Mac 2021 predictions: bigger iMacs and MacBooks, and more Apple silicon

2020 was a great year for Mac, and we shouldn’t take it for granted. The first year I started predicting things in this column, I felt a bit optimistic about 2016, and it turned out to be a nearly empty year for Macs. Recent years show that Apple has become more attentive to the Mac, culminating in a year It might not have been as groundbreaking as you’d hoped, but it’s still a milestone in Mac history.

So with the M1 processor here and Apple in the midst of a major processor transition, there is no doubt that 2021 will be interesting for Mac! Change will abound! The question is … what form will that change take?

Time for a new iMac?

The current iMac design is a variation on a 2007 design, perfected in 2012. It’s a tremendously long time without a redesign. So for the past few years I’ve been predicting an iMac redesign, but to no avail.

I will persevere. There are many opportunities for Apple to rethink the iMac, especially with the advent of Apple’s silicon. 2021 is going to be the year.

I predict that the current 21.5-inch iMac is history, replaced by a model with a larger screen. Some of the design changes are obvious, like much smaller bezels all around. The easy bet is that Apple will shrink all the bezels, update the camera (perhaps to add Face ID to the Mac for the first time), improve the dynamic range of the screen (MicroLED displays are rumored), and keep it all wrapped in. a familiar way.

My hope is that Apple will go a bit further, taking a page from Microsoft’s Surface Studio and making the iMac unfold in a drawing table configuration, where it can be operated with an Apple Pencil, if not a fingertip. . . But my bet is that Apple will take the conservative route and make an iMac that looks familiar, but updated for a new decade.

IDG

The larger iMac should also have a new design. I wonder what Apple thinks is the top range for an iMac display. Would it be a 30-inch iMac? What about 32-inch, like Pro Display XDR? You can add some screen size just by reducing the bezels, but maybe Apple will follow the bigger is better learned rules in the smartphone market and will just go the extra mile. A 32-inch iMac HDR that takes some lessons from Apple’s ultra-high-end monitor would definitely be interesting.

Personally, I don’t think the iMac Pro is ever going to be updated, but regardless of the name of the products, Apple knows that many high-end users use iMacs. The M1 processors introduced this fall are impressive in terms of performance, but there has to be another shoe yet to fall there. I could see that the larger iMac holds up until later in the year just so it can ship with a more powerful piece of Apple silicone inside.

Update all MacBooks

Apple currently makes four laptops, two of which were recently upgraded with the M1 processor. Now is the time for the 16-inch MacBook Pro and the high-end 13-inch MacBook Pro to take their turn. Like the high-end iMac, I don’t see these laptops shipping with the M1 processor in current models.

But once a faster chip is available, I think Apple will update both models. The 16-inch model will likely look more or less like the current model, which was recently updated from the old 15-inch model. As for the high-end 13-inch model, this is Apple’s chance to differentiate it from the just-released lower-end 13-inch model, giving it the 16-inch makeover treatment and turning it into a 14-inch MacBook Pro.

On my wish list that isn’t going to happen: a new slim, light and small laptop, the continuation of the classic 11-inch MacBook Air. Seriously, Apple, I’d take a 12-inch MacBook with the new Magic Keyboard and an M1 processor in no time.

New Apple Silicon

I have no doubt that Apple will release Macs with Apple-made processors we haven’t seen before in 2021. High-end iMacs and MacBook Pros demand it. The question is, do we see those new processors before next fall?

Apple

I will say no. I think any new Mac released in the first half of 2021 will be based on the M1 that we already know. It’s incredibly fast and capable, and it can easily handle a new iMac. And then in the fall, we will see an M2 that will be used in high-end Macs.

What I am very curious about is how Apple will approach variations in its Mac-based processors. All M1 chips today are more or less identical (with chips without eight good GPU cores in the lower-end MacBook Air) . But to differentiate itself at the higher end, Apple may want to design a few different chips with more CPU and GPU cores. Will we see that in 2021, or will it be more of a 2022 thing? Will Apple offer a variant of the M1 in the spring, instead of waiting for the fall for a new generation?

I don’t really know, but if I am forced to choose, I guess Apple is keeping it simple for another year. They launched the M1 in 2020, they can launch an M2 in 2021 and then prepare to complete the transition in 2022 with higher-core versions of the M2 or even a more capable M3. The speed of the M1 processors means Apple doesn’t have to force things. The time has come to make the transition you want to make.

The handbag

I have two more predictions for Mac to make. On the macOS side, I think Apple will continue to connect. New features of Apple’s silicon may require new features built into the operating system, but otherwise I think the macOS updates will be much more incremental than in recent years. It’s time for Apple to push things forward, fix bugs, deal with the Mac Catalyst quirks and run iOS apps on Mac, and keep developing SwiftUI. I expect a lot less drama on macOS than we’ve seen in a few years.

Apple

Finally, I am going to go against my good judgment and predict the appearance of a separate external display from Apple other than the Pro Display XDR. It’s not like Apple to leave money on the table, and there is a great opportunity for the company to launch a very nice display that doesn’t cost $ 5,000 but pairs well with Macs and makes a considerable profit. Apple has surely noticed that the quality of existing external displays is lacking.

Is the time. Whichever screen Apple uses to power its new larger iMac, I predict it will sell a standalone version as well. Don’t be too hopeful, it will cost you much more than you expect. But that’s Apple. And Apple will sell a bunch of them to match Apple’s fast new silicone Macs.