If all the rumors are true, Apple is preparing to totally overhaul its entire computer line from the MacBook Air, Mac Pro, and iMac. Apparently the retail supplies of iMacs are dwindling and and according to AppleInsider, Apple told at least one distributor not to expect any new shipments. The last time this happened, the new Mac Mini appeared shortly afterwards.
Hope you didn’t just buy an iMac. The next refresh should be nice. It might even come with a desktop version of iOS and a gigantic touchscreen.
HDMI is probably a shoe-in now that it’s found on the Mac Mini. But it’s the CPU and GPU options that should get the biggest bump. Expect Apple to finally drop the Core 2 Duo’s altogether and opt for a complete line of Intel Core CPUs. Dual and even quad core i5s will probably drop in price-point with the Core i7 option retaining the top-tier spot. There’s even a rumor that the next iMac will be touchscreen and use a large screen version of iOS. Crazy, I know.
But what about a Blu-ray drive. Sure, Steve has talked about how Blu-ray isn’t all that great and only losers still use optical media, but it’s silly that it’s not even an option. The drives themselves aren’t all that expensive anymore and seem slim enough. But Apple might have already addressed the biggest obstacle — HDMI — which is required by the Blu-ray Disc Association before they’ll licenses manufacturers for the optical format.
Apple generally introduces new iMacs shortly after the school season starts around late September and early October and it seems like this year will be no different.