According to a report published earlier today, Apple is planning to completely overhaul all of its product lineups sometime next year.
The news comes from the usual source of Apple rumors – DigiTimes, a digital newspaper which covers the latest and greatest from the supply side of the computers and electronics industry – in the form of a report in which they cite “sources in the upstream supply chain” who claim that Cupertino plans to completely overhaul all products in 2012.
The products specifically mentioned in the report include the iPad, iPhone, iMac and the MacBook Air.
From DigiTimes:
Apple plans to completely overhaul its product lineups, including iPad, iMac, iPhone and MacBook Air, in 2012 and is expected to finalize order volumes for key parts and components for the next-generation iPad in December, according to sources in the upstream supply chain.
DigiTimes has a bit of a spotty rumor-reporting history as most (if not all) of their reports end up being not true. Still, they do get things right every once in a while, and so one has to take today’s report with a bit of salt.
The “sources in the upstream supply chain” did not reveal any more details on the matter, but did say that these next-generation, overhauled devices won’t be announced until after mid 2012.
It is unclear why Apple is looking to overhaul their product lineups. All the products specifically mentioned in the report were, if you really think about it, overhauled recently; the iPhone was overhauled in 2010 with the iPhone 4, the iPad 2 was a big upgrade over the original iPad and the MacBook Air also received a small redesign in 2010. The iMac is, perhaps, the only product which didn’t receive a change in design in 2010. So we really don’t know how these overhauls will be like.
Even if the report has any truth in it, we will have to actually wait for Apple to announce the refreshed lineup.
Besides mentioning the overhauling of all product lineups, DigiTimes states that Apple has already ordered manufacturers from the supply chain to develop flat panel modules and bars of LED lights for iPad prototypes.
DigiTimes also published a report today on Apple launching not one but two new iPads next year, which we have covered in a separate post that will be published shortly.
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