Apple is planning a Mac-focused product launch for the end of this month, which is likely to include the announcement of a refreshed 24-inch iMac.
In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman said that Apple is “planning a Mac-centric product launch around the end of this month” that could see the release of a refreshed 24-inch iMac model, which is long overdue for a hardware update. The current model was launched in April 2021 and is the only current-generation Mac with the M1 chip. Gurman has repeatedly said that Apple’s next iMac will skip the M2 and use the M3 chip instead, but he declined to say in this newsletter which chip the new machine will use.
Gurman noted that Apple retail stores are now running low on iMac, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, with many configurations not arriving until mid-November, which he believes is “a clear sign that something is about to happen” with these three machines. He added that Apple has “made progress” on the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros. While the current M2 Pro and M2 Max 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models were launched in January, he believes that “an additional update in the same year would be unusual, but not inconceivable”.
Gurman believes that the upcoming Mac announcement will take place on Monday, October 30 or Tuesday, October 31, followed by Apple’s earnings call on Thursday, November 2. He does not expect the new Macs to feature any major changes other than new processors, but suggested that there could be minor improvements to the displays.
Gurman also reiterated rumours that the next-generation MacBook Air models with M3 chips won’t arrive until early 2024, and that a larger “pro” version of the iMac with a 32-inch display and a new design is planned for late 2024 or 2025. Mac redesigns are likely to come when Apple starts adding touchscreens to the range further down the line.
