iMac stocks dwindle - new models soon?

Jonny Evans
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April 03, 2008
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iMac stocks across Apple's reseller chains are running down, suggesting the company is closing in on a refresh for its range of all-in-one desktops.

If whispers emerging from Apple partners are to be believed, the product upgrade may not be immediate - stocks of the product still exist, but supplies of the product are wearing thin. This suggests the product may see an update as soon as this month.

Apple has been expected to improve its iMac offering since the beginning of March, when the first claims emerged to say it intend popping Intel's new 45-nanometer Penryn processor inside the machines. The Mac mini is expected to receive a similar treatment, with the addition of an improved graphics chip and Penryn processor.

As 9to5Mac has previously reported, the new iMacs may make use of Intel's Eaglelake motherboard, which carries built-in support for Blu-ray. However, the cost of Blu-ray players may preclude the introduction of built-in support for the standard for a while yet, despite that Sony's US president recently confirmed his company to be in talks with Apple to deliver the hardware required for Blu-ray playback. He predicts Blu-ray drive prices to fall to $299 or less by the end of the year.

 

 

Comments (22)

mjteix (not verified) | April 03, 2008 - 7:37am

EagleLake is a DESKTOP chipset. The iMac uses a mobile chipset (and cpu). If the iMac was to be revised now it would still use the Santa Rosa chipset (like the MacBook Pro) and penryn cpus.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | April 03, 2008 - 8:39pm

Apple site has a printer rebate until April 21. April 22 is a Tuesday, could this be the release day of new Imac

9to5Mac Guru (not verified) | April 03, 2008 - 8:11am

Exactly, the next chipset it uses will be Montoniva and that will still use Penryn. The next big update to iMac, MB and MPB will be Nehalhem, until then its all just blah.

BradMacPro (not verified) | April 03, 2008 - 10:09am

The code name of the next gen platform is Montevina, but it's officially going to be called Centrino 2. It should roll out early June. It will use the Penryn processors. The chipset part of the Montevina platform is code named Cantiga otherwise known as the Intel Mobile 45 express chipset. Most notable is the GMA X4500 graphics, up from the X3100 of the current design. But also notable is the optional WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) support.

9to5Mac Guru (not verified) | April 03, 2008 - 12:11pm

Basically the Monteniva platform with the penryn processor is still as much of a "cross-over" piece of technology as Santa-Rosa with Penryn. When the nehalem processor meets with the monteniva platform is when we will see the real benefits of removing the FSB etc.

mjteix (not verified) | April 03, 2008 - 6:10pm

Nehalem will not wotk on Montevina. It will need a new "chipset". What is good for all platforms is that the memory controller will be integrated to the cpu die (quicker access to RAM) for the cpu as well as the gpu core on certain lower-end chips (mobile and desktop).

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | April 03, 2008 - 12:59pm

i want a mac mini

Thorin (not verified) | April 03, 2008 - 2:23pm

If a refreshed iMac includes the Penryn, I really hope Apple chooses to carry those savings in heat and power consumption from the CPU over to the GPU department. The ATI 2600 is slow! C'mon Apple!

macmini (not verified) | April 03, 2008 - 2:24pm

macmini!!!!!!!!!!!

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | April 03, 2008 - 4:04pm

Bring Mac matte iMac screens !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yes, some people like gloss, but lots of others like matte. Apple, give us the choice. Don't force your (Steve's) preferences on us.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | April 03, 2008 - 5:42pm

not sure if you're aware, but ever since the beginning of the company Apple has been forcing Steve's preferences on the consumer, and for the most part it has worked out pretty damn well. if you don't like glossy screens, you'll just have to take the bad with the (copious amounts of) good.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | April 04, 2008 - 12:04am

As it stands, the iMac is powerful enough for most everyday applications and most pro apps to compete with the MacPro at it's price point. For photographers and video editors (users who truly benefit from a matte screen) there emerges only 1 real mac platform, that being the MacPro. Apple will never make the iMac too powerful or it will suck down MacPro sales. It's business, and Apple is pretty good at it.

aquin (not verified) | April 04, 2008 - 12:38am

I'm considering an iMac (and switching from Microsh*t at that). I'm a photographer and will use the computer mainly for photo editing.

The price difference is significant between the Mac Pro and the iMac. How necessary is the matte screen for a photographer?

Thanks
/a

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | April 05, 2008 - 11:35pm

I resent the stereotype that only designers and photographers need matte screens. I am a writer, and I stare at a screen, doing word processing, often 16 hours a day. If I can't get a matte IMac, I'm not going to get a MacPro, I'd go down to a Mac Mini with matte external screen. So, Apple, don't think you'll get more money by depriving people of matte screens. You could drive people down to the cheaper Macs.

crtaylor (not verified) | April 06, 2008 - 5:30pm

It looks like Apple has really big plans for their product lines this year. The new iMacs, the new iPhones, and I even saw a complete absence of Final Cut Studio 2 in my local Apple Store. I definitely think that there will be a revision of all three of these products. Also, since the NAB Reel is coming up soon and Apple is listed, we might even see the "Phenomenon" project revealed!

As for the Nehalem processors, these were supposed to be introduced as early as only late 2008. So I do not think that the iMac will be that drastically revised.

ikir (not verified) | April 08, 2008 - 3:26am

Just a faster 3D card please :-)

crtaylor (not verified) | April 08, 2008 - 6:29am

Ah. One of the main quirks about Apple's computers in general! I really hope the start looking at the higher end of ATI's line and perhaps the NVIDIA SLI models. They also used to have several user-upgradable options from ATI, which brings up the point that Apple needs to do this again with the newer models - especially since there are games on the Mac right now.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | April 13, 2008 - 12:35am

Video editing?
Do I buy the new Imac with the 24inch/or 30inch? screen or do I buy a 17in laptop? The lap top is nice but a bit x'eeee and the imac maybe even more nice, a better price as well.

visitor (not verified) | December 17, 2008 - 5:54am

I have a feeling this coming Macworld will not focus on updating the iMacs. But who knows maybe a speed bump?
water softeners

Pet Supplies (not verified) | January 20, 2009 - 10:00am

I am waiting eagerly for the next imac. That would be the best time to get my first imac.

Pet Supplies (not verified) | January 20, 2009 - 10:06am

This better gets out soon, or might end up buying the mac air.

Mike - Pet Supplies

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | January 28, 2009 - 5:33pm

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