iMac 2018: what we want to see

Given the reports suggesting that a new MacBook Air and a 13-inch MacBook are in the works, both more affordable than their predecessors, it wouldn’t surprise us to see an iMac 2018 come to fruition around the same time.

It’s ready for an upgrade as well. After being refreshed with Intel 7th generation Kaby Lake CPUs in mid 2017, Intel released 8th-generation Kaby Lake and Coffee Lake CPUs. Now the iMac is one generation behind when it comes to processing power, not to mention its dated style

It’s easy to speculate on what the iMac 2018 is going to look like. There’s sufficient evidence, for one, that three of the Macs that release this year will off load some functionality to Cupertino-manufactured custom co-processors rather than trusting every feature to a third party like Intel. This year will also mark the 20th anniversary of the iMac, so we expect Apple to celebrate this benchmark in a commercially available way.

As usual, Apple is keeping its cards pretty close to its chest, so we don’t have a huge amount of information to go on at the moment, but we’ve collected all the rumors we’ve heard so far to help us speculate on what an iMac 2018 may entail.

We’ll also set out what we want to see from the iMac 2018, based on our expert knowledge and current trends.

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

We haven’t heard any concrete rumors about the release date of the iMac 2018, so until we do, we’re going to have to do a bit of guesswork.

The iMac 2017 update was revealed on June 5, 2017 at Apple’s WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) keynote, so there's a chance that Apple may use WWDC 2018 to announce an update.

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.

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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