Apple Expected to Launch New iMacs With Improved Processors and Display Quality This Quarter

imac_27_angleApple's iMac line is set to receive a significant boost this quarter in the form of a refresh including new processors and improved display quality, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Display improvements are said to arrive in the form of greater color saturation, but Kuo makes no mention of whether Apple is planning to extend Retina display options to the smaller 21.5-inch iMac lineup.

We believe Apple will introduce new iMac models in 3Q15, which are expected to have key selling points such as more powerful processors and much better display quality. We predict the panel will use a LED phosphor material called KSF to notably boost color saturation.

While Apple has released several 27-inch Retina iMac models since last October, the remainder of the iMac lineup has not been updated since September 2013 as Apple has had to wait for Intel to release new desktop processors that could allow for a substantial update. With Broadwell processors starting to trickle out and Skylake right around the corner, it appears Apple will finally be able to offer a substantial upgrade for the entire iMac family.

Kuo believes that an inventory draw-down in the second quarter, the upcoming new iMacs, and promotions such as the current Back to School program will drive strong sequential growth in iMac shipments for the current quarter, perhaps doubling quarter-over-quarter to one million units. The third calendar quarter is typically very strong for Apple's Mac segment with much of the world in the midst of back to school shopping.

Related Roundup: iMac
Buyer's Guide: iMac (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: iMac

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

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

Friday February 20, 2026 3:21 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone this year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that Apple will release its first foldable device in 2026. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that have been leaked about ...
Apple Announces Special Event in New York Feature 1

Apple Reportedly Plans to Unveil at Least Five New Products Next Week

Sunday February 22, 2026 9:48 am PST by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple will have a three-day stretch of product announcements from Monday, March 2 through Wednesday, March 4. In total, he expects Apple to introduce "at least five products." A week ago, Apple invited selected journalists and content creators to an "Apple Experience" in New York, London, and Shanghai on Wednesday, March 4 at 9...
Apple Watch 15 Tips Every Owner Needs to Know Feature

Apple Watch: 15 Tips Every Owner Needs to Know

Thursday February 19, 2026 7:38 am PST by
Apple Watch is now eleven generations in, and packed with useful features that are easy to miss at first glance. To help you get more out of your new device, we've rounded up 15 practical tips you might not have discovered yet, including a few that long-time users often overlook. Bounce Between Two Apps On your Apple Watch, double-press the Digital Crown to see a deck of all currently...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Three Upcoming Apple Products Seemingly Spotted in macOS 26.3 Code

Friday February 20, 2026 7:36 am PST by
macOS 26.3 hints at Apple's rumored lower-cost MacBook, and two new Studio Display models, according to Macworld's Filipe Espósito. Espósito found the following codenames within macOS 26.3's source code, and he revealed the upcoming products that they likely correspond with, based on previous reporting from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and others. The codenames:J700: Lower-cost MacBook J427:...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

10 Reasons to Wait for Apple's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday February 18, 2026 5:12 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

Cole Slaw Avatar
138 months ago
For God's sakes Tim, climb down from your mountain of money and make ssd's standard on new Macs!
As a professional beancounter I'm sure you just love 5400 rpm spinners but the rest of us don't.
It 2015 for crying out loud.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DingoDance Avatar
138 months ago
Please be Skylake... please be Skylake... please be Skylake...
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TSE Avatar
138 months ago
Very excited. I always think iMac is the most iconic "Mac" Apple has.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Menopause Avatar
138 months ago
How I keep dreaming about a Retina Thunderbolt Display... but alas.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JXShine Avatar
138 months ago
maybe they will finally smarten up and put ssd as the default configuration. Oh who am I kidding, apple really needs money, they have to continue with the 5400rpm HDD or else they can't fund their spaceship campus.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
138 months ago
('https://www.macrumors.com/2015/08/03/imacs-faster-processors-improved-displays-kgi/')



Apple's iMac line is set to receive a significant boost this quarter in the form of a refresh including new processors and improved display quality, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Display improvements are said to arrive in the form of greater color saturation, but Kuo makes no mention of whether Apple is planning to extend Retina display options to the smaller 21.5-inch iMac lineup.While Apple has released several 27-inch Retina iMac models since last October, the remainder of the iMac lineup has not been updated since September 2013 as Apple has had to wait for Intel to release new desktop processors that could allow for a substantial update. With Broadwell processors starting to trickle out and Skylake right around the corner, it appears Apple will finally be able to offer a substantial upgrade for the entire iMac family.

Kuo believes that an inventory draw-down in the second quarter, the upcoming new iMacs, and promotions such as the current Back to School program ('https://www.macrumors.com/2015/07/23/back-to-school-promo-beats-2015/') will drive strong sequential growth in iMac shipments for the current quarter, perhaps doubling quarter-over-quarter to one million units. The third calendar quarter is typically very strong for Apple's Mac segment with much of the world in the midst of back to school shopping.

Article Link: Apple Expected to Launch New iMacs With Improved Processors and Display Quality This Quarter ('https://www.macrumors.com/2015/08/03/imacs-faster-processors-improved-displays-kgi/')
I understand the all-in-one ethos, but when the displays are so gorgeous I wish they would sell them separately alongside Mac minis with upgraded internals (such as quadcore processors and discrete graphics cards). I suppose iMacs with their internals have fairly good longevity, but to me it just seems wrong to tie a gorgeous display to a machine with so many other components that could fail and not be repairable at some point in the not too distant future. Or at least continue offering the iMac, but sell it alongside the iMac's stand-alone display with upgraded Mac minis.

EDIT: I wanted to add that even with Apple's all-in-one ethos, Apple knows customers aren't idiots. Before Bluetooth keyboard and mice, they had to plug those into Apple's all-in-ones. You have to plug the Apple TV into an HDTV. And of course they already sell the Mac mini. So they know customers are capable of taking the one step of plugging a display into a desktop computer.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)