Rumors circulate that Apple is about to refresh the iMac and MacBook lines
It just wouldn’t be a week in news if there wasn’t at least one rumor about Apple getting to release some new products.
Even though this month saw the release of new iPods, that doesn’t mean that Steve Jobs and his crew at Apple are just sitting back with nothing to do. If the latest batch of rumors is to be believed, there is a refresh coming to both the MacBook and iMac lines before the end of the year. According to rumors reported by AppleInsider, both the low end Apple laptops will be getting a refresh, as well as the all-in-one desktops.
The rumors around the iMacs say that the line will not only be getting a price drop, but that the computers will receive “a thinner industrial design”, which makes us think of the new aluminum cases on the MacBook Pros. This might be an effort to make the entire Apple product line a bit more recyclable, and eco-friendly. It would also make sense as the iMacs have had the same physical design since Aug. 2007. There are also rumors going around that Blu-ray drives could be making their way into the products, but that may be the biggest stretch as Steve Jobs has publicly derided the licensing around the technology as “a bag of hurt”.
MacBooks, already considered the low-end of the Mac family, may not see a whole lot of changes as there isn’t a lot that can be done at its current $999 price point. Some rumors are saying they will be thinner, but they also are reporting that they are still using the white shell that the line has been using since May 2006. If anything you may see faster processors and more “under the hood”-type enhancements.
Some of the rumors are saying that both updates could happen this month, but take into consideration that Windows 7 officially launches from Microsoft on Oct. 22nd. Wouldn’t it be more advantageous for Apple to launch closer to that date and steal some of their rival’s thunder?
MacRumors buying guide, which keeps track of the smallest details on all releases, also adds some credence to an October release. The iMac line was last updated on March 3 of this year, meaning as of this post, the update is 208 days old, and the line has an average span of 220 days between refreshes, placing it in October. The MacBook was updated on May 27, and only 123 days of its normal 197 day life cycle have passed, but an early release would certainly help take the spotlight off of Microsoft.
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