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Six new Apple product placeholders in inventory systems?

post #1 of 33
3/2/09 at 6:48am
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Some rumors spread this weekend from non-traditional sources (1, 2) that Apple may be planning a media event on March 24th to introduce new desktop products. While AppleInsider has not received any information to this end, it's heard from one tipster that six new Apple product SKUs (stock keeping units) have turned up in the inventory systems of a major overseas electronics retailer, and that those products could arrive as early as this Wednesday.

Taken at face value, this could suggest 4 new iMac configurations and 2 new Mac mini configurations. At this point, however, that is speculative and the report remains largely unconfirmed.

Both the iMac and Mac mini are long-overdue for a refresh, and recent signs have suggested that inventory of current-generation iMacs and Mac minis may be fading fast. In particular, supply of the 3.06GHz iMac has dried up at all of Apple's largest U.S.-based resellers, including Amazon.com. Meanwhile, Best Buy online has run out of both (1, 2) existing Mac mini configurations.
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post #2 of 33
3/2/09 at 7:29am
It's unlike Apple to do a huge release on one day, the iMac, mini and Pro. If there are placeholders in the system, then they could be for tomorrow and then have a desktop blitz on the 24th when the Nehalem Xeons are supposed to be released. So iMac on the 3rd and Pro and mini/xMac/whatever on the 24th.
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post #3 of 33
3/2/09 at 7:31am
Gosh, that could be anything! I hope that Apple will give the Mac mini some lovin'... I wonder tho...

The supposed desktop event on the 24th could be the Mac Pro and the Xserve. Meanwhile iMacs and Mac minis get bumps in the weeks leading up to the 24th.
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post #4 of 33
3/2/09 at 7:42am
I actually wouldn't mind at all if Apple release a 28 or 30 inch model of the iMac. It would be perfect for people who want to have a TV sized TV and with Front Row can watch their content. It would be a neat idea but i don't see one of those happening for at least another 2-3 years when screen size standard becomes higher.
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post #5 of 33
3/2/09 at 7:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by UTisNUM1 View Post

I actually wouldn't mind at all if Apple release a 28 or 30 inch model of the iMac. It would be perfect for people who want to have a TV sized TV and with Front Row can watch their content. It would be a neat idea but i don't see one of those happening for at least another 2-3 years when screen size standard becomes higher.

I don't think anyone would mind that! I think what people would mind is the discontinuation of the 20" model. Otherwise, bigger is better.
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post #6 of 33
3/2/09 at 7:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Outsider View Post

I think what people would mind is the discontinuation of the 20" model.

Yeah, bring back the 20-inch model!
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post #7 of 33
3/2/09 at 8:15am
I think the placeholders are for 4 new iMac models and 2 Time Capsule models.

20" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.5GHz, 320GB HDD, ATI HD3850 Mobile
20" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.8GHz, 500GB HDD, ATI HD3870 Mobile
24" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.8GHz, 500GB HDD, ATI HD3870 Mobile
24" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 3.0GHz, 750GB HDD, NVIDIA GTX280M

1TB Time Capsule
2TB Time Capsule
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post #8 of 33
3/2/09 at 8:22am
20" is too small for most people IMO.

After quickly getting used to the screen real estate of a 24" LCD I'd hate to go back to even a 22" let alone 20"

In fact I'd love to see Apple do something like

22" lowend
24" midrange
26/27" High End

For the iMac lineup. Once you get a big screen you simply do not want to go back unless your environs dictate the need for a smaller monitor and then perhaps a laptop and 20" LCD would be a nice solution.
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post #9 of 33
3/2/09 at 8:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hmurchison View Post

20" is too small for most people IMO.

After quickly getting used to the screen real estate of a 24" LCD I'd hate to go back to even a 22" let alone 20"

In fact I'd love to see Apple do something like

22" lowend
24" midrange
26/27" High End

For the iMac lineup. Once you get a big screen you simply do not want to go back unless your environs dictate the need for a smaller monitor and then perhaps a laptop and 20" LCD would be a nice solution.

I think keeping the 20 in there will allow Apple to keep a low price point that maybe they can't achieve with the 24".
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post #10 of 33
3/2/09 at 8:35am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Outsider View Post

I think keeping the 20 in there will allow Apple to keep a low price point that maybe they can't achieve with the 24".

didn't they just drop the 20" cinema display line?

