Icon of rumored iMac redesign revealed in iOS 14

AppleInsider

An icon representing a new generation of iMac, reportedly found within a leaked build of iOS 14, appears to show off a fresh design with all-around uniform bezels.

Credit: Apple

Reports of a refreshed iMac have been circulating for months, with some rumors suggesting that an all-new iMac with a 23-inch display could make its debut at Apple's WWDC 2020 keynote on June 22.

The icon was first published by Russian concept artist iFinder on Twitter. Although low-resolution, the icon does appear to show a clear design difference from the current iMac models.

The alleged iMac icon, courtesy of iFinder.

The device in the icon appears to boast more uniform bezels, though they aren't particularly slim. Earlier in 2020, a past leaker suggested that the new iMac could feature "iPad Pro design language" with Pro Display XDR-like bezels, which seem to be much thinner.

The 2020 iMac could also pack a T2 chip and AMD Radeon Navi graphics while ditching Fusion drives as an option. Several reports have indicated that it'll sport a 23-inch display, presumably for the smaller model that currently has a 21.5-inch display. In June, a regulatory filing suggested that only one iMac model will be updated.

Although Apple could announce it at WWDC, a separate supply chain report suggested that the device would launch in the second half of 2020 -- a time period that begins on July 1.

We can't verify the authenticity of the image, and iFinder doesn't have any sort of track record in gleaning product details from software updates. With that being said, a leaked internal build of iOS 14 has been circulating among the security and jailbreaking communities since at least February.

Apple's WWDC 2020 keynote takes place at 10 a.m. Pacific / 1 p.m. Eastern on June 22. AppleInsider will be covering the event live.

indiekiduk

Lol that's the PC icon

SpamSandwich

If accurate, it’s too bad they apparently didn’t bother to revisit the “Luxo Lamp” iMac design, which would’ve been great for a new version.

tht

Basically looks like an Apple Cinema Display or a Thunderbolt Display. There isn’t going to be much to it when looking at the front. The good sauce will be the internals, the accessibility of the ports and how thin the profile will be. 

tht

SpamSandwich said:

If accurate, it’s too bad they apparently didn’t bother to revisit the “Luxo Lamp” iMac design, which would’ve been great for a new version.

I would have liked it too, but I definitely think putting all the components in back of the display is the right design decision. Use the magnetic mount design from the Pro Display XDR, and it would be pretty cool. 

If they wanted an iMac G4 like 3 degree of freedom arm, there is nothing stopping them from making a stand to do exactly that. Better yet, have front accessible ports and room for HDD in the stand.

Fatman

Decoy     

mattinoz

Will it use the same rotating mount of the XDR display and same vesa mount. Although with a simple sock stand maybe using thick gauge stainless steel rod like the Mac Pro frame uses. Add more customers for that $1000 stand.

entropys

Looks like a big iPad.

edit: joke

laytech

Surely, not thick bezels around the outside it, far too ugly, edge to edge screen as a minimum. Not sure how you make a monitor different other than thinner and no bezels but anything less would be disappointing.

Scot1

The lead to this story is a graphic picture of an imagined iMac
It has no relationship to the icon discovered by the Russian. 

lkrupp

23" is a no go for me. I've gotten too used to my current 27" iMac. I wonder if they'll discontinue the 27" in favor of the Mac Mini with whatever monitor you want.

neilm

lkrupp said:

23" is a no go for me. I've gotten too used to my current 27" iMac. I wonder if they'll discontinue the 27" in favor of the Mac Mini with whatever monitor you want.

The 27” iMac 5K is a big seller for professional use, as well as personal. There’s less than no chance that a rumored 23” version would replace it, or that the 27” would be discontinued altogether.

We had a couple of the old 24” iMacs at the office — very nice size for personal use. Bumping up the current 21.5” display size is long overdue. Narrower bezels and a somewhat reduced (but not eliminated) chin would be a bonus.

tht

neilm said:

lkrupp said:

23" is a no go for me. I've gotten too used to my current 27" iMac. I wonder if they'll discontinue the 27" in favor of the Mac Mini with whatever monitor you want.

The 27” iMac 5K is a big seller for professional use, as well as personal. There’s less than no chance that a rumored 23” version would replace it, or that the 27” would be discontinued altogether.

We had a couple of the old 24” iMacs at the office — very nice size for personal use. Bumping up the current 21.5” display size is long overdue. Narrower bezels and a somewhat reduced (but not eliminated) chin would be a bonus.

Agree. If anything, Apple needs to bump the 27" model to a 32" model. A screen size increase is the one big thing that will get me to replace my 2013 iMac 27" with another iMac. Looking for 30+ inches for the next go around.

mcdave

Pro Display HDR? Though the stand and bezels don’t look like where Apple is going.

tht

iMore has rumor stemming from a Twitter regarding FaceID for the new iMac. If true, this iMac better have multi-user FaceID.

https://www.imore.com/rumor-face-id-support-coming-macos

Anyways, this Twitter user appears to have a construction (render) of what this iMac may look like, as opposed to an icon.

