iMac 2023 rumours: Apple to likely focus more on specs rather than design of its next iMac

Apple's iMac does not pack the company's most powerful M-series chipsets under the hood. However, it looks like the Cupertino-based tech giant is gearing up to change that soon. In 2022, the iMac underwent a radical design overhaul with a larger 24-inch display and robust M1 silicon.

This super slim all-in-one desktop shipped with a highly competent chipset that surprisingly did not consume a lot of power. To recall, the M2 Pro chip outperformed the M1 Max in the Geekbench tests earlier this year.

Apple's M2 chip is finally here, but some reports suggest the tech company is prepping to unveil its highly anticipated M3 chip. A Tom's Guide report suggests this could be a Pro or Max variant that targets those who fancy using a more powerful machine.

iMac 2023 expected release date, price

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently claimed Apple will skip the M2 chipset in favour of the M3 chip in his newsletter in February. The popular journalist also suggested Apple isn't likely to unveil a new iMac anytime soon. However, current rumours indicate the iMac 2023 could go official in June.

A Forbes report corroborates this speculation by noting that an M2 iMac launch after the release of the M3 chipset is far-fetched. Notably, the reliable Apple tipster predicted the iMac 2023 could break cover either late spring or early summer. This timeline coincides with Apple's WWDC 2023, which is expected to kick off on June 5.

To recall, Apple launched the latest iMac back in May 2021. So, it is likely that the company will launch its next-gen iMac around the same timeline. Also, the new iMac's pricing could align with the charges for the current-gen iMac.

So, the starting price of the iMac 2023 could be $1,299 (about £1,249 / AU$1,899). The Pro chip variant is likely to carry a steeper price tag if it goes official as well. Alternatively, Apple could make sure that the prices don't soar too much to target the general audience.

iMac 2023 expected design, display

The 2021 iMac featured a slim chassis and came in a myriad of eye-catching pastel colors. On the downside, it had a large chin and thick bezels around the display.

Now, the word on the street is that Apple will retain this design for its upcoming iMac. However, Gurman says the iMac 2023 will focus more on the new chipset rather than the aesthetic.

However, if there are no design changes, the iMac 2023 will sport a 24-inch LCD Retina display that supports a 4.5K resolution. Apple fans are hoping that the company will switch to ProMotion 120Hz refresh rate displays that are currently seen on the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops. A mini-LED option could also be a great addition.

However, these changes are likely to arrive on the iMac Pro version. Although the Pro version was discontinued not long ago, Apple might refresh it with an M-series chipset in the future. Aside from this, it will be interesting to see whether the new iMac has more ports such as the HDMI input/output and an SD card reader.

iMac 2023 expected specifications

Gurman states the iMac 2023 version will use an M3 chip, contrary to earlier reports that hint at the presence of an M2 chip. However, details about the Apple M3 chip are few and far between. Still, past leaks imply the chipset will be fabbed on a 3-nanometer process node from TSMC. In other words, it will have more transistors on the same size of the chipset.

So, the M3 chip will be more power efficient compared to M2. Apple will probably shed some light on its upcoming 2023 iMac before its official unveiling. We can expect the company to start teasing its next iMac in May or June this year.