We didn't see the Apple iMac 27-inch (2022) at the Apple Peek performance event on March 2022, but here's hoping that the larger all-in-one desktop still has a future alongside its younger sibling, the iMac 24-inch (2021).
It's certainly time. When the Apple iMac 27 was updated in early 2020, it included 10th-generation Intel Core processors and AMD Radeon 5000-series graphics cards. Now that there have been two CPU generations and one GPU generation after those components were initially released, Apple’s high-end all-in-one PC is a tad out of date.
This is likely because Apple is waiting to release a version of this PC with its own silicon – something like the M1 Max that’s in the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro. However, because this is a desktop PC, it needs a bit more oomph.
Apple could wait to release a new version of this PC until it has a more powerful desktop-class processor, perhaps the rumored M2 chip, but it’s also possible that the company will use the M1 Max to power it, and announce the iMac 27 at its March 8 event later today.
However we won’t know anything about the iMac 27 2022 until Apple releases some official information about it. Until then, we’re gathering up all the news and rumors in one place, along with some speculation on our part. So be sure to keep this page bookmarked, and we’ll be sure to keep you updated.
Apple iMac 27 2022: cut to the chase
- What is it? Apple's 27-inch all-in-one desktop PC
- When is it out? Possibly during WWDC in June 2022
- What will it cost? TBD, likely starting at $1,799
iMac 27 2022 release date
We have seen some leaks that suggest that an iMac Pro with a 27-inch display could be coming to market in early 2022, but it was sadly absent from the lineup announced on the March 8 hardware event. It's still likely we will see an iMac 27-inch or iMac Pro released in 2022, alongside either the recently announced M1 Ultra or a new M2 SoC.
It’s unlikely that Apple would release a new iMac Pro and not release a regular iMac 27 – unless it’s going to discontinue the iMac 27 altogether. Now that the Peek Perfromance event is over, it’s likely that Apple will save it for WWDC 2022. That conference is usually aimed at professional users, which is exactly who the iMac 27 – both Pro and not-Pro – are aimed at.
iMac 27 2022 price
It’s a bit hard to pin down exactly how much the iMac 27 is going to cost. If Apple is going to replace the recently-discontinued iMac Pro, it’s totally possible that it’ll be quite expensive. The iMac Pro, when it came out, started at $4,999 (£4,899, AU$7,299). That’s thanks to the high-end Intel Xeon chip included, and the elegant 5K display built in.
However, if Apple is going to replace the existing iMac 27 with 10th-generation Intel Core processors instead, it’s likely going to start around the current price of $1,799 (£1,799, AU$2,799). We have seen a leak that suggests that it would start around $2,000, and that makes us think Apple is going this route instead.
If the M1 Pro and M1 Max are the processors behind the new iMac 27, we don’t think it’ll be quite as expensive as the 2017 iMac Pro. As powerful as Apple’s new processors are, they aren’t fit to take on a Xeon-class product quite yet. Though, it would be pretty cool to see Apple come up with something like this.
iMac 27 2022 specs
A lot of the rumors that have been going around recently have been using the name “iMac 27” but then suggesting it’d be powered by the M1 Max. The M1 Max isn’t quite ready to replace the absolute monster of a processor behind the iMac Pro – at least not if Apple wants it to satisfy the type of users that spend $5,000 on a PC.
However, now that Apple has discontinued the existing iMac Pro, it could be working on a redesign for it, just like it did with the iMac 24 back in 2021. We could see Apple positioning the iMac 24 as a consumer device, with its brightly-colored aesthetic, and having the iMac 27 serve professional users that need a bit more computing power.
There have also been some rumors going around about Apple releasing a Mac Pro, but known Apple leaker Ming-Chi Kuo has suggested that the Mac Pro wouldn’t be coming out until 2023, as reported by MacRumors. If Apple were to release a Mac Pro with its own silicon, then the company would absolutely need something that could take on the most powerful server-class hardware in the world, something that the M1 Max is definitely not capable of doing right now.
That makes us think that the iMac 27 is going to be a consumer-class product, if it is indeed going to be revealed at Apple’s March 2022 event.
This is just speculation on our part, but it’s likely that the iMac 27 2022’s specs will have the M1 Pro or Max, 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD to start. Then, of course, you can spec it up from there. However, we don’t think you’ll be able to spec up a dedicated GPU like you can with the existing iMac 27, as the M1 Max is a system-on-a-chip (SoC) design, and it’s unlikely Apple will support third-party hardware in one of its flagship products in this day and age.
- Check out the best MacBook and Macs ahead of Apple's March event
