It has recently been expected that Apple will update the iMac later this year, and Mark Gurman from Bloomberg now has even more details about the all-in-one computer’s refresh in the weekly edition of his Power On newsletter.
Until now, it was uncertain whether the next iMac would receive either the M5 or the M6 chip, but according to Mark Gurman, he now confirms that the next iMac will receive the M6 chip, just like the base 14-inch MacBook Pro that is set to get updated in the fall as well. Not only that, but he also expects the iMac to come in a freshly new palette of colors. Gurman originally made this claim back in March of this year, so this week’s report further corroborates this rumor.
As you may know, when Apple redesigned the iMac from the ground up to center around Apple silicon in April 2021, that iMac came in seven colors: silver, green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, and blue to represent the iconic retro “Rainbow Spectrum” Apple logo. Apple kept the same hues for the M3 iteration; however, Apple tweaked the tints of the iMac’s colors with the M4 iteration (see the illustration for comparison).
With the upcoming M6 iteration, it’s unclear what colors Apple is going to bring for the upcoming iMac. As you may know, the M-series iMac pays homage to the iMac G3, as both of those machines feature user-friendly all-in-one designs with strikingly fun colors. In fact, the early 2001 iteration of the iMac had exotically psychedelic colors that really stood out: Blue Dalmatian and Flower Power; however, since those color schemes would require advanced chemistry of plastics, I’d highly doubt Apple would do similar patterns to the design of the iMac that’s made out of aluminum.
Apple could bring colors that would be similar to the MacBook Neo’s lineup of colors for the M6 iMac, or Apple could offer all colors that would really be different for the iMac. For example, the Summer 2000 iteration of the iMac G3 did away with the “fruity” colors, and instead, it featured Indigo, Ruby, Sage, Graphite, and Snow. So Apple could go in that direction for the M6 iMac.
The iMac doesn’t get updated as frequently as the MacBook lineup, and since it comes in only one screen size, Apple continues to direct users who prefer a larger display to get a Studio Display paired with any Mac. The iMac skipped the M2 generation, and it will obviously skip the M5 generation, but the M6 chip should provide substantial performance improvements considering that it’s expected to be built on the 2nm process for the first time. The iMac will likely continue to be offered in two variants: a two-port model with the binned M6 chip and a four-port model with the full-fledged M6 chip.
Still, I think new colors would be the most interesting selling point of this iMac. I’ve always been a huge fan of the iMac’s designs in its history. In fact, I’ve had the M1 iMac for almost five years. I’ve been holding off on an upgrade, so it’d certainly be nice to update to get a fresh, new look, in my opinion. Sure, the iMac may not be as popular as it used to be, but it’s been one of Apple’s most iconic products in history. Will you be upgrading to this iMac? Sound off in the comments below.
