Apple Announced the 24-Inch iMac Three Years Ago Today

Today marks the three-year anniversary of Apple's announcement of the 24-inch iMac, a transformative redesign featuring the first integration of Apple silicon in the product line.

iMac 24 Apple Newsroom Gray bg
Apple unveiled the new 24-inch ‌iMac‌ on April 20, 2021, almost nine years after the previous ‌iMac‌ redesign debuted. It replaced both the 21.5-inch and the 27-inch Intel iMacs, and represented a recommitment to the long-standing desktop product line.

The highly anticipated redesign offers a much thinner and more compact body compared to its predecessors, available in an array of vibrant colors reminiscent of the original iMacs released in the late 1990s. The 24-inch 4.5K Retina display boasts 11.3 million pixels and support for 1 billion colors.

The new model was not only notable for its updated design but also as the inaugural ‌iMac‌ to incorporate Apple silicon, one of the last Macs to make the transition away from Intel. Apple claimed that the M1 chip delivered up to 85% faster CPU performance and up to two-times faster GPU performance compared to the previous 21.5-inch ‌iMac‌ models. The new ‌iMac‌ also offered a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, studio-quality microphones, and a six-speaker sound system, as well as a color-matched Magic Keyboard with Touch ID.

Apple refreshed the 24-inch ‌iMac‌ with the M3 chip, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3 in November 2023. Rumors suggest that a larger-screened ‌iMac‌ that could be positioned as an ‌iMac‌ Pro will launch in 2025. In June 2023, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the high-end ‌iMac‌ was a year or two away from launching as work on the device was still in the early stages.

Related Roundup: iMac
Buyer's Guide: iMac (Caution)
Related Forum: iMac

Popular Stories

apple store down feature

Here's Why the Apple Store is Going Down

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:01 pm PST by
Apple's online store is going down for a few hours on a rolling country-by-country basis right now, but do not get your hopes up for new products. Apple takes its online store down for a few hours ahead of Black Friday every year to tease/prepare for its annual gift card offer with the purchase of select products. The store already went down and came back online in Australia and New Zealand, ...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Three Breakthrough Features

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include three standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket is Now Completely Sold Out Worldwide

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:16 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released. iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...
streaming black friday 2025

Black Friday Streaming Deals Include Big Savings on Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV, and More

Monday November 24, 2025 8:03 am PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
streaming black friday 2025

Best Black Friday Streaming Deals - Save Big on Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, and More

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:14 pm PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
General Black Friday Deals 25 Red Green

The 30+ Best Black Friday Apple Deals on AirPods, iPads, MacBooks, and More

Thursday November 27, 2025 6:46 am PST by
Black Friday is here, and as always this is the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which...
General Apps Messages Redux

Singapore Orders Changes to iMessage by December

Tuesday November 25, 2025 6:39 am PST by
Singapore has ordered Apple to block or filter messages on iMessage that impersonate government agencies, requiring the company to implement new anti-spoofing protections by December as part of efforts to curb rising online scams, the Straits Times reports. Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that it had issued an Implementation Directive to Apple under the Online Criminal Harms...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air Flop Sparks Industry Retreat From Ultra-Thin Phones

Thursday November 27, 2025 3:14 am PST by
Apple's disappointing iPhone Air sales are causing major Chinese mobile vendors to scrap or freeze their own ultra-thin phone projects, according to reports coming out of Asia. Since the ‌iPhone Air‌ launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales and manufacturing cuts, while Apple's supply chain has scaled back shipments and production. Apple supplier Foxconn has...

Top Rated Comments

Nermal Avatar
21 months ago

represented a recommitment to the long-standing desktop product line
And then they let it languish for 2.5 years.
Score: 48 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Optheduim Avatar
21 months ago
Meh. I still dont like the pastel colors in the front. I’d rather the darker color be the entire machine.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Justin Cymbal Avatar
21 months ago
I bought this iMac (in blue) to replace my 27” retina iMac (that I purchased back in 2014) My 27” iMac was the first 5K iMac that Apple ever came out with and at the time, it was $2499 - I used my 27” iMac pretty much every day for 7 years

I love using my 24” M1 iMac - the microphone array works phenomenal for phone calls, etc. and the ability to be able to AirPlay content from my iPhone or iPad is a great feature to have as well

I hope that Apple eventually re-introduces the 27” (or larger) iMac ?️ (with the M series processor) as many Apple fans would love to have a much bigger screen than 24”
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
joecomo Avatar
21 months ago
lets hope the new iMacPro will be usable as a monitor as well - unlike my 2014 retina iMac 27.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dan From Canada Avatar
21 months ago

And removed any desire I had to update my old (but still working) 27” iMac. But I’m glad they did, as it ended my “must replace with another Mac” mindset I had.
After years of having a whole Apple ecosystem at our place I am seriously thinking of going back to a Windows machine because I can get more power for less money.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AlexJaye Avatar
21 months ago
And removed any desire I had to update my old (but still working) 27” iMac. But I’m glad they did, as it ended my “must replace with another Mac” mindset I had.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)