Today, Apple announced a couple major updates to its 21.5-inch and 27-inch iMacs. These new 2020 iMacs are getting updated with Intel’s 10th-generation processors, SSDs standard across the line (and up to 8GB, which is double the previous high), a brand new T2 chip (which enables “Hey Siri” and a number of neat webcam capabilities), and “studio quality” microphones and speakers. All for the same price for a standard configuration.
Arguably the most exciting new features is an upgraded 1080p webcam, which, no doubt fueled by the current work-from-home situation, should be a drastic upgrade over the 720p webcam in previous iMacs. According to Apple, the new T2 chip add features — like tone mapping, exposure control and face detection — to deliver a “higher quality camera experience.”
While this represents a nice refresh on one of the best deals in desktop computing considering how much monitors cost, there’s good reason to suspect something bigger could be in the pipeline. Since Apple is prepping its switchover to its homemade ARM-based chips, any Intel-based device is necessarily on borrowed time.
Even though Apple intends to support Intel devices for a good long while, chances that a reworked iMac with a new chip and a refreshed design are in the works are nonzero, although such a device could take a while to surface.
If the thought intrigues you, it might be worth waiting around to find out.