4K iMac Release Date
Apple's 21.5-inch iMac will come with a screen packed with about four times as many pixels as a 1080p display. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The iMac is getting an upgrade. Apple is preparing to launch a 21.5-inch iMac with a 4K resolution display in October, according to sources speaking to 9to5Mac.

The new iMac will also be joined by the reveal of OS X El Capitan, the next version of Apple’s desktop operating system. And in November, Apple will begin shipping new computers out to its customers. Officially, Apple hasn’t said what’s in store for its line of desktops.

However, code spotted within beta versions of OS X El Capitan revealed that Apple was working on bringing a 4K resolution iMac -- about four times the pixels found in a 1080p HD display. According to the code spotted by French blogger Pierre Dandumont, Apple’s 4K iMac may come with a 4096x2304 pixel resolution Retina screen. In comparison the current 21.5-inch iMac only supports a 1920x1080 pixel resolution.

Beyond display upgrades, the 4K iMac may also come with Intel Broadwell processors, Iris Pro graphics chips and a dedicated AMD Radeon M380 graphics chip, according to MacRumors.

The upgrade to the 21.5-inch iMac comes one year after Apple beefed up its larger 27-inch models with a 5K resolution display option and two years since the last major iMac update.

While sales in the rest of the PC market continues to shrink, Apple’s line of desktop and notebooks continued to see growth in the second quarter of 2015, accounting for 5.1 million units and 7.8 percent market share, up from 5.9 percent share during the same period last year, according to IDC

Around the same time Apple may take pre-orders for its anticipated 12-inch iPad Pro, followed by shipments in November. Apple’s next tablet is expected to come with a number of new features, including a faster processor, Force Touch display, Bluetooth stylus and 2GB of RAM.

Apple has also scheduled a media event for Sept. 9 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, where the iPad Pro may be revealed alongside the anticipated iPhone 6S and a revamped Apple TV set-top box.