The rumor mill isn’t giving up on any potential future Apple-branded product releases, even if there is a global pandemic currently taking place. And now there’s a new rumor to add to the pile. Not that Apple is shying away from new products all on its own, of course.
According to a new report from the China Times (via Mac Otakara), Apple is working on a new iMac model that will introduce a brand new screen size to the lineup. What’s more, that new iMac model will launch before the end of 2020, with mass production set to start sometime in the third- or fourth-quarter. As for the new screen size? The report indicates it will measure in at 23 inches.
Interestingly, Apple will apparently be adding a host of new lower-priced models to its lineup later this year, with the new iMac being just one of them. The new iPhone SE is the first of the bunch, which Apple launched not too long ago. And then there will be a new 11-inch iPad Model that is most definitely not the iPad Pro.
Apple last updated the iMac lineup in March of 2019. Right now, the desktop computer family includes a 21.5-inch model and a 27-inch model. Pricing starts at $1,099. As far as this new 23-inch model is concerned, the details are light, but it’s possible that it will replace the current 21.5-inch model, especially if Apple plans on having it start at the $1,099 price point.
And let’s not forget the tweet from CoinX earlier this year which stated Apple was planning to launch a new iMac and a new Mac mini “soon”.
Now, the 11-inch iPad. Apple could be planning to replace the 10.5-inch iPad Air or the 10.2-inch iPad, but the report doesn’t indicate which one might be on the chopping block (or, at the very least ready for a screen size update). However, we may have some idea thanks to an anonymous Twitter user that goes by the name “L0vetodream”. Last month the Twitter user released a couple of tweets pointing to a new 11-inch iPad Air which could adopt a mini-LED display and an under-glass Touch ID sensor.
Here’s the first tweet mentioning the new, unannounced product:
大致布局应该是这样的：
airpods 3lite
apple tv
airtag
iPhone9 A13
imac
macbook 12 arm
mac mini
ipad pro 11 12.9 tof
airpods X头戴式耳机
无线充电板
homepod lite
ipad air4 全面屏11寸带指纹
ipad 2020 A12
游戏手柄
iPhone12 lite
iPhone12 6.1
iPhone12 pro 6.1
iPhone12 pro 6.7— 有没有搞措 (@L0vetodream) March 12, 2020
And a follow-up, offering up a bit more detail:
the new iPad Air will be using the mini led screen, comes with full screen with no notch, not Face ID，but Touch ID under the screen
— 有没有搞措 (@L0vetodream) March 10, 2020
So, the stars might be aligning on a new 11-inch iPad (Air) that may feature a mini-LED display and a Touch ID sensor under the screen. However, with the design change mentioned here it’s easy to assume that Apple won’t qualify this as a “low-cost” tablet, so it will be interesting to see where pricing ends up landing later this year — if the product launches at all.
We know that Apple is developing a lot of products with a mini-LED display, which includes an oft-rumored 16-inch MacBook Pro, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, and a 27-inch iMac Pro as well. Plus a few other upgrades for existing products as well.
So, what do you think? If Apple launches a new 23-inch iMac, will you be picking one up depending on cost? Let us know in the comments below!