Update: A recent report has suggested that the iMac 27-inch will in fact not boast a mini-LED display. The next all-in-one Apple desktop will instead stick with an LCD panel.
When Apple introduced a new-look 24-inch iMac with M1 chips earlier this year, the 27-inch model went untouched. It’s widely anticipated that this will be corrected next year, but according to one leaker, the updated all-in-one from Apple may actually come under a brand name we thought long gone.
The iMac Pro was discontinued earlier this year, but it looks like Apple could revive the brand to distinguish this new iMac from the colorful 24-inch model, according to leaker @dylandkt. While the smaller iMac packs the M1 chip, this new version will allegedly come with M1 Pro and M1 Max variants, just like the new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro.
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“Why will it be called this? To better distinguish this device from the iMac 24,” the leaker with an enviable 75% accuracy rating on AppleTrack tweeted. “This is a "Pro" device with a Pro Chip,” he explained, noting that the 24-inch iMac matches the M1 MacBook Air, while the new iMac will mirror the larger MacBook Pros.
“Same reasoning is being applied to this Pro iMac. Same M1 Pro and M1 Max,” he continued. “There may be an added configuration but at this time I can't say for certain.”
iMac (Pro)Promotion and Mini LedBase model 16gb Ram 512gb StorageM1 Pro and MaxDark bezelsHDMI, SD Card, Usb CSimilar design to iMac 24 and Pro Display XDRStarting price at or over 2000 dollarsEthernet on brick standardFace ID was tested (Not confirmed)1H 2022October 30, 2021
That’s not to say that the iMac Pro branding is set in stone, however. “As a disclaimer though, the marketing team can change gears very quickly,” Dylanddkt wrote.
There’s plenty of other tidbits in Dylandkt’s original tweet. No screen size was given, though the leaker did state that this will replace the 27-inch iMac, and that display will use mini-LED tech, with Apple’s ProMotion technology for 120Hz refresh rates.
It will apparently feature a similar design to the 24-inch iMac and Pro Display XDR, though if Apple really is treating this as a Pro device, we’d imagine the playful colors will be dropped. All Dylandkt has to say on that score is that it will feature “dark bezels”. No word on whether or not there will be a notch, but it’s claimed that Face ID has been tested (though “not confirmed”).
Dylandkt also claims to have intel on three new external displays from Apple, one being a 32-inch behemoth with custom silicon.
The Pro design continues to the ports included. The leaker claims that it will feature USB-C ports, an SD card slot, an ethernet port on the power brick, and, for the first time, an HDMI port. “HDMI has never been in an iMac (As far as I know),” they wrote. “So then, why is it coming to this iMac? It has to do with display compatibility. Most TV's and external displays have HDMI. It's simply a convenience factor.”
Alongside the M1 Pro and M1 Max, the base model iMac Pro will apparently feature 16GB RAM and 512GB of storage, with prices starting “at or over” $2,000.
If the leaker is correct, this rumored iMac Pro would arrive in the first half of 2022 — maybe in time to make an appearance at the rumored March event? We shall have to wait and see.
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