iMac 2018: what we want to see

With the reports suggesting that a new MacBook Air and a 13-inch Retina MacBook are on the way in 2018, both cheaper than their predecessors, it wouldn’t surprise us to see an iMac 2018 follow on their heels.

The iMac could do with an upgrade – after it was refreshed with 7th-generation Intel Kaby Lake processors in mid 2017, Intel launched its 8th-generation Kaby Lake R and Coffee Lake CPUs. Now the iMac is one generation behind when it comes to its processor.

While WWDC 2018 came and went with no new hardware announcements, it’s still easy to speculate about the iMac 2018. For one, there’s plenty of speculation that three of the Macs Apple will be releasing this year will offload some functionality, likely ‘Hey Siri’ commands, to Cupertino-crafted co-processors, rather than trusting every feature over to Intel. This is likely an early part of Apple’s Kalamata Initiative – which will see the Cupertino behemoth replacing all Intel processors with its own by 2020. We’ve even seen some evidence that Apple is hiring ex-Intel engineers to start working on its own silicon.

Don’t forget, either, that 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of the iMac. And, knowing Apple – we’re sure that it’s going to want to celebrate in some kind of commercially-available way. So, keep your eyes out for a special anniversary iMac. The iMac XX?  

It’s not surprising that Apple is keeping its lips sealed about the iMac 2018. However, that doesn’t stop us from speculating based on past releases and our Mac expertise. And, until Apple spills the beans, we’ve collected all the rumors and speculation we could find to help us figure out what the iMac 2018 may look like.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? A new version of Apple’s all-in-one iMac
• When is it out? Possibly June or August 2018
• What will it cost? Likely starts at $1,099 (£1,049, AU$1,599)

iMac 2018 release date

Until Apple graces us with some concrete information about the iMac 2018, we’ll have to do a bit of speculation.

The iMac 2017 update was revealed on June 5, 2017 at Apple’s WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) keynote. However, the WWDC 2018 keynote came and went without any kind of information about the iMac 2018, so maybe we’ll see more information at the iPhone event in September.

If Apple is planning to do something special to mark the 20th anniversary of the iMac, then a release date in August could be possible – as it will be exactly 20 years since the launch of the original. 

iMac 2018 price

Again, there’s not much to go on right now concerning what the price of a 2018 iMac might be. Hopefully, the price won’t stray too much from last year’s models, unless there is going to be some seriously large upgrades when it comes to components.

The base price of last year’s iMac is $1,099 (£1,049, AU$1,599), so we’d like to see a similar price with the iMac 2018. Of course, the iMac comes in various configurations (and prices) to suit your needs.

With the high-end iMac Pro starting at $4,999 (£4,899, AU$7,299), we can envision an iMac 2018 costing between $1,000 (£1,000, AU$1,500) and $2,500 (£2,000, AU$3,000).

iMac 2018: what we want to see

While we don’t know too much about what the iMac 2018 will be like, we’ve got plenty of ideas about what we’d like to see in a new version of the all-in-one. Read on for our suggestions that would make the iMac 2018 the best iMac ever.

Celebrate the 20th anniversary in style

For any gadget, 20 years in the business is a big deal, so we’d love to see Apple do something special to mark the anniversary for this year’s iMac.

Apple have released special versions of its hardware to mark milestones before, such as the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh, which was released in 1997 to mark Apple’s 20th birthday. Not to mention the release of the iPhone X to mark the 10-year anniversary of the iPhone.

With the iMac being so beloved, and its design so iconic, a special version of the iMac 2018 that paid tribute to its past could be a big hit with Apple fans and collectors.

A revamped design

While we love the look of the iMac, it’s sort of had the same design for the past 10 years, so 2018 could be a great year to tweak the look. That could mean a minor revision, such as slimming the body even further, or something more drastic.

Rumors of an iMac redesign have been swirling since a post on Reddit, apparently by a ‘Foxconn Insider’ who worked for the company that builds the devices for Apple, claimed there would be an update to the iMac and its peripherals.

Color-wise, the aluminum design of the iMac has been a staple since 2007, so we wouldn’t mind seeing another color option with the iMac 2018 – perhaps a Space Gray version, like the iMac Pro?

Take inspiration from the iMac Pro

The iMac Pro is a fantastic device, and while it is definitely a product aimed at a completely different audience than the iMac 2018 will be, there are a few things the standard iMac could incorporate from its more expensive sibling.

For example, removing the hard drive, and sticking to just solid state drives, would allow Apple to make the iMac 2018 even slimmer – while also giving the machine a decent speed boost. Even better for photographers and filmmakers is if Apple were to allow for UHS-II SD card support, thereby streamlining the post-production process.

The iMac Pro also features some clever cooling technology to help reduce the heat of the components, again allowing for a thinner design without noisy fans, and we’d love to see that in the iMac 2018 as well.

Oh, and did we mention we’d really like to see a Space Gray iMac?

Take inspiration from the MacBook and iPhone

Whilst we’re getting ideas from other Apple devices, there’s a few things we’d like to see from the iPhone and MacBook appear in the iMac 2018.

For example, how cool would it be if the Touch Bar from certain MacBooks turned up on a redesigned iMac keyboard? Those touch-sensitive buttons would be a fantastic addition.

Also, we’ve been very impressed by the Face ID technology of the iPhone X, so if Apple is thinking of upgrading the FaceTime camera on the iMac 2018, we’d love to see this included, so we could unlock our new iMac with just a glance.

Boosted specs

We’d love to see the iMac 2018 toting some of the very latest, and best, components when it’s revealed to the world. 

While we’d love to see the iMac 2018, at least the entry-level version, running one of Intel’s latest quad core processors, if the iMac uses Intel’s Coffee Lake CPUs, we may even see an iMac 2018 with a six-core processor, which would give the all-in-one a real boost when it comes to multitasking.

Graphics-wise, the iMac could stick with AMD’s Vega graphics cards, and if Apple goes for one of the latest AMD card, or even one that has yet to be released, then the iMac 2018 could have some serious graphical chops.

Fingers crossed we see some – or all – of these predictions come to fruition later this year.

• These are the best Macs that 2018 has to offer so far

Gabe Carey has also contributed to this report

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