Apple introduced the redesigned iMac with a colorful new design and M1 chip at its Spring Loaded event in April 2021. Now that we’ve passed the new iMac’s second anniversary, we expect Apple to update it. in 2023 with a new chip.
Apple is well into the launch of the second generation of Apple silicon, with the M2 arriving in June 2022 and the M2 Pro and M2 Max in January. This makes the 24-inch iMac one of the few remaining M1 Macs. Can we expect Apple to introduce an M2 variant of the iMac soon? Keep reading to find out.
New 24-inch iMac: release date
Apple introduced the M2 chip in the MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro in the summer of 2022, so it makes sense that Apple would soon update the iMac with an M2 chip. However, the latest rumors suggest that won’t be the case. Instead, Apple may skip the M2 chip and jump straight to the M3 later in 2023.
In a January 2023 newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman claimed that the new M3-powered Macs will arrive either late this year or early 2024.
However, Gurman later advanced that date, referring to the iMac being “in an advanced stage of development” in a March newsletter. Not that he expected an imminent launch. He suggested that the iMac should “not go into mass production for at least three months” and indicated that it “won’t ship until the second half of the year at the earliest.” that’s even earlier than early 2024.
Gurman even suggests that Apple might unveil the M3 chips – which are expected to be inside new iMacs – at WWDC in June (a year after the M2 arrives), although it looks like there will be a longer wait for the launch of this machine. There are currently no suggestions that Apple will announce a new iMac at WWDC. However, new product codes have been spotted in the Find My app that relate to new desktop Macs, and these could be iMacs, although Mac Studio or Mac Pro seem more likely.
One date that jumps out at us here at igamesnews is August 15th. The reason we’d like to see Apple release an iMac M3 on this date is that it will be exactly 25 years after Apple introduced the original iMac G3. It’s a Tuesday, which tends to be Apple’s favorite launch day.
New 24-inch iMac: price
Apple introduced new pricing for the iMac in 2021, with the entry-level model costing $1,299. Unless there’s a major redesign like the MacBook Air, which isn’t planned, we’d expect the next model to cost the same.
However, when Apple added the M2 Pro and M2 Max processors to the MacBook Pro and Mac mini in January 2023, it also increased the prices of existing iMacs in countries outside of the United States. For example, in the UK each iMac model now costs £150 more. . Since Apple has adjusted prices based on exchange rate fluctuations, we don’t expect prices to rise again.
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New 24-inch iMac: Design
When Apple introduced the new-look iMac in 2021, it accelerated the all-in-one design with a collection of two-tone options and a larger 24-inch display that was even thinner than before at 11.5mm ( 0.45 inch).
While there are features we’d like to see, like a height-adjustable stand and a smaller chin, we don’t expect the design to change much, except maybe some new options. of color.
In his March 5 newsletter, Gurman suggested few changes would be made to the iMac’s exterior design. He said it will be the same screen size and colors as now.
However, Gurman suggested there would be design-related changes inside with some “internal components moved and redesigned…” he also revealed that “the manufacturing process for attaching the iMac stand is different “, according to his information.
New 24-inch iMac: screen
The 24-inch iMac features a 4.5K Retina display with 500 nits brightness, anti-reflective coating, and True Tone. Even though the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro introduced a better display with miniLED and ProMotion technology, we doubt the iMac’s display will change much with the second generation. We’d love to see ProMotion on the iMac, but since it’s more of a high-end feature, we’ll probably have to wait for the larger iMac or iMac Pro, if it ever materializes.
There are reports that a new iMac with a bigger screen may be coming in the future. This marks the return of the 27-inch iMac, but it could feature a 30-inch or even a 42-inch iMac, according to predictions from Omdia’s David Hsieh. Hsieh, however, thinks we could wait until 2027 for this 42-inch model.
How about a projector instead of a screen? A patent granted to Apple describes an iMac with a built-in projector.
New 24-inch iMac: Processor and specs
Gurman has repeatedly claimed that Apple will bypass the M2 and go straight to the M3 chip for the next generation of 24-inch iMacs. This chip is expected to be a more powerful upgrade than the M2, with rumors claiming that the new chips will be built using a new 3nm manufacturing process that will improve performance and power efficiency. Skipping a generation, the next iMac will represent a significant step up from the current model.
The iMac M1 starts at 8GB of RAM with an option to upgrade to 16GB. Apple’s M2 Macs offer an upgrade to 16GB or 24GB, so the iMac will probably also support these higher memory options.
The iMac includes a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, but Apple has since introduced the 12MP Ultra Wide camera with a 122-degree field of view in the Studio Display. That should make its way into the new iMac with Center Stage, the feature that keeps you centered as you move. Apple has criticized the quality of the Studio Display camera, so we assume it will fix these issues with the M3 chip’s image signal processor.
New 24-inch iMac: Ports
The entry-level iMac comes with two Thunderbolt/USB 4 ports and a built-in 3.5mm headphone jack on the side, while higher-end models have two additional USB 3 ports. There’s also a Gigabit Ethernet jack built into the power adapter on higher-end models, which costs $30 more on the entry-level model. With such a thin bezel, it’s unlikely we’ll have an HDMI or SDXC card slot like on the MacBook Pro and Mac Studio.
The latest Macs all offer Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, which we expect to come to the iMac. On the audio side, the iMac already has a six-speaker audio system that supports spatial audio, so we’re not expecting an upgrade there, although it could benefit from dynamic head tracking when using AirPods (3rd Gen), AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max.
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