Apple's M4 iMac: What to Expect

[MacRumors]

Apple is planning to refresh the 24-inch iMac as soon as 2024, so we could see a new model with an M4 chip before the end of the year. Apple is working to overhaul the entire Mac line with AI-focused M4 chips, iMac included.

This guide includes everything we know about Apple's plans for an M4 iMac.

M4 Chip

The next-generation 24-inch iMac is expected to get the M4 chip, which is the same chip that Apple used for the latest iPad Pro models. iMacs right now have the M3 chip, so the M4 will be a direct update.

The M4 is built on the same 3-nanometer technology as the M3, but it is a second-generation chip with some speed and efficiency improvements. In a Geekbench benchmark test, the M4 proved to be up to 25 percent faster than the M3 chip, which is a notable jump in performance.

The M3 had a single-core score of 3,087 and a multi-core score of 11,702, while the M4 had a single-core score of 3,695 and a multi-core score of 14,550.

Apple's M4 chip has a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU, featuring six efficiency cores and four performance cores. There is a variant of the M4 with a 9-core CPU that Apple has used in the iPad Pro, but it is unlikely that this chip would be offered in the iMac.

Other Macs will get upgraded M4 Pro, M4 Max, and M4 Ultra chips, but the 24-inch iMac is an entry-level product on par with devices like the MacBook Air, so it will only be offered with the M4 chip.

Design

Apple last redesigned the iMac in 2021, and there are no signs that a new look is on the horizon. It's likely that the 2024 refresh of the iMac will focus on the internals rather than any outward-facing design changes.

The iMac is an all-in-one machine that combines a computer and a display. It measures in at just 11.5mm thick, and has a slim profile that fits easily on a desktop. It comes in a range of bright colors, with a matching chin in a pastel color.

So far, we don't know of any updates coming to the iMac except for the M4 chip.

Larger iMac?

There have been persistent rumors of a larger-screened iMac that has a display that's around 30 inches in size, but that device was still in the early stages of development in mid-2023, and there is no word on when a larger iMac might come out.

There is a possibility that we could see it sometime in 2025, but it won't be coming in 2024. Apple this year will stick to the 24-inch iMac, as it has done since discontinuing the 27-inch model in 2022.

Release Date

Back in April, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the 24-inch iMac would likely see an M4 chip update "around the end of the year." Apple sometimes holds events in October or November when new Macs are expected, so we could see the iMac around that timeframe.

Apple is also expected to update the MacBook Pro models and the Mac mini before the end of the year. The iMac was last updated in October 2023, so an October 2024 launch would come right at the year mark.

Article Link: Apple's M4 iMac: What to Expect

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

Expect it to be exactly the same with the new chip in it. For years.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

For anyone who wants a 27" or larger iMac, I hear a very strong rumor that it will be released exactly 15 days after I bite the bullet and buy an M4 Pro Mac Mini with a Studio Display. You're welcome.

 

[Populus]

I have a 24” monitor and… it’s fine, but for my next one I’m jumping to 27”. I think Apple should offer at least a 27” along with the 24”.

 

[cjsuk]

For anyone who wants a 27" or larger iMac, I hear a very strong rumor that it will be released exactly 15 days after I bite the bullet and buy an M4 Pro Mac Mini with a Studio Display. You're welcome.

That's exactly what will happen.

I've got an M1 MacBook Pro and a Studio display ... and an M1 iMac. I prefer the iMac though. The studio display is too large and gives me eyestrain over a day or two. Performance-wise I can't tell the difference!

So I might sell both of these and buy an M4 iMac in the end.

 

[BanjoDudeAhoy]

Part of the reason I ended up getting my M1 Mac mini instead of the iMac was that I wanted a bigger screen than the 24" I already had. Now that I'm used to 27", though, I almost want something even bigger 😬

 

[UnbreakableAlex]

Will M4 Support 5k 120 Hz via Thunderbolt? This is the most important question.

 

[adamw]

I would appreciate a 24" M4 iMac, but would really greatly appreciate a 27" or 30" M4 Pro iMac!

 

[Mizhou]

Will M4 Support 5k 120 Hz via Thunderbolt? This is the most important question.

I hope it will support Thunderbolt 5 and the latest version of DisplayPort via Thunderbolt, and therefore support screens up to 8k, and that will of course support 5k displays at a high frame rate too.

