New iMacs are / aren't coming to WWDC

Good news, folks, we have no idea what's going down on the hardware end at WWDC, leaving ample room for two of the heavy hitters in the Apple rumor industry to come out with completely contradictory reports on new iMacs next week. ThinkSecret is quite confident in new brushed aluminum iMacs, that neglect the 17-inch model and aim to reposition the iconic computer as more of a premium item, starting at $1500. AppleInsider generally agrees on the move to slowly kill off the 17-inch and slim down the iMacs, but is fairly sure we'll have to wait until later in the year for any of that to happen. We'd weigh in, but we're too busy placing bets on how long it'll take that developer beta of Leopard, which will be freely distributed at the show, to hit the interwebs.

[Thanks, Glen]

Update: ThinkSecret seems to be changing its tune a bit, saying that sources are confident in the plans for a release next week, but that schedules might've changed, pushing the release into the following weeks. Like we said, no idea what's going down.

Read - AI says no new iMacs
Read - TS differs

[Sneakz @ Jun 7th 2007 4:45PM]

Well the iMacs have to be upgraded to Santa Rosa just like the MBP and the Maci Minis have to be updated like the Macbook so we will see something at WWDC.

[wslcrew @ Jun 7th 2007 5:32PM]

If they don't do it this time, they can always update their models just around September-October timeframe when the school starts (like they did with mac mini & iPod).

[Darnell @ Jun 7th 2007 5:52PM]

They've had the same casing since they were using Power PC chips. It's high time for a refreshed model. Yeah kill the 17in and see if we care.

[Jeff Foster @ Jun 7th 2007 6:02PM]

I certainly freakin' hope so. This design (as good as it is) has gotten stale, and i have $3k in the bank waiting for an updated 24" iMac to come out. (I'd LIKE it to be redesigned and bad-ass, but even just a speed-bump would do) - and i certainly don't want to wait until October.

The current iMac is like 8 months old, and i really don't want to buy and 8 month old computer right now.

[Timerider @ Jun 8th 2007 5:17PM]

Same here. We just got enough money for a new iMac but I said wait until after WWDC. I've been waiting years for a new computer, I don't want to wait longer.

[eh @ Jun 7th 2007 6:07PM]

Since the MBP didnt get a design update then I doubt the imacs will. I bet imacs will get a GPU and processor update only.

I just hope Leopard doesnt look like the last beta, that dark grey was terrible looking.

[BD @ Jun 7th 2007 6:14PM]

I have a 24" iMac on order but I just received an email saying it will not ship until the 21st of June. Initially it was to ship this week.

[Will @ Jun 7th 2007 7:05PM]

Yeah that sounds like they will update the iMacs at WWDC then, we still don't know if they will be the brushed metal iMacs.

[kevnaca @ Jun 7th 2007 11:13PM]

If you can prove the email, it sounds like a confirmed upgrade to me.

[BD @ Jun 8th 2007 11:27AM]

Oh it is real. I have an Apple order number and a PO from my work. I received the email form Apple on Thursday June 6th at 12:06.

Dear Apple Education Customer,

Thank you for your recent order.

Purchase Order#: 073744
Sales Order#: 7058563268
Ship-to Zip Code: 93454

Due to an unexpected delay, we are unable to ship the following
item(s) by the date that you were originally quoted:

Z0DD, IMAC 24/CTO
will now ship on or before Jun 21, 2007

Please note that product availability can change rapidly, and it is
possible that your order may ship much sooner than we anticipate. You
may even receive a shipment confirmation between the time we send this
email and the time that you read it.

You will receive an email notification once your order has been
shipped. We encourage you to visit:
.

We appreciate your business and apologize for any inconvenience this
delay may have caused you.

The Apple Store For Education
Dear Apple Education Customer,

Thank you for your recent order.

Purchase Order#: ######
Sales Order#: ##########
Ship-to Zip Code: 93454

Due to an unexpected delay, we are unable to ship the following
item(s) by the date that you were originally quoted:

Z0DD, IMAC 24/CTO
will now ship on or before Jun 21, 2007

Please note that product availability can change rapidly, and it is
possible that your order may ship much sooner than we anticipate. You
may even receive a shipment confirmation between the time we send this
email and the time that you read it.

You will receive an email notification once your order has been
shipped. We encourage you to visit:
.

We appreciate your business and apologize for any inconvenience this
delay may have caused you.

The Apple Store For Education

[absurdio @ Jun 7th 2007 6:20PM]

Think Secret is so often wrong that you'd have a better chance inventing your own mac rumors and putting your money on those. In this case, I hope their track record holds true; a brushed metal imac would be pretty ugly, if you ask me. Worse, between renaming the imac a "premium" product and the oft-rumored demise of the mac mini, Apple would effectively be killing off the entire lower end of their computer line.
Doesn't seem too likely to me, but I'll be prepared to eat my words next week if I'm wrong .

