Mac Pro when you can just have one new "Mac"?

Option 4: Fundamental change to what a Mac or macOS is

Think: "Okay, forget it, we're adding touch screens". Or: "On second though, maybe iOS and macOS should be combined".

Things that don't make the cut? Everything else.