Despite previous rumors pointing to a 2023 release, it looks like we probably won’t be getting a new M3 iMac this year – and I’m upset.
A new post on X (formerly Twitter) from known Apple hardware leaker Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed that an M3 refresh of Apple’s excellent 24-inch iMac all-in-one computer won’t arrive until 2024. This is a revision of a previous leak from Kuo that correctly stated we’d get new Mac Pro and Mac mini models this year, but was wrong about Apple’s iMac plans for 2023.
New iMac prediction update:1. 24-inch iMac refresh in 2024.2. Higher-end 32-inch mini LED display iMac in 2025. https://t.co/l7jzEecwZiOctober 17, 2023
I strongly suspect that Kuo was in fact right on the money with his original predictions, and that it was Apple who opted to push back new M3 iMac models – something partially corroborated by a separate recent report that claimed we’d see an M2 iMac refresh this year.
Further evidence to strengthen Kuo’s updated prediction comes in the form of an apparent M3 MacBook Air delay. Apple has reportedly run into issues with chipmaker TSMC regarding the timeframe in which the new M3 chips can be manufactured, resulting in M3 products getting pushed back to 2023 in favor of the A17 chip found in the iPhone 15 Pro. But that’s not the only nugget of information Kuo had for us…
A big-screen iMac is finally coming
Yes, the second half of Kuo’s newest claim concerns an upcoming iMac featuring a 32-inch mini-LED display, something I’ve been anticipating for a while now. Prolific Apple leaker Mark Gurman posited the existence of a new iMac with a screen larger than 30 inches earlier this year, and now Kuo’s leak all but confirms it.
The bad news is that Kuo doesn’t expect this bigger iMac to arrive until 2025 – a crying shame, given that the currently available M1 iMac only has a 24-inch display. The delay could be due to chip shortages, or it might involve Apple’s difficulties with display manufacturing given the new mini-LED screen. There’s also no mention of a possible M3 iMac Pro, but it should be noted that Kuo describes the 32-inch iMac as a ‘higher-end’ model, meaning it might feature an M3 Pro or M3 Max chip.
In any case, even a standard 24-inch iMac equipped with the M3 chip could potentially be one of the best Macs ever made, since Apple’s upcoming processor is expected to deliver a greater generational performance leap than we saw with M2. Needless to say, I’m excited to see what Apple delivers – I just hope it’s not another iPhone 15-style debacle.
