New iMac, Mac mini looking more probable after minute discovery

Rumors of a new Mac mini or iMac have been floated (and denied) for a while now, but one ferocious investigator's feasted his eyes on a few pieces of rather telling evidence recently. A poster on the InsanelyMac forums found some code in his new MacBook which referred to "iMac9,1 and Macmini3,1" which would seem to indicate that a newer version -- current iMacs and Mac minis are marked iMac8,1 and Macmini2,1 -- if both products are on the horizon. The new identifiers also list both as having "CFG_MCP7" chipsets -- the same NIVIDIA set used in the new Macbooks (current minis have Intel GMA 950 chipsets while iMacs have NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GS GPUs). So... we'll see you at Macworld, then?

[Via CNET]

[Teddy-G @ Dec 20th 2008 9:10PM]

I wonder if there are any multi-touch related technologies on the new iMac's screen?

[page87 and counting @ Dec 20th 2008 9:33PM]

Meh,

I'll believe it when I overpay* for it.


















*Yes, I'm going to buy one

[Timm @ Dec 20th 2008 9:46PM]

I wouldn't bet on it. Multi-touch is more of a portable device niche than anything.

Who wants to stare at a screen with fingerprints and smears all over it when they don't have to?

[page87 and counting @ Dec 20th 2008 9:53PM]

Staring at a screen with fingerprints all day sure beats staring at the shine of a screen that's gloss.... wait...

[G1 now, tossed the iPhone 3g... @ Dec 20th 2008 10:01PM]

Unless you work in forensics, Then you're used to looking at fingerprints on your screen all day!

[CraigJ @ Dec 20th 2008 10:31PM]

Gawd, I hope not. The whole idea of working like that seems cool, but I'm pretty sure that even if you had gorilla arms you'd get tired of it real fast. Besides, I get pissed if people touch my mat monitor: I do not want greasy finger prints on my glossy iMac display...

[thedesolate1 @ Dec 21st 2008 5:37PM]

I want USB 3.0 and Esata PLEASE!!!!

[camron011 @ Dec 20th 2008 9:13PM]

oh rry

[Wii60 @ Dec 20th 2008 9:24PM]

I can't believe how many mistakes Apple has made in the last 3 months. This is the last time they'll be in striking distance of grabbing market share from Microsoft as Windows 7 is right around the corner. Success or failure, Windows 7 will be harder to market against. Microsoft will be ready this time.

I just can't fathom why they didn't update the mac mini line during this recession and before Christmas. The laptop lines needed a refresh, but they raised the prices! In a recession! At least bring your budget line in when you need it most! I'm not the only one who thinks this is insane- just look at Apple's recent sales numbers.

[STINK @ Dec 20th 2008 9:34PM]

Apple's not about affordability, they're about image.

[N30 G30 @ Dec 20th 2008 9:37PM]

umm.... They lowered the price on the white Macbooks.

As for numbers, they just sold a shit load of iPhones and Nanos. The new Macbook isn't doing that bad either.

[Wii60 @ Dec 20th 2008 9:45PM]

Well, they did drop the price of the white macbook a bit, but it seemed more like an afterthought. It's still not a great deal. It also doesn't change the fact that the mac mini exists to be a budget item. You can have image ten times to tuesday, but it doesn't matter if people can't afford it.

As for the sales numbers, well, just look at this past quarter. Well short of expectations. It doesn't matter if the other divisions are doing well, they clearly made a mistake when it comes to the Macs.

[Rollins @ Dec 20th 2008 9:52PM]

I have to agree on this one. A good Mac Mini update would've done extremely well this Christmas. Oh well.

[Paul Chapel @ Dec 20th 2008 9:56PM]

Oh, yes, Apple has totally screwed themselves. /sarcasm

This year Apple has had the biggest quarters in their thirty-odd year history. You don't make money in the computer business just by having market share. Go ask Dell and HP. Apple has a bigger market cap than both of them COMBINED. You make money by raking in profit. I don't know why people don't get that.

[Ross @ Dec 20th 2008 10:09PM]

Hey, I agree with your comment, but I up ranked you cause of your name :D

[Gabriel @ Dec 20th 2008 10:29PM]

Last thing I want if for apple to get more market share. they make plenty of money now. And I'd still like to be invisible to malware writers.

