We're not ones to peer too deeply into the Apple crystal ball, but Geeksugar says that spec-bumped iMacs are due on Tuesday, and the timing seems about right. Nothing major, apparently, just a speed bump and some bigger hard drives, but prices should stay the same. It's still just a rumor, of course, but Geeksugar was right on the money about that
MacBook / MacBook Pro bump last time around, apart from saying that multitouch trackpads would hit all of Apple's portables. Perhaps some Best Buy / Future shop employees will let us take a
peek in the
database and let us know what's up, hmmm?
Update: We've gotten a couple sketchy reports that entries for new iMacs are in fact popping up in retailers' systems, but it's getting hard to focus what with all the grains of salt we've taken.
posted Apr 24th 2008 3:57PM
Uhh...Okay! I guess thats cool!
Well, it's tepid... New MacBook designs would be cool.
Meh. How bout' some alum Macbooks already. Geez.
Do they still have the crappy 256k colors monitors?
All notebooks use 6bit + dithering to emulate millions of colors, not just Apple.
The iMac uses a TN-panel for the 20" model and an H-IPS panel for the 24" model, which by far is the one to prefer.
when i use new iMac, the colors all seem to be overexposed, and Ive tried to change the settings, but it seems to be from the angle i am viewing it at. the top of the screen seems normal, but the lower half is all washed out. does anyone else see this? Ive noticed this on many different new iMacs
Ok, I gotta admit. I like the look of the poison black apple logo better than the white one.
It's chrome.
@ michael pina: They are indeed black.
Oh no, oh no, oh no....Oh yeah!!!!
No sign of them ditching those awful reflective screens then : /
I totally agree! I wish there was an option to ditch the reflective screen.
MEH! iPhone 3G please. And don't let this beast first it...
http://www.sonyericsson.com/x1/default.aspx?cc=GB&lc=en&lc=en&cc=US
ew!
A lotta people aren't paying attention to that site.. and throwing paper airplanes everywhere.....
Noonas, this is me after seeing you don't like the XPERIA.
EW!
Nice, but when are they going to update their Cinema Displays.
I'm guessing the fact that they haven't updated the displays in a while indicates that they're going to cut off the display business eventually, and are just trying to milk it for some more money before they do
I guess this means no redesign of the case etc until later in the year??
Well if the former white model's lifetime is to be any indication - it'll take a lot longer than that.
I personally like the current design a lot though.
We just had a case refresh at the last update.
"We're not ones to peer too deeply into the Apple crystal ball"
Really? Engadget, admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery...
You beat me to the punch, co-signed.
@Ben
Nope, they spend much more time peering into Steve's belly button.
+2
You may not be one to peer into, but you definitely hump the shit out of it.
Massive 3D processing upgrade please, Apple. You don't have a single gaming-worthy machine under $2k. Shameful.
I am hoping for that as well.
I bought one two weeks ago (when I read this post, I cried a little) and it plays games pretty well at 1680 x 1050.
You just can't enable anti-aliasing--framerates are dramatically reduced.
yes it is in the bb database
anyone notice that these iMacs have Tiger on them? what's with that Engadget?
google images > iMac
I see the Dashboard icon in the dock. How can it be Tiger?
Oh NM.... I forgot that Tiger had Dashboard too. But I still don't see how you can tell it's Tiger.
The blue wavy wallpaper and the two-dimensional light Do....
Oh God....
*Hides in corner, shaking*
Blueray please.
blue-ray would be verry nice indeed
I would prefer a Mantaray.
In other news We are impatiently waiting for Windows XP SP3 release. More details after the break!
Great news! I have been in need for a desktop for about a month and half now. I normally I have my MBP hooked up to a monitor/keyboard/mouse, but my USB ports are fried. I will use my laptop as just a laptop now (just w/o USB, but I only use it for research and invoicing while away from my office, Express card slot works!).
Anyways, I refused to pay "full" price on an 8 month old computer, so I have been waiting on this, and since it has a screen I can have two monitors now :D .
damn near none of that was needed
They're saying that they usually take Apple-related rumours with a grain of salt, which is perfectly true.
Must every Apple-post be ridden with whiny comments like these?
Yeah, well....whatever.
Offer me a sub-$1000 iMac (I'd even let you consider a 19" screen) or, better yet, a $500 EeePC / HP 2133 subnotebook killer and we'll talk.
Till then - nothing to look at here people...move along.....no need to (further) pad The Stevo's wallet....
