Apple's M4 iMac: What to Expect

Apple is planning to refresh the 24-inch iMac as soon as 2024, so we could see a new model with an M4 chip before the end of the year. Apple is working to overhaul the entire Mac line with AI-focused M4 chips, ‌iMac‌ included.

M4 iMac Feature Teal
This guide includes everything we know about Apple's plans for an M4 ‌iMac‌.

M4 Chip

The next-generation 24-inch ‌iMac‌ is expected to get the M4 chip, which is the same chip that Apple used for the latest iPad Pro models. iMacs right now have the M3 chip, so the M4 will be a direct update.

The M4 is built on the same 3-nanometer technology as the M3, but it is a second-generation chip with some speed and efficiency improvements. In a Geekbench benchmark test, the M4 proved to be up to 25 percent faster than the M3 chip, which is a notable jump in performance.

The M3 had a single-core score of 3,087 and a multi-core score of 11,702, while the M4 had a single-core score of 3,695 and a multi-core score of 14,550.

Apple's M4 chip has a 10-core CPU and a 10-core GPU, featuring six efficiency cores and four performance cores. There is a variant of the M4 with a 9-core CPU that Apple has used in the ‌iPad Pro‌, but it is unlikely that this chip would be offered in the ‌iMac‌.

Other Macs will get upgraded M4 Pro, M4 Max, and M4 Ultra chips, but the 24-inch ‌iMac‌ is an entry-level product on par with devices like the MacBook Air, so it will only be offered with the M4 chip.

Design

Apple last redesigned the ‌iMac‌ in 2021, and there are no signs that a new look is on the horizon. It's likely that the 2024 refresh of the ‌iMac‌ will focus on the internals rather than any outward-facing design changes.

imac pink
The ‌iMac‌ is an all-in-one machine that combines a computer and a display. It measures in at just 11.5mm thick, and has a slim profile that fits easily on a desktop. It comes in a range of bright colors, with a matching chin in a pastel color.

So far, we don't know of any updates coming to the ‌iMac‌ except for the M4 chip.

Larger iMac?

There have been persistent rumors of a larger-screened iMac that has a display that's around 30 inches in size, but that device was still in the early stages of development in mid-2023, and there is no word on when a larger ‌iMac‌ might come out.

iMac Pro Mock Graphic Feature
There is a possibility that we could see it sometime in 2025, but it won't be coming in 2024. Apple this year will stick to the 24-inch ‌iMac‌, as it has done since discontinuing the 27-inch model in 2022.

Release Date

Back in April, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the 24-inch ‌iMac‌ would likely see an M4 chip update "around the end of the year." Apple sometimes holds events in October or November when new Macs are expected, so we could see the ‌iMac‌ around that timeframe.

Apple is also expected to update the MacBook Pro models and the Mac mini before the end of the year. The ‌iMac‌ was last updated in October 2023, so an October 2024 launch would come right at the year mark.

Related Roundup: iMac
Buyer's Guide: iMac (Neutral)
Related Forum: iMac

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
Apple Intelligence General Feature

Apple Intelligence Now Available in New iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia Developer Betas

Monday July 29, 2024 10:07 am PDT by
Apple is today providing developers with the first betas of iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1, with the new software introducing an early version of the Apple Intelligence features. These new betas will be in testing alongside the current iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia 15 betas. Developers can choose whether to opt into the new betas with Apple Intelligence, or stay on the ...
Apple Intelligence General Feature

Report: Apple Intelligence Delayed to iOS 18.1 in October

Sunday July 28, 2024 11:52 am PDT by
Apple Intelligence will miss its initial expected launch date to give Apple more time to fix bugs, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. According to individuals with knowledge about Apple's plans, the company now plans to start rolling out Apple Intelligence in software updates by October, arriving several weeks after the launch of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. This means that Apple...
T Mobile Generic Feature Pink 1

T-Mobile Sued for Breaking Lifetime Price Guarantees

Friday July 26, 2024 2:44 pm PDT by
T-Mobile customers have filed a lawsuit [PDF] against the carrier, alleging that it failed to honor a guarantee not to raise the prices of select cellular plans. The lawsuit, first spotted by Wired, claims that back in 2017, T-Mobile advertised several of its plans with a price lock, but then went on to increase prices starting in May 2024. "T-Mobile ONE customers keep their price until...

Top Rated Comments

Jumpthesnark Avatar
10 weeks ago
For anyone who wants a 27" or larger iMac, I hear a very strong rumor that it will be released exactly 15 days after I bite the bullet and buy an M4 Pro Mac Mini with a Studio Display. You're welcome.
Score: 74 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mrkevinfinnerty Avatar
10 weeks ago
Expect it to be exactly the same with the new chip in it. For years.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Stenik Avatar
9 weeks ago
The best part of an "AI-focused" chip would be to have the "AI" disabled :)
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yeah Avatar
9 weeks ago
8 GB of RAM, no doubt.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ambientdaw Avatar
9 weeks ago
Larger iMac...."still in the early stages of development in mid-2023".....what is it a flying car? I know Apple is a small, broke, garage-based business with two employees but I'm sure they can work faster this
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hagar Avatar
9 weeks ago
I’m still on my 27 inch iMac from 2015. That’s how much I don’t want to upgrade to the 24 inch.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)