It makes sense to have the iMac and Display at the same size for economies of scale.
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post #11 of 33
3/2/09 at 8:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Outsider View Post

I think keeping the 20 in there will allow Apple to keep a low price point that maybe they can't achieve with the 24".

The low price point will come from new LG display panels. Dell is selling a 23" e-IPS monitor for $299. That's a smidgen over TN pricing for a 22" LCD.

If i'm spending $1100 for an iMac I want $300 worth of monitor in my computer for that price. Apple's huge investment in LG leads me to believe that they may have a 20" or larger but the quality will jump.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Outsider View Post

I think the placeholders are for 4 new iMac models and 2 Time Capsule models.

20" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.5GHz, 320GB HDD, ATI HD3850 Mobile
20" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.8GHz, 500GB HDD, ATI HD3870 Mobile
24" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.8GHz, 500GB HDD, ATI HD3870 Mobile
24" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 3.0GHz, 750GB HDD, NVIDIA GTX280M

1TB Time Capsule
2TB Time Capsule


The only problem with this is"

Do we really need two 20" models? 20" is the new 17". Low end in size and price.

If this is a Desktop Event then we're not likely to see Time Capsule refreshes but more likely Mac mini models.
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post #12 of 33
3/2/09 at 8:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Outsider View Post

I think the placeholders are for 4 new iMac models and 2 Time Capsule models.

20" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.5GHz, 320GB HDD, ATI HD3850 Mobile
20" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.8GHz, 500GB HDD, ATI HD3870 Mobile
24" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.8GHz, 500GB HDD, ATI HD3870 Mobile
24" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 3.0GHz, 750GB HDD, NVIDIA GTX280M

1TB Time Capsule
2TB Time Capsule

Are you just guessing or do you have other info that you are relaying here?
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post #13 of 33
3/2/09 at 9:10am
Interesting line-up. I only agree with dropping the 20-inch monitor if the 24-inch size can take the 20-inch's price point. I think having a 20-inch iMac in the line-up is important...especially if it means a lower cost iMac. If Apple can squeak the 20-inch below the $1,000 mark that would be huge in my opinion. If they had it with just nvidia's integrated graphics, that would be probably be possible. It would also be crucial for the education market which is still being sold the white 17-inch iMac.
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post #14 of 33
3/2/09 at 9:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by joelsalt View Post

didn't they just drop the 20" cinema display line?

It makes sense to have the iMac and Display at the same size for economies of scale.

They did, but they also dropped the 23" Cinema before it was replaced by the 24" LED Cinema. I wouldn't be surprised if they brought back a 20 or 22" LED Cinema to replace the aluminum 20" Cinema. Apple really needs a lower end display. Not everyone has the room, nor do they want to fork out $800+ for a large display.

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120 GB SSD/500 GB HD/8 GB RAM
AMD Radeon HD 6630M 256 MB

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post #15 of 33
3/2/09 at 9:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hudson1 View Post

Are you just guessing or do you have other info that you are relaying here?

These are pure guesses.
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post #16 of 33
3/2/09 at 9:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by hmurchison View Post

The low price point will come from new LG display panels. Dell is selling a 23" e-IPS monitor for $299. That's a smidgen over TN pricing for a 22" LCD.

If i'm spending $1100 for an iMac I want $300 worth of monitor in my computer for that price. Apple's huge investment in LG leads me to believe that they may have a 20" or larger but the quality will jump.

The only problem with this is"

Do we really need two 20" models? 20" is the new 17". Low end in size and price.

If this is a Desktop Event then we're not likely to see Time Capsule refreshes but more likely Mac mini models.

20" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.5GHz, 320GB HDD, ATI HD3850 Mobile, $1,199
24" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.8GHz, 500GB HDD, ATI HD3870 Mobile, $1,599
24" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 3.0GHz, 750GB HDD, NVIDIA GTX280M, $2,199

Mac mini 2GB (4GB), C2 Duo 2.4GHz, 160GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400 graphics, $599
Mac mini 2GB (4GB), C2 Duo 2.66GHz, 250GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400 graphics, $799
Mac mini 4GB (4GB), C2 Duo 3.0GHz, 320GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400 graphics, $999
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post #17 of 33
3/2/09 at 9:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by outsider View Post

