A Bloomberg reporter is optimistic that a refreshed 24-inch iMac with an unreleased Apple M3 chip could arrive before the end of 2023.
- What’s happening? Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggests that Apple will skip the iMac M2 and instead update an all-in-one with an M3 chip at the end of 2023.
- Why care? Apple redesigned the 24-inch iMac based on the M1 chip nearly two years ago, so a spec update would be welcome.
- What to do? Take this rumor with a grain of salt. Gurman’s information seems to be an educated guess rather than based on actual sources.
iMac M3 may be available in 2023
In his Bloomberg Power On newsletter, Gurman claims that a new 24-inch iMac with an unreleased Apple M3 chip could arrive in late 2023 or 2024.
Keep in mind that Gurman is simply laying out his expectations for the iMac line and not basing the statement on confidential information obtained from his sources at Apple. As an educated guess, the report deserves your attention.
I haven’t seen anything to indicate that the new iMac will arrive before the M3 chip generation, which won’t arrive until later this year or next year. So, if you want to stay with the iMac, you’ll just have to sit back.
Gurman’s prediction contrasts with credible analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who predicted that the M3-based iMac would launch in 2024, not this year.
Our opinion: quite plausible
The M2 isn’t a giant leap over the M1 in terms of CPU performance. The M3 should be much more important, so it makes sense for Apple to skip the M2 iMac and go straight to the M3 version. If you need more power than the M1 iMac, Apple offers its Mac mini and Mac Studio models based on the M2.
The M3 chip must use TSMC’s latest 3nm process. Apple’s current silicon products are based on TSMC’s 5nm technology. The 3nm process will further reduce the size of the transistor, resulting in improved performance and improved power efficiency.
Apple could introduce the M3 in a refreshed MacBook Air this April, argues analyst Ross Young, whose timelines are often a moving target.
M3 iMac Pro could be in development too
Apple updated the 24-inch iMac in April 2021. iMac is Apple’s most popular desktop computer and perhaps one of the most famous all-in-ones. Apple only updated the 24-inch model, replacing the Intel processor with its own M1 silicon.
The 24-inch iMac is available in seven vibrant colors with white borders. The computer is equipped with Gigabit Ethernet, a Retina 4.5K display, two Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 ports, and a pair of USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 2 ports.
The Intel-based iMac Pro was discontinued a month before the colorful 24-inch iMac arrived. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo doesn’t believe Apple is currently working on a larger-screen iMac. Meanwhile, Gurman suggested in 2022 that the discontinued iMac Pro could be resurrected based on the M3 chip and a more prominent display.