Apple’s 27-inch iMac was a popular all-in-one desktop machine, not least because of its stunning 5K Retina display. That display eventually found its way into the new Studio Display, but with the 27-inch iMac now discontinued and the 24-inch version the only iMac on sale, what are the chances that we could see the 27-inch option resurrected?
Here’s everything we know about a potential new 27-inch iMac so far.
27-inch iMac processors
If Apple does launch a new 27-inch iMac, it’s possible it could use some form of Apple M2 processor. The last iMac Pro rumors we heard suggested that machine would use M1 Pro or M1 Max chips, although that seems less likely now that we’re already looking at M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro notebooks being on the horizon. Could the iMac Pro use M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips, leaving M2 Pro for the 27-inch iMac? Rumors aren’t pointing to that currently, but they aren’t saying much at all at this point, either.
27-inch iMac design
Apple’s 24-inch iMac brought with it an all-new design with more colors than you can shake a stick at. That seems likely to be the case with the new 27-inch iMac, at least in the design aspect. Colors could well differ, but we’ll have to wait and see if this Mac actually exists before getting too into the weeds in terms of color options.
A report from last year, via DigiTimes, did have multiple colors being an option, but it’s been quiet since then.
To be clear, rumors of a 27-inch iMac have been hard to come by and those that have appeared could just as well be talking about a new iMac Pro. If there are colors to be had, though, it’s a safe bet that we’re looking at an iMac and not a Pro variant.
27-inch iMac display
If Apple does revive the 27-inch iMac, expect it to sport a display that’s similar if not identical to that of the Studio Display. Rumors of mini-LED technology are very much in the iMac Pro camp right now, with the 27-inch iMac likely to go with something more cost-effective — and familiar. Despite initial rumors that the 27-inch iMac could get new display tech, that now seems unlikely.
We can be sure that, at 27 inches, this new iMac would have at least a 5K resolution just like the Studio Display. Any larger, and Apple may choose to go 6K — although, again, we might be straying into iMac Pro territory at that point.
27-inch iMac pricing
The 27-inch iMac has historically sold for around $1,800 and that seems like a good starting point here, depending on the chips, storage, and RAM configurations Apple offers its new machine in. While that will likely be the lowest price you can pay to get into a new 27-inch iMac, expect that to increase pretty rapidly once you start adding options — especially more RAM and larger storage capacities.
27-inch iMac release and availability
This is a tricky one, not least because rumors of a 27-inch iMac are hit and miss.
While it does seem that a new 27-inch iMac of some description is being worked on inside Apple, it could well be a new iMac Pro rather than a standard iMac. That machine was once thought to have been set for a mid-2022 launch, although that came and went.
However, one specific report has poured cold water on the possibility of there actually being a new 27-inch iMac at all. That report claimed that Apple didn’t intend to revive the larger iMac at all, instead leaving the M1 24-inch iMac as the only one in the fleet. “Sources told 9to5Mac that Apple currently has no plans to release a larger-screen iMac in the near future,” the report said in March of 2022. “The information comes from the same sources that revealed to us the plans for Mac Studio and Studio Display in advance.”
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