Apple is yet to refresh its 2021 24-inch iMac, with the company widely speculated to be working on the follow-up. Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had said last week that he expected the Cupertino, California-based company to unveil a new 24-inch iMac next year. A new report, however, contradicts Kuo and says that Apple is set to launch a follow-up model for the 24-inch iMac by the end of this month. The report also claims that the company plans to launch new iPad models next year.
In his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple is gearing up to launch the long-awaited 24-inch iMac refresh around the end of October. The company is reportedly planning a Mac-centred launch for the end of this month, where it could announce the new model. “I believe the Mac announcement will take place on either the 30th or 31st of this month,” Gurman specified in his newsletter. Gurman also pointed out that Apple retail stores were in short supply of the existing iMac, hinting at a refreshed model arriving soon.
Gurman also added that a larger Pro version of the iMac will arrive in late 2024 or 2025. The iMac Pro will reportedly become the biggest iMac Apple has ever released, sporting a 32-inch screen. Gurman’s reporting also aligns with Kuo’s claim, which said that a higher-end iMac with a 32-inch mini-LED display would debut in 2025.
Additionally, Gurman also said that Apple has no plans to launch new iPad models this year. After several rumours about an impending iPad launch, Apple debuted the Apple Pencil (2023) last week as a cheaper alternative to the second-generation product. Gurman claims that the company plans to launch new iPad models around March 2024. The company is reportedly working on refreshes for iPad Air, the entry-level iPad, and iPad mini. Gurman states that a new iPad Pro is also in Apple’s plans further down the pipeline.
Apple is yet to refresh the iMac in over two years since the company introduced the M1-powered 24-inch iMac in candy colours at its ‘Spring Loaded’ event in April. The 24-inch iMac is powered by the M1 chip and is available in seven colours. The iMac is 11.5mm thin and features a 4.5K retina display with 500 nits of peak brightness.
Apple has also not refreshed its iPad lineup this year, with its last iPad launch taking place in October 2022, when it debuted new iPad Pro models powered by the M2 chip and a new 10th Gen iPad sporting a new design and a new keyboard accessory.