Gurman: Redesigned iMac, Smaller HomePod, New Apple TV, and More Coming This Year

[MacRumors]

Well-connected Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman recently took questions from followers on Periscope about Apple's product roadmap. Gurman's sources are usually very reliable, and the journalist is known for breaking Apple stories, so we took it as an opportunity to summarize his current expectations of the company in the near term.

Unsurprisingly, many viewers asked Gurman about the so-called "iPhone 12," Apple's next-generation 5G smartphone lineup due to drop this fall. Apple is expected to offer four iPhones in three different sizes this year: A 5.4-inch ‌‌iPhone‌‌, a 6.7-inch ‌‌iPhone‌‌, and two 6.1-inch iPhones. One 6.1-inch model and the 6.7-inch model will be higher-end iPhones, while the other 6.1-inch ‌‌iPhone‌‌ and the 5.4-inch ‌‌iPhone‌‌ will be lower-end models and successors to the ‌iPhone 11‌.

Gurman believes that Apple will add LiDAR cameras to the two higher-end iPhone 12 models, similar to the ones found on its latest iPad Pro models. He also doesn't rule out the possibility of faster 120Hz Pro Motion displays being exclusive to these two devices. Apple already uses variable refresh rate technology in iPad Pro, but they still use LCD panels rather than OLED.

Gurman reiterated reports of an iPad Pro-esque design for this year's flagship lineup, with flat stainless steel edges and a flat screen. He also doubled down on his previous report of a slimmer notch on the iPhone 12. To achieve a more compact package, Gurman said Apple will move the TrueDepth camera's ambient light and proximity sensors together within the notch and relocate the speaker by building it directly into the bezel.

Here are the other main Apple-related takeaways from Gurman's half-hour broadcast:

• Apple plans a "substantial" iMac refresh this year, with a possible redesign in the offing. Gurman says rumors of a 23-inch iMac sound about right.
• Upcoming 14-inch MacBook Pro will mirror design changes seen in Apple's 16-inch MacBook Pro, such as increased screen size and scissor-switch keys.
• "Stay tuned" for more on Apple's plans for ARM-powered Macs.
• Gurman says there's a dedicated team at Apple tasked with "saving the HomePod" after lackluster sales. To that end, the rumored smaller, cheaper HomePod coming this year will also feature big improvements to Siri.
• New Apple TV coming this year, but unlikely to be 8K.
• 16-inch MacBook Pro refresh expected around October-November.
• Apple still working on a viable AirPower device.
• Apple Watch Series 6 coming later this year to support sleep tracking.
• AirTags expected later this year to be pitched as a premium product and may come in a leather case.
• Modular high-end over-ear Apple headphones still expected this fall.
• Apple's vehicle development division still focused on self-driving technology.
  Under-screen fingerprint technology not coming to iPhone this year.
  Gurman doesn't think rumors about Xcode for iOS are true. (The source of the rumor, leaker Jon Prosser, has since reiterated his confidence in the claim.)

Asked what he was most excited about from Apple, Gurman mentioned the company's ongoing development of an augmented reality headset.

For all the latest rumors on upcoming Apple products, don't forget to check out our dedicated product roundups at the top of the page.

Article Link: Gurman: Redesigned iMac, Smaller HomePod, New Apple TV, and More Coming This Year

 

[Basic75]

Asked what he was most excited about from Apple, Gurman mentioned the company's ongoing development of an augmented reality headset.

Is there any reason to believe that AR will be anything more than a gimmick? At the moment I don't give it more importance than 3D on televisions, and we all know how that played out.

 

[Niklas_nick]

Happy to hear he's talking about a 14 inch MBP, not another 13 like other rumours lately. Sounds like a pretty perfect mobile size and I wouldn't know what MacBook to get if there were another old 13".

 

[jayducharme]

The iMac is certainly due for a redesign. But I wonder what that will entail? They can't make it much slimmer. They could possibly get rid of the chin and make it just a floating screen, basically a big iPad on a Magic Keyboard. They've got my attention; let's see what they can deliver.

Is there any reason to believe that AR will be anything more than a gimmick? At the moment I don't give it more importance than 3D on televisions, and we all know how that played out.

