Apple warns of short-term iMac shortages ahead of new models - sources

Posted:
in Future Apple Hardware edited January 2014
Apple late this month began advising its direct and indirect sales channels of near-term shortages of its popular all-in-one desktops, as the company prepares draw down inventories ahead of introducing new models in the coming weeks.



In particular, a person familiar with the matter says the Mac maker is informing some of its distributors not to expect any further stock of the entry level 21.5-inch, 3.06GHz iMac, implying that production of that model has ceased.



Meanwhile, those with ties to the company's stateside reseller channels are being advised to sell through their stock of all existing iMac models and to keep their inventories as lean as possible for the next few weeks.



These anomalies are similar to those reported by AppleInsider last month when it predicted the imminent the arrival of HDMI-equipped Mac minis, which turned up a few weeks later.



Apple has been plotting the upcoming iMac refresh since last year. At the time, the company was brainstorming a lineup that would include more than one quad-core configuration, according to people familiar with the plans.



Potential configurations included a dual-core Core i5 model, as well as quad-core Core i5 and Core i7 configurations. Also of interest, according to those same people, were indications that new iMacs would be the first Macs to employ Intel's Core i3 processor at the low-end, which would have the new family of desktops utilize all three flavors of Intel's mobile Core line of processors.



That said, it's not clear whether Apple has recently decided to alter any of these plans, especially in light of shortages (1, 2) of Intel's less brawny Core offerings. (Readers can see a list of Intel's Core lineup here.) Also unconfirmed is a recent report that the new iMacs would usher in USB 3.0 support and a faster FireWire interface.



The USB 3.0 specification, which was in Apple's hands over a year ago and targeted for a June 2010 release, is said to be be ten times faster than the current Hi-Speed USB standard (USB 2.0), and also more power-efficient, leading to lower active and idle power requirements. Like its predecessor, USB 3.0 is backward compatible with USB 2.0 devices.



Meanwhile, it's believed that Apple continues to work on the first Macs destined to adopt microprocessors from Intel rival AMD. It also holds a couple of Pro-related advances in its labs, namely a 12-core Xeon-based Mac Pro and a 27-inch LED Cinema Display, both of which appear to have slipped past their expected arrival dates.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 96
    I would not be surprised if Apple includes the USB 3.0....



    I would like to see a "top of the line" >30" iMac!



    Also, what about the new iMac case being two pieces of black glass (front and back) with a band of aluminum sandwiched between like the iPhone 4?



    That would be very dramatic!





    Best
  • Reply 2 of 96
    skottichanskottichan Posts: 193member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by christopher126 View Post


    I would not be surprised if Apple includes the USB 3.0....



    I would like to see a "top of the line" >30' iMac!



    Also, what about the new iMac case being two pieces of black glass (front and back) with a band of aluminum sandwiched between like the iPhone 4?



    That would be very dramatic!





    Best



    Yeah, that would be sexy to me.



    Perfect timing if there is an update, my old iMac (Early 2006 20") is on her last legs (GPU's starting to fail). Plus, I need something a little beefier to play Final Fantasy 14 and Old Republic.
  • Reply 3 of 96
    mrrmrr Posts: 69member
    PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE bring out a new MAC PRO !!



    It has been over a year and four months since the last update!
  • Reply 4 of 96
    rindrind Posts: 66member
    Looking forward to the Update.



    Although it would probably be 2011 before I make another purchase.

    The 2010 laptop isnt that old yet.
  • Reply 5 of 96
    rtm135rtm135 Posts: 310member
    Touchscreen iMac, please.
  • Reply 6 of 96
    hmm sounds enticing but i need concrete details before decieding to send back the MacBook pro I have in the mail.
  • Reply 7 of 96
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by christopher126 View Post


    I would not be surprised if Apple includes the USB 3.0....



    I would like to see a "top of the line" >30' iMac!



    Also, what about the new iMac case being two pieces of black glass (front and back) with a band of aluminum sandwiched between like the iPhone 4?



    That would be very dramatic!





    Best



    I?d like to see USB3.0, FW3200, BT4.0, better than VGA iSight camera, higher-res display option (not standard because until 10.7(?) brings RI the elements will be too small for too many people), Dual drive system (with option for fast SSD boot drive and HDD for data), and better video-in, on all Macs, that also includes audio and support for HDMI/DVI signaling. Yeah, most of those simply won?t happen.



    As for mirroring the iPhone?s look, I?m not sure that is possible with the current design supporting the weight on center of the back plate. I suppose it could adhere to a metal plate, but I think the challenges of that much glass would be wasteful.
  • Reply 8 of 96
    estolinskiestolinski Posts: 140member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by christopher126 View Post


    I would not be surprised if Apple includes the USB 3.0....



    I would like to see a "top of the line" >30' iMac!



