Skip to main content

This 27-inch iMac Pro reportedly should have launched in 2021

According to a new rumor, Apple explored the possibility of a 27-inch iMac in 2021 and its configuration suggested that it would have been a replacement for the discontinued iMac Pro.

A rumor with details that suggested Apple created three 27-inch iMac prototypes originated on a MacRumors forum in March of this year and was highlighted in a recent story. MacRumors notes that the forum member, Amethyst, correctly identified several details of Apple’s Mac Studio before any other sources.

Apple's 24-inch M1 iMac is an all-in-one solution.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

According to the user, Apple first created a 27-inch iMac that used the same chassis as the Intel iMac Pro but had been updated to run on Apple’s M1 chip. A second version is claimed to have been made in August of 2021, using the updated design of the 24-inch iMac but scaled up for the larger screen. By November, Apple supposedly created a dream machine prototype with an XDR display and an M1 Max processor. This would have been an exciting Mac, collecting together Apple’s best screen and computer technology in an all-in-one solution.

Recommended Videos

Apparently, this would have had a much greater performance than the 24-inch iMac that was released in April of that year and at least match the top performance of the 2021 MacBook Pro that arrived in October of 2021.

Plenty of fans expected Apple to launch a 27-inch iMac Pro at its 2021 fall event which was titled ‘Unleashed.’ Even leakers with impressive track records like Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman predicted a 27-inch or larger iMac with a more powerful processor than the M1. This would have filled a gap in Apple’s lineup, a more powerful Apple Silicon Mac for the desktop. Alas, we had to wait until March of 2022 to get the super-fast Mac Studio with its M1 Ultra chip.

While a product that wasn’t released might not be of interest if you’re shopping for an iMac right now, it could provide clues for a future version that’s yet to be released.

Members of the press photograph an Apple Pro Display XDR at WWDC 2019.
Julian Chokkattu / Digital Trends

Supply chain troubles were hitting hard in 2021 and that alone could have altered Apple’s plans. Those delays are still having an effect and if a new iMac Pro is ever launched it seems that it might not be seen until 2023. At that time, it could come with an option for an M3 Pro and M3 Max processor.

There was some dissent about the Studio Display arriving with a standard panel instead of an XDR display. Hopefully, Apple will release more large XDR displays that are less expensive than the $5,000 Pro Display XDR. A 27-inch iMac Pro with M3 Max and XDR display would be amazing, but for now, it’s all up in the air.

Alan Truly
Alan Truly is a Writer at Digital Trends, covering computers, laptops, hardware, software, and accessories that stand out as…
Apple is working on a mini-LED Studio Display, but the iMac Pro is nowhere to be found
A person using a Mac Studio with an Apple Studio Display.

If you’ve been craving a souped-up Studio Display that improves on the original model released in 2022, there’s been some good news: it looks like a new model with a mini-LED panel and a ProMotion 120Hz refresh rate is on the way. Yet it’s left me with more questions than answers about Apple’s long-lost iMac Pro.

In the world of Apple leaks, you quickly learn that there are two sources whose reliability stands above the rest: Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman and display industry expert Ross Young. When these two agree on something, it’s pretty much nailed on, and that’s exactly what just happened regarding Apple’s Studio Display.

Read more
I can’t wait for the OLED MacBook Pro — but there’s bad news for MacBook Air fans
The MacBook Pro 16-inch on a table.

It’s no secret that Apple sometimes waits a little longer than its competitors when it comes to releasing new tech in its products, but that approach often makes the delay worthwhile. Just look at the M4 iPad Pro: rival tablets have had OLED displays for years, but when Apple entered the fray in 2024, its tandem OLED panel blew everyone else out of the water.

I’ve been hoping for a long time that the company will pull a similar move with its best MacBooks, bringing OLED screens to its popular laptops that are far above what anyone else can offer. And now, it looks like there’s some good news and some bad news on that front, and it all depends on whether you’re a fan of the MacBook Pro or the MacBook Air.

Read more
23 years ago, Apple launched one of the most beloved Macs of all time
Apple iMac G4 desktop computer.

Today marks the 23rd anniversary of the launch of the iMac G4, which is still regarded as one of Apple’s best Macs to this day. When it arrived in 2002, it redefined what we should expect from computer hardware and software, yet it only lasted a couple of short years before being discontinued. What happened, and why was it so important?

Released in 1998, the iMac G3 -- the direct predecessor of the iMac G4 -- reinvented Apple and helped get the company back on its feet when it was on the brink of bankruptcy. Yet despite its playful colors and design innovations, there’s no doubt that it was limited by the technology of the time, with its huge chassis dictated by the bulky CRT monitor contained within.

Read more