Waiting for the M3 iMac? We’ve got bad news for Apple fans

If you’ve been holding out for Apple to launch a refreshed iMac, there’s some bad news: it might not launch until late 2023 or early 2024. If correct, that could mean disappointment for anyone who has been waiting for Apple’s all-in-one computer to get upgraded to the latest and greatest chips.

The news comes from Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman (via MacRumors), whose track record for Apple leaks is one of the best in the biz. In his Power On newsletter, Gurman explained that he has not seen any indication that a new version of the iMac is imminent. “So if you want to stick with the iMac,” he added, “you’ll just have to sit tight.”

If you’re interested in getting an iMac, that means you will be limited to the M1 model for a while longer. That version was launched in April 2021 and could be the only available model for some time yet.

In fact, Gurman believes the iMac could skip the M2 generation of chips altogether. The M2 has been out in the wild since the M2 MacBook Air launched in June 2022, while the M2 Pro and M2 Max came to updated MacBook Pro and Mac mini computers just a couple of weeks ago.

Yet according to Gurman, “I haven’t seen anything to indicate there will be a new iMac until the M3 chip generation.” Worse, those chips “won’t arrive until the tail end of this year at the earliest or next year.”

A long wait in store

Supposing the M3 does not launch until early 2024, that would make it almost three years between iMac revisions. The M1 is a strong chip, but even it might struggle to feel up to speed by that point.

The good news is that the M3 is expected to be made using a 3-nanometer process (an upgrade over the current 5nm process), which will likely bring even better power and efficiency to a family of chips that already excel in this regard.

Although we could be waiting a while longer for the next iMac, it might not be the first Mac to come bearing Apple’s next-generation chip. That distinction could go to an M3 MacBook Air, which is expected to be unveiled in the second half of 2023.

Whichever Mac gets the M3 chip first, a three-year wait for a fresh iMac will feel like a long time. Right now, it seems we’ll need to be patient to see the new version in action.

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