    Also, what about the new iMac case being two pieces of black glass (front and back) with a band of aluminum sandwiched between like the iPhone 4?



    That would be very dramatic!





    Best



    If they could figure out how to make it look like a big iPhone that would be one sexy beast!
  • Reply 9 of 96
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solipsism View Post


    As for mirroring the iPhone?s look, I?m not sure that is possible with the current design supporting the weight on center of the back plate. I suppose it could adhere to a metal plate, but I think the challenges of that much glass would be wasteful.



    Plus you need the aluminum for cooling.
  • Reply 10 of 96
    USB 3, if it works as designed, means the iMac will cannibalise a few more MacPro sales. Photographers (like myself) who have large external hard drives (many many terabytes) usually in some form of raid setup like a drobo or standard direct storage and who generate very large files benefit from e-sata for its speed which in daily use is much faster than firewire 800. It's for this reason primarily that many buy MacPros. It's not so much any of the slots, its just for the e-sata potential. USB 3 is even faster (when implemented correctly) than e-sata. I'll be really pleased if they add USB 3 as will many photographers. And it would be great if they made the internal HD on the iMac accessible so that when it stops working the computer won't require a trip to Apple to fix.
  • Reply 11 of 96
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by christopher126 View Post


    I would not be surprised if Apple includes the USB 3.0....



    I would like to see a "top of the line" >30' iMac!



    Also, what about the new iMac case being two pieces of black glass (front and back) with a band of aluminum sandwiched between like the iPhone 4?



    That would be very dramatic!





    Best



    Yes, a 30 foot iMac would be impressive.
  • Reply 12 of 96
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by estolinski View Post


    If they could figure out how to make it look like a big iPhone that would be one sexy beast!



    Minus any dead spots, please.
  • Reply 13 of 96
    bdkennedy1bdkennedy1 Posts: 1,459member
    And it's spent 7 years in the same case.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mrr View Post


    PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE bring out a new MAC PRO !!



    It has been over a year and four months since the last update!



  • Reply 14 of 96
    chris_cachris_ca Posts: 2,543member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Apple late this month began advising its direct and indirect sales channels of near-term shortages of its popular all-in-one desktops, as the company prepares draw down inventories ahead of introducing new models in the coming weeks.



    Perhaps this way instead...

    "Apple late this month began advising its direct and indirect sales channels of near-term shortages of its popular all-in-one desktops, ahead of expectations that new models will be introduced in the coming weeks."
  • Reply 15 of 96
    smiles77smiles77 Posts: 668member
    This update seems a bit odd to me. Why not Mac Pros as opposed to iMacs? iMacs got an update in October, but it certainly doesn't need an update near as much as the Pro does.



    Unless it's a touchscreen.....



    But I realistically don't see a touchscreen iMac until at least Oct. 2011, with 10.7 Ocelot (Painted Leopard).
  • Reply 16 of 96
    bregaladbregalad Posts: 816member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by christopher126 View Post


    I would not be surprised if Apple includes the USB 3.0....



    I would like to see a "top of the line" >30' iMac!



    Also, what about the new iMac case being two pieces of black glass (front and back) with a band of aluminum sandwiched between like the iPhone 4?



    That would be very dramatic!





    Best



    Who looks at the back of their computer display?!?



    I'm going to look at the front for thousands of hours. Once I've plugged in the cables I may never again look at the back.



    Put the money into things that matter: display quality, performance, connectivity, serviceability, "greenness", etc.
  • Reply 17 of 96
    james808james808 Posts: 73member
    Please. Either iMacs with the option for matte screens, or some new stand alone displays. I won't hold my breath for either.
  • Reply 18 of 96
    bregaladbregalad Posts: 816member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Potential configurations included a dual-core Core i5 model, as well as quad-core Core i5 and Core i7 configurations. Also of interest, according to those same people, were indications that new iMacs would be the first Macs to employ Intel's Core i3 processor at the low-end, which would have the new family of desktops utilize all three flavors of Intel's mobile Core line of processors.



    Clearly "those same people" are badly misinformed because the 27" iMac uses desktop processors.
  • Reply 19 of 96
    damn_its_hotdamn_its_hot Posts: 1,209member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post


    Yes, a 30 foot iMac would be impressive.



    I was thinking the same thing -- lets see, a 30 ft iMac would be on the order of 19 feet tall. I can see I am going to have to have higher ceilings. I am not sure the neighbors will be pleased but my power company certainly will be!



    Any pricing available on this puppy?
  • Reply 20 of 96
    chris_cachris_ca Posts: 2,543member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by christopher126 View Post


    would like to see a "top of the line" >30' iMac!



    Also, what about the new iMac case being two pieces of black glass (front and back) with a band of aluminum sandwiched between like the iPhone 4?



    and on this greater than 30 foot iMac, when you hold the mouse incorrectly, your internet drops...

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