27-inch iMac could be stuck in limbo

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The 2020 iMac could like a bit like this.
The 27-inch iMac Pro is/is not about to launch.
Concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The 27-inch iMac is gone from Apple’s lineup. And it’s not clear when it’s coming back. Or if it will return at all.

One new leak claims that Apple has dropped plans to make a larger iMac. Another says development goes on, but the all-in-one desktop won‘t be out for a long time.

Whither the 27-inch iMac?

The one incontrovertible fact we have is that Apple removed the 27-inch iMac from its product lineup on March 8 without releasing a replacement.

However, in recent months there have been many unconfirmed reports that the replacement is in development. This will supposedly be an iMac Pro with a mini-LED display and an M1 Ultra processor. It could reach customers as soon as summer 2022.

Delayed or cancelled

Then came a report from 9to5Mac that says, “Apple currently has no plans to release a larger-screen iMac in the near future.” The same report also damps down the buzz about an iMac Pro by saying, “When it comes to the iMac, the company currently has no plans to release new high-end versions of its all-in-one desktop for now.”

That doesn’t settle the issue, of course. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman used his latest Power On newsletter to weigh in on the issue with, “I still strongly believe a larger iMac with Apple’s pro chips is in development — but I don’t think it, nor the next Mac Pro, are coming anytime soon.”

Who to believe in all of this is up to you. Gurman has an 86.4% accuracy rating on AppleTrack for correctly predicting Apple’s future plans. And 9to5Mac’s rating is 82.6%. But Ross Young, who says the 27-inch iMac will be out summer of 2022, has a 92.9% accuracy ranking.

In the mean time, the options include the 24-inch iMac released in 2021 that is expected to get an upgrade to an M2 processor later this year. Or there’s the 27-inch Apple Studio Display with the Mac of your choice.

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