$Apple(AAPL.US)$'s loyal fan base can soon expect the next iteration of the company's iMac desktop computer, Bloomberg columnist Mark Gurman said in his weekly "Power On" newsletter.
What Happened: The next iteration of the iMac desktop is in the engineering validation testing phase, suggesting it is at an advanced stage of development, Gurman said. The company is reportedly carrying out production tests, he added.
What's New With New iMac: The new iMacs, according to the columnist, will be more powerful, with a new M-series, potentially the M3 chips, replacing the M1 in the current machines. He also flagged the relocation and redesigning of some internal components and a changed manufacturing process for attaching the iMac's stand.
The screen size is expected to be maintained at 24 inches, the same as the current model, which was unveiled in April 2021, Gurman said. The new iteration would come with the same colors, he added.
Shipment Date: Mass production of the new iMacs wouldn't happen for at least three months, the columnist said. These machines, therefore, are unlikely to ship before the second half of the year, at the earliest, he said.
Other Potential New Products: Gurman also expects Cupertino to unveil three new Macs between late spring and summer. These could be the first 15-inch MacBook Pro, the first Mac Pro with in-house Apple chips, and an update to the 13-inch MacBook Air, he said.
The Mac Pro will include the M2 Ultra chip, which will provide up to 24 CPU cores, 76 graphics cores and the ability to top out the machine with at least 192 gigabytes of memory, Gurman said.
The 15-inch MacBook Air could become outdated if the unit launches with the M2 chip, but will likely still be in demand, the Apple writer said. The 13-inch model could be launched with the M3 chip, which is based on the 5-nanometer processor node technology, he added.
If Apple were to stick to last year's schedule, an M3 chip alongside a new MacBook Air at WWDC 2023 would make sense, Gurman said. He added that the company could then follow up with the M3 iMac later in the year and M3 Pro and M3 Max-based MacBook Pros in 2024.
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