Skip to main content

Report: iMac powered by Apple Silicon could hit stores next year

Much has been written about the first Apple Silicon Macs, widely expected to be in the form of MacBooks to be unveiled at an upcoming event this November. Yet according to China Times, the iMac could also be outfitted with an Apple Silicon processor as soon as early next year. With that November event on the horizon, we may even see it announced next month.

The report specifically cites 2021 as a possible release date for the Apple Silicon iMac, saying it will run a variant of the A14 Bionic chip (seen in the iPhone 12 range and the 2020 iPad Air) called the A14T, currently codenamed ‘Mt. Jade.’ Like the A14, the A14T will be made using a 5nm process, allowing for greater performance while consuming less power, and will be produced in the first half of the year. Depending on when production begins, it is possible the iMac itself could launch in the first half of 2021.

Related Videos

Interestingly, the China Times report also claims the first Apple-designed GPU (code-named Lifuka) will launch in 2021. It is possible that Apple will incorporate this GPU into its own system-on-a-chip (SoC) under the A14T name, much like it does in current iPads and iPhones, rather than launching it as a standalone graphics card. Although the report does not specify which devices this chip will find its way into, the iMac is a likely candidate due to how the timing matches up.

The China Times report did not just concern itself with the upcoming iMac. It also mentioned the next generation of Apple-designed chips, the A15. The China Times believes Apple has begun development of this SoC using an enhanced 5nm process called ‘N5P.’ Production of the A15 will apparently begin in the third quarter of 2021. This chip will be deployed in the iPhone 13, while its iPad and desktop cousins — the A15X and A15T, respectively — will be ready a little later.

When we reviewed the iPhone 12 Pro and its A14 Bionic chip, we said it “does everything at a blistering pace — there’s nothing you can do to slow it down.” Although Apple Silicon MacBooks have not yet launched, leaked benchmarks apparently show it easily outperforming Microsoft’s own ARM-based processors. All of this bodes well for the Apple Silicon iMac and its potential performance gains.

Editors' Recommendations

The most common Chromebook problems and how to fix them
A person working on a Toshiba Chromebook.

Chromebooks are great alternatives to MacBooks and Windows 10 laptops, but they aren’t perfect. Any laptop computer is bound to have issues, and some of the most common problems faced by Chromebook users can feel difficult or even impossible to solve on their own. 

From issues with updates to internet connectivity, troubleshooting common Chromebook problems doesn’t have to ruin your day. Read on to discover easy fixes for the most frequent issues Chromebook users face. 
The Diagnostics app

Read more
Apple’s VR headset could launch early, and that’s risky
A rendering of an Apple mixed-reality headset (Reality Pro) in a gray color seen from the front.

Tim Cook has pushed for Apple to launch its Reality Pro mixed-reality headset as soon as possible, despite objections from the company’s powerful design team. The move raises questions over whether the device will be ready for prime time when it launches this summer.

The news comes from the Financial Times (FT), which cites a former Apple engineer as a source. This engineer reportedly worked on the headset project and noted that there is “huge pressure” on Apple to launch the Reality Pro after years of postponements.

Read more
Microsoft will launch ChatGPT 4 with AI videos next week
ChatGPT AI bot running a phone.

ChatGPT has been inescapable in recent months, and it looks like Microsoft is about to upgrade the AI tool with an update that could thrust it into the spotlight once again. That’s because the company is set to launch GPT-4 as early as next week, and it will potentially let you create AI-generated videos from simple text prompts.

The news was revealed by Andreas Braun, Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft Germany, at a recent event titled “AI in Focus -- Digital Kickoff” (via Heise). According to Braun, “We will introduce GPT-4 next week … we will have multimodal models that will offer completely different possibilities -- for example videos.”

Read more