Apple could soon release a new iMac model after leaving the iconic all-in-one desktop computer without a refresh for more than three years now.
Apparently, some of Apple’s retail stores have low stock of the current 24-inch iMac. “If you try to order the products from Apple’s website, several configurations won’t arrive until mid-November,” notes Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
“That several-week delay is a clear sign that something is about to happen.” However, we did check Apple’s online store before going to press, and all three configurations of the 24-inch iMac were in stock. Only custom configurations ship in 3-4 weeks, which is normal, but that’s not stopping the author from speculating that Apple will launch a new iMac “on either the 30th or 31st of this month.”
Is a new iMac announcement imminent?
As I reported in March, the company has been readying the updated 24-inch iMac—a model that could be out soon. How soon? Well, I’m told that Apple is planning a Mac-centered product launch around the end of this month. That could be its chance to announce this model.
The iMac was among the first Apple devices that ditched Intel processors in favor of the company’s home-grown silicon. Powered by the inaugural M1 Mac chip and featuring a redesigned enclosure available in five vibrant colors, the 24-inch iMac was released on April 20, 2021.
But Apple hasn’t refreshed the iMac for more than 900 days now though Gurman says this was never the plan:
Apple had aimed to release a larger, pro-focused iMac soon after the 24-inch iMac launched. Under the original road map, you would have seen the M1 24-inch iMac, then an M2-based iMac Pro and, finally, a 24-inch iMac refresh.
As for an Apple silicon version of the discontinued Intel-based iMac Pro, the author claims that this machine was temporarily shelved over cost concerns but could still launch “in either late 2024 or 2025”—in line with his earlier reporting. The next iMac Pro should rock a 32-inch display, filing as the biggest iMac in Apple’s history.