We’re now in the fourth year of Apple silicon, but a bigger iMac remains elusive. A new report indicates that all hope is not lost, however.
Before Apple silicon came along, Intel-based iMacs maxed out at 27 inches. The transition to Apple silicon resulted in Apple dropping the 27-inch iMac from the lineup as it focused on the 24-inch screen size for Apple silicon models.
But the rumor-mill has never stopped speculating about the bigger iMac’s revival, with reports offering vague glimpses of hope that Apple might over time add a larger screen size to the iMac lineup. And now, Mark Gurman has briefly touched upon the rumor in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter on Bloomberg.
A bigger iMac remains a possibility
“A larger iMac remains something Apple is exploring as well, but it’s unclear if that will be an M4 product or something that comes the following year or later,” reads the newsletter. Apple last refreshed the iMac in October 2023 with its homegrown M3 chips providing a speed bump, but no other major hardware changes.
A November 2023 report by The Verge dashed hope for the 27-inch iMac’s revival as Apple’s PR representative encouraged people who have been holding out hope for a larger iMac to consider the Studio Display and Mac Studio or Mac mini instead.
This sounds like a controlled PR leak to prevent people from holding off purchased until a bigger iMac comes out. I have no doubt in my mind that Apple will eventually release a bigger-screen iMac. The all-in-one computers epitomizes the best of Apple’s design and not giving fans what they want would be a mistake. The company will get there, I’m sure. And when a bigger iMac does drop, it might feature a spectacular display measuring over 30 inches diagonally.
Driving such a massive screen effectively probably requires custom display logic and the power of the upcoming M4 Pro and M4 Ultra chips, hence the delay. It’s a question of when, not if. When a 30+ inch iMac arrives, you can bet I’ll be among the first to stand in the line. I only use Mac laptops, but an iMac has always been my dream desktop even though I’ve never owned one.