Katie MarsalAn Apple spokesperson has cooled down expectations of a last-minute refresh to the Mac line, or any other products, before the start of the new year.
"Our holiday line-up is set," the official says.
The news dampens expectations for late 2008, which according to roadmaps would have Apple launch minor iMac updates before the year closed out.
The computer maker has let just over six months slip past since revising the all-in-one desktop in late April but was thought to be readying a fall update that would bring the processors into line with Intel's latest technology. Although the iMac has been technically using a group of non-standard processors that have the same performance characteristics as Intel's latest mobile chips, they technically use last-generation parts that don't necessarily share all the performance or feature advantages as the latest Core 2 Duo components.
These current 20- and 24-inch offerings also trail behind the new MacBooks in terms of video features. Both the Radeon HD 2400 and 2600 have remained unchanged since the aluminum iMac was first introduced in August 2007, or 15 months ago, leaving hardware H.264 video acceleration and other improvements aside. Similarly, a promise to add DisplayPort to all Macs will now have to be shelved until 2009.
It's unknown what, if anything, is pushing the next iMac update at least two months into the future, though Apple executives have alluded to a greater role for NVIDIA hardware in Macs in the long term that would represent a major architectural change to any remaining system, all of which at present use Intel mainboard chipsets.
A Mac mini overhaul is also expected in the future, though there had been no hard evidence to suggest it would arrive this year.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
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106 Comments
well at least the customer I sold that 24inch imac to today doesn't get a callback from me next week. Shame on the mac mini, that thing is an embarrassment
I predicted nothing else would get updated this year. It's nice to be right, but it sucks that nothing else will be updated. We'll obviously see new Mac desktops at MWSF, but what can we expect? The same iMac case seems likely, but with MBP tech inside.
• Will they introduce one larger than 24"? I doubt it.
• Will they remove FW400 from the consumer desktops, while leaving the FW800? It's a toss up since they clearly have the room, but I'm leaning toward the removal to show that FW400 as a port interface is dead.
• Will the Mac Mini finally get it's long overdue makeover? I think so, perhaps even as a completely different product, and made out of aluminum and with a little more focus on the business side of things.
• Will they introduce more ACDs? I think that is the plan, if they will be ready in time.
• Will they introduce an Mac Pro with i7? I think those will be coming in February.
• Will we see a demo of Snow Leopard's mega mega performance? 100%.
• Will the iPhone get doubling in storage, like it did last year? WE won't see a storage bump as the prices aren't falling fast enough, but i think there is a slim chance for adding a 32GB model, but this seems slim as they already have two models on the market.
This MWSF looks like it'll have a lot of stuff. I think we're going to have to stop expecting Apple to update their HW as fast as they did in the past. While the new milling solution can help provide some fast changing to the frame, I think the logistics of having to sell so more Macs each quarter is forcing them to slow down their update cycles. I hope I'm wrong as I've already promised my new Mac to my niece for her 10th birthday in March.
Hey - more time to save money, and maybe better tech in the next machine...
? Will they remove FW400 from the consumer desktops, while leaving the FW800? It's a toss up since they clearly have the room, but I'm leaning toward the removal to show that FW400 as a port interface is dead.
That's not nearly as compelling of a reason. Not enough space on the edge for a jack, not enough space on the board for a controller chip, OK, fine. But neither is a problem with iMac. Jacks aren't a problem with mini, maybe board space might be an issue if the chipset is larger.
Mini doesn't just have some aluminum already, it is a third aluminum by weight. And there is no need to go the expensive machining route as shell parts are already very minimal. Weight and rigidity aren't problems either.
That's not nearly as compelling of a reason. Not enough space on the edge for a jack, not enough space on the board for a controller chip, OK, fine. But neither is a problem with iMac. Jacks aren't a problem with mini, maybe board space might be an issue if the chipset is larger.
It's not, but how long after they removed other ports from Mac notebooks did they remove them from desktops? Most notebooks have more ports than an iMac has, yet an iMac has much more space for it. Did the RJ-11 port really need to go when it's cheap and takes up so little space? Compelling or not, it seems very Apple to me for them to remove FW400 from the iMac (and their Mac Mini if that is updated). I even wonder if the FW400 ports will be changed to FW3200, but that seems much, much less likely until 2010.
I didn't say mill it. It's desktop machine, like the iMac, so a pressing would be fine. It's the last of Apple's Macs to go aluminium and they seem to want to go green.