This may be news to you, but Apple is not in the bargain basement cheap-ass computer market. You're barking up the wrong tree with the "make everything cheaper stupid Apple" comments. You have plenty of choices in that market, get one of those and stop complaining about Apple.
Oh, please -
Apple reported a 36% increase of profits over the same quarter last year, making $1.06 BILLION in the 2nd quarter alone.
There's been a 51% increase in Mac sales over the same period, while Apple is now building their computers with the same old bits that any Intel computer manufacturer can get (and here's a hint, ASUS, the manufacturer of the EeePC, builds for Apple), so please don't use the 'Apple is no cheap-ass product' to me - and that Apple can't / shouldn't afford to build competitively priced products.
The premium Apple users pay for their products these days (and I've had them in the past) does nothing more than prove 'there is a sucker born every minute' and that The Smug B*stard From Cupertino knows it.
Right, because it's not patently obvious that things like custom designed aluminum cases cost exactly the same as cheap plastic cases. And Apple designs all their stuff from scratch, i.e. they don't use Asus cases, they design their own. And their own logic boards too, that's how they get everything to fit in the case shapes they design.
Now go ahead and tell me R&D doesn't cost money. Tell me aluminum costs the same as plastic, tell me designing and manufacturing custom logic boards costs the same as buying them pre-made. And why don't you go ahead and tell me how Apple's custom designed parts are the same bits that any PC manufacturer can get.
I mean according to your logic I should be able to go to Fry's, pick out a bunch of generic PC parts and build an iMac. Why not, right? They all use the same parts. Right?
Again, Apple is not in the cheap-ass computer market. If they were, they would be building computers CHEAPLY. The way Apple builds computers is not cheap, and that's their choice to make. If you don't like it, buy from somebody else. it's that simple.
Zac gets angry when you ask too any questions.
Zak,
If you want to pay an extra $500-$700 for a desktop computer built with generic laptop parts, that's your choice. If you want a desktop that has circa 2005 graphics, a serious overheating problem, and no PCI slots, that's your choice. If you think brushed aluminum is some sort of expensive, brilliant artistic breakthrough, that's your opinion.
I'm just going to drink another designer Coors out of a custom-built aluminum can, which I purchased with all the money i saved on my Hackintosh. Coors doesn't make cheap-ass beer: THIS IS A CUSTOM CAN!
LarryLarryLarry,
I use a 40-year-old Mt. Blanc fountain pen when I write by hand. I like the way it feels and the way the ink flows. I feel creative when I use it and I think it helps me write better. I don't really care about what parts the pen is made of. That's exactly how I felt when I switched to a Mac. Some people will never understand this, others won't respond to the Mac as I do and on this blog I'll have the pleasure of being called an iTard or sheeple for using crapple. Sorry, but to me life is an experience, not a spec sheet.
Sorry, but the HP 2133 subnotebook has a custom designed all-aluminum case and the model starts at $499, so that's no argument for price. Besides, both the iMac and MacBooks come in 'cheap-ass' plastic, just like everyone else.
Hardware can cost as much or as little as you're willing on paying, and one can be pretty sure Apple ain't paying retail for their parts - while the cost of assembly in China mean they're likely paying their contractors around $75 month per person.
As for software, well, as Psystar and many private hobbyists have shown, with the right tweaks, any modern Intel box will run OSX. While I'm seeing reports of OSX installed on even the EeePC, more often than not, the hobbyists are running spec'ed out boxes with hardware far superior to anything Apple offers - at the fraction of the price.
R&D at Apple is limited these days to making the software look 'insanely cool' - certainly nothing in their design internally suggests any sort of research or engineering (see the abovementioned overheating, PCI slots, etc) goes into their products any more than anyone else.
Genuflect to The Stevo if you must, but accept the premium you pay for Macs is the Ego Tax.
Just a heads up Baz, since we are discussing an iMac update. The current iMac is made of aluminum and glass, not plastic. Check the website, or did you make an argument for the HP 2133 being aluminum forgetting that Zak had just mentioned aluminum all over the place in his last post?
Dear Engadget,
I love you. You're a great gadget blog and I visit you everyday.
Don't encourage people to participate in behaviour that's going to get their ass fired. It's not cool.
Yea, heaven forbid they lose their minimum wage job.
Whatever shall they do????