 

[Stenik]

The best part of an "AI-focused" chip would be to have the "AI" disabled

 

[Phil77354]

I gave up waiting for a new larger iMac late last year, when I ordered a new Studio Mac along with the Studio Display.

Not looking back! I still have my late 2014 iMac sitting to the side of my desk, and the Studio Display is so much more elegant that there is no comparison. And the footprint of the Studio Mac is so small that I don't miss having an all-in-one computer for a second.

 

[EugW]

I do think the iMac will probably go M4 - perhaps because of TSMC's N3E process - but there are no guarantees. Apple completely skipped M2, so it's possible they could skip M4 as well.

 

[Chuckeee]

With USB-C keyboard and mouse charging instead of lightning?

Maybe new/different color?

 

[nutmac]

And I guess it will still use Lightning connectors for Magic Keyboard, Trackpad, and Mouse. 😭

 

[citysnaps]

I gave up waiting for a new larger iMac late last year, when I ordered a new Studio Mac along with the Studio Display.

Not looking back! I still have my late 2014 iMac sitting to the side of my desk, and the Studio Display is so much more elegant that there is no comparison. And the footprint of the Studio Mac is so small that I don't miss having an all-in-one computer for a second.

Agree...

Coming from a 27" iMac... My Mac Studio and Studio Display have been superb. Especially for editing/processing photos in Lightroom.

 

[EugW]

With USB-C keyboard and mouse charging instead of lightning?

Good question. However, technically, Apple doesn't have to do that if they don't update the keyboard and mouse.

 

[jb310]

An M4 iMac later this year would be such a pleasant surprise, given that Apple seems to have put the iMac near the bottom of their list of priorities. 😭

 

[yeah]

8 GB of RAM, no doubt.

 

[Algr]

...buy an M4 Pro Mac Mini with a Studio Display.

There is absolutely no reason for anyone ever to get an Apple Studio Display. You can get a 4k 42" tv for a third the price, and have vastly more real estate and flexibility. Failing that, third party computer monitors.

 

[iDave]

I’m skeptical that there will be an M4 iMac. Apple will probably wait for the M5 in a year or two, if they don’t discontinue the iMac product altogether.

 

[EugW]

8 GB of RAM, no doubt.

Whether it gets M4 or M5 next, I'm predicting/hoping it will get 12 GB RAM base.

 

[Souponastick270]

I do think the iMac will probably go M4 - perhaps because of TSMC's N3E process - but there are no guarantees. Apple completely skipped M2, so it's possible they could skip M4 as well.

I had the same thought when this rumour came up earlier in the year.

Seems odd to leave the Mac Mini on M2 and have the iMac jump M2 straight to M3 and then get M4 as well.

They could stretch the refresh cycles so the Mac Mini is on even 1/2/4/6 number chips and iMac on odd number chips 1/3/5/7.

 

[cjsuk]

There is absolutely no reason for anyone ever to get an Apple Studio Display. You can get a 4k 42" tv for a third the price, and have vastly more real estate and flexibility. Failing that, third party computer monitors.

Yay fractional scaling. My favourite eye-buster.

 

[W£S]

I do think the iMac will probably go M4 - perhaps because of TSMC's N3E process - but there are no guarantees. Apple completely skipped M2, so it's possible they could skip M4 as well.

I guess Apple has to refresh all their lineup asap, given that they need to convinced investors they are all in on AI, which they will claim need M4 to run well/fully.

 

[ZeroInspo]

There is absolutely no reason for anyone ever to get an Apple Studio Display. You can get a 4k 42" tv for a third the price, and have vastly more real estate and flexibility. Failing that, third party computer monitors.

Because Macs look kinda bad on 4k displays, and it becomes more obvious once you've seen one on a 5k display. Guess what? Hardly anyone makes 5k displays except Apple, and the other options are almost as expensive as the Studio Display with lower quality everything. No, if you do graphical work and you want to experience Macs as Apple intended you need a Studio Display or else you're somewhat compromising.

Sure it's not the end of the world if you don't buy the Studio Display but it's almost the same situation with buying an iPad Air vs the Pro, you don't need ProMotion but boy once you have it it's really hard to go back.