New iMacs Not Due Till Mid-Fall

Though the mainstream press has begun to suggest that iMacs are due in early September, reliable sources claim otherwise. The Major revision to the iMac product line, which Steve Jobs has personally dubbed "Kihei," was delayed earlier this summer due to a revision that was to be made to its logic board. The move also reserved the spotlight for Apple's iBook computer at last month's Macworld Expo.

According to extremely reliable sources, the new iMacs will not be ready for production until late October and are expected to make their initial splash at an Apple Media Event to be held at that time or during the first week of November (though more on this much later). Previously, we mentioned that test units of the new iMac's motherboard, code-named C2, were not expected till September.

Apple plans to soak the market dry of iMacs before the introduction of Kihei, to the point where consumers will not be able to find an iMac if they wanted to. This is part of a new common practice at Apple to be sure that resellers will not be left with inventory of older units that will no longer be in demand. It will also allow Apple to immediately flood the channel with the new units.

A recent internal analysis report on Apple by Salomon Smith Barney supports our sources' claims, noting that an iMac refreshment is not due until at least October. The report also reiterated our reports that new iMacs would hit the street just in time for the prime holiday shopping season (from Thanksgiving to Christmas).

In July and August Apple favored the retail channel with iMac shipments in order to build stock for the back-to-school buying season. Most recently they've shifted attention toward fulfilling K-12 demand. Due to this move, Apple's distributors — Ingram Micro and Pinacore — have run dry of the most popular iMac flavors, but most Apple resellers and mail order catalogs remain with an adequate supply.

The next-generation iMac will sport everything from a totally redesigned enclosure to a logic board with 2X AGP based on Apple's new Single Common Unified Architecture (an awesome gaming machine). The unit will also include a respectable processor speed-bump and will cost no more than the current units. Reports detailing the full feature set of the units will be made available in coming weeks... after all, there is plenty of time.