Apple Planning 22-Inch Touchscreen iMac for Later This Year?

In a brief note, DigiTimes points to a report [Google translation] from Taiwan's China Times claiming that Apple is preparing to launch a 22-inch touchscreen iMac in the second half of this year. Longtime manufacturing partner Quanta is among the companies expected to receive orders to build the new iMac.

The report notes that the popularity of "all-in-one" computers like the iMac is surging, with unit sales set to double in 2010 as other competitors such as Dell ramp up their offerings. In order to meet the challenge from these competitors, Apple will reportedly look to the touchscreen offering as continued means of differentiating itself.

Today's report also claims that Apple's highly-anticipated tablet will launch later this month, and will include a 9.7-inch screen.

Related Roundup: iMac
Buyer's Guide: iMac (Caution)
Related Forum: iMac

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
Photos App Icon Liquid Glass

John Gruber Shares Scathing Commentary About Apple's Departing Software Design Chief

Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs. On his blog Daring Fireball,...
ive and altman

Jony Ive's OpenAI Device Barred From Using 'io' Name

Friday December 5, 2025 6:22 am PST by
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports. iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 Release Candidates to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
iphone air camera

iPhone Air's Resale Value Has Dropped Dramatically, Data Shows

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:27 am PST by
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch. According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

iPhone 17 Pro Lost a Camera Feature Pro Models Have Had Since 2020

Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020. If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
ios 18 to ios 26 upgrade

Apple Pushes iPhone Users Still on iOS 18 to Upgrade to iOS 26

Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent. Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...

Top Rated Comments

Ed91 Avatar
207 months ago
A touchscreen iMac would be nice as long as the monitor was made to not show fingerprints.



You saw it here first.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vaizki Avatar
207 months ago
I hope it comes with integrated cleaning fluid nozzles and screen wipers.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
azentropy Avatar
207 months ago
Apple's answer to the Wii Fit!

You would get quite a workout having to do everything on a 22" touchscreen.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MaskedMuscle Avatar
202 months ago
The majority of the comments posted about a the negatives of a touchscreen iMac are irrational. Here are some of the brainless remarks and some logical retorts.

1. Fingerprints and germs on the screen... Everything you have in your home and office gets touched--books, papers, pens, carpet, pillows, etc. Many are difficult to clean, but an LCD screen is smooth and can be cleaned easily and has the potential to be way cleaner than everything else you have since you can actually see the dirt and grease on it, rather than having it hidden inside of your mattress pad or within the keys on your keyboard.

2. Reaching up and out across the desk would be tiring... True, but why on earth would a company whose designs are usually so good design a touch computer meant to be used across your desk? When is the last time you taped your newspaper onto the wall across your desk rather than placing it down on the table and angling it up to you. They would have to design in like a drafting desk and I am sure would only consider that.

3. Typing on a virtual keyboard for any length of time would be cumbersome... OK, now that is true since you have no tactile feedback about where your fingers are.

4. A touchscreen would make it tiring and will cause tendinitis or the like... When a person does paperwork, reads the newspaper, reads a book, they touch and move their arms several times more than you do with a mouse. Years ago people used to do things with their arms and hands without any problems. Now we see people thinking they are getting injured because they are moving, but what would happen when a terribly out of shape, inactive person (like most of us today) with muscular atrophy tries to play football? They would get hurt. Inactivity causes problems, not activity.

5. Other Windows all-in-one desktops have failed and shown us how hard to use they are, and therefore have no point. ...Since when were Apple's designs ever comparable to the Windows machine counterparts? It seems logical to me that computing (in all senses) is on a path that makes it more realistic, presenting computing as a viable virtual alternative to real life. Since when in real life do you view a photo album and proceed to view the next picture by moving a tiny little pointer to a tiny little "next" arrow and press down with your right pointer finger? I just flick page over.

Now, with that said, I still have no clue as to whether or not Apple will release such a product, nor if it will sell well or not. I just wanted to give my thoughts and some feedback on what everyone else has been saying. Call me crazy but everyone seems crazy to me.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CWallace Avatar
207 months ago
My company uses plenty of Panasonic Toughbooks with touchsceens and I find it to be something I use in addition to a mouse or touchpad, not exclusively in place of.

So if Apple added it to the iMac line, it would be just another input device available to me. There are times when it would be convenient to use the touchscreen and times it would be convenient to use a mouse.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacDaddy901 Avatar
207 months ago
I highly doubt this rumor. I think Jonathan Ive knows that it makes no sense to have a touchscreen monitor. A mouse does just fine.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)