Kuo: 24-Inch iMac With New Design to Launch in Fourth Quarter of 2020 - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Kuo: 24-Inch iMac With New Design to Launch in Fourth Quarter of 2020

Apple plans to launch a 24-inch iMac with a new design in the fourth quarter of 2020, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today in a research note obtained by MacRumors.

imac 2020 mockup
Earlier this week, Kuo claimed that this redesigned iMac will be one of Apple's first two Mac models with a custom Arm-based processor, with the other being a future 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Following years of rumors, Apple today confirmed its plans to switch to its own processors for its Macs, promising "incredible" performance and features. Apple said that it plans to release its first Mac with custom silicon by the end of 2020, and it expects to transition its entire Mac lineup away from Intel processors within around two years.

In the meantime, Kuo expects Apple to refresh its existing Intel-based iMac in the third quarter of 2020, which encompasses July through September. It is unclear if this model will feature a new design. Apple last redesigned the iMac in 2012.

A last-minute rumor suggested that Apple was going to unveil its redesigned iMac at WWDC, but the keynote did not include any specific hardware announcements.

Related Roundup: iMac
Buyer's Guide: iMac (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iMac

Popular Stories

Black Apple Event Logo

Apple Now Inviting Media to October 28 'Launch Experience'

Thursday October 15, 2026 4:13 am PDT by
Apple has begun inviting selected members of the media to a product launch experience in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 28, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a post on X, Gurman described the gathering as an "all-day product launch experience" for touchscreen MacBooks, a new iPad mini, and Macs equipped with M6 chips. Gurman previously reported that Apple would introduce the...
iPad mini 7 Review Thumb 1 sans text

Apple Expected to Release New Products on Next Four Fridays

Sunday October 18, 2026 11:01 am PDT by
Apple likely plans to release MacBook Pro models with OLED displays, 14-inch MacBook Pro and iMac models with M6 chips, and/or an iPad mini 8 with an OLED display on Friday, November 6, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The devices are expected to be announced on Tuesday, October 27 or Wednesday, October 28. If this timeframe proves to be accurate, then Apple will be releasing new...
M5 MacBook Pro

Apple Plans Two-Day Event to Showcase Trio of New Macs and iPad Mini

Monday October 12, 2026 9:15 am PDT by
Apple is planning to invite content creators to a two-day product showcase in Los Angeles on October 27 and October 28, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Do not expect a traditional Apple Event with a live-streamed video on either of those days, as Gurman said that these will be "experiences" for content creators, similar to one that Apple is holding in New York this Tuesday, October 13. ...

Top Rated Comments

83 months ago
Bought my 27 imac after the redesign in 2010. 10 years later, it still works flawlessly, no slowdown, no issues, just as fast. Incredible for a computer...best money I ever spent.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
83 months ago

Not sure how they'll reach their "incredible performance" goals by the end of the year, though. Right now, the A14Z is dramatically slower than Intel desktop CPUs and graphics performance is nothing compared to (some) dedicated GPUs.
AnandTech did a very comprehensive benchmark ('https://www.anandtech.com/show/14892/the-apple-iphone-11-pro-and-max-review/4') of the A13 last year, including a comparison between it and Intel's top (at the time) desktop processor, the i9 9900K. The A13's single threaded performance (when actively cooled) was between 4% and 13% slower than the 9900K, depending on the test.

Considering that the A13 was drawing 5-6W, and the i9 draws over 20W per core at full speed, these results are jawdropping. Expect a 20-30% performance increase from the A14 (which Apple has consistently achieved each year), plus higher clocks from desktop-grade power delivery and cooling, and it's entirely reasonable to see a desktop variant of the A14 beating the 10900K (only ~6% faster than the 9900K) by a significant margin.

Exciting times.

EDIT: Graphics performance should be interesting to see. Right now, Apple's mobile graphics are impressive but not industry-leading in the way their mobile CPUs are. That being said, there's nothing to stop them from slapping a PCIe controller onto their desktop silicon and connecting whatever desktop GPU they want.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
83 months ago
Previous WWDC keynotes were always 2 hours and a bit.
This year they also reserved a 2 hour slot.
And they had the advantage of prerecording the entire presentation, so they could perfectly time it.

Yet this year's keynote was only 1:48:00. 12 minutes short of 2 hours. 12 minutes of unused space.

Does look like a last-minute scrap of a "One More Thing..." presentation.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
83 months ago

Not sure how they'll reach their "incredible performance" goals by the end of the year, though. Right now, the A14Z is dramatically slower than Intel desktop CPUs and graphics performance is nothing compared to (some) dedicated GPUs.
“A14Z” doesn’t exist (yet?)

