Rumor: Apple to launch 21.5-inch iMac with 4K Retina display in October

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited October 2015
Apple's iMac lineup will gain a smaller 21.5-inch model with a 4K-resolution Retina display in the coming months, likely at the company's annual October media event, a new report claims.



Citing "reliable sources," 9to5mac reported on Thursday that a new iMac with a screen resolution of 4,096 by 2,304 pixels will ship to consumers by the beginning of November. Evidence of the anticipated desktop has been growing thanks to configuration files hidden within Apple's beta releases of OS X 10.11 El Capitan.

Packing a 4K display into the 21.5-inch form factor would yield a desktop with around 218 pixels per inch, the same as Apple's 27-inch 5K version.

The larger 27-inch version was revealed last October, sporting the same external design as the non-Retina variant. It's likely that a new 21.5-inch model would follow the same approach, with the same look and an updated panel.

As for the 27-inch iMac with Retina 5K display, that's also expected to see an upgrade this fall, with newer processors and improved color saturation thanks to an LED phosphor material known as KSF. The 21.5-inch model should feature the same technology in its display, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Apple has a media event planned for next Wednesday, Sept. 9, where it is expected to introduce its next-generation "iPhone 6s," as well as a revamped Apple TV. Traditionally, the company has held a second media event in October to focus on the iPad and Mac platforms.

If Apple sticks to its usual release pattern, it's likely that OS X 10.11 El Capitan will launch to the public at an October event. The latest betas of El Capitan were provided to testers earlier this week.
«13

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 58
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    What media event? If new iPads are announced next week there will not be an October event.
  • Reply 2 of 58
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member

    I don't care how big the room is. Apple is not going to introduce new iPhones, iPads, iMacs, MacBooks, Mac Pros and El Capitan all at one event.

     

    An October event is all but guaranteed.

  • Reply 3 of 58
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post



    What media event? If new iPads are announced next week there will not be an October event.

    +1

     

    There's a good chance this product will get announced through a press release.

  • Reply 4 of 58
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Frank777 View Post

     

    I don't care how big the room is. Apple is not going to introduce new iPhones, iPads, iMacs, MacBooks, Mac Pros and El Capitan all at one event.

     

    An October event is all but guaranteed.


    Nothing is guaranteed.   And the fact that this keynote is in a 7000-seat auditorium does matter.  You think Apple will invite all those people just for upgraded iPhones and Apple TV?

  • Reply 5 of 58
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by CanukStorm View Post

     

    Nothing is guaranteed.   And the fact that this keynote is in a 7000-seat auditorium does matter.  You think Apple will invite all those people just for upgraded iPhones and Apple TV?




    Yes, it's in a 7000-seat theatre. It's also being streamed to Windows users for the first time.

     

    It's about the TV. Everyone watches TV. Apple has had high hopes for TV for a decade, and it's finally time.

     

    When you go after Big Cable and Nintendo at the same time, it's helps to make a big splash.

     

    The Mac updates will wait a month, unless the new iMacs 'hook' into the TV universe somehow.

  • Reply 6 of 58
    The thing is my Mac from 2009 is stilling working very well with the OS updates. If they produce a black one that'll be nice.
  • Reply 7 of 58
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    frank777 wrote: »
    I don't care how big the room is. Apple is not going to introduce new iPhones, iPads, iMacs, MacBooks, Mac Pros and El Capitan all at one event.

    An October event is all but guaranteed.

    Well the reliable rumor mill says new iPads will be announced next week. Apple is not going to hold an October event for Macs only. What would they talk about? The changes in OS X this year were pretty minor. So either iPads get pushed out to an October event or there is no October event.
  • Reply 8 of 58

    I wish they've upgraded a thunderbolt display, and added a graphics card to it!

  • Reply 9 of 58

    A 21.5" 4K display?  I'm not so sure about that because I just hooked up my new 2K display today and the text is pretty small on a 25" screen.  It's still possible, but my guess is that the user would have to use some type of scaling/magnification to be able to read the text on screen.

