I disagree with you. Apple want us to have the best. And the best is the iMac as it is. What's the point of a iMac without the screen? The screen is amazing.
If you want a headless iMac go buy a Mac Mini and Apple display. $699 (base model) + $1199 for the screen = $1898 (Australian). And for $30 more you can get a 21.5 i7 iMac. And for $50 more you can get a 27 i5 iMac.
But you say the mini is not the guts of an iMac. You're right. Imagine paying even more for an iMac powered mini. Like 1k+ for it. That's even worse and more expensive.
My point is a headless iMac is rather pointless. It'd not sell. A headless iMac is a choice. A bad choice. And I'm glad Apple don't give us bad choices to purchase like other manufactures do.
Lastly. It's iMac. Not iMAC as you said.
Really? On what base that you're saying iMac is the best desktop solution? An expandable tower like MacPro don't sell well because Apple didn't update it for a looooongg time now, price does not decreased for 2 years old hardware, and today it's the only Mac that has no Thunderbolt.
With that pathetic condition, of course MacPro wouldn't sell well anymore. Doesn't mean the whole world doesn't need it, but the cost is just not justifiable anymore, and Apple could've done something about it easily with that kind of resource, but they don't!
Please do tell, imagine if Apple did sell MacPro with i7, put down the idea of Xeon GPU, it has desktop GPU and the same ECC RAM starts from $2000 and comes with 27" Apple Cinema Display (which looks just as gorgeous as 27" iMac display), on the other hand Apple also sell iMac as it is today, with the top end standard 27" also cost $2000. Would you still pick the iMac? I know I wouldn't. And I bet most people with common sense wouldn't.
And if that happens, I dare you to make a bet, which desktop would sells better that way, the imaginative headless iMac, or the ironically almost non-upgradeable iMac desktop as it is? Both can be had and crossed at $2000 price point.
I don't understand with your way of thinking, just because Apple made it that way then it must be the best way for the whole world and there is no other way? A sheeple on its finest quality.
Instead of imagining Mac Mini + Apple Display which definitely underpowered, why not imagining an affordable and expandable Mac tower. It's an imagination after all, doesn't it