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Apple’s upcoming iMac redesign could bring a bright, colorful paint job

The Apple iMac does not usually get a whole heap of attention compared to MacBooks and iPhones, but recently the rumor mill has been working itself into a frenzy over Apple’s all-in-one desktop computer. Now, a new leak claims the iMac redesign due this year will feature bright colors to match the latest iPad Air.

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The leak comes from YouTuber Jon Prosser, who has a fairly good track record and is well known in the Apple community. His latest video asserts that the iMac will come in five colors: Silver, space gray, rose gold, green, and sky blue. Those tints are said to be the same shades as those currently found on the iPad Air.

iMac 2021 redesign with five colors
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The current iMac only comes in silver — in fact, that has been the only color option since the white plastic iMac in 2006, barring the iMac Pro’s space gray hue. Why introduce more colors, then? According to Prosser, it is to bring back an element of “nostalgia” for the original iMac that was a smash hit back in 1998. That came in a range of colors in a bid to make the computer feel more friendly and approachable.

These new iMac colors are the latest element in a wide-ranging redesign said to befall the iMac later in 2021. Elsewhere we can expect to see much thinner bezels — including the end of the ‘chin’ at the bottom of the computer — as well as a flat back much like the latest iPad models. That means the new colors are far from the only inspiration Apple is apparently taking from its tablets.

It remains to be seen whether Prosser is on the money with this leak, as no other sources have yet corroborated it, and to be fair he notes that the iMacs he has leaked are currently prototypes. Prosser’s record is something of a mixed bag, but he is generally right more often than he is wrong, so watch this space.

In the same video, Prosser also shared some information regarding the rumored half-size Mac Pro that is allegedly in the works. Unlike the new iMac colors, this leak has been backed up elsewhere, with reliable reporter Mark Gurman previously claiming Apple is going to launch a shrunk-down Mac Pro with Apple Silicon chips inside. Prosser confirms that, saying it looks like “three to four Mac Minis stacked on top of each other.” Again, nostalgia is important, as the design is apparently meant to evoke the old Power Mac G4 Cube from 2000.

Alex Blake
Alex Blake has been working with Digital Trends since 2019, where he spends most of his time writing about Mac computers…
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