Yes. Unlike VR, AR can have much more practical applications (like a heads-up display would). I can see commerce going all in on this, like when you can see a proposed remodel of your home just by walking through your current space. AR also doesn't seem to need those massive goggles that have hindered the expansion of VR, since you're not replacing what you see; you're adding to it.

 

[adamjackson]

Of course Apple is taking AirTag, a cheap and low cost accessible way to keep track of things and costs pennies to manufacture and wrapping it in leather to make it a $49 price because Apple.

Sigh.

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Not sure why anyone asked about an 8K AppleTV. Apple will probably be late to this party but with a device that is reliable and works better than whoever gets there first.

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iMac rumors makes me hope they go 30 or 32" on the top-end iMac maybe bring 32" to iMac Pro first with a baby XDR panel and then bring a 32" non-XDR 6K to the iMac. It would allow them to streamline chassis / mold designs and still have 2 different product lines just at a larger size. I've had 27" iMacs jeez since like 2008 and they pretty much all look the same. I'd love it if apple did something radical with the now fully paid for XDR arm and do an iMac G4 throwback with a massive display. and no I don't want thinner I just want the iMac to evolve a bit. the design is still great compared to others but...

Here's my desk in 2009:

Here's my desk today:

I kind of wish it would have evolved a bit since then.

 

[recoil80]

The iMac has a huge bezels right now, in particular the chin. Having more display on a similar size chassis would be a good improvement. And please, no more HDD, just start with a 256GB SSD like the Macbook Air.

 

[macfan90]

So about the iMac. Getting a 23” version and nothing else would be abysmal. There’s no rumors of upgrades to the normal line. Only a smaller size version than there is today. Ridiculous. Apple sucks at desktops now a day’s. Either they prolong updates for 2yrs+ or charge the price of a used car.

 

[Ds6778]

I am stoked about the iPhone redesign.

 

[rmoliv]

No reason for 8K Apple TV... There's no content available...

 

[Osamede]

Saving the Homepod, should be a move upmarket AND downmarket, not downmarket alone. Apple needs to have presence in the low end but they will not outcompete "pay-in-data-rape-and-privacy-violation" from the other big two tech companies, so they need to have a bigger homepod and a subwoofer to compete for the high end audio market, where people gladly pay big money - and those folks all are expensive iphone owners.

 

[Freida]

substantial iMac refresh - literally cannot wait. Hope 27" model will get redesigned too

 

[now i see it]

• AirTags expected later this year to be pitched as a premium product and may come in a leather case.

For the wealthy and forgetful

 

[thejadedmonkey]

AirTags expected later this year to be pitched as a premium product and may come in a leather case.

Which you then stick onto a keyring, scratch the hell out of, and wonder why Apple chose to waste leather?

Maybe it'd be like a leather keychain, which would be much more practical.

 

[smaffei]

Walked away from Apple TV this year because of difficulty in using it (the UI has definitely become more cumbersome) and reports of bad true black representation in its video output for HDR10 / Dolby Vision. My LG OLED now supports the Apple TV app directly. I use a high end Roku to fill in the gaps for things like Locast and Pluto TV. Much easier and half the price. And, I use consoles in another room for gaming (No "Predator : Hunting Grounds" on Apple TV anytime soon). So, really there was no point in keeping the box.

 

[Jeaz]

I kind of wish it would have evolved a bit since then.

Hey, you got the numpad back since then. don't complain 😛

But yeah, the iMac desperately need a new design. The chin and bezels are huge by todays standards, and they should be able to improve that. I've been holding out on upgrading my 2013 iMac since it's just not felt I had a compelling reason to upgrade. I mean sure, 5K is nice, and faster CPU/GPU as well. But I bought the highest spec around in 2013 and with a memory upgrade a few years ago it holds up extremely well even today.

 

[krazzix]

"substantial iMac refresh this year, with a possible redesign in the offing."

Man I'm so glad I decided to not buy the 2019 upgrade but instead wait until the next one.

 

[oneMadRssn]

Is there any reason to believe that AR will be anything more than a gimmick? At the moment I don't give it more importance than 3D on televisions, and we all know how that played out.

