Apple hints at quick 2011 iMac refresh

Apple in posting its Thunderbolt support details may have inadvertently revealed plans for a second iMac update this year. The document makes reference to a "late 2011" alongside the current mid 2011 edition. The all-in-one isn't referenced anywhere else, but the phrasing makes it clear the reference was deliberate, if not intended to go live so soon.

The mention has come just days after leaks of a second 2011 MacBook Pro upgrade and could point to Apple having a more comprehensive Mac update for those systems that weren't updated in the summer.

Any update may not come until as late as November. If not taking advantage of milder chip updates, Apple may want to wait until Sandy Bridge-E, when it can get a new chipset and more substantial upgrades at the high end of the iMac line. More RAM and hard drive space are additional candidates.

The iMac and MacBook Pro updates may simply be arriving because of Intel's roadmap. Intel's successor to Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge, won't show until March or later. A touched up Mac line could keep Apple's most important desktops and notebooks current until Apple is ready to provide a more fundamental update. [via 9to5]

By Electronista Staff

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Intel, iMac, MacBook Pro, computers, Apple, Ivy Bridge, Sandy Bridge-E