[burnhamd @ Jun 7th 2007 7:32PM]

Maybe the imac line will become the new emacs? And maybe a new computer between the mac pro and the imac line "Mac". Though I cant see an important niche between the two as apple always likes to have big distinctions between their offerings.

[Robert Hawley @ Jun 7th 2007 7:55PM]

Low: MacBook
High: MacBook Pro

Low: iMac (like now, but black and white)
High: IMac Pro (brushed metal)

Low: Mac (redone less Mini version of the killed off mini)
High: Mac Pro

[dave @ Jun 7th 2007 8:01PM]

More ludicrous babbling from Thinksecret. They have been batting WAY BELOW the Mendoza line for many months now. Their predictions are not worth the pixels they are printed on.

A. World Wide DEVELOPERS Conference. Apple rarely, if ever, releases consumer Macs there. Pro hardware only- always. I will be shocked if new iMacs are announced there.

B. Apple is NOT going to make the iMac even more out of reach of consumers (and the education market!) by jacking up the price and turning it into a "premium" product. Go back to the rep of "overpriced Apple"? I don't think so.

Now, what they might do is release something completely new- a "bridge" product between the Pro & consumer lines, ala Macbook Pro Nano, or the headless, expandable "larger mini" that the fanboys always bitch about wanting.

It would not surprise me if the entire WWDC keynote is devoted to Leopard and it's kick ass "secret features".

You can bet it will be a hell of a lot more practical than M$'s "fake-touch-screen-five-video-cameras-and-a-projector-in-a-freaking-BATHTUB" innovation, otherwise known as Surface....

good grief, tech reporters are gullible. Yeah, they're gonna fit that tech in a cell phone, all right.

[Ihar `Philips` Filipau @ Jun 8th 2007 4:12PM]

> Macbook Pro Nano

Or simply Mac Book Pro 12"/13"

The rumours were afloat for very long time - since PB/12" is only machine which wasn't rereleased after switch to Intel architecture. I doubt it is intentional, since Apple's sub-notebooks were exteremely popular (though also being the buggiest of all pieces of hardware they made).

I'm hoping for best. My second-hand PB/12"@1GHz is getting too old already.

[Steve Sparkes @ Jun 7th 2007 8:23PM]

Leopard is already all over the P2P sites like a rash

[CandyApple @ Jun 7th 2007 10:10PM]

Who cares? iMacs are for school kids.

[James Mack @ Jun 7th 2007 11:48PM]

Does anyone know anything about when the 6th Generation iPod's are going to be released?

[Jt Hollister @ Jun 8th 2007 1:17AM]

Don't count on any time soon. With the iPhone coming out, releasing a new iPod would cut into their market. Sadly, it could be years.

[Ray Valdez @ Jun 8th 2007 1:34AM]

That guy's ship date bump sounds like a confirmation for at least some sort of update.

As for the ipods...I don't know, they are getting kind of stale. Did you guys notice that they just brought back that buy-a-mac-get-an-ipod deal for students? Last time i remember they did that was with ipod minis (to clear out inventory) and shortly after they released nanos and the promotion ended. Perhaps they are doing the same thing? I wouldnt be surprised to see a new ipod for christmas...I mean really, iphone or not, the ipod line is getting old.

[David @ Jun 8th 2007 4:28AM]

Why would they release an iMac at a developers conference?

I'm waiting for an iMac refresh before I buy my first Apple computer. The news that Intel is adding HD hardware decoding to the Santa Rosa chipset makes me wonder if we'll be waiting for and getting that in the new iMacs.. which I guess will be released in August/September?

[obiwan @ Jun 8th 2007 10:52AM]

iPod + Mac Mini = iMini!

[burnhamd @ Jun 9th 2007 2:04PM]

Actually they call this the apple tv.

[obiwan @ Jun 9th 2007 2:29AM]

Well, I was thinking more iPod size, Mini inside.

[Robin @ Jun 8th 2007 1:50PM]

It would greatly surprise me that Steve Jobs will do a whole keynote on things that are already known.
Maybe he'll pull a 'Leopard/Iphone' keynote, where he introduces new products, like Imacs but releases them only in a couple of months ... say when leopard is released.

I will be very disapointed when WWDC only brings things we already know.

[Timerider @ Jun 8th 2007 3:12PM]

Crap!!!!!
Please come out with the new iMacs already.

We were going to buy one but I said we should wait until after WWDC because of the rumors of new iMacs.
The new MacBook Pro rumors came true, I hope the new iMac do too (and soon, I can't wait much longer).