  • Reply 10 of 58
    rogifan wrote: »
    Well the reliable rumor mill says new iPads will be announced next week. Apple is not going to hold an October event for Macs only. What would they talk about? The changes in OS X this year were pretty minor. So either iPads get pushed out to an October event or there is no October event.

    That's where it's too bad MacWorld Expos are no longer a thing; it made it easier to show new Mac updates.
  • Reply 11 of 58
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Frank777 View Post

     

    It's about the TV. Everyone watches TV. 


    Really? I only know one person with a television, everyone else has dumped them and just watches a little streaming on tablets.

     

    (yes, I’m an atypical sample, and not as big a phenomenon as cable-cutting, but etc.)

  • Reply 12 of 58

    Overall, the transition to retina resolutions as one and only resolution across all displays takes quite a while. I guess the panel prices aren't there yet. I wonder when this will finally be the case.

  • Reply 13 of 58
    damonfdamonf Posts: 229member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post





    Well the reliable rumor mill says new iPads will be announced next week. Apple is not going to hold an October event for Macs only. What would they talk about? The changes in OS X this year were pretty minor. So either iPads get pushed out to an October event or there is no October event.

     

    There is too much to cover in a single event:

     

    - iOS 9 new feature review/refresher, including Wallet update (support for loyalty cards, department store credit cards)

    - Apple Pay rollout update (hopefully with an announcement of more countries and retailers supporting it)

    - Watch OS 2.0 new feature review/refresher

    - possible announcement of new Apple Watch bands, but no internal HW changes to the Watch itself

    - iPhone 6s / 6s Plus announcement (filling the long presentation slot of the 6 / 6 Plus in the September 2014 event)

    - AppleTV announcement, demo, SDK announcement  (filling the other long presentation slot the Watch took in the September 2014 event)

    - state of Apple Music, closing with a live musical performance

     

    That alone sounds like about 2 hours of material to me, with possible "state of retail" announcements (store openings, new store designs, etc.) at the beginning (if there's even time for it).  That still leaves a lot left to cover in an October Event:

     

    - iPad updates, including new iPad Pro, iPad Mini 4.

    - iOS 9.1 (during the October 2014 event, iOS 8.1 was demonstrated with a couple of minor new features, and we've already heard that the iPad Pros accessing websites now are running 9.1, not 9.0)

    - OS X El Capitan new feature review/refresher and availability date

    - updated Macs, Skylake CPUs

    - Anything not covered in the September event due to time (if they don't cover Apple Pay or Apple Music at the September event, for example)

     

    This has been the pattern of 2014 and even 2013.  They are going to re-hash the new features of iOS 9, watchOS 2, and El Capitan from WWDC like they've done the last few years.  They like to remind everyone who isn't buying new hardware that they're still getting something, too.

     

    One more thing: Wall Street would have kittens if Apple only had one media event.  That would send a signal that "Apple is doomed, they don't have enough new stuff to talk about".  Could they have 1 large event that lasted 3 to 4 hours?  Not without an intermission / bathroom break for the house audience (which would interrupt the flow of the presentation), and not without risking losing the attention of those streaming it.

  • Reply 14 of 58
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TheWhiteFalcon View Post



    That's where it's too bad MacWorld Expos are no longer a thing; it made it easier to show new Mac updates.

    It's too bad MacWorld dot com is just a skeleton site anymore. I essentially quit going there after they laid-off all the experts. 

  • Reply 15 of 58
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    damonf wrote: »
    There is too much to cover in a single event:

    - iOS 9 new feature review/refresher, including Wallet update (support for loyalty cards, department store credit cards)
    - Apple Pay rollout update (hopefully with an announcement of more countries and retailers supporting it)
    - Watch OS 2.0 new feature review/refresher
    - possible announcement of new Apple Watch bands, but no internal HW changes to the Watch itself
    - iPhone 6s / 6s Plus announcement (filling the long presentation slot of the 6 / 6 Plus in the September 2014 event)
    - AppleTV announcement, demo, SDK announcement  (filling the other long presentation slot the Watch took in the September 2014 event)
    - state of Apple Music, closing with a live musical performance

