How about a 24-inch iMac with a M3 chip and Face ID this year?

Since the 24-inch iMac is one of my favorite Apple products — hey, it’s powerful and fun with great features for most users — I hope to see an M2 (or better yet an M3) version later this year. 

According to an April 14 Bloomberg report, Apple has started “widespread internal testing” of “several” new Macs with next-generation M2 processors. It doesn’t mention a new 24-inch iMac, but I’m pretty sure we’ll get one with a speed bump (and maybe new colors) this fall/winter.

Since we haven’t gotten an M2 iMac yet, why do I hope for one with an M3? In his April 25 edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says he still thinks that Apple is working on a 27-inch iMac. And he thinks it will sport an Apple-designed M3 processor. And not just the pro version.

“… I’ve heard that the M2 chips aren’t the only ones in testing within Apple,” he writes. “And if you’re waiting for a new iMac, I’m hearing an M3 version of that desktop is already in the works—though I imagine it won’t launch until the end of next year at the earliest. Also, for those asking, I still think an iMac Pro is coming. It just won’t be anytime soon.”

Gurman isn’t expecting a super-sized iMac until 2023. It could sport an M2 or M3 Ultra. So a 24-inch iMac with an M3 processor for later this year sounds plausible. Of course, if Apple is working on both M2 and M3 processors, it’s likely to take the specs of the latter and just dub it the M2. Naming-wise, it doesn’t make much sense to jump from M1 to M2.

I want still more

But I want even more! It’s time for Apple to give us an iMac with a height-adjustable stand. I also want a backlit keyboard and a Magic Mouse that doesn’t have to be plugged in at the bottom for recharging (really, Apple, that’s a horrible design choice). Finally, is it just me or does anyone else wish that, if Apple is keeping the iMac’s chin, the Apple logo would once again appear on it? 

Finally might the 24-inch iMac be the first Mac with Face ID? Gurman thinks it might happen. In a February 2022 “Power On” newsletter. On whether ‌Face ID‌ will ever come to the Mac, Gurman writes: Face ID was in the cards for the original M1 iMac. Naturally, the iMac is the thickest Mac with a built-in display since Apple’s laptops have fairly thin screens. At this point, the technology to embed Face ID into the thin MacBook displays doesn’t exist. So if Face ID comes to the Mac, I think it will be on an iMac or external monitor first. Apple has definitely been working on this, but time will tell if they launch it.

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