20" imac 4gb (8gb), c2 quad 2.5ghz, 320gb hdd, ati hd3850 mobile, $1,199
24" imac 4gb (8gb), c2 quad 2.8ghz, 500gb hdd, ati hd3870 mobile, $1,599
24" imac 4gb (8gb), c2 quad 3.0ghz, 750gb hdd, nvidia gtx280m, $2,199

mac mini 2gb (4gb), c2 duo 2.4ghz, 160gb hdd, nvidia 9400 graphics, $599
mac mini 2gb (4gb), c2 duo 2.66ghz, 250gb hdd, nvidia 9400 graphics, $799
mac mini 4gb (4gb), c2 duo 3.0ghz, 320gb hdd, nvidia 9400 graphics, $999

sold!
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post #18 of 33
3/2/09 at 10:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Outsider View Post

20" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.5GHz, 320GB HDD, ATI HD3850 Mobile, $1,199
24" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.8GHz, 500GB HDD, ATI HD3870 Mobile, $1,599
24" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 3.0GHz, 750GB HDD, NVIDIA GTX280M, $2,199

Mac mini 2GB (4GB), C2 Duo 2.4GHz, 160GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400 graphics, $599
Mac mini 2GB (4GB), C2 Duo 2.66GHz, 250GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400 graphics, $799
Mac mini 4GB (4GB), C2 Duo 3.0GHz, 320GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400 graphics, $999

at $800 and $1000 add 9500 / 9600 M video. Maybe even have 9700 / 9800 in the $1000 one.
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post #19 of 33
3/2/09 at 10:56am
I'm guessing the "pleasant surprise" mentioned in this article are reduced prices across the board... either that, or a nunchuck-wielding Steve Jobs will land on the stage from a helicopter drop.

http://www.tgdaily.com/html_tmp/cont...41588-135.html

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post #20 of 33
3/2/09 at 11:04am
Hmm, looks interesting. Tomorrow may be a good day.



http://www.onemorething.nl/?p=showarticle&art_id=4016
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post #21 of 33
3/2/09 at 11:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Outsider View Post

20" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.5GHz, 320GB HDD, ATI HD3850 Mobile, $1,199
24" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.8GHz, 500GB HDD, ATI HD3870 Mobile, $1,599
24" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 3.0GHz, 750GB HDD, NVIDIA GTX280M, $2,199

Mac mini 2GB (4GB), C2 Duo 2.4GHz, 160GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400 graphics, $599
Mac mini 2GB (4GB), C2 Duo 2.66GHz, 250GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400 graphics, $799
Mac mini 4GB (4GB), C2 Duo 3.0GHz, 320GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400 graphics, $999

I think the Mini will start at 2GHz and just have a 2.4GHz option.

If the iMac has quads in it, they will be 2.33Ghz, 2.66GHz and 2.83GHz. E-IPS on at least the lower end as I think they could manage 24" all round.

The 6th item could possibly be the single Mac Pro that you just configure.

I agree with the comment that the Mini and iMac may come out sooner. The Mini packaging is ready so they can just start shipping.

An event on the 24th would be to launch the big change, which is the Mac Pro and they will use that to demo the power of the new Xeons as well as Snow Leopard. Quad core iMacs would be noteworthy of course but there is still the possibility of them sticking to dual core.
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post #22 of 33
3/2/09 at 11:34am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Outsider View Post

I think the placeholders are for 4 new iMac models and 2 Time Capsule models.

20" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.5GHz, 320GB HDD, ATI HD3850 Mobile
20" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.8GHz, 500GB HDD, ATI HD3870 Mobile
24" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.8GHz, 500GB HDD, ATI HD3870 Mobile
24" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 3.0GHz, 750GB HDD, NVIDIA GTX280M

1TB Time Capsule
2TB Time Capsule

Keep dreamin'
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post #23 of 33
3/2/09 at 11:49am
Isn't it more likely that 10.5.7 will be released tomorrow and then the new desktops afterward?
Does Apple really announce new hardware on the same day as an OS update? Apple.com will be swamped.
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post #24 of 33
3/2/09 at 11:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Outsider View Post

20" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.5GHz, 320GB HDD, ATI HD3850 Mobile, $1,199
24" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.8GHz, 500GB HDD, ATI HD3870 Mobile, $1,599
24" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 3.0GHz, 750GB HDD, NVIDIA GTX280M, $2,199