    That alone sounds like about 2 hours of material to me, with possible "state of retail" announcements (store openings, new store designs, etc.) at the beginning (if there's even time for it).  That still leaves a lot left to cover in an October Event:

    - iPad updates, including new iPad Pro, iPad Mini 4.
    - iOS 9.1 (during the October 2014 event, iOS 8.1 was demonstrated with a couple of minor new features, and we've already heard that the iPad Pros accessing websites now are running 9.1, not 9.0)
    - OS X El Capitan new feature review/refresher and availability date
    - updated Macs, Skylake CPUs
    - Anything not covered in the September event due to time (if they don't cover Apple Pay or Apple Music at the September event, for example)

    This has been the pattern of 2014 and even 2013.  They are going to re-hash the new features of iOS 9, watchOS 2, and El Capitan from WWDC like they've done the last few years.  They like to remind everyone who isn't buying new hardware that they're still getting something, too.

    One more thing: Wall Street would have kittens if Apple only had one media event.  That would send a signal that "Apple is doomed, they don't have enough new stuff to talk about".

    Except Apple had an event in March which they didn't do in 2013 or 2014. I'm just going by what Gurman said. Though he did caution that iPad may get pushed. If it does then I would expect an October event. Sure there's a lot to cover but hopefully they learned from the Apple Music part of WWDC and Eddy Cue's presentation is tighter, or they have Phil Schiller do it instead. I think he's better at presenting than Cue anyway.
  • Reply 16 of 58
    damonfdamonf Posts: 229member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post





    Except Apple had an event in March which they didn't do in 2013 or 2014. I'm just going by what Gurman said. Though he did caution that iPad may get pushed. If it does then I would expect an October event. Sure there's a lot to cover but hopefully they learned from the Apple Music part of WWDC and Eddy Cue's presentation is tighter, or they have Phil Schiller do it instead. I think he's better at presenting than Cue anyway.

     

    The March event was about the Apple Watch (reminding everyone about it, since it was autumn 2014 when it was announced), the new MacBook. and ResearchKit.  Not much from that event can be overlapped with anything in the coming events/event.

     

    WWDC.... yeah..... the Apple Music part just dragged on and on.  The entire keynote ran over 2 hours, of which around 40 minutes was spent on Apple Music.  I don't see how they could've even fit AppleTV into that event, had that indeed been the original plan.  Maybe they stretched the Apple Music block out to fill in AppleTV's block.  Personally, I think they made a business decision that they needed to "sell" Apple Music more, and thus punt AppleTV out to the fall (with the benefit of more time for "polish").  I just know the WWDC keynote ran way too long, as you said. :)

  • Reply 17 of 58
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post





    Except Apple had an event in March which they didn't do in 2013 or 2014. I'm just going by what Gurman said. Though he did caution that iPad may get pushed. If it does then I would expect an October event. Sure there's a lot to cover but hopefully they learned from the Apple Music part of WWDC and Eddy Cue's presentation is tighter, or they have Phil Schiller do it instead. I think he's better at presenting than Cue anyway.

    I imagine Apple knows by now whether the iPad Pro is going to be pushed or not; 6 days won't result in any major developments.

  • Reply 18 of 58

    Same "reliable" sources that thought the components for an iPhone 6C model that turned out to just be the newly updated iPod Touch?

  • Reply 19 of 58
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Justin Freitas View Post

     

    A 21.5" 4K display?  I'm not so sure about that because I just hooked up my new 2K display today and the text is pretty small on a 25" screen.  It's still possible, but my guess is that the user would have to use some type of scaling/magnification to be able to read the text on screen.




    You can adjust the text size. Right click on the desktop and select Show View Options, or use Cmd + J.

     

    Apps usually have their own text size options.

  • Reply 20 of 58
    cornchipcornchip Posts: 1,945member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by EricWVGG View Post

     

    everyone else has dumped them and just watches a little streaming on tablets.

     


     

    Add me to the list of people who don't own a TV

Sign In or Register to comment.