AppleInsider Staff
Apple is reportedly preparing to refresh the iMac lineup next week, though changes expected for the company's all-in-one desktop are thought to be minor component upgrades and processor speed boosts.
According to a report from French Apple blog MacGeneration, Apple will roll out new iMacs at the tail end of next week. Beyond the tentative date, the site's source — who accurately predicted the recent MacBook Air update — had no further information as to what the refresh will entail.
Without a big event or announcement, it is unlikely that a Retina display iMac will see release next week. Instead, the publication believes minor spec bumps like processor speed boosts are on tap, much like the recent MacBook Pro refresh in April.
Fanning the rumor flames, code discovered in a recent OS X 10.9.4 Mavericks beta references two unrecognized iMac models identified as "iMac15,1" and "iMac15,n." Since current iMacs carry the identifiers "14,1," "14,2," and "14.3," the unknown models are thought to be next-generation machines.
Intel also announced its Haswell product roadmap in April, which shows an average 100MHz speed bump for the CPUs used by Apple in the iMac lineup.
The purported launch timing lines up with predictions from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who expects Apple to debut a low-cost iMac sometime this quarter.
Apple usually draws down supply of existing channel inventory with a new release, though it appears stock is at normal levels at this point. Current authorized reseller availability can be found on AppleInsider's Mac Price Guide.
Charles Martin
Malcolm Owen
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
Wesley Hilliard
62 Comments
So, all-new Mac Pros, updated specs on iMacs, but no love in at least eighteen months for the Mac mini? C'mon, Apple, what gives?! (Startin' to feel like a darn hobby.)
So, all-new Mac Pros, updated specs on iMacs, but no love in at least eighteen months for the Mac mini? C'mon, Apple, what gives?! (Startin' to feel like a darn hobby.)
Translation: nobody buys the Mac mini. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing for Apple. More expensive computer = more profit.
Translation: nobody buys the Mac mini. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing for Apple. More expensive computer = more profit.
I'm pretty sure there are a significant number of customers like me. I was interested in dipping my feet into the Mac world and also to do some tinkering with iOS development and was not ready to fully commit to a desktop. I'm super happy with my Mac Mini as a secondary computer I'm sure I'm not the only one. I think it is relatively popular. It could be that Apple is simply resource constrained and that the Mac Mini is a lower priority product at this point if there is a lot of new stuff (as in new product categories) coming this fall...
People always seem to forget that Apple (similar to every other company in existence) does not have infinite resources.
[quote name="dragyn427" url="/t/180556/rumor-apple-to-refresh-imac-lineup-next-week-with-possible-cpu-speed-boosts#post_2548741"]So, all-new Mac Pros, updated specs on iMacs, but no love in at least eighteen months for the Mac mini? C'mon, Apple, what gives?! (Startin' to feel like a darn hobby.)[/quote] Just like the Mac Pros, which went stangant a long time before a complete redesign, I think Apple is planning to do something special with the mini. I would expect the next update to completely change the product, not just a spec boost.
Should not this thread be in Future Apple Hardware?