Not bad. There is a mismatch between the black glass bezel and aluminum stand, and kind of looks weird from the point of view. Maybe it needs a band of aluminum surrounding the glass. 

Anyways, the ports on the back and how the stand moves and is attached is going to be where the magic could happen. Magnetic mount like the Pro Display XDR would be great!

crowley

tht said:

There is a mismatch between the black glass bezel and aluminum stand, and kind of looks weird from the point of view. 

The Pro Display HDR has exactly the same colour scheme I think, so they aren't worried about a mismatch there.

dewme

tht said:

iMore has rumor stemming from a Twitter regarding FaceID for the new iMac. If true, this iMac better have multi-user FaceID.

https://www.imore.com/rumor-face-id-support-coming-macos

Anyways, this Twitter user appears to have a construction (render) of what this iMac may look like, as opposed to an icon.

Not bad. There is a mismatch between the black glass bezel and aluminum stand, and kind of looks weird from the point of view. Maybe it needs a band of aluminum surrounding the glass. 

Anyways, the ports on the back and how the stand moves and is attached is going to be where the magic could happen. Magnetic mount like the Pro Display XDR would be great!

That is so bland. Too much curve in the corners. I know everyone wants as much screen and as little bezel as possible, at least from a functional perspective. However, the iMac is such a deeply rooted, iconic product that's intimately tied to the Apple brand and Mac product line, so presenting it with absolutely no recognizable Apple identity may be somewhat of a disappointment. Perhaps putting a Apple logo or laser cutout in the stand would help. Or a notch for FaceID.

I'm definitely itching for a new iMac but I'd really like to see some of the design aesthetics from Apple's Pro Display XDR brought over to iMac, including the option for a 32" size, tighter corners, and better airflow design. Of course I'd love to see an affordable version of the XDR's stand ported to a new iMac. If they got the articulation right on the stand and added touchscreen support it could serve as a huge drawing surface.

Frankly, the humpback + thin edge design of the current iMac is lost on me. I don't care it it's thicker across the board. A couple front-side USB-C/TB ports and SD wouldn't offend me in the least. While we're at it, if they're going to push a version of the iMac over 30" why not build Apple TV functionality into it as well, with picture-in-picture and full screen support.

roundaboutnow

dewme said:

...

While we're at it, if they're going to push a version of the iMac over 30" why not build Apple TV functionality into it as well, with picture-in-picture and full screen support.

We already have Apple TV functionality with the TV app in Catalina.

mattinoz

dewme said:

tht said:

iMore has rumor stemming from a Twitter regarding FaceID for the new iMac. If true, this iMac better have multi-user FaceID.

https://www.imore.com/rumor-face-id-support-coming-macos

Anyways, this Twitter user appears to have a construction (render) of what this iMac may look like, as opposed to an icon.

Not bad. There is a mismatch between the black glass bezel and aluminum stand, and kind of looks weird from the point of view. Maybe it needs a band of aluminum surrounding the glass. 

Anyways, the ports on the back and how the stand moves and is attached is going to be where the magic could happen. Magnetic mount like the Pro Display XDR would be great!

That is so bland. Too much curve in the corners. I know everyone wants as much screen and as little bezel as possible, at least from a functional perspective. However, the iMac is such a deeply rooted, iconic product that's intimately tied to the Apple brand and Mac product line, so presenting it with absolutely no recognizable Apple identity may be somewhat of a disappointment. Perhaps putting a Apple logo or laser cutout in the stand would help. Or a notch for FaceID.

I'm definitely itching for a new iMac but I'd really like to see some of the design aesthetics from Apple's Pro Display XDR brought over to iMac, including the option for a 32" size, tighter corners, and better airflow design. Of course I'd love to see an affordable version of the XDR's stand ported to a new iMac. If they got the articulation right on the stand and added touchscreen support it could serve as a huge drawing surface.

Frankly, the humpback + thin edge design of the current iMac is lost on me. I don't care it it's thicker across the board. A couple front-side USB-C/TB ports and SD wouldn't offend me in the least. While we're at it, if they're going to push a version of the iMac over 30" why not build Apple TV functionality into it as well, with picture-in-picture and full screen support.

If they do go bigger the extra area could almost entirely be used to make screen wider.

Also time for a new stand design no need to be solid.

tht

crowley said:

tht said:

There is a mismatch between the black glass bezel and aluminum stand, and kind of looks weird from the point of view. 

The Pro Display HDR has exactly the same colour scheme I think, so they aren't worried about a mismatch there.

The real hardware will look a lot better. This is just an amateur construction, where the shadows seem wrong. Not so sure about the rounding display corners. Seems entirely unnecessary.

So, if it is like iPad Pro hardware, there would be flat sides, really thin (13 mm?), flat back, USBC/TB3 only, and magnetic latched to the stand?