[Greg @ Dec 20th 2008 10:34PM]

Hind iSight is always 20:20.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[BB @ Dec 20th 2008 9:30PM]

Engadget.. love ya, but man this is already old news in tech news... and you're just now coming around to it?!
Anyway, on topic, look forward to the Mac Mini.. good (post Xmas) gift.

[G1 now, tossed the iPhone 3g... @ Dec 20th 2008 9:40PM]

BB, while I appreciate your pointing out that the news may be old, there are many people, including myself, who don't frequent other tech blogs. Basically, if it's not on Engadget or BBC, I don't hear about it.

[Tim @ Dec 21st 2008 8:27AM]

Yep. So funny, Engadget and BBC News is all I ever read, having said that, the BBC is slacking off quite a bit, some atrocious writing going on there occasionally.
T

[Arley @ Dec 20th 2008 9:33PM]

Man I really hope that Apple can put the new Intel Core i7 processors into the new iMacs, if they do it will be blindly fast with Snow Leopard!!

I can dream cant I?

[Your mums butt is bigger than Texas @ Dec 20th 2008 10:58PM]

No.

Now go back to your cubby, you little scalawag, you.

[Shaka @ Dec 21st 2008 7:42PM]

Im gonna sell my Imac if that is true. At a profit of course.

[Darren @ Dec 20th 2008 9:37PM]

> A poster on the InsanelyMac forums found some code in his new
> MacBook which referred to "iMac9,1 and Macmini3,1" which would
> seem to indicate that a newer version of both products are on the
> horizon.

Newer versions are *always* on the horizon.

[Bryant @ Dec 20th 2008 10:08PM]

Not if the product is a dead-end.

[CC @ Mar 1st 2009 11:47PM]

I'm still waiting for that eMac upgrade.

[Thats What He Said @ Dec 20th 2008 9:37PM]

yeah, i remember seeing this somewhere else a while ago...

[pete @ Dec 20th 2008 9:39PM]

fuck i just bought a new imac last week. i hate how apple doesnt talk about their new comps beforehand, it makes customers feel shortchanged, especially when they won''t let you exchange it. bastards

[Thats What He Said @ Dec 20th 2008 9:45PM]

im sorry, but you shouldve known Macworld was coming up, and therefore put off the purchase until afterwords

[Aaquib @ Dec 20th 2008 10:02PM]

If you did any research before buying it, or asked any forum on the web, you'd know the iMac's are due for an update and January seems very likely.

Why on earth would Apple tell you? Informed buyers get to wait and get the latest and greatest, while the average, uninformed get to pay a premium for out dated technology.

[futurepastnow @ Dec 20th 2008 10:21PM]

Thats What He Said: "ou shouldve known Macworld was coming up, and therefore put off the purchase until afterwords"

Won't be able to do that any more, now that Apple has cut its ties with Macworld and the other expos. I think they'll be launching products on their schedule from now on.

[Decoy @ Dec 21st 2008 12:46AM]

Maybe Pete is buying someone an iMac for Xmas.

[grull27 @ Dec 21st 2008 1:56AM]

You can still return it, it comes with a 14-day return policy. But you have to pay a 10% restocking fee. :D

[pete @ Dec 21st 2008 7:04PM]

uhh no guys, in case you forgot, they just started speculating about the new imac for this macworld THIS week. plus they arent up for an update. they updated the design late last year and updated it again this spring... so no, its a little but unexpected. maybe you were confusing the imac with the mini one that is supposed to be updated?

and no, apple is alone in the weird trend of anti-hype. since when has microsoft, sony, or toshiba ever released a brand new product without first showing them at expos, in interviews, or on their own website??? give me a break, apples way of doing thigns hasnt helped at all, because their stock has dropped incredibly low this past year, even BEFORE the economic crisis during the early fall.

[Greg @ Dec 22nd 2008 3:16AM]

It's not unexpected at all, they seem to update processor speeds every year-or-so and the last was in April 2008 so an early 2009 update seems very plausible, especially with a new OS update around the corner. I wanted to upgrade in September but thought it would be better to wait. If you go the the Apple Rumors website they have been posting speculation for at least the last month also.

[AMiSH PiRATE @ Dec 22nd 2008 9:37AM]

This past January I ordered the 8 core Mac Pro through Apple's website. I got a call from them two days later saying, "hey, you should cancel your order. We just released a new line of Mac Pro's." They already had my money, yet I ended up with a better system at less cost. That was incredibly cool of them.

