Skip to main content

The iMac redesign looks amazing in this designer concept

 

Apple’s iMac is due for a redesign, and according to industry sources we could get one next year. The specifics remain sketchy, though; leaker Sonny Dickson expects its design to be inspired by the Pro Display XDR and the iPad Pro, but we do not know much else.

Recommended Videos

So designer Daniel Bautista decided to envision how this all-new iMac might look. It comes in 24-inch and 27-inch sizes, with a new backlit keyboard and a raft of exciting features.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Much like the MacBook Pro 16, the iMac concept features a much thinner bezel than previous models. Not only have the thick black borders disappeared, but the chunky “chin” at the bottom of the device has also been eliminated, leaving almost nothing but screen on the front.

iMac redesign concept by Daniel Bautista
Daniel Bautista

The current iMac is famous for its tapered edges, but Bautista’s design dispenses with these in favor of the squared-off sides found in the current iPad Pro. This makes a lot of sense, as the iPhone 12 is widely expected to adopt this design convention, so it is not beyond the realm of possibility to expect the iMac to follow suit.

Elsewhere, the stand of the concept iMac sees a subtle change from what’s seen on the current model. Right now, the iMac’s stand starts wide and narrows as it rises. Bautista’s stand, by contrast, remains the same width along its entire height. This is very similar to the stand on Apple’s Pro Display XDR and fits in with Dickson’s prediction that the redesigned iMac would be inspired by this high-end monitor.

Facing the future

The stand hides one of the most interesting ideas in Bautista’s design: Wireless charging. This would allow you to power up any Apple device that uses wireless charging and fits on the iMac’s base, including an iPhone, AirPods, and the Magic Mouse. That last one is particularly interesting, as the current iteration of the Magic Mouse has its charging port on its underside, leading to a rather inelegant upside-down charging position. A built-in wireless charging pad would be a much more Apple-like solution.

iMac redesign concept by Daniel Bautista
Image credit: Daniel Bautista Daniel Bautista

There is also a place for Face ID in Bautista’s mockup — something we have been pining after in the iMac for a while now — as well as four Thunderbolt USB-C ports for peripherals on the back. Interestingly, the power port is also USB-C, much like the current crop of MacBooks.

As this is just a mockup, an actual iMac redesign from Apple may look quite different. But we can take encouragement from the fact that many of Bautista’s inclusions have been previously mentioned by leakers and analysts. If Apple’s redesign looks anything like this concept, there will be a lot of happy Mac fans out there.

Alex Blake
Alex Blake has been working with Digital Trends since 2019, where he spends most of his time writing about Mac computers…
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
I might have found the answer to my Mac gaming problem
A person running Steam on the M4 MacBook Pro. Rocket League is up on the screen

I recently wrote about how the M4 Pro Mac mini -- with its tiny form factor and excellent performance, coupled with the largely headache-free experience of macOS -- has made me extremely tempted to ditch Windows once and for all. There’s just one problem with this idea, though: I’m an avid gamer, and Apple’s M4 Pro chip isn’t quite as capable as the RTX 3070 that resides in my current PC.

Then I got an email from a reader that changed my perspective.

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