Apple Silicon iMac with A14T chip expected in first half of 2021 – Report

The first generation Apple Silicon Mac is expected by the end of this year. A recent report by a Chinese tech publisher, The China Times claims that the company will launch a redesigned Apple Silicon iMac powered by an A14T chip in the first quarter of 2021.

Apple had announced the transition of the new Mac lineup from Intel Core processors to custom Apple Silicon at the 2020 Worldwide Developers Conference. In a two years transition process, the company said to launch the first-generation Apple ARM Mac in 2020 which will run on the upcoming macOS Big Sur software to deliver a faster and improved user experience.

Apple Silicon iMac with A14T chip expected in Q1 2021

The China Times reports that currently, Apple is working on a new iMac which will be powered by a custom processor (codename: Mt.Jade) and GPU (codename: Lifuka). Both chips are built on TSMC’s 5-nanometer process technology.

“In addition to the first Apple Silicon processor A14X for the MacBook, which is already in volume production using TSMC’s 5-nanometer technology, according to Apple’s supply chain, Apple will launch its first self-developed GPU under the research and development code name Lifuka next year, and its first desktop processor A14T under the research and development code name Mt.Jade, both produced using TSMC’s 5-nanometer process.”

However, the publisher’s previous report on the upcoming Apple Silicon iMac with custom GPU built on the 5nm process (codename: Lifuka) will launch in the second half of 2021. As five new Mac models have appeared in Eurasian Economic Commission, maybe that report is of a different Mac model.

TSMC (Taiwan Semi-Conductor Manufacturing Company) is also the manufacturer of the new and faster A14Bionic chip used in the latest flagship iPhone 12 series and iPad Air (2020), and is built on the same 5nm process as the alleged A14T iMac chip. In comparison to the 7nm process, the 5nm process is designed to consume 30% less power and deliver 15% better performance. Therefore, we can expect the new Apple Silicon iMac to be faster than the current models.

Other industry reports corroborate The China Times claims. Renowned tech analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo reported that the first-generation ARM Macs will be the 13.3-inch MacBook and 24-inch iMac.

via MacRumours