Hold on to your pants, folks. Apple’s not finished yet with its product launches for 2023.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is planning a Mac-focused product launch at the end of this month, amid noticeable shortages of iMacs and MacBook Pros in retail stores.
The last update to the iMac came in April 2021 with the introduction of the M1 chip. Since then, fans have waited more than 900 days for a new model, making it an unusually long gap between updates in the era of in-house Apple chips.
Apple had initially “aimed to release a larger, pro-focused iMac soon after the 24-inch iMac launched,” says Gurman, but that plan was shelved due to cost concerns.
Instead, Apple has positioned the Mac Studio and Studio Display combination as a high-end iMac replacement. However, this is not considered an equivalent substitute by dedicated iMac users. An updated 24-inch iMac is reportedly in the pipeline and could be announced at the upcoming Mac-centered product launch.
Apple’s retail stores are currently experiencing short supplies of the iMac, as well as the 13-inch MacBook Pro and high-end MacBook Pro. Several configurations won’t arrive until mid-November, signalling something is set to launch, says Gurman.
The Mac announcement is expected to take place on either October 30th or 31st, with Apple’s quarterly earnings to follow on November 2nd. This marks the first time since 2018 that Apple will post its quarterly results in November, points out Bloomberg.
While next-generation MacBook Air models with M3 chips are not expected until 2024, progress has been made on new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, says Gurman. An additional update within the same year would be unusual but is not ruled out.
As for the iMac, a pro version is still in the works and is expected to follow the 24-inch model in late 2024 or 2025. This larger model will feature a 32-inch display, making it the biggest iMac in Apple’s history.
