'High-end' Apple Silicon iMac may not arrive until 2022

A high-end iMac release may not be until 2022, according to a leaker, with it apparently being launched later than other anticipated Mac updates to the "M1X" chip to maximize attention on the rest of the lineup.

Apple is expected to introduce more Mac products running on Apple Silicon before the end of 2021. While rumors point to a second iMac using Apple's chip family as being on the way, it seems that it won't be part of an expected launch lineup this fall.

According to serial leaker "Dylandkt" on Twitter, a "high end iMac" will be released in 2022. The iOS developer later explained that the model is not expected to be released in the fourth quarter alongside "other M1X Macs."

Dylan reasons this to be the case because "Apple simply does not want their devices to compete for attention." There is also the belief that delays in product releases have led to the extended timetable.

Apple is thought to be working on new models of a 14-inch MacBook Pro, a 16-inch MacBook Pro, an updated MacBook Air, and an overhauled Mac mini.

As for when in 2022 to anticipate a new bigger iMac, the leaker insists the delays makes it hard to determine a specific schedule for release, since it can "change quickly."

In April, it was rumored by another leaker that a bigger iMac was in development, one that would have a larger viewable area than the existing largest 27-inch iMac. In July, another report chimed in to say a new iMac was on the way to replace the 27-inch model, though with a potentially bigger screen and using an M2 chip.

The leaker does have a track record. He was accurate in predicting that what turned out to be the 24-inch iMac reveal would focus on the lower end, versus a 27-inch replacement. About a half-year before it happened, he also predicted that the M1 was going to come to the iPad Pro.

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16 Comments

jkichline 1369 comments · 14 Years

About 3 years ago

This is obvious. They’ve just released the first iMac M1. Why would the update that immediately in October? They will rather focus on the pro market segment where additional screen outputs and higher performance are key.

techconc 275 comments · 7 Years

jkichline said:

This is obvious. They’ve just released the first iMac M1. Why would the update that immediately in October? They will rather focus on the pro market segment where additional screen outputs and higher performance are key.

Nobody is expecting an update to the low end iMac. The 24" iMac replaced the former 21" low end iMac series. Apple still needs to address the higher end 27" iMac replacements. I'm waiting for that upgrade as well. While the 16GB M1 is impressive (for a low end chip), it doesn't address the needs of higher end users.

tht 5594 comments · 23 Years

This type of news could be a consequence of the pandemic. If the pandemic was going to cause a problem, it’s going to be in 2021 and 2022, assuming enough people get vaccinated by the end of this year, which seems more of a hope than a plan now.

In 2020, all the M1 hardware development was done in 2019. What they were working on was getting the supply chain for mass production ready. Hardware that was planned for 2021 release? Yeah, I could see a slowdown there.

blastdoor 3564 comments · 15 Years

tht said:

This type of news could be a consequence of the pandemic. If the pandemic was going to cause a problem, it’s going to be in 2021 and 2022, assuming enough people get vaccinated by the end of this year, which seems more of a hope than a plan now.
In 2020, all the M1 hardware development was done in 2019. What they were working on was getting the supply chain for mass production ready. Hardware that was planned for 2021 release? Yeah, I could see a slowdown there.

Maybe so. Although they had said it would take two years to complete the transition. If we get to the end of this year and the only models left needing an update are the big iMac and Mac Pro, then they might actually be right on track for making their two year timeline.

hammeroftruth 1354 comments · 16 Years

This probably coincides with the other AI article about Apple attending NAB. IMHO, I would think there would be some sort of hardware announcement at that time.