I think it's good they're thinking and playing with how to use AR, and how to build a good UI around AR. I don't think the hardware is there yet at all, and probably won't be for at least half a decade, but AR is where we're heading with novel device interaction and UI. Portable screens can only get so big before they're too power-hungry and heavy, and some places (e.g., cars) just aren't good places for looking screens. So it's good that Apple is on top of it now, so they can capitalize when the hardware is there.

It only feels like gimmick when companies like Google rush a product like Glass to market without thinking about usability and UI. Not say that didn't end up being a good product - it found its place in manufacturing and logistics. But it was launched without much forethought and it showed.

 

[Rogifan]

This sounds more like spitballing from Gurman. Heck any one of us could have made these predictions.

 

[profets]

The iMac is what I’m most excited about at this point. The design did slim down in late 2012, but the front design has been identical since 2009. It’s a testament to how nice of a design it is, although it is starting to show its age with the large bezels.

Also, need to stop with these spinning disks. These are not inexpensive computers, its beyond time to move on at this point.
[automerge]1587562028[/automerge]

This sounds more like spitballing from Gurman. Heck any one of us could have made these predictions.

Yeah, I almost get the sense that he’s trying to keep some attention after Jon Prosser’s recent rise in the rumour mill.

 

[69Mustang]

• Gurman says there's a dedicated team at Apple tasked with "saving the HomePod" after lackluster sales. To that end, the rumored smaller, cheaper HomePod coming this year will also feature big improvements to Siri.

Siri wasn't the reason for lackluster sales imo. Lack of proper i/o hampered the sales of the HomePod. It was/is ecosystem locked and limited. You couldn't connect it to anything or anything to it. No BT playback, no 3.5m jack... just made it an all-in speaker for the all-in fan when it could have been a versatile all around speaker that had appeal beyond the audience it found. If the rumored smaller speaker doesn't have proper i/o I think we're going to see a repeat of the original HomePod's sales.

 

[ultrafiel80]

I have money waiting for a new iMac. No way I'm going down to 23-24 inches from a 27 inch, so I hope they have a 30-32 inch honestly. Apple should be ashamed that they still provide spinning hard drives, so I also expect only SSD. I understand why they "justify" HDs for cost, but normal 2.5" SSDs are cheap and much better, so they don't have to go for NVme if they want a base, less-expensive machine. The sweet spot for me is 1TB SSD, so I hope the base model starts at 500GB. I would be intrigued by an AMD processor offering, but that probably isn't in the cards. As long as the dedicated graphics starts with a AMD 5500/5600 with the option of a 5700XT that would be fine for me. I personally don't have a reason for a real expensive graphics card since I can now just pay the same cost a few years down the road for a better external GPU—seems like a wiser upgrade path.

Please let the rumors be true. I'm still on my mid-2011 27" iMac, and the age is killing me. I used to upgrade my iMac every 3-4 years, but this has just lasted so long (with an SSD upgrade). I don't even have USB3! My money is ready, hope the iMac turns out well.

 

[69Mustang]

I kind of wish it would have evolved a bit since then.

That is an illuminating visual statement regarding the iMac. That's over a decade of wearing the same outfit. It needs a design overhaul. Something as simple as surgery on that chin would do wonders.

 

[theFly]

Is there any reason to believe that AR will be anything more than a gimmick? At the moment I don't give it more importance than 3D on televisions, and we all know how that played out.

Think more along the lines for Businesses. While there are certainly consumer based solutions, I'd agree they tend to be more gimmicky right now, although having a pair of sunglasses that show me directions in my line of site would be interesting, even for driving.

But if you think along the lines of businesses, then there's a lot more possibilities for providing workers (factory workers, delivery workers, pilots, etc) with enhanced information without the need to look away from what they're working on.

 

[satchmo]

Frankly I wouldn't mind if the iMac went back to it's 2006 days when it was much thicker.

There's really no reason other than aesthetic for an all-in-one desktop to be so thin. The added depth means you could pack everything in there, plus remove the chin, and eliminate the thick bezels. The thermals will be better too.

Think 6K XDR type thick...but floating on a hinged stand.

 

[The Game 161]

Mac fans can be happy with 14 inch macbook

still no confirmation on pro motion on the iPhone 12...that and camera improvements with night mode and overall quality and i will be happy.