Uh.. Most people who work at Best Buy in Canada are high school/college/uni students. As an Engadget reader, can you think of a more decent, *realistic*, part-time job if you are/were young person? They also get paid above min., and more than most other retailers.
iMacs run Leopard now: http://images.apple.com/imac/images/gallery/imac_3_20071026.jpg
Hi guys, I just checked our in store lookup at Best Buy, and there shows four imacs instead of two. The numbers are the same, while two just say imac 20'', imac 24'', the others say imac 20'' REFRESH, imac 24"REFRESH. The only other time I have seen this was when sony stoped the spiderman 40 gb, and swapped to the standard 40gb. I can not say if this means new imacs, but with the added two I would say yes. We also have not recieved a replenishment of baught imacs instore. Usually this suggests a refresh.
ANOTHER release on the 29th?! GTA4, XP SP3, and now iMacs?
This has gotta be some kinda temporally-significant day a la Back to the Future...
Apr 29 2008 is the 16th Anniversary of the LA Riots of '92...
In the words of Rodney King "Can't We All Just Get Along?"
So assuming these are annouced on Tuesday, does that mean they'll be available to buy in Apple stores Tuesday or does it take a few days? (I'm making the switch -- PC gamer for 15 years and am over PC... Mac is better and easier and gaming has largely shifted to consoles.)
Does anyone know whether iMacs will have Blu-ray installed in them any time soon?
I do.
Meh.. another glossy AIO from Apple. Give me an updated Mac mini or something headless please, then I’d be excited. Apple also needs to lower the prices their computers. They are crazy expensive compared to Dell or HP.
Please price Dell and Gateway's All-In-One models, compare to iMac pricing, then come back here and restate your position.
Agreed, Apple needs a headless Mac with a consumer price tag. They'll never be as cheap as a Dell crapbox, but I'm fine with that. Just give me the option, Apple. It's sad that I'd have to drop $3k on a Mac Pro to get a replaceable video card.
Why would I do that? I don't want a Dell or Gateway AIO either.
I'm talking about your basic laptop or desktop. Heck, Apple doesn't even have laptop for under $1000. And the MacBook isn't anything special either. You're basically paying the OS X tax, which happens to bet the best OS out there. Apple should be paying more attention to the Mac mini. It seems like so many people want to see a new one, and they could care less. Why? Probably because it takes away from iMac and MacBook sales. Two systems that Apple makes a pretty penny on. There should be MacBook and iMacs in the $799 to $999 range. That said, I still woun’t buy one because of the glossy screens. That takes us back to more headless Macs...
update the Mac Mini with Blu-Ray/h.264/DTS capability....
How about the Mac Mini??? Anyone know if there will be w new Mac Mini?
I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE iMac!
i want MACBOOK with MULTI-TOUCH TRACKPAD!
I heard that Apple is supposed to update the iMac and the Mac Mini April 29 which is this Tuesday I hope they update the processor and the graphics card!!!
External display port for iMac? Mac Mini update?
I liked the white design much better than this.
Wait, what's the the Future Shop mention? I like showing Canada a little love, it just seems like an odd reference.
i'm pretty sure they're the same company now... one bought out the other a few years ago... and if you compare their websites, they look the same...
Yup, used to be that Future Shop was a Burnaby, BC company, but it was bought out by the US Best Buy.
Future Shop retains pushy commission salespeople, while Best Buy retains the friendly, clueless ones.
The comment re: Future Shop I believe refers to a posting here where a Future Shop employee noted a new Apple product listed in their database before the release date and reported it here.
OMG ive just baught an imac!!
last thursdayy! noooo!
Im pretty sure apple have a 14 day returns policy, in the UK at least.
Dang! I just got my 24" imac like one week ago
oh well, buyers remorse...
Include a BD player (or better yet, burner) in a 24" iMac, at the same price of $1799, and I won't be able to whip out my credit card fast enough.
I'm "hoping" Bluray, graphics update, penryn, up to 8gb ram?, and most certainly an e/sata port.
it'll probably be 2009 when apple releases an encompassing update like that. prolly be nehalem, too.
This weekend is the tax-free holiday in Tennessee, and with the 20 incher's all below the $1500 price break, I say this is a good time to flush inventory for a new product line!
I have a feeling that if this refresh happens, they will also add a Blu-Ray drive. This would be inline with updates MBPs and MBs this summer.
All Apple computers will have Blu-Ray option by end of summer (with exception to MacBook Air).
Holy cow ! My friend over @ http://www.firemountainprograms.com is going to lose his mind. Thanks for the heads up.
i gotta admit im kinda excited im getting an imac i a couple of weeks so if it can be slightly faster its all good for me :)