Last week, Apple revealed some new Macs powered by macOS Sonoma and the M3-series chips. Frankly, we weren't anticipating the upgraded MacBook Pro (M3, 2023) to feature any groundbreaking changes beyond the new processors, as Apple had refreshed them a few months earlier. The 24-inch iMac, on the other hand, hadn't been upgraded since April 2021. That's over two years. So when the Cupertino firm limited its 2023 update to a chipset bump from M1 to M3, along with connectivity improvements, we felt quite disappointed. The company could've realistically included plenty of other meaningful changes, and we will be highlighting five of them.

1 Magic accessories with USB-C

Why is Lightning still a thing at this point?

With the iPhone 15 series' launch, Apple finally dropped the Lightning connector in favor of USB Type-C. This transition not only revolved around the company's latest smartphones, but it also made its way to the AirPods Pro 2 during the same event.

Prior to Apple's "Scary Fast" event, we had read rumors about the Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad following suit when the M3 iMac debuts. These whispers sounded plausible, as you'd think that's the logical direction following the port shift on the new iPhones. Except that Apple still includes the same Lightning-enabled Magic accessories with the 24-inch iMac (M3, 2023) and doesn't sell USB-C variants of them. So iMac users who were hoping to ditch the Lightning cables completely following the iPhone 15 launch will have to hold onto them for longer or rely on third-party peripherals.

2 A larger variant

One size option is quite limiting

Last year, Apple killed the 27-inch iMac. The move was pretty reasonable, as that model still packed an Intel chip. Well, except that the M-powered iMac only offers a 24-inch variant. So those hoping to upgrade from an older 27-inch iMac to take advantage of the latest Apple silicon will have to settle for a significantly smaller built-in display. Apple could've made 2023's iMac refresh more exciting and meaningful by offering a larger edition that caters to that category of users.

3 An M3 Pro edition

The base M3 chip has some shortcomings

Apple sells a single iMac edition. While you get to pick between two port selections, seven color options, and different memory and core configurations, the desktop itself is pretty much the same. You get one of the base M3 chip's iterations in a 24-inch build. A welcome change to 2023's iMac would've been M3 Pro and M3 Max editions While the vanilla M3 chipset is highly capable, it only supports a single external display. That's not to mention that professionals dealing with intensive tasks may find the iMac lacking when compared to the MacBook Pro and Mac Studio. Having a single main configuration for Apple's only all-in-one desktop can be quite limiting to power users.

4 ProMotion support

120Hz can make a difference

And speaking of displays, the iMac still misses out on the 120Hz refresh rate, which Apple calls ProMotion technology. The company could've made its wide, crisp display more immersive by adopting the smoother refresh rate. Instead, it still chooses to stick to the inferior technology. And with Apple stating that this iMac supports one 6K external monitor at 60Hz, it appears that users of this desktop can't even enjoy the fluidity of 120Hz on a separate screen.

5 Face ID

For improved biometrics

Lastly, Apple seemingly hasn't equipped the MacBook Pro with Face ID due to the slimness of its lid. Unlike the company's laptops, however, the iMac has plenty of space to fit in the TrueDepth camera sensors. While biometric authentication is supported on the iMac through newer Magic Keyboards, users have to pay extra for those. That's not to mention that some users would rather rely on third-party keyboards and accessories. By baking Face ID into the Mac, Apple brings a Windows Hello equivalent to its computer line and simplifies the lives of iMac users.

There's still hope

While the 24-inch iMac (M3, 2023) launch was almost objectively lackluster, there's still light at the end of the tunnel. Rumors indicate that Apple could launch a 32-inch iMac Pro in around a year or so. If this turns out to be true, we can safely assume that at least two out of the five items on our list will be included. While I personally don't see Face ID coming to the iMac anytime soon, it's very possible that Apple will adopt the other four points sooner or later.