14 DAY TRIAL // People close to Apple have revealed that the Mac maker is ready to phase out current iMac models in favor of introducing upgraded units at attractive prices. The desktop computers are said to feature a thinner design and new enclosures, in addition to other enhancements.
By speaking to people familiar with Apple’s plans, AppleInsider has learned from two of them that, “As early as this month [Apple] will begin to fill out its 2009 Mac product line with a new family of iMacs sporting classier enclosures and a few added bells and whistles [...] The new all-in-one, dual-core desktops were finalized earlier in September and have been rolling off the Mac maker's Taiwanese product lines for roughly two weeks.”
“In addition to more affordable pricing, the systems are expected to come clad in a thinner industrial design,” these people say. “Though details are admittedly limited, it's likely these new enclosures will also take design cues from the Cupertino-based company's relatively new LED-lit Cinema Display offerings,” the rumor goes.
Partial confirmation that this is the case comes from other people “familiar with Apple's thinking [who] have suggested in recent months one of these moves could see the company finally embrace Blu-ray – a technology once derided by Chief Executive Steve Jobs as a ‘bag of hurt’ from a licensing perspective,” the report in question says.
Other enhancements relate to audio, these people have suggested, with AppleInsider touting the new-gen iMacs as “the most versatile ever,” and believing “Apple is primed to extend the capabilities of at least one technology introduced on the Mac platform as recently as last fall.”
The site has also learned that Apple's corporate and educational sales teams have been offering instant discounts to their customers, as high as $100 and $200 on existing iMac models. Given that representatives have allegedly stressed to buyers that these offers would be valid for just one week, AppleInsider believed Apple could make an announcement anytime between next week and mid-October.