The dev kit and the demos today were the A12Z, which is basically a chip from 2018 with an extra gpu core
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
83 months ago

I think you might be surprised, at least i hope you are. While it doesnt make much sense on the surface, the fact is the ARM mac’s wont be competitive with Intel mac’s from jump. I think we’ll see ARM in the lower end products at first. Further, and perhaps more importantly, the professional sector will be slow to release native versions of software for ARM mac’s. That means many design houses and firms will rely on Intel mac’s for years to come.
Just curious - what makes you think ARM Macs won't be competitive?
Personally I don't think Apple would announce a full transition unless they had complete confidence they could overtake Intel's offerings across all their products. Going by my rough calculations ('https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/kuo-24-inch-imac-with-new-design-to-launch-in-fourth-quarter-of-2020.2242365/post-28591777') I'd expect an A14 based iMac to be faster than an Intel iMac, at least in raw performance. Whether or not it's faster in real world use probably depends on how much overhead Rosetta introduces.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
83 months ago

Not sure how they'll reach their "incredible performance" goals by the end of the year, though. Right now, the A14Z is dramatically slower than Intel desktop CPUs and graphics performance is nothing compared to (some) dedicated GPUs.
I think you are mistaken, because they did announce MAC-SPECIFIC ARM chips, so we will be seeing differences compared to their mobile chips :) And we don't really know as of yet the sort of power-performance these "desktop" chips will have, so just be patient :) But, I wouldn't be surprised if they already have a desktop chip which beats Intel/AMD - don't forget, we don't really know what they have been secretly producing/testing/experimenting all these years, besides their official announcements/product releases - surprises could be in store...
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Latest Stories
HomeView Software 27.2: Wallpapers, Control Center, and More
HomeView Software 27.2: Wallpapers, Control Center, and More
7 hours ago
Apple Alerts Stores to iPhone Duo's Display Cracking Issue
Apple Alerts Stores to iPhone Duo's Display Cracking Issue
8 hours ago
iOS 27.3 Will Enable These Apple Intelligence Features in China
iOS 27.3 Will Enable These Apple Intelligence Features in China
8 hours ago
Apple Says iOS 27.3 Beta Coming Next Week
Apple Says iOS 27.3 Beta Coming Next Week
8 hours ago
Apple's Flash Storage Suppliers Are Finally 'Getting Their Revenge'
Apple's Flash Storage Suppliers Are Finally 'Getting Their Revenge'
9 hours ago
14 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 27.2
14 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 27.2
10 hours ago
iPhone Duo Review: One Week Later
iPhone Duo Review: One Week Later
11 hours ago
Samsung Mocks iPhone Duo Display Cracks in New Ad Campaign
Samsung Mocks iPhone Duo Display Cracks in New Ad Campaign
13 hours ago
The MacRumors Show: OLED MacBook Pro, iPad Mini 8, and More
The MacRumors Show: OLED MacBook Pro, iPad Mini 8, and More
13 hours ago
MacBook Pro With Touch Display: 15 More Details Revealed
MacBook Pro With Touch Display: 15 More Details Revealed
13 hours ago
Russia Places Apple on State Surveillance Registry
Russia Places Apple on State Surveillance Registry
15 hours ago
Halloween Weekend Brings Discounts on Apple Accessories and Pre-Orders
Halloween Weekend Brings Discounts on Apple Accessories and Pre-Orders
15 hours ago
Apple Has Released More Than 25 New Products in the Past Two Months
Apple Has Released More Than 25 New Products in the Past Two Months
16 hours ago
Local Code Launches as Free, Private AI Assistant Tool for Mac
Local Code Launches as Free, Private AI Assistant Tool for Mac
16 hours ago
Apple Acquires Ascend.io
Apple Acquires Ascend.io
17 hours ago
HomePod Mini 2 Launches Today: All the New Features
HomePod Mini 2 Launches Today: All the New Features
17 hours ago
AirTag 2 4-Pack Drops to New Low Price of $69.99
AirTag 2 4-Pack Drops to New Low Price of $69.99
17 hours ago
Rian Johnson's iPhone Camera App Goes Viral
Rian Johnson's iPhone Camera App Goes Viral
17 hours ago
Where Did All the iPhone Duos Go? Mostly to Apple's Stores
Where Did All the iPhone Duos Go? Mostly to Apple's Stores
20 hours ago
Apple's Touchscreen MacBook Pro Could Ship 1.5M Units in 2027
Apple's Touchscreen MacBook Pro Could Ship 1.5M Units in 2027
20 hours ago
New Apple TV 4K and iPad Mini: RAM Amounts Revealed
New Apple TV 4K and iPad Mini: RAM Amounts Revealed
1 day ago
Apple Executive Comments on New iPad Mini Lacking 120Hz Display
Apple Executive Comments on New iPad Mini Lacking 120Hz Display
1 day ago
Here's a Hands-On Look at HomePod Mini 2's New Two-Tone Colors
Here's a Hands-On Look at HomePod Mini 2's New Two-Tone Colors
1 day ago
Apple Lowers App Store Fees in Taiwan Starting October 31
Apple Lowers App Store Fees in Taiwan Starting October 31
1 day ago
HomeView Pre-Order Returns to $289.99 on Amazon
HomeView Pre-Order Returns to $289.99 on Amazon
1 day ago
Apple Avoids Showing Pinched Fingers on iPad Mini Page in South Korea
Apple Avoids Showing Pinched Fingers on iPad Mini Page in South Korea
1 day ago
Old 'Popcorn Time' App Left Hundreds of Thousands of Macs at Risk
Old 'Popcorn Time' App Left Hundreds of Thousands of Macs at Risk
2 days ago
You Can Turn Off the New MacBook Pro's Touchscreen Functionality
You Can Turn Off the New MacBook Pro's Touchscreen Functionality
2 days ago
MacBook Pro Mini-LED vs. OLED Buyer's Guide: Every Difference
MacBook Pro Mini-LED vs. OLED Buyer's Guide: Every Difference
2 days ago
Where to Pre-Order Apple's New MacBooks, iPad Mini, and iMac
Where to Pre-Order Apple's New MacBooks, iPad Mini, and iMac
2 days ago