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Leaked iMac parts suggest Apple set to release new model with thinner design

A picture out of the Far East shows what is claimed to be the logic board and internal components for a new, thinner iMac set to be released by Apple in the near future.

The image and purported details about a redesigned iMac were posted to Chinese site WeiPhone.com, showing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas, fans, and a hard drive. Kyle Wiens of iFixit told MacRumors that the pictured components could plausibly be from a future iMac, as they show a number of similarities to the current iMac models.

The new iMac will reportedly be considerably thinner than the current model, and the new shell design is said to be curved like a water droplet, rather than squared off.

The report also reaffirmed earlier claims that the new iMac display will be attached to the protective cover glass, allowing the all-in-one desktop to be even thinner.

Inventory of iMac desktops has been constrained at third-party resellers for some time now. Limited stock of hardware through resellers is often one of the first signs that Apple is drawing down inventory ahead of a product refresh.

Apple could unveil a new iMac as soon as this month, as the company is expected to hold a media event on Oct. 23 to unveil a new, smaller iPad with a 7.85-inch display. That event could present an opportunity for Apple to show off a redesigned iMac, as well as a new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display.

iMac

While the new iMac is expected to be redesigned, reports have suggested that the desktop will not receive a high-resolution Retina display. Apple is allegedly set to release a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display that will join the 15-inch model, but Retina-caliber displays are apparently not yet available for 21.5-inch and 27-inch screens.

It's possible that if the iMac lineup is refreshed, the 21.5-inch model could become available first, with the 27-inch model to follow soon after. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities first reported in August that the new screen lamination process for the redesigned iMac is apparently more difficult with the 27-inch model, which could lead to it launching weeks after the 21.5-inch option.



139 Comments

tallest skil 43086 comments · 14 Years

THERE we go. There's the story.

 

I really don't want to get excited for this, as great as it is to hear about. I want a redesign, sure, but "so thin you can barely see it" doesn't fly on a DESKTOP.

tylerk36 1035 comments · 15 Years

Really the concept of thinner when it comes to a device just doesn't fly with me.  You can only get so thin.  Too thin is not good.  My god you would have to literally put weights in it so it would be stable.

carthusia 585 comments · 13 Years

I don't see redesigned iMacs or Mac Pros presented at the same event as a smaller iPad. I say the iPad event will be on the 23rd and an iMac/Mac Pro event will be held in early 2013, closer to when they are ready to be shipped. Cook mentioned new Macs coming in early 2013; Apple wouldn't announce them so far ahead of the ship date, nor would they muddy a big pre-holiday iPad event with Mac announcements.

dhagan4755 2010 comments · 23 Years

What's with the obsession with thinness?  I can see making laptops thinner & lighter for easier portability but this is getting a little ridiculous!

dhagan4755 2010 comments · 23 Years

Quote:
Originally Posted by Carthusia 

nor would they muddy a big pre-holiday iPad event with Mac announcements.

 

Umm hello? iMacs haven't been updated in over a year.  They are WAY past needing an update.  The chips have been available for like 6 months now.  So Apple should update the iMacs ASAP.