As October draws to a close, and despite the anticipation of new iMacs and iPads, the only notable release we’ve seen so far is the rather perplexing Apple Pencil. However, it appears that the long-awaited 24-inch iMac may finally make its debut this month. Mark Gurman believes so and mentioned it in his recent Power On newsletter for Bloomberg, suggesting that it could arrive as early as October 30th. This would mark the end of an extended dry spell that has lasted over 900 days since the introduction of the M1 iMac in the first half of 2021. While Gurman didn’t specify the chip today, he has previously indicated that this refresh will feature an M3 chip in the new iMac.
Gurman mentioned that he had been “informed that Apple is planning a Mac-focused product launch towards the end of this month.” He also noted that if you attempt to order the iMac, the 13-inch MacBook Pro, or either of the other high-end Pro models, some of their configurations won’t ship until November. Gurman sees this, along with the fact that Apple is reporting its earnings in November, as a “clear sign” that something significant is happening in Cupertino. He pointed out that the last time Apple postponed its discussion of this quarter’s earnings until after October, it coincided with a Mac and iPad announcement.
While the 14- and 16-inch Pro laptops were refreshed in January, suggesting they may still be on track for a 2024 release timeline, it has been over a year since the 13-inch MacBook Pro received an update. Furthermore, the iMac is approaching its third year with the same chip.
In the subscriber version of Power On, Gurman responded to a reader’s question about whether he expects the next MacBooks to feature changes beyond internal upgrades. He expressed the belief that there won’t be significant differences apart from processor improvements and perhaps “minor enhancements to displays.” However, he predicts that the next major change will be the introduction of a new iMac Pro in 2025, followed by OLED MacBook Pros in 2026, likely featuring updated designs and features.
