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.
Details of a new iMac have emerged from a very reliable source. This new rumored model looks to be a replacement for the old 27-inch model, but by the sounds of it, it'll be more than just a bigger 24-inch iMac 2021.
Display expert Ross Young says a new 27-inch iMac with a fancy new display will be making an appearance in early 2022. He initially posted saying that this product was a discrete display like the Pro Display XDR, but later changed his position to say it was in fact a new iMac that will be appearing in Q1 of next year. A new Apple display may be coming later however, he adds.
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Like the displays revealed for the new 14-inch MacBook Pro and 16-inch MacBook Pro, this iMac will apparently be capable of a 120Hz maximum refresh rate, with the ability to scale it down to as low as 24Hz when required. Young also claims it will use mini-LED lighting, which improves on the common LCD display by offering additional brightness and more accurate colors.
OK, tweeted too early. The 27" MiniLED screen is going in an iMac in Q1'22, not an external monitor. May see a monitor later. Still 24Hz - 120Hz variable refresh...Sorry for the confusion!October 20, 2021
The last 24-inch iMac, which arrived earlier this year, already introduced a number of big changes like a new design and color options, Apple's M1 chip running everything and a higher quality webcam. A more sophisticated display would already help set a larger 27-inch model apart, although we could also use the option to spec Apple's new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips for enhanced performance without buying the ridiculously expensive Mac Pro.
A larger, high-end iMac coming out next year was already a rumor in circulation. Apparently Apple didn't want to reveal this new iMac this as it feared causing internal competition with its other newly-launched Mac devices, presumably the two new MacBook Pros. Perhaps we may see the new model appear around April of next year, as that would be a year on from the last iMac reveal.
Although the current 27-inch iMac is only just over a year old, it uses the dated-looking older design, and runs off of an aging Intel processor. A full refresh, particularly if it comes with all the goodies that Young suggests it will, is just what Apple needs to complete the changeover to Apple Silicon Macs and continue its lead against similar all-in-one computers.
