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Apple planning on releasing 23-inch iMac, 11-inch iPad Air in 2020

A new 23-inch iMac and 11-inch iPad Air may be coming in the second half of 2020.

Last updated

Apple is reportedly planning on releasing a new 23-inch iMac and an 11-inch iPad Air in 2020 as part of a broader lineup of more affordable devices in 2020.

The iMac, last updated in March 2019, is currently available in 21.5-inch and 27-inch variants. Apple revived the iPad Air lineup in September 2019 with a third-generation model packing a 10.5-inch display.

On Tuesday, a new report from The China Times, spotted by Mac Otakara, indicate that lower-cost refreshes for both of those products are coming in the second half of 2020.

The report claims that the 2020 iMac will have a 23-inch display and could ship early in the fourth quarter of 2020. It's said to be a replacement for the smaller 21.5-inch iMac, and may be more affordable.

This would not be the first time Apple has used a display similar to the purported 23-inch version in the report. In 2007, Apple created a 24-inch version of the iMac.

Apple is also planning a lower-cost iPad Air with an 11-inch display, The China Times reported. Beyond claiming that mass production will ramp up in the third quarter, the report is relatively light on details.

In March, however, a Twitter account with a short history of accurate leaked information suggested that Apple was planning a new iPad Air for 2020 with a mini-LED display, no notch and Touch ID underneath the screen.

The China Times says that ongoing production issues due to the coronavirus may have disrupted plans to produce mini-LED backlighting en masse, suggesting that mass production for new backlighting may not materialize until 2021.

Notably, the publication notes that the rumored 23-inch iMac and 11-inch iPad Air are part of a broader wave of affordable devices that kicked off with the iPhone SE in April.



50 Comments

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tht 23 Years · 5658 comments

Hmm...

$500 iPad Air 10.5"
$650 iPad Air 11"?
$800 iPad Pro 11"

The iPad Air 10.5 has an A12. The iPad Pro an A12Z. Not much differentiation for a new iPad Air to squeeze into the lineup.

And, an iMac 23 will be cheaper than the current iMac 21.5? Strange. It will be cheaper than the iMac 4K? It starts at $1300. So, it will slot in at $1000?

Strange rumors all around.

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JMStearnsX2 7 Years · 90 comments

If they were to make the bezels thinner, they could easily make 23" fit into the dimensions of the current 21.5". I do wish they would have some ports on the front, or at least the side like they used to, there is no reason to have the sides be so thin. Repairing the current iMacs is a big pain.

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liquidsky617 12 Years · 10 comments

Was hoping the refreshed iMac would be 27", bummer.

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semajnollissor 4 Years · 8 comments

Was hoping the refreshed iMac would be 27", bummer.

I don’t think this rumor precludes an updated 27” iMac, just that there may be a 23” iMac added to the line up. To be honest, a 23” iMac doesn’t even mean that there won’t be a 21” iMac anymore, although that is the model that the new model seems likely to replace. 


The rumor does make me wonder if Apple will use the screen size as a differentiator between a normal iMac and an iMac Pro. 

Regardless, I give 50/50 odds that any new enclosure will allow for user-upgradable RAM. 

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crimguy 15 Years · 120 comments

Why 23?  Why 21.5?  There must be some wonderful source of these sizes when the rest of the industry had 20" and 24" monitors. 

This is a genuine quesiton btw.  Not trying to be snarky.