Apple may be preparing its first iMac refresh in roughly two years, with a new model reportedly set to arrive before the end of 2026 carrying the company’s upcoming M6 chip and a revised selection of colors.
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is working on an updated iMac that would move the all-in-one desktop directly to M6. That would continue Apple’s increasingly selective approach to iMac upgrades. The current model uses the M4 generation, while previous iMac updates have skipped entire chip families rather than following every annual Apple silicon release.
The reported M6 upgrade is potentially more significant than a routine processor bump. Apple’s next-generation chip is expected to be its first Mac processor built using a 2nm manufacturing process, which could improve efficiency and performance density. As usual, however, the final gains will depend on Apple’s chip configuration, thermal limits and how aggressively it tunes the iMac compared with its notebooks and higher-end desktops.
The new model is also said to introduce additional color options. It is not yet clear whether Apple plans genuinely new finishes or simply another adjustment to the shades already offered. The M4 iMac retained seven color choices while subtly changing how those finishes looked, so the same broad approach could return.
What appears less likely, at least based on current reporting, is a major redesign. Apple continues to sell the iMac only with a 24-inch display, despite years of calls for a larger version to replace the discontinued 27-inch Intel model. For users wanting more screen space, Apple has instead pushed a modular setup built around machines such as the Mac mini or Mac Studio paired with an external display.
That leaves the iMac in a fairly specific part of the Mac lineup. It remains one of Apple’s simplest desktop options for homes, schools and offices where an integrated screen and computer are more useful than maximum performance or hardware flexibility. A faster processor and fresh colors would reinforce that role without fundamentally expanding the machine’s audience.
The timing could also make the iMac part of an unusually busy Mac hardware cycle. Apple is reportedly preparing redesigned MacBook Pro models with touchscreens and Tandem OLED displays, alongside an M6 version of the base 14-inch MacBook Pro. Updates to the Mac Studio and Mac mini have also been discussed, although their release schedules appear less certain.
There are still some unanswered questions around Apple’s broader chip roadmap. Reports suggest the standard M6 could arrive without M6 Pro, Max or Ultra variants, with Apple potentially accelerating its transition toward M7 for higher-performance systems. If that proves accurate, the iMac may become one of the clearest early showcases for M6 rather than simply another stop in a full chip-family rollout.
For now, the most notable part of the report is not that Apple is refreshing the iMac, but that it continues to treat the desktop as a deliberately slower-moving product. Unless Apple has bigger changes still under wraps, the 2026 model looks set to focus on silicon and style rather than reinventing the familiar 24-inch formula.
