The iMac was last updated in fall 2024, when it was upgraded with Apple’s M4 chipset. But the last time it received a substantive update was way back in 2021, when the machine switched from Intel to Apple silicon and also got a breezy (and colorful) new design.
Our wait for the next big update, sadly, is set to continue. Gurman says he “[doesn’t] expect a blockbuster overhaul this year” and predicts that the 2026 refresh will be confined to the chip bump–which is technically a double bump from M4 to M6, but only because it’s been two years since the last model. The external design will be otherwise unchanged, it seems, other than “some new color options.” The iMac has had the same set of colors since 2021, though Apple did introduce “fresh shades” of the same seven colors with the M4 update. It’s unclear whether Gurman means actual new colors will be coming this time.
There is some consolation for Apple fans in an earlier report by Gurman claiming we can expect a massive Mac overhaul this fall. This didn’t make any claims about the iMac beyond its M6 upgrade (and J833 and J834 codenames), so his latest response is not contradictory. And on the plus side it pointed to other models getting more interesting treatment, including touchscreens and updated designs.
