By Mikey Campbell
Apple’s beta releases continue to yield clues about unannounced hardware, with Tuesday’s macOS Big Sur 11.3 beta including references of two new iMac designations.
Spotted by 9to5Mac, the macOS Big Sur beta issued to developers today includes hardware identifiers for an “iMac21,1” and “iMac21,2,” both of which do not match existing iMac models.
According to the site, “iMac21,1” and “iMac21,2” correspond to iMacs codenamed J456 and J457. In January, Bloomberg outed those designations as next-generation replacements for the current 21.5-inch iMac and 27-inch iMac, which are due for a refresh this spring.
Today’s discovery comes about a week after a developer found references of an unannounced Apple Silicon Mac in Xcode’s Crash Reporter.
Apple is widely expected to soon unveil a new iMac line powered by a variation of its M1 chip. Previous reports point to a redesigned chassis that borrows features from Apple’s angular iPhone and iPad devices. New color options are also rumored.
It is unclear when Apple plans to announce the new hardware, but the company officially discontinued the iMac Pro and ceased production of some 21.5-inch iMac configurations earlier in March.
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