Mac mini 2GB (4GB), C2 Duo 2.4GHz, 160GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400 graphics, $599
Mac mini 2GB (4GB), C2 Duo 2.66GHz, 250GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400 graphics, $799
Mac mini 4GB (4GB), C2 Duo 3.0GHz, 320GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400 graphics, $999

Maybe more like:

20" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.5GHz, 320GB HDD, NVIDIA 9600M GT w/ 256 MB VRAM, $1,199
24" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 2.8GHz, 500GB HDD, NVIDIA 9600M GT w/ 512MB VRAM, $1,599
24" iMac 4GB (8GB), C2 Quad 3.0GHz, 750GB HDD, NVIDIA 9800M GTS w/ 512 MB VRAM, $2,199

Mac mini 2GB (4GB), C2 Duo 2.4GHz, 160GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400 graphics, $599
Mac mini (Black) 2GB (4GB), C2 Duo 2.4GHz, 160GB HDD, NVIDIA 9400 graphics, $599

Mac Pro (customizable and all that jazz, includes option for Nvidia GTX 280) $2,799

The White and Black mini would be upgradable to 2.66 or 2.8 Ghz, and 250/320 GB hard drives.
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post #25 of 33
3/2/09 at 12:31pm
I say that because of a couple of things.

1. No iMac leaks as of yet.
2. Chips for a Mac Pro update aren't even on the market yet.
3. They will want a separate event for the Mac Pro because well it is a pro.


In any event all off these leaks has me hopeful that the new box is indeed the new Mini. If it comes with a quad core processor and the Nvidia chip used in the Mac Books it will be a pretty good update. If it comes with the new portable/mobile chip expected from Nvidia this week it will be a whopper of an update. Even better would be finding a way to embed a 3.5" hard disk in the box.

If Apple was indeed waiting for that new GPU then this long wait may be forgiven by the masses. If it has nothing more that a 9400m then many of us will be asking what the hell. Not that a singular 9400m would be a bad thing just that one would wonder what is up at Apple that it took so long to get it out the door.


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post #26 of 33
3/2/09 at 12:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Frank777 View Post

Isn't it more likely that 10.5.7 will be released tomorrow and then the new desktops afterward?
Does Apple really announce new hardware on the same day as an OS update? Apple.com will be swamped.

Maybe they'll ship with a custom 10.5.6

They've done similar things before, haven't they? I think they have, but I don't really remember.
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post #27 of 33
3/2/09 at 12:42pm
Say that Apple is waiting until the 24 of March, why would they let the resellers (And thereby us) know by doing that stunt with their inventory systems so early?

The Mac mini and the iMac is certain to arrive, if not tomorrow, then some thuesday near you, and before the 24. March for certain!
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post #28 of 33
3/2/09 at 12:57pm
A quad-core Mac mini would be the bomb...I just don't see it happening.
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post #29 of 33
3/2/09 at 1:20pm
I might be winning the internets tomorrow.

4 iMac models and 2 minis.
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post #30 of 33
3/2/09 at 2:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flounder View Post

Maybe they'll ship with a custom 10.5.6

They've done similar things before, haven't they? I think they have, but I don't really remember.

10.5.7 adds Nehalem support. The Mini and iMac won't use Nehalem so 10.5.6 is fine.

http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/20...pro-update.ars

Mini & iMac refresh shipping with 10.5.6
then 10.5.7 update
then Mac Pro shipping with 10.5.7

There doesn't even need to be an event on the 24th. If they demo Snow Leopard now, it would be cool but it may reduce hype for the WWDC, which people pay a lot of money to go to.

I doubt they'll want to demo even the hardware without their new OS on it. It would be a pretty short press event and I don't know what they'd show. Just a Cinebench render that a Core i7 desktop at half the price will come within 80% of matching? Doubt it.
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post #31 of 33
3/3/09 at 12:15pm
So, in one sense I was correct about the across the board price decreases.

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post #32 of 33
3/3/09 at 12:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SpamSandwich View Post

So, in one sense I was correct about the across the board price decreases.

Not for Canadians. The entry-level price on all three lines has gone up.

Comparing the screen caps I took last night to today's prices, the Mini's entry price has gone from CDN $649 to $729. The imac now starts at CDN$1399 instead of $1299. The lowest-end Mac Pro used to be $2399., and it's now $2899.
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post #33 of 33
3/8/09 at 5:09pm
the comparisons differ.
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