New iMacs coming soon?

Jake Widman
Saturday, 26 September 2009 03:51

Your IT - Home IT

A prominent Apple news and rumor site is reporting that new iMacs may be coming as soon as next week. They will allegedly feature new design, lower prices, and possibly Apple's first Blu-Ray drives.

The Mac enthusiast site AppleInsider claims to have learned from sources that a new line of iMacs entered manufacturing about two weeks ago.

Following the example of the MacBook Pro line, which was refreshed early last summer, any new iMacs are expected to do more and cost less.

The rumors also have it that the line will see a new industrial design. AppleInsider speculates that the iMacs will pick up their design cues from the latest Apple Cinema Display, which might mean a thinner aluminum bezel around the screen and/or a shallower unit altogether.

The site refers to "people familiar with Apple's thinking" to suggest that the company may finally embrace Blu-Ray. AppleInsider also refers to another addition "believed to be related to audio" that would make the iMac more "versatile."

As for pricing: when Apple redid its MacBook Pro line in June, it lowered prices across the board, whether by offering a MacBook Pro for the same price as a MacBook or by cutting US$300 to $700 off the cost of different models.

AppleInsider pointed out last April that the 20-inch iMac, which lists at US$1,199, carried an educational price of just $899. That leaves some room for a price reduction, though with a similarly spec'ed Mac mini listing for $799 (without, of course, monitor, keyboard, or mouse), any price drop would run the risk of cannibalizing mini sales.