A redesigned iMac with desktop-class Apple A14T chip should drop in the first half of 2021

According to a new report published this morning in Chinese-language newspaper The China Times, Apple will release its first iMac all-in-one desktop featuring the company’s in-house designed A14T chip, code-named Mt. Jade, in the first half of next year.

The new A14T chip is probably an enhanced version of the A14 chip that debuted in the iPad Air 4 this fall before making its way inside the iPhone 12 family. Compared to the current A14 chip, the A14T should have additional CPU/GPU cores and possible other tweaks. The report adds that the Cupertino tech giant is also working on its own graphics chip, code-named Lifuka. The GPU will be probably paired with the A14T chip for the upcoming iMac update. Both pieces of silicon will be fabbed on TSMC’s enhanced five-nanometer N5P process technology.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted that Apple’s first iMac powered by its own silicon will feature a 24-inch screen and an overhauled appearance. The computer should launch at the end of this year or early next year following a refresh to the current Intel-based iMac lineup, Kuo said. Apple is rumored to hold an online-only product presentation in November.

The China Times report adds that TSMC is now mass-producing the five-nanometer A14X chip, code-named Tonga, for the first Apple Silicon-powered MacBook notebook which is thought to launch by year-end featuring a twelve-inch display and lightweight design.

Bloomberg thinks Apple is developing three different processors for Macs, all based on the 5-nanometer A14 chip. The iPhone maker Apple said at WWDC this summer that the move to its own chips for Mac computers will happen over the next two years. After the transition is complete, Apple will continue building and supporting Intel-based Macs for years to come.