[axemt @ Dec 20th 2008 9:45PM]

Is Apple hurting from the economy that they have to rescue the Mini?

After all, they are selling iphones and itouches like crazy after all.

[Timm @ Dec 20th 2008 10:03PM]

The new Mac Mini has been rumored for about 4 to 6 weeks now. It's hardly a reaction to what's going on with the economy. Just a standard overdue upgrade.

[Aaquib @ Dec 20th 2008 10:03PM]

It has nothing to do with the economy.

The Mac mini's received a small processor bump in August 2007, and that was the last we've seen it changed. A year and a half with absolutely no refresh.

The chips are so old that Intel is going to stop manufacturing them soon.

ie. A refresh is LONG overdue.

[Little a @ Dec 20th 2008 9:50PM]

I am waiting for new mac-mini.

[MathewM @ Dec 20th 2008 10:41PM]

I agree with Wii60; Apple is dropping the ball. The problem is that they don't care. They're pretty confident with the iPhone/iPod sales that they don't need to focus on "computer" sales. They're not even a "computer" company anymore. The Macintosh is now more less just one of several Apple products. There are even rumors about that Apple will sell off its professional software development.

While I'm not really interested what will be the next mini (they'll almost for sure drop fw400 and the mini display port is a given. Will they offer an adapter or just write off 90% of their sales? With Apple who knows...) I would love it if they would just give us mid-range tower. A quad-core version of the current Mac Pro for under $2K would be great. Yes, I know I can buy used or refurbished but I don't want to. I'm still using a Dual G5 2.0 ghz and will probably keep it until Apple entices me otherwise.

[Boards of Canada @ Dec 20th 2008 10:55PM]

I feel your pain... I was working on a Dual G5 2.5ghz 2 years ago and when I buyed my cheap 600$ Duo2core e6600 2.4ghz pc, it was like a rebirth! now im running a 3ghz and will update to a i7 as soon as Dell have a good deal under 1000$. I prefer buy pc every years than a mac each 2-3 years... in my field (broadcast design and 3D), you have to get the latest speed. Dell low price and coupons are the way to go to save money!

[Onetrack @ Dec 21st 2008 1:46AM]

why don't you just make one? I have an Efi-X chip on my EP45 DS3R running 3.4.5 firmware with 10.5.6 on a Q6600 with 8 megs of ram, 8800GT and 4 tb of hd space.. cheaper than the budget you set for the headless mac.

[Nathan @ Dec 21st 2008 9:35AM]

8 MEG OF RAM?!
WOAH, DONT ROCK THE BOAT

that must of set you back alot

[yopladas @ Dec 20th 2008 10:56PM]

I can't wait!

Actually, I don't care, but I need to comment.

[Levi @ Dec 20th 2008 11:16PM]

Is using commas in version numbers instead of periods a Mac thing?

I'll just never understand.

[Dannyboy @ Dec 20th 2008 11:42PM]

No, it's the correct SI way do decimalise a number... Every country does it, apart from uk and USA etc..
:D

[f00 @ Dec 20th 2008 11:53PM]

yeah... last time i checked, it's not used in the english speaking part of canada either... hell, i'm willing to bet most places that have english as their primary language don't do that...

[why not the LS2LS7? @ Dec 21st 2008 1:27AM]

It has nothing to do with the SI. Additionally, look it up, not that many countries use the comma for decimalization.

The comma is because that's how Open Firmware did it. This information is stored in the registry on a Mac, and that registry is stored in OF format (even though Macs don't use OF anymore). Furthermore, they aren't even decimalized, the comma is a list separator here.

[Levi @ Dec 21st 2008 10:13AM]

wow, I actually got real answers, thanks! I was honestly kind of half expecting to be flamed. If commas areused to designate a decimal place in a large amount of other countries, my ignorance here makes me feel a bit like the typical arrogant USAer, though I'm not. I was half making a joke, but also half serious, cause I didn't know; the arrogant USAer probably would've said something like "ZOMGZ THERE NOT COMMAS!!" (notice the improper use of the word "there," a dead giveaway of an arrogant ignoramus)

So next, I have to ask, what is the SI? Also, "list separator" sounds like it could be used here in a similar way that a decimal would, like version 3, revision 1, am I right? Or no?