The mini-LED iMac Pro is now expected to arrive in August or September

iMac Pro (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

Apple's rumored mini-LED iMac Pro is now expected to launch this summer.
Those hoping for a launch this spring look set to be disappointed.
While mini-LED is set to power the display it will feature fewer zones than the fancy MacBook Pro.

Those hoping to get their hands on a new iMac Pro in the first few months of 2022 look set to be disappointed. According to display analyst Ross Young, we shouldn't be expecting the new iMac Pro to arrive until "August or September."

The new machine, which is set to feature mini-LED technology and a display larger than the current M1 iMac, now looks set to arrive this summer rather than any sooner with display shipments unlikely to begin before June.

We expect panel shipments from June, but the product may not launch till August or September.We expect panel shipments from June, but the product may not launch till August or September.— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) January 31, 2022 January 31, 2022

The bad news continues, too. Young also says that while we can still look forward to the use of mini-LED technology in the new iMac Pro, it won't have as many zones as the impressive MacBook Pro. That should still mean that we get the benefit of 120Hz ProMotion and a variable refresh, at least.

Apple is also expected to put Apple silicon into this thing, with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman saying that we should expect "similar chips to the M1 Pro and M1 Max. That could potentially mean a refreshed chip, possibly based on the M2 design that is expected to debut in a MacBook Air within the next few months.

My expectation is that we'll get a new model this year that is bigger than the current 24-inch design and branded as an iMac Pro. That would mean it has similar chips to the M1 Pro and M1 Max processors inside of the MacBook Pro. I'd also expect the new iMac Pro to have a similar design to the current M1 iMac.

A refreshed iMac Pro, with new internals, is sure to be the best Mac for a whole lot of professionals — especially those who want to enjoy the benefits of those new mini-LED displays.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.

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