Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference is just around the corner, and rumor has it that we’ll be treated to one or two hardware announcements alongside the formalities of iOS 8 and OS X 10.10. As well as talk of a Retina MacBook Air, 4th-gen Apple TV and, speculatively, perhaps even the iWatch, changes in Apple’s iMac shipping times may also suggest that the Cupertino is planning a refresh of its all-in-one desktop computer.
Ordinarily, in the run-up to a refresh or indeed a fully-fledged upgrade, shipping times of the product about to be superseded tend to increase, with inventories waning in anticipation of a newer model. This appears to be the case for the iMac, which is now shipping in 3-5 business days – considerably longer than Apple’s typically clockwork-like process for getting products out to customers – and as such, a 2014 iMac could well be imminent.
Even though the MacBook Pro has boasted a beautiful Retina display for the past two years, the rest of Apple’s notebook and desktop computer roster is notably lacking in terms of high-res support. Sure, the all-new Mac Pro can be hooked up to multiple 4K displays right off the bat, but if you’re not in the business of paying several thousand dollars for such a powerful rig, you’ll find that the MacBook Pro is alone in its quest to promote a sharper OS X experience.
With the Retina MacBook Air seeming a likely bet, it’s also about time the Mac mini was upgraded with 4K support, and if this happens, it seems natural that the Thunderbolt display will also be bumped accordingly. The iMac, which offers a combination of Mac mini and Thunderbolt display rolled into one package, would surely also be given the 4K upgrade amid these alterations, so it will be interesting to see precisely what Tim Cook and co. have up their sleeves.
Of course, we may be getting ahead of ourselves here, and given that we’ve yet to see any evidence of a sharper iMac in any way, it could well be that Apple wants to introduce a slight processor bump or similarly rudimentary enhancements.
We heard the revelation back in April that Apple is gearing up for a huge Q3 2014 product rollout, and today’s report seems to confirm the notion.
It’s also rumored that Apple will, at some point, announce ARM powered Macs, but it’s highly unlikely that they will make the cut at WWDC 2014.
Whatever the case, it does look somewhat likely that the iMac is in line to be a part of the WWDC announcements, and irrespective of what is and what isn’t showcased this time next week, you’ll find all of the key details right here at Redmond Pie!
(Source: AppleInsider)
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