The Apple silicon transition has sparked excitement for every Apple Mac except one: the 27-inch iMac. After the iMac Pro was discontinued last year, the 27-inch iMac met its demise earlier this year when the Mac Studio and Studio Display debuted. But the big-screen iMac may be making a comeback: Alongside the expected unveiling of the new Mac Pro in 2023, a new report claims Apple will also revive the iMac Pro with a range of updated specs.
According to LeaksApplePro on Howtoisolve, Apple is working on a new iMac Pro for release in 2023 with M2 Pro and M2 Max processors. The report also says the iMac Pro will have a display “very similar to the 27-inch LED mini display with ProMotion technology that will be introduced alongside the new Mac Pro, but of lower quality.” The leaker isn’t speculating on the machine’s design, but it will presumably look like a larger version of the 24-inch iMac with a darker space gray case.
It’s unclear what LeaksApplePro means by “lower quality,” but the current Pro Display XDR has a 6K display while the older iMac Pro had a 5K display. It’s also possible that it’s closer in quality to the 27-inch Studio Display, which is 5K but doesn’t have ProMotion or HDR. Apple has never made an iMac with ProMotion technology, which offers an adjustable refresh rate for smoother scrolling and animations.
The original 27-inch iMac Pro was released in 2017 and retired in 2021 without ever receiving an update. Apple also discontinued the 27-inch iMac in March this year before it could receive an Apple silicone update. So a new iMac Pro would fill two gaps in Apple’s Mac lineup by being both bigger and more powerful than the 24-inch model. We’ve had some of our own thoughts on our ideal iMac Pro, and it’s very similar to the rumors here, including M2 Pro/Max processors and the inclusion of a Studio Display-sized screen.
