Apple warning retailers of short-term iMac shortages -- new models in the pipeline?
Several sources are reporting that Apple is notifying direct and indirect sales channels of upcoming shortages of stock for the iMac. It appears that Apple is drawing down inventory in anticipation of the introduction of new models of the popular desktop machines.
According to AppleInsider, a source says that Apple is informing some distributors not to expect future shipments of the 21.5" 3.06 GHz iMac, indicating that the model may no longer be in production.
It's widely expected that a new iMac lineup would include a dual-core Intel Core i5 model in addition to the existing quad-core i5 and i7 configurations. It's not known if the new iMacs will include USB 3.0 support. The new specification has been out for more than a year, and many Mac fans are looking forward to seeing support for the standard. USB 3.0 provides transfer speeds up to ten times what the existing USB 2.0 spec can handle, and is more power efficient.
Still missing in action is a new Mac Pro, which hasn't seen an update in quite some time. Some rumors have stated that Apple is working on a 12-core Intel Xeon-based Mac Pro for release later this year.
