Apple "operator" suggests new iMacs are on their way soon

Sep 30, 2009 13:56 GMT  ·  By

Softpedia has been offered another clue that Apple is refreshing its Macintosh lineup, this time coming directly from Apple’s Support staff. One of Apple’s help-desk operators allegedly told one of our readers that they might want to postpone the purchase of an iMac for now.

We recently posted a story speculating on the refresh rumor that’s been kind of burning lately. Apple taking its web store down yesterday appeared to be the first sign that such talk was true, although, soon after, when the company put the store back online, no new products were spotted – not even price cuts, for that matter. But the report caught the eye of one of our readers, who posted a rather intriguing comment soon after the news was public.

Sean claims to have spoken with “an Apple operator” about getting a new iMac while trading in an older Apple computer – an eMac. “This perosn [sic] said to wait,” his comment goes. “I take that to mean rumors are true and imacs [sic] are being redone or prices dropped,” he expresses his thoughts, which pretty much resonate with our own.

We asked Sean if he could provide more details, regarding his conversation with the Apple employee. Here’s what he told us via email:

Not much to say. I asked if I could recycle our emac here in Germany, he [the operator] indicated the recycling programs were not the same as in the States and suggested I sell on ebay. I told them we were getting a new iMac and he said something like “I would wait before purchasing.” Nothing else said.

Although this doesn’t confirm anything, it does pile up alongside many other clues suggesting that Apple is rolling out new hardware soon, especially with reports saying iMac and Mac mini stocks are depleting – the Mac maker has reportedly informed store managers that it has stopped shipping current-generation desktop Macs.

Thanks for the tip, Sean! We hope you’re right.