If you’ve been waiting for Apple to release an updated iMac, there’s some bad news: It may not launch until late 2023 or early 2024. If true, that could spell disappointment for anyone who’s been waiting for an Apple all-in-one PC to upgrade. to the latest and greatest chips.
The news comes from Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman (via MacRumors), whose track record of Apple leaks is one of the best in the business. In his Power On newsletter, Gorman made it clear that he hasn’t seen any indication that a new iMac release is imminent. He added, “So if you want to keep using the iMac, you’ll just have to sit really well.”
If you’re interested in getting an iMac, that means you’ll be limited to the M1 model for a while longer. This version was launched in April 2021, and it could be the only model available for some time yet.
In fact, Gurman believes the iMac can skip the M2 generation of chips altogether. The M2 has been out in the wild since the launch of the M2 MacBook Air in June 2022, while the M2 Pro and M2 Max came to the updated MacBook Pro and Mac mini just two weeks ago.
However, according to Gorman, “I didn’t see anything to indicate there would be a new iMac until the M3 chip generation.” Even worse, these chips “won’t arrive until the end of this year at the earliest or next year.”
Long wait in the store
Let’s say the M3 doesn’t launch until early 2024, that would make it nearly three years between iMac revisions. The M1 is a powerful chip, but even it can have a hard time feeling fast at this point.
The good news is that the M3 is expected to be built using a 3nm process (an upgrade over the current 5nm process), which will likely bring better power and efficiency to a family of chips that already excel in this regard.
While we may be waiting longer for the next iMac, it may not be the first Mac to carry Apple’s next-generation chip. That distinction could go to the M3 MacBook Air, which is expected to be unveiled in the second half of 2023.
No matter which Mac gets the M3 chip first, waiting three years for a new iMac will seem like a long time. For now, it looks like we need to be patient to see the new version in action.
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