The next Mac to receive a high-resolution Retina display could be the all-in-one desktop iMac, according to a new report, which alleges that Apple is planning to have a new 27-inch model sporting a 5K display released in the fourth quarter of 2014.
The details come from LCD researcher WitsView, which was cited by Taiwanese tech industry publication DigiTimes, which has a poor track record in Apple-related rumors, but typically with regard to its own sources. In this case, the sources are apparently those of WitsView, which expects to see a 5K Apple iMac launching by the end of the year.
Additional details about Apple's alleged iMac with Retina display were not revealed. The Friday report suggested that Apple's iMac would join a number of other "Ultra HD" panels set to arrive before the end of the year.
If Apple does launch a 5K iMac, it may not be cheap: The report said the average price of a 28-inch Ultra HD monitor was $630 in August. Apple currently uses a slightly smaller panel size of 27 inches for its larger iMac, while the base desktop sports a 21.5-inch display.
Signs of a potential Retina display iMac were first spotted in June in Apple's beta release of OS X 10.10 Yosemite. A string of code in the unreleased operating system pointed to scaled display resolutions reaching up to 6,400-by,3,600 pixels, which could be scaled down for a Retina-caliber panel.
Rumors of an iMac with Retina display have been around for years, but as of yet the only Macs with high-resolution panels are the company's MacBook Pro lineup. The company is also rumored to be working on a redesigned 12-inch MacBook Air with Retina display.