“What’s next for Apple iMac? The popular consumer desktop hasn’t seen an update since May 2011; and hasn’t seen much of a face lift since way before then,” Jonny Evans reports for Computerworld. “What’s going on?”
“A Digitimes report this morning claims we’ll be waiting longer yet, claiming iMac component supplies will only begin shipping later this month with a new model scheduled for release in October, but this doesn’t make sense to me,” Evans reports. “Apple will introduce OS X Mountain Lion later this month. Surely it makes more sense to introduce a new iMac at around the same time? This would benefit from the extra attention paid to the new OS, and would also help Apple draw a little benefit from the educational PC replacement cycle of late summer.”
Evans reports, “A second reason: Apple is expected to introduce the iPhone 5 by October. Any product introduced alongside this will not get the media attention it may deserve… A third reason: There’s some speculation Apple plans an attack on the Android tablet market with the release of a $299 7-inch iPad.”
Read more in the full article here.
Related article:
Apple ramping up production of new iMac with Retina display for October launch, say sources – July 3, 2012
7″?!? Never.
7.85″. Doesn’t sound much more than 7″, but it is.
Lower price points.
The minimalist design of the iMac has gone as far as can be short of placing everything in the “chin” behind the screen, it isn’t going to drastically change.
And, as a designer, I’m fine with that.
What is next from Apple?
Let me regurgitate a few doubtful rumors.
What crap.
A healthy dose of cynicism is a good thing to maintain sanity I agree. Apple will release what it releases when it’s ready and THEN I’ll react accordingly. Having said that we can never have enough Apple goodies in our lives. I am THRILLED that they have been vertically vindicated much to the chagrin of my loser PC loving friends. They don’t get any serious love from Redmond, just a bunch of designed-by-monkey ware. Of course being a double Mac Pro user (G5 & Intel) I have felt not a lot of love there either and now have to wait until 2013? Sheesh!
One thing I could see Apple doing is consolidating its iPad line up into fewer models. Instead of a 16, 32, and 64 capacity, they could sell the $400 at 16, and then only sell 32, and 64 capacity, and lower the prices on the higher end, along with lower prices on adding cellular, or even combine Wifi and Cellular models into one model at the same price.
At the volume that Apple sells iPads at, they could pull this off. Fewer models to stock means more efficient inventory management, and would save them money.
Looking forward to when they break the 64Gb ceiling and offer up 128Gb and the new offerings will be 32, 64 and 128Gb. SSD memory capacity and cost seems to take it’s own SAT (sweet assed time).
Free trips to Mars
Not likely, since Microsoft XP crashed into Uranus….(they didn’t realize it was so gaseous, which caused the booster to peter out).
There’s some speculation Apple plans an attack on the Android tablet market with the release of a $299 7-inch iPad.
Oh really. Having already said it all about this persistent and dopey rumor, all that’s left for me to do is zzzzzzz
Take your product rumor nap, then wake up later and be able to either be 7.85″ delighted or tell people “I tol’ yah so.” it’s fun to hear about potential new stuff but not after the first couple hundredth time.
The iPad mini won’t be released as an attack on anything other than the huge gap that separates the iPhone and iPad. It has nothing to do with Android tablets, a competition that only exists in the minds of tech pundits.
Apple will do it only if it feels right when they hold it and use it in their hands. Then they’ll do it because they’ll want us to enjoy the same experience. No other reason.
Why not offer a 6″ or 7″ iPod touch and drop the price on the current unit??
Apple will have to update the iMac to use Air Mirroring.
The iMac design is already perfect. Sure it can have a better screen, faster CPU, more RAM, run cooler, etc… but there is no improvement can be made to the overall design.
@ Doug: Henry Ford said the same thing about the Model T.
I really hope that they come out with a new model soon. My current iMac hosts my phones and iPod touches and even with getting rid of the hold backups, I am playing with 15 gb of memory. I cannot back up the iPad at this point.
I thought about changing the drive out, but others have told me that this is a world of hurt because of the lag time and the new OS hogging up memory. So it’s time for a new machine. We are planning on upgrading our iPhones in November and adding new ones but without an iMac capable of the memory management, we will have to wait a lot longer.
As for iCloud, backing up 2 32 gb iPhones and iPods would be cost prohibitive on an annualized basis, so we need the good old fashioned one until the prices really come down.
A spec bump
Nah. 1. Hold iMac until a retina display is affordable. 2. Go max revenue ”competition killer’ with a 7-8 inch offering, (but iPod Max rather than iPad Mini). 3. A refreshed Mac Mini (please please please just for me if no-one else) so I can run a great value rock steady Mountain Lion server to manage all my other apple stuff.
i think a price cut on the ipod touch is long overdue and an ipod touch 6in or 7in or something and put it in between current price and the price of the ipad.
I think there is always room for 16gb ipad. Especially for people who like the ipad for surfing the net and play a few games but will never fill it up. My mother in law is that way. In fact most of the space is filled up with tv shows she likes to watch.
She only plays about 4 games. I think allot of older people like the ipad for simpliticy and reading books, surfing the net and i think the 16Gb fits those people well. I read somewhere once that the 32gb was the best selling and the 16Gb was actually next.
However i think there is room for a size above the 64Gb. Maybe not 128Gb but something in between. I think when the 64Gb becomes a bigger seller apple will move into that size.
I think an imac with a major processor bump maybe dual processors, more memory and option of a 2Tb drive or even 3Tb drive would be great.
Although i think 2Tb internal is good. You can always add unlimited external. But the ability for pros to do more work without having to pony up the money for a mac pro would be great.
The iMac i know is a consumer machine but why cant it be a pro machine too? why not a BTO option with a dual quad core processor and high end graphics chip. APple needs a few more options in the range. I hear that complaint the most that for pros they have to pony up huge amounts of cash for a mac pro when there are PCS while not as good as a mac cost half of a mac pro.