Apple Silicon iMacs Spotted In macOS Big Sur 11.3 Beta 5

Apple's M1 chips have definitely been hot items in the computing world but their availability has been limited to two kinds of devices only. The M1 MacBooks and M1 Mac minis cater to just one segment of Apple's customers and still leave some desktop users, particularly Apple's Mac Pro and iMac customers. The latter might finally get their due if the latest beta version of macOS Big Sur 11.3 is any indication, hinting at upcoming iMacs running on a slightly new M1 processor.

Compared to its other computers, Apple's all-in-one iMacs don't always get media coverage. In fact, the latest word that landed this week was about Apple discontinuing the iMac Pro and some 21.5-inch models. Of course, news like that often comes before the arrival of new iMacs and it seems that Apple is indeed gearing up for that.

9to5Mac spotted references to certain "iMac21,1" and "iMac21,2" devices in the code for macOS Big Sur 11.3 beta 5. In typical Apple fashion, these don't refer to display sizes as some might presume. There were rumors and sightings of codenames for new iMacs J456 and J457 and these are believed to be 21.5-inch and 27-inch models that could be the same two referenced in macOS.

More interesting than new iMacs is the fact that these iMacs are believed to be the first of their kind to run on Apple Silicon M1 chips. There are even rumors that these would be variants of the Apple M1 already found in Mac minis and MacBooks though details about this silicon are still slim. Original or new, the Apple M1 already runs circles around their Intel counterparts.

The new Apple iMacs are also believed to have a new design that falls more in line with its Pro Display XDR monitor and the angular iPad Pros. Unfortunately, there is no known date yet for any iMac-related event in the immediate future.