Apple is preparing an updated 24-inch iMac powered by an M6 chip and featuring new color options, with a launch expected before the end of the year. The upcoming refresh follows a two-year hiatus and will arrive as part of a busy fall lineup for Mac hardware.
M6 Chip and Release Timeline for the Next iMac
Apple is readying a refreshed desktop lineup featuring the company’s upcoming processor technology. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that the new version is likely to be an updated 24-inch model equipped with an M6 chip, replacing the existing M4 model that arrived in October 2024. Apple’s M6 chip will be the first Mac chip based on the new 2nm process, though there reportedly won’t be an M6 Pro, M6 Max, or M6 Ultra chip, with the company instead accelerating the launch of the M7 family. The iMac isn’t frequently refreshed; it skipped the M2 and M5 families of chips, and it’s still yet to receive a larger display option—with Apple instead directing high-end users to use a Mac Studio or Mac mini alongside a Studio Display.
Despite skipping intermediate generations, the desktop refresh is drawing closer. All signs point to the M6 models being close to launch,
says Gurman, with the new models expected to arrive before the end of the year. Gurman noted that if you’ve been holding out for a new iMac, your wait shouldn’t be much longer, and you should be able to buy one before the end of the year.
Design Changes, Display Roadmap, and New Colors
Buyers looking for a dramatic redesign should temper their expectations, as no major design changes are expected. Gurman outlines that there will be some new color options
with this refresh, though he did not mention what would change or what the new colors are. Apple slightly adjusted the color palette with the M4 refresh in 2024, though the actual seven color options remained the same—just with different shades. The current iMac comes in seven colors, including green, yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue, and silver.
Looking further ahead on the display front, Apple is reportedly developing a 24-inch iMac with an OLED display, but this won’t arrive for several years. In related display supply chain developments, LG Display is developing a five-layer OLED panel structure that could end up in a future iMac, with an extra layer added to prevent screen burn-in and increase brightness, reports The Elec. LG Display already builds four-stack OLED panels for high-resolution monitors, and arranges the light-emitting layers in a blue-green-blue-red pattern, while the five-layer version is reportedly under development.
Where the Desktop Fits in Apple’s Busy Fall Hardware Schedule
The arrival of the desktop revision will contribute to a pretty major fall for the Mac, heading into the final months of the year. Industry details point to several other possible device updates alongside the new iMac with M6, including overhauled MacBook Pro models with touchscreens and Tandem OLED, a new base model 14-inch MacBook Pro with M6, and new M5 Max and M5 Ultra Mac Studios (dependent on supply availability). Another possibility is a refreshed Mac mini with M6 and M5 Pro, though that’ll likely come later. While it was rumored that Touch ID may be coming to the Apple Watch Series 12, Gurman said he does not expect the Series 12 or Ultra 4 to have any major design changes compared to the current Series 11 and Ultra 3 models.
