Apple confirms that there is no Apple Silicon 27-inch iMac in the works

Apple's last 27-inch iMac

In a response to a question from The Verge, Apple's Starlayne Meza confirmed that Apple will not make an Apple Silicon 27-inch iMac. Instead, like it suggested at the turbo-speed Apple Event on October 30, the company feels that the 24-inch iMac splits the difference between the 20-inch and 27-inch Intel iMacs for upgraders.

We've already seen chatter online that this is some kind of disinformation scheme from Apple to throw leakers off the case. We don't believe that's true.

While it is accurate to say that Apple compartmentalizes information, it does not directly lie through public relations channels. We've spoken to the PR source cited in the report, and we've found them to be a straight-shooter with us in the past.

The confirmation, however, is unusual. Generally, when Apple is queried about an unannounced product, they either address it with silence, or the typical "Apple does not comment on unannounced products" that we've heard for two decades.

Apple says what it wants to say given the reality of the market at the time. The reasoning behind the statement is clear. Apple wants Intel hold-outs to buy the M3 iMac, and not wait for some 27-inch iMac that may never arrive.

iMac has gone from from crown jewel to ladder-rung

Apple's iMac went from the savior of the company, to a herald of a re-focus on the "pro" user, to a minor player in the product line to not an afterthought, but a minor consideration in 25 years. Apple's portable line has the main driver of the company's Mac sales for some time, and desktop-only Mac users appear to be a dying breed.

Apple probably did this to themselves, though. While there were clearly mobile phones before the iPhone, that single product has done the most to facilitate being away from the desk for Apple users than anything else, original Mac Portable and PowerBook included.

It was only logical that the shift from desktop to portable happened, at the cost of desktop sales.

The Apple Silicon iMac exists for education, and as a ladder-rung in the pricing ladder. It bridges the Mac mini, and the Mac Studio.

It is the ultimate computing appliance, a set-and-forget computer. It's not clear if Apple has anything else in mind for it, given how poorly the iMac Pro was received overall.

All this said, this denial does not preclude a rumored much larger iMac. The rumor mill has been cranking on about a 32-inch Pro-directed iMac for a few years now — but it's one of those rumors that always seems like a "next year" release that never quite arrives.

But time will tell on that. For now, though, given Apple's response, we're pretty certain that the 27-inch iMac isn't going to